You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
It started out beautifully creepy, like a horror story that could become reality some day. Was disappointed at first when Sebastian was introduced as a vampire, but the author avoids the horrible 'Twilight' setting by actually keeping the romance away from the vampires. He's not glorified and romanticized; he's a monster and I like that.
This book was a completely different take on vampires and I really enjoyed it! I loved the loyalty Lily had for her sister and how they were both willing to do anything to save each other.
Best Bits: The twists! The suspense! The fact that this book kept me up until the wee hours of the morning on a work night... I really enjoyed the premise of The Farm. It's a mix between a zombie apocalypse and a vampire story, and it felt really fresh. It doesn't romanticize vampirism (which YA tends to do), and it's full of surprises. I think it takes a lot of skill to write a YA without falling prey to the some of the most common tropes and of the genre (tropes are really common plot points/character situations. They're not bad in general, but when it comes to vampires there are a lot of things that I can't read anymore). McKay avoided that. There's no tired love triangle, no insta-love because the characters new each other before the Ticks came into existence, and the danger is real. I wasn't prepared for the paranormal aspect of the book (beyond the ticks), and I can't give away what that is for fear of spoiling you, but let me just say that I was pleasantly surprised. I also really enjoyed the characters. With the exception of a couple of Lily's actions, I was rooting for her and Mel to get the heck off of the Farm.
Nit Picks: I only have one for The Farm, and it is related to the relationship between Lily and Carter. It's not the relationship itself that I have a problem with. In fact, I actually enjoyed the way that played out in the story (it wasn't insta-love). My issue is that Lily tended to put everyone in danger when Carter wasn't safe. During the first half of the book she's so focused on the safety of her sister that I was surprised that she would risk the lives of the group waiting for Carter.
Nit Picks: I only have one for The Farm, and it is related to the relationship between Lily and Carter. It's not the relationship itself that I have a problem with. In fact, I actually enjoyed the way that played out in the story (it wasn't insta-love). My issue is that Lily tended to put everyone in danger when Carter wasn't safe. During the first half of the book she's so focused on the safety of her sister that I was surprised that she would risk the lives of the group waiting for Carter.
So this book is chimed as "equal parts Resident Evil and Hunger Games" on the cover.
Nope. It's Twilight. A better written, less mushy more gritty Twilight, but Twilight all the same. Will I read the sequel? Probably. But I won't have any illusions about what it is, and those illusions were probably what made this such a slow read for me. But, that being said if you're going to steal a story, you should at least have the dignity to make it better, and McKay did that. Lily was much more tolerable than Bella, and Carter, though not quite a heartthrob, was less girly than Edward. So a solid middle of the road for The Farm.
Nope. It's Twilight. A better written, less mushy more gritty Twilight, but Twilight all the same. Will I read the sequel? Probably. But I won't have any illusions about what it is, and those illusions were probably what made this such a slow read for me. But, that being said if you're going to steal a story, you should at least have the dignity to make it better, and McKay did that. Lily was much more tolerable than Bella, and Carter, though not quite a heartthrob, was less girly than Edward. So a solid middle of the road for The Farm.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
130 pages in and I give up! This book is crap.
I don't care about any of the characters, I don't care to know what happens to them. I was pretty much over the multiple POV's that seem to be so popular and this one sent me over the edge. Three POV's, two in first person and one in third. What a jumbled up pile of turd. I am done.
I don't care about any of the characters, I don't care to know what happens to them. I was pretty much over the multiple POV's that seem to be so popular and this one sent me over the edge. Three POV's, two in first person and one in third. What a jumbled up pile of turd. I am done.
Though this will read as a bit dated in a few years due to many of its pop culture references this was a decent read. A genetically mutated subform of vampires has caused the surviving humans to put their youth into "farms" which are really detention centers (think Japanese American detainment camps during WWII) for their protection when in reality they're nothing more than blood cattle for the "ticks." Lily is planning her and her spectrum sister, Mel's, escape and flight to Canada. Enter Carter, Lily's high school crush. Escape, battles, some blood, emotional psychic powers, and a little bit of love for an entertaining YA summer read.
Shame that we know this will be another one of those trilogy reads so we have to wait for the next book(s). *sigh*
Shame that we know this will be another one of those trilogy reads so we have to wait for the next book(s). *sigh*
Not a huge fan. I felt like the ending was kind of a cop out, almost as if it was too convenient. Carter and Lily's relationship was kind of stupid, I felt they were too forgiving of each other's mistakes.
In the Before, everything was like it is now in the real world. Vampires sparkled in movies, instead of chowing down on human flesh in real life. But, now, monsters known as Ticks have taken over a nation in less than six months. Teenagers reside in Farms, where they are fattened like cattle to bleed dry for the Ticks outside the fence. Lily and her autistic twin, Mel, intend to escape before their 18th birthday. When Carter, a familiar face from Before, shows up and offers a way out, they take it. Now they just need to survive.
When I read what The Farm was about, I was ready to dive right in. As much as I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read another vampire book, there was something about this one which made me want to read it right away. It sounded so similar to The Daybreakers, a film made in 2009, about vampires taking over the world. In the movie, just like this book, the vampires farm the humans for blood. As much as the movie was just okay, the concept of farming humans and vampires taking over the world seemed very promising. The Farm was different in the way that it was in the perspective of one of the farm occupants. The Daybreakers trailer is below.
Emily McKay created this world filled with vampire lore. One of the most fantastic storylines with vampires I have heard in a long time. She calls them Ticks (and Tocks), just the title makes them sound remarkably unique. Her writing blew me away, from beginning to end. I wanted to continuously jump ahead because I almost couldn’t stand not knowing what was going to happen next.
Alternating point of views are sometimes not the best, if written the wrong way they can easily be confusing. However, with The Farm, the narratives were written nicely and I didn’t get lost at all. It was interesting to read about and get in the mind of an autistic girl. There are too few novels with main characters who have autism. Carter was the cliché hot boy of the group but McKay wrote him in such a way that made him seem much more than that. He was compelling and I wanted to know more about him. I enjoyed Lily’s narration the most; she would doubt herself often which was a fantastic way to get the reader to doubt what was happening as well.
The plot flowed at a good pace, not too fast and not slow at all. However, it was the action packed scenes which kept me reading for more. There were a bit of twists in The Farm but the most anticipated twist was predictable. There was a superpower talked up throughout the entire book but one minute I would understand it and the next something would throw me off. Something didn’t add up with it. The ending upset me. It seemed too rushed and I felt McKay could have slowed down in the plot. However, I am anticipating the release of the second one because McKay left it off at such an agonizing point.
The Farm was a magnificent take on vampires. As much as the vampire era is leaving for a while and dystopia has taken the world by storm, make sure you read this one. The Farm is fresh, unique, and action packed.
When I read what The Farm was about, I was ready to dive right in. As much as I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read another vampire book, there was something about this one which made me want to read it right away. It sounded so similar to The Daybreakers, a film made in 2009, about vampires taking over the world. In the movie, just like this book, the vampires farm the humans for blood. As much as the movie was just okay, the concept of farming humans and vampires taking over the world seemed very promising. The Farm was different in the way that it was in the perspective of one of the farm occupants. The Daybreakers trailer is below.
Emily McKay created this world filled with vampire lore. One of the most fantastic storylines with vampires I have heard in a long time. She calls them Ticks (and Tocks), just the title makes them sound remarkably unique. Her writing blew me away, from beginning to end. I wanted to continuously jump ahead because I almost couldn’t stand not knowing what was going to happen next.
Alternating point of views are sometimes not the best, if written the wrong way they can easily be confusing. However, with The Farm, the narratives were written nicely and I didn’t get lost at all. It was interesting to read about and get in the mind of an autistic girl. There are too few novels with main characters who have autism. Carter was the cliché hot boy of the group but McKay wrote him in such a way that made him seem much more than that. He was compelling and I wanted to know more about him. I enjoyed Lily’s narration the most; she would doubt herself often which was a fantastic way to get the reader to doubt what was happening as well.
The plot flowed at a good pace, not too fast and not slow at all. However, it was the action packed scenes which kept me reading for more. There were a bit of twists in The Farm but the most anticipated twist was predictable. There was a superpower talked up throughout the entire book but one minute I would understand it and the next something would throw me off. Something didn’t add up with it. The ending upset me. It seemed too rushed and I felt McKay could have slowed down in the plot. However, I am anticipating the release of the second one because McKay left it off at such an agonizing point.
The Farm was a magnificent take on vampires. As much as the vampire era is leaving for a while and dystopia has taken the world by storm, make sure you read this one. The Farm is fresh, unique, and action packed.