Review: Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Summary

Your mother hollers that you're going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don't stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don't thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not - you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner. 

Only, if it's the last time you'll see your mother, you sort of start to wish you'd stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus. 

Bus the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.

Fourteen kinds. One superstore. A million things that go wrong. 

In Emmy Laybourne's action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two wight graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world - as they know it - apart. 

Review

Monument 14 is a book that I wanted to read for a long time, I guess adding it to my TBR file would act like a constant reminder for me to get it, did it? Nope! But one day last week I was pulled, by an unnatural force into WhSmith - guess we all need a daily dosage of book shops, right? - and there it was and I just had to have it. Sadly I brought it before college started and it was the longest day I had so it was a long wait until I could start it. But it was totally worth the wait. 

Monument 14 shows us the sudden disasters through the narrator Dean - LOVE that name, definitely because of Supernatural and Dean being awesome like always and so protective... okay I'm going to stop now - who just happens to be the outcast in his school and unknown by the girl of his dreams. Not only do these disasters strike when kids are on there way to school, it just so happens to get them stuck in a supermarket - cool right? Not exactly - where survival becomes the first and last instinct especially when they have young children stranded with them inside and unspeakable disasters taking over the world. The most interesting aspect of this novel was the sudden twist of what could happen if you get exposed to the chemicals outside, and having to find out the affect on each blood type after encountering sudden behavioral changes with those who got effected, and blood type O being the most dangerous.  

Dean is a reserved character who speaks his mind through writing down which isn't something they tend to do with the whole tech evolving etc. Books has simply been forgotten about but not for Dean and his mother, whereas his brother, Alex is more logical and has to see things as it is not how it is thought to be just like his father, known to be the computer genius he's more popular than most kids especially when it comes to tech problems in the neighborhood. But that doesn't change the love and level of protectiveness Dean shows and has for his little brother. This books shows the change and development of each character, who all in their own way have contributed in the effect of saving each other from downfall. I guess Niko's skills of Boy Scout sure helped in the survival on a long term bases and having a leader helped with day to day tasks. But nothing can go smoothly when you have an overbearing, and overly annoying asshat on your survival squad, right? Yup and that just so happens to be Brayden, who portrays the bully of every kids nightmare and just so happens to be one towards Dean. Grrrrrr. But not everything can go perfect when you have access to everything your parents said no too, right? *Psstt I can't say what happens so just go read it*

I can go on an on about each character and all the problems they face but there's something about reading and discovering for yourself how each character has something to offer to the survival. Each aspect of this book gives readers a new understanding of team work and important decisions; whether good or bad, your instinct on survival is the only thing that will help you to actually survive. Emmy has done a great job bringing this page turning book that will keep you hooked till the last page, let's just say the way the book ends you'll be wishing you brought the second one too, I totally do. So go read this amazing book by Emmy Laybourne and just read for yourself and expect the unexpected because making predictions with nature might just be your biggest mistake. This book brings you 14 survivors, a supermarket, deadly fumes that affect your blood type, but most of all the quest to find safety and more importantly the bond of two brothers and the extent all of them are willing go to find their parents. 

Monument 14 - Emmy Laybourne 5 Stars