Book Review: Monument 14

The Basics:

Monument 14 is the debut novel of Emmy Laybourne. It's a young adult survival book about a group of fourteen teenagers and little kids who end up trapped inside a department store during a natural disaster that turns out to be not so natural. 




The Goods:
So one of the things I love about this book is the feeling of family. Although only a few of the kids are actually related, they all manage to come together as a family, looking out for one another. One of the teenagers, Josie, becomes sort of the "mother" because of her motherly instincts and the way she organizes and takes care of kids. The way Emmy Laybourne sets up the book, you really do feel a sense of family, not only between the characters, but between myself and the book. It's like, I didn't want anything bad to happened to any of those fourteen kids, even the huge jerks (like Jake and Brayden).

The Bads:
One thing that ticked me off about this book was the profanity. There wasn't any heavy stuff and the profanity was very rare (only saw it a couple times), but it was still unnecessary. I've read excellent books (i.e. Hunger Games) that didn't use profanity whatsoever and still made their point.
Another thing that annoyed me was the whole "teen relationship" stuff. I mean, I get it, you know: teenagers + confined spaces + stress = romance. But seriously? There was more teen love drama going on between six people than there has been in some entire high schools. I find "love triangles" and all that stuff unnecesary as well.

The "Oopsies":
So apparently one of the teens locked in the store, Brayden, has a dad who works for NORAD, the "evil" company who allegedly created and released chemical components that contaminated the air and targeted people with potentially deadly symptoms based on their blood type. Brayden only mentions his father once in the book--when NORAD is brought up by one of the other teens, and Brayden hurries to defend his father. But throughout the rest of the book, Brayden's dad isn't mentioned anymore--which is weird, because I thought that information would actually have something to do with the plot. Apparently not. 

Fave character:
Max, a five-year-old (?) kid who is the better story-teller in the world. His parents apparently divorced, and he's had all sorts of adventures with both of them--and he's great at telling about them, even at the most innapropriate times. He's pretty wise beyond his years, and he just cracks me up.

Least fave character:
Even though I disliked three characters in this book--Jake, Brayden, and Sahaliea--I'd have to say Brayden is my least favorite. He's always picking on the main character, Dean; he breaks the heart of one of my other fave characters, Josie; and he "falls in love" with a thirteen-year-old girl (Sahalia)--and, by the way, Brayden is sixteen. Yeah, sick much?

Wrap-up:
So overall this book--and it's sequel, Sky on Fire--weren't too bad. They kept me hooked and gave me a connection with the characters. I always love a good "survival" story (mostly because of my strong love for Hunger Games), so this book did fill my appetite. I honestly can't wait until I can get my hands on the final book, Savage Drift.