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A review by colossal
Annex by Rich Larson
5.0
Excellent YA SF set in the aftermath of an alien invasion that has isolated the city where the action is set and changed the inhabitants.
The action picks up with 11-year old Bo escaping from a warehouse where the aliens are keeping children, all of who are implanted with a strange parasite. He's found by 16-year old Violet who's a member of a group of other escapee children calling themselves the Lost Boys. The Lost Boys are led by the charismatic Wyatt who has trained them in resisting the various disturbing alien forces occupying the city and surviving there when all the adults are sort-of benign zombies. As it turns out though, Bo is different from the other kids, and his difference signifies a new chapter of the alien invasion and the kids struggle for survival.
If I had to give an elevator pitch for this one I'd describe it as [b:Exo|26532931|Exo (Exo #1)|Fonda Lee|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464719345s/26532931.jpg|46532697] by way of Falling Skies and [b:Peter Pan|34268|Peter Pan|J.M. Barrie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1337714526s/34268.jpg|1358908]. The protagonists are Bo, the son of immigrants from Niger, and Violet, a transgender girl who's found her own way now that her non-supportive family are mainly out of the picture. Things get really interesting when they begin to interact with the aliens more, including the revelation of an unexpected and suspicious ally.
While clearly part of a series, this does come to a satisfactory conclusion which is refreshing considering the cliffhanger-prone YA genre.
The action picks up with 11-year old Bo escaping from a warehouse where the aliens are keeping children, all of who are implanted with a strange parasite. He's found by 16-year old Violet who's a member of a group of other escapee children calling themselves the Lost Boys. The Lost Boys are led by the charismatic Wyatt who has trained them in resisting the various disturbing alien forces occupying the city and surviving there when all the adults are sort-of benign zombies. As it turns out though, Bo is different from the other kids, and his difference signifies a new chapter of the alien invasion and the kids struggle for survival.
If I had to give an elevator pitch for this one I'd describe it as [b:Exo|26532931|Exo (Exo #1)|Fonda Lee|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1464719345s/26532931.jpg|46532697] by way of Falling Skies and [b:Peter Pan|34268|Peter Pan|J.M. Barrie|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1337714526s/34268.jpg|1358908]. The protagonists are Bo, the son of immigrants from Niger, and Violet, a transgender girl who's found her own way now that her non-supportive family are mainly out of the picture. Things get really interesting when they begin to interact with the aliens more, including the revelation of an unexpected and suspicious ally.
While clearly part of a series, this does come to a satisfactory conclusion which is refreshing considering the cliffhanger-prone YA genre.