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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Like most people, I find the study of cults fascinating and a little sad. I actually ended up taking a class on cults my junior year of college because one of my original classes for that semester–Latin 3, if you’re wondering–was cancelled due to a lack of interest. Shocker. Somehow, a few days before school began, I had to find another class to register for to keep up with my full-time student status, and there were few classes for my major, my minors, or my general requirements that were open. I finally stumbled across a class called New Religious Movements(the more sociological term for cults and sects) that was open and fit a requirement for my religion minor with a professor who was generally spoken of positively. I registered, not knowing that class would end up being one of my favorites and most fascinating. See, that class is why I had such a profound interest in Gated from the start, and the book did not disappoint.
The society at Mandodrage Meadows is the type of place outsiders look upon with a mixture of curiosity and fear. The members do not interact with the modern world as much as they can help it, aside from the occasional run in to town for supplies. They stockpile. They create a bunker, and they’re waiting the apocalypse. Each member is paired off with another for families, and all of the families have undergone trauma of some kind, and are looking at the society as a place of healing. At the front of it all is Pioneer, the leader of them all.
I thought Parker did a terrific job of writing the world of Mandodrage Meadow as both appealing and off-putting at the same time. It was easy to see what could attract families, especially families who had lost loved ones, to the community and simple life the compound gave. Yet, Parker never slipped into making the life seemed ideal. All along, the idea that this society was so carefully structured that an outside magazine or a pair of teenagers sneaking out could bring this down.
Lyla navigated her world with such ease, and at first I couldn’t help the dissonance I felt as an outsider looking in and the comfort she seemed to carry. Couldn’t she see how scary and wrong this was? How the end of the world could come at any moment, yes, but that all the prepping and packing and hiding away just built fear, not tore it down? That was everything the reader in me wanted to say as I read about Lyla’s day-to-day life, but of course her comfort makes sense. She wasn’t born in Mandodrage Meadows, so it’s not really the only life she’s ever known, but it’s close enough.
Throughout the story, Lyla slowly opens herself up to the outside world a little bit more, and this was also fascinating to see from the perspective of someone who doesn’t really live in the same world so many of us do. I thought her character was well-written and that her curiosity, discomfort, and terror were all presented well.
Pioneer, the leader of Mandodrage Meadows, is one of the most complex and complicated characters I’ve ever read about. The story is told through Lyla’s first-person POV, so we only see Pioneer through Lyla’s eyes. We see her awe and admiration at the beginning, her confusion and hurt in the middle of the book, and her ultimate anger by the end. Pioneer is deranged, but the way his carefully composed character presents as pleasant and charismatic is. . . disturbing, to say the least.
Gated is a difficult book to read. It moves slowly as Lyla lives out what her community truly believes is the last of days, just to culminate in a quick and breath-catching last fifty pages. It’s not a book for everyone, and throughout Gated, readers will really SEE the world that Pioneer has built, which can be difficult reading as an outsider, having already labelled this group a cult. But it’s still a book I would recommend to people who enjoy the study of cults and find them sadly fascinating, as I do.
Final Impression: Not an easy or fun read by any means, but I thought Gated was an excellent look into a cult that is preparing for the end of the world and seeing the effect the community and it’s leader can have on a teenager’s life. I thought the society at Mandodrage Meadows was written really well in a way that both made me understand how the community to seem so compelling to people while at the same times still being disturbing.
The society at Mandodrage Meadows is the type of place outsiders look upon with a mixture of curiosity and fear. The members do not interact with the modern world as much as they can help it, aside from the occasional run in to town for supplies. They stockpile. They create a bunker, and they’re waiting the apocalypse. Each member is paired off with another for families, and all of the families have undergone trauma of some kind, and are looking at the society as a place of healing. At the front of it all is Pioneer, the leader of them all.
I thought Parker did a terrific job of writing the world of Mandodrage Meadow as both appealing and off-putting at the same time. It was easy to see what could attract families, especially families who had lost loved ones, to the community and simple life the compound gave. Yet, Parker never slipped into making the life seemed ideal. All along, the idea that this society was so carefully structured that an outside magazine or a pair of teenagers sneaking out could bring this down.
Lyla navigated her world with such ease, and at first I couldn’t help the dissonance I felt as an outsider looking in and the comfort she seemed to carry. Couldn’t she see how scary and wrong this was? How the end of the world could come at any moment, yes, but that all the prepping and packing and hiding away just built fear, not tore it down? That was everything the reader in me wanted to say as I read about Lyla’s day-to-day life, but of course her comfort makes sense. She wasn’t born in Mandodrage Meadows, so it’s not really the only life she’s ever known, but it’s close enough.
Throughout the story, Lyla slowly opens herself up to the outside world a little bit more, and this was also fascinating to see from the perspective of someone who doesn’t really live in the same world so many of us do. I thought her character was well-written and that her curiosity, discomfort, and terror were all presented well.
Pioneer, the leader of Mandodrage Meadows, is one of the most complex and complicated characters I’ve ever read about. The story is told through Lyla’s first-person POV, so we only see Pioneer through Lyla’s eyes. We see her awe and admiration at the beginning, her confusion and hurt in the middle of the book, and her ultimate anger by the end. Pioneer is deranged, but the way his carefully composed character presents as pleasant and charismatic is. . . disturbing, to say the least.
Gated is a difficult book to read. It moves slowly as Lyla lives out what her community truly believes is the last of days, just to culminate in a quick and breath-catching last fifty pages. It’s not a book for everyone, and throughout Gated, readers will really SEE the world that Pioneer has built, which can be difficult reading as an outsider, having already labelled this group a cult. But it’s still a book I would recommend to people who enjoy the study of cults and find them sadly fascinating, as I do.
Final Impression: Not an easy or fun read by any means, but I thought Gated was an excellent look into a cult that is preparing for the end of the world and seeing the effect the community and it’s leader can have on a teenager’s life. I thought the society at Mandodrage Meadows was written really well in a way that both made me understand how the community to seem so compelling to people while at the same times still being disturbing.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a very pleasant surprise--a teen dystopia that is set in present-day and in many ways is much more chilling than the dozens of futuristic dystopias out there. With the timing and events in here, rather than some vague "in the future" authors generally tackle, things feel a whole lot closer to home in here.
I was a bit disappointed by the characters, as they felt fairly shallow outside of Lyla. Even Pioneer, who was giving me the creeps from the beginning, never felt fully realized. Still, Lyla is given plenty of motivation to act out against the brainwashing she'd been receiving since being a little girl. It worked for me since she was still at a plausible enough age before they went into the community to at least have some vague ideas of the world, but innocent enough to not have fully understood what happened with her sister.
After a slow and deliberate stop I was not expecting the action-packed ending with some really surprise and brutal moments. Overall a good, if incredibly disturbing at times, read.
I was provided a copy from the publisher via Netgalley.
I was a bit disappointed by the characters, as they felt fairly shallow outside of Lyla. Even Pioneer, who was giving me the creeps from the beginning, never felt fully realized. Still, Lyla is given plenty of motivation to act out against the brainwashing she'd been receiving since being a little girl. It worked for me since she was still at a plausible enough age before they went into the community to at least have some vague ideas of the world, but innocent enough to not have fully understood what happened with her sister.
After a slow and deliberate stop I was not expecting the action-packed ending with some really surprise and brutal moments. Overall a good, if incredibly disturbing at times, read.
I was provided a copy from the publisher via Netgalley.
Very interesting book. Parker develops the antagonist by including quotes from other "cult" leaders and the bible. Knowing about these individuals and their followers added to my perception of Pioneer. Using flashbacks and really allowing the reader to "see" the thinking of Lyla gave the character the depth needed to help the better understand the reasons individuals often "give themselves" to charismatic individuals. A fairly intense read, but completed it in an afternoon. Good book for middle and high school libraries.
I really really liked this book. I loved that it is set in a community that is basically a cult just weeks before they go in "The Silo" for 5 years because they think the world is to end. They follow a shady, prone to anger, man they call "The Pioneer" and he calls the shots for all the things within the community. Lyla is starting to have doubts about the community and is being singled out by Pioneer for punishment and special watching. She begins to have even more doubts when she meets the local sheriff's son, Cody. She feels things for him that she does not feel for her Intended, Will. A series of events sets the heading into the Silo ahead to a sooner date and Lyla struggles to find out where she fits in the community she lives in and with the feelings she has for Cody, her unsure feelings about the Pioneer and his treatment of the community, and her feelings that she does not want to never see sky, breath fresh air, or know if the end is really happening.
This is a well written book and I loved it. It made me wish I had bought it instead of just checked it out of the library. I highly recommend it for people who are tired of the same old YA genres and looking for something new. You really grow to care about Lyla and the other character sin the book and share Lyla's feelings of unease about The Pioneer as you read. The ending was perfect as well.
This is a well written book and I loved it. It made me wish I had bought it instead of just checked it out of the library. I highly recommend it for people who are tired of the same old YA genres and looking for something new. You really grow to care about Lyla and the other character sin the book and share Lyla's feelings of unease about The Pioneer as you read. The ending was perfect as well.
I'd actually give it a 3.5...and I will read the next in the series now that I know it IS a series. I especially liked the fact that the romantic elements were almost incidental in this book. I am over the romance carrying the story in YA reads...Over. It! This is a cool exploration of cultish communities and Apocalyptic visionaries and such. Especially since it makes the involvement of these folks so plausible...you Get why they follow him. I thought this was a very interesting story with characters that could have used a bit more development.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Surprising view of a religious cult from one of it's members. Remember all those news stories and news paper articles about religious cults that thought the world was ending or that their supreme being wanted the, to kill themselves and join him/her. Ever wondered what they were thinking? well, this book answers that question, and gives great insight as to why such cults are created.
Excellent book. Honestly very cleverly written. Different take on "girl meets boy, world changes"
An intriguing, original idea, and a gripping thriller.