Read List

So this is my little page of opinions. Except its just books! So here we go...! (In no particular order)

1. Paint it Black;
The protagonist, Josie Tyrell, is a little rocker, an art model and part of the LA punk scene as it existed in '79 and '80. In the first chapter, her great love, art student Michael Faraday, turns up dead at the LA county morgue--a suicide by gunshot. His mother, the elegant, cultured Meredith Loewy, a concert pianist, has always hated her son's ragamuffin girlfriend, and now blames her for the son's death. Yet, wildly disparate in culture and personality as the two women are, they are nevertheless drawn to one another, as they were the only ones who really knew him.
Music is the air of this novel, its earth and water, so it wasn't hard to find music to express the texture and moods of the book--there's a soundtrack embedded in its pages.
Three genres begin to overlap as the novel progresses and the worlds intertwine: the 1980 punk rock that is Josie's world; the 1920's dirty blues and other period music favored by Michael--call it the love theme of the book; and the classical piano repertoire which represents Meredith's art and world of high culture, which belongs not only to her, but to her son--often representing his struggle and contradictions.
My opinion? This book is sad. It really inspired a lot of Run. A lot of Josie is found in Nia in that they are the same lost, wandering souls. Looking for something, but they can't grasp what. That said, I love this book so much. I picked it up at a dollar book store and read it on a Saturday morning. So Good.

2. Memoirs of a Geisha; 
A literary sensation and runaway bestseller, this brilliant debut novel tells with seamless authenticity and exquisite lyricism the true confessions of one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.

Speaking to us with the wisdom of age and in a voice at once haunting and startlingly immediate, Nitta Sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha. It begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old girl with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. We witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup, and hair; pouring sake to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous rival for men's solicitude and the money that goes with it.

In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction—at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful—and completely unforgettable.
My Opinion?  This book was truly haunting. I suggest it be read by a women, only because the power will be some much more intense. Its truly one of the most breathtaking books I've ever read. The writing is seamless, the story is effortless. One of my favorite books. 

3.Lucky;
 In a memoir hailed for its searing candor and wit, Alice Sebold reveals how her life was utterly transformed when, as an eighteen-year-old college freshman, she was brutally raped and beaten in a park near campus. What propels this chronicle of her recovery is Sebold's indomitable spirit - as she struggles for understanding.
My Opinion? This book is graphic. You'll read the first few pages and cringe. But please, don't let that discourage you from reading through it. It's an incredible story. You may also know Alice Sebold from 'The Lovely Bones'. Yeah, she wrote that, and this book is even better. 

4.Shiver, Linger, Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls Series);
Book 1 (Shiver)... Maggie Stiefvater’s 2009 novel Shiver is a story of true love, determination, and belonging.

Told in alternating points of view, the novel recounts the story of teenagers Grace and Sam. Grace has always had a strange relationship with the wolves outside her Minnesota home, ever since being attacked by them as a child. They both scare her and fascinate her, and one in particular draws her interest. He is her yellow-eyed wolf, and he intrigues her.

Sam is a boy with a secret. In the warmth of the summer, he is a human, a thin boy with floppy hair and a love of reading. In the cold of winter, he turns into a black wolf with yellow eyes that roams the forest near Grace’s house. Sam feels a sense of belonging in his pack of fellow wolves, but he yearns to remain human.

When Sam is shot as a wolf, the shock turns him back into a human, and he crawls to Grace’s door for help. Grace cares for him, provides him with a place to stay, and keeps his secret. Together, they share their insecurities, support each other, and fall in love. They are opposites: Grace is strong and practical, whereas Sam is sensitive and creative. They both have dark pasts, however. Sam’s parents tried to kill him when they discovered he was a werewolf, and Grace’s parents are emotionally neglectful. These experiences leave the teens insecure and lonely. Both Grace and Sam have always yearned for real love, and they find it in each other.

But time is short. Each year, Sam spends more months of the year in wolf form, and eventually he will stay a wolf. Sam is afraid of losing himself because he has only a faint recollection of his humanity when he is in wolf form. This is Sam’s last year as a human, and unless Grace can figure out how to keep him from changing, she will lose him forever.

Heartrending and raw, Steifvater’s Shiver offers a beautifully poetic fantasy of young love and the search for identity and belonging.


Book 2 (Linger)....In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future

Book 3 (Forever)... In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.
 My opinion? This is the best love story I've ever read. It isn't stupid Twilight love. There are real characters. The only thing fake about this story is the wolves. Everything else is pure. Don't let Twilight turn you away from a good book. 

5.Room:
To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.
My opinion? Truly haunting. I recommend it to everybody. you won' be able to set the book down until you finish the last page. Probably one of my top 3 favorites. 
  
6.Gone Series (Gone, Hunger, Lies, Plague, Fear & Still going); 
 

Gone

Every person aged 15 or over simultaneously vanishes from the school in Perdido Beach, causing confusion and chaos among the pupils. It is quickly established that the adults have vanished from the entire town. Sam Temple steps up and tries to save a girl from a burning building. She does not survive, but it is revealed that the girl had the power to shoot streams of liquid fire from her hands, which caused the blaze. Not fully understanding the situation he is in, Sam decides to look for Little Pete, the autistic little brother of Astrid (the local kid genius and Sam’s love interest in the story).
Along with Astrid Ellison and Quinn Gaither, Sam’s best friend, the group discovers an energy barrier that cuts off the kids from the outside world. Along the way, they find Edilio Escobar, who decides to join them. The group later comes across town bullies Orc and his sidekick Howard, who have nicknamed the barrier the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone). They find Astrid's brother Little Pete in the nuclear power plant (Astrid and Pete's father's workplace) in which there was a major accident 15 years ago when a meteorite hit and caused an explosion, hence why Perdido Beach is nicknamed Fallout Alley. They also find a map of radiation patterns. The fallout radius from the nuclear power plant lines exactly up with the energy barrier. Later, Sam scares Little Pete and Pete uses strange powers to choke Sam. It is revealed Sam has his own powers (he can shoot green-white light from his hands when scared/angry). Astrid reveals she's known about Little Pete's powers for a while, and Sam tells the group he once accidentally used his light to burn off his step father's hand, thinking he was going to attack his mother with a knife.
When the group returns to town, vehicles arrive in Perdido Beach being driven by the students of Coates Academy, a school for the wealthy and troubled, where Sam's mother worked as a nurse. Leading the act is Caine Soren, who gains the townies’ trust by promising better leadership and life. But after using the local church for planning with other elected kids, the building suffers minor damages by a strange force, nearly killing one of the local bullies, Cookie.
Apparently, Caine also has powers. Some of the other kids have powers, but all of them are different. Along with the psychopathic sadist student Drake Merwin, Caine soon takes command by using the local bullies to work for him and making Sam the fire chief because of his previous actions, soon resulting in the beating and death of a townie named "bouncing" Bette, killed by Orc who was unaware of his own strength.
Soon Caine and his lackeys steal Sam’s mother’s laptop and secret chest, and find out a powerful secret between Caine and Sam. They find out that Caine and Sam are fraternal twins and that Caine was given up for adoption soon after his birth.
Meanwhile, a girl named Lana is with her grandpa, driving through the desert when the "poof", or disappearance, occurs. The truck falls down a gulch. Lana is badly injured while Patrick, her dog, is mostly fine. Soon a mountain lion attacks Patrick, who was protecting Lana and Patrick is left dying slowly. Lana puts her hand on his neck hoping he will be okay and Lana falls asleep. In the morning she finds Patrick perfectley fine with no injuries. She tries to heal herself, and it works after hours of resting her hands on her injured spots. Her power will later develop to work almost instantly. She soon gets to "Hermit Jim's" shack, but is then captured by a pack of coyotes, led by Pack Leader. The coyotes had been mutated by the FAYZ so that they are now more intelligent and can speak. They take Lana to a strange creature in a mine shaft in the desert, who they call the Darkness. The Darkness orders her to teach the coyotes human ways. She does as they say for a while but eventually escapes back to the shack.
Sam and the gang leave the town when Drake attempts to kill Astrid on Caine's orders. They escape to the far side of the FAYZ. They travel across the desert and encounter mutant rattlesnakes with wings. They meet Lana and become trapped in a shack and attacked by Pack Leader and the coyotes. Sam kills several of the coyotes and flying rattlesnakes.
Meanwhile, Caine and his group return to Coates Academy to witness the disappearance of one of their classmates, discovering that those who vanish are confronted by a monster that takes the shape of those they long to see the most. Sam's gang then meet Lana in the shack, but the shack is set on fire by the coyotes. They manage to escape thanks to Sam, who uses his power at his own will for the first time. However, they are then captured by Drake, who takes them to Coates and shows them what he does to the freaks who oppose Caine. He traps their hands in cement bricks to prevent them using their powers. He "plasters" the gang but Astrid persuades Little Pete to make the cement disappear by attempting to smash his GameBoy with her plastered hands. A brief fight takes place and Sam shoots off Drake's arm.
Sam and the gang, along with the victims of Caine and Drake's evil "plastering" return to town where they attempt to organize the townies to fight Caine. Drake arrives at Lana's and says he wants her to heal his arm. They drive off but the coyotes arrive. The coyotes mutilate Orc, nearly killing him. The coyotes take Lana and Drake to the Darkness which uses Lana's power to give Drake a new arm, shaped like a long red python which he can use as a deadly whip, and he is raging for revenge.
Caine attacks the town with the help of the coyotes and attempts to use the children in the day care as hostages. This is averted when one of the freaks, Taylor, teleports into the center of the room and throws hamburgers in the air. This distracts the coyotes long enough for Dekka (a mutant who can suspend gravity in certain areas) and several others to rescue the children.
Caine then attacks the town center and damages the church considerably. There is a battle between the townies and the Coates kids, who also have the help of the coyotes. Drake is prevented from joining the battle by a newly mutated Orc who has doubled in size and his injuries (all of his body apart from a small patch of his cheek) are covered in a hard substance that looks like wet gravel. He attacks Drake because Drake ordered him to attack a freak who later died of her injuries (Carmela). He thinks the gravel is God's punishment for him. Sam and Caine fight in the town square and Sam successfully burns Caine's side. Sam then poofs because Caine waited for their birthday to attack. He is confronted by his mother who tells him to take her hand. Caine then poofs as well and joins Sam and their 'mother'. Caine knows that it is actually a monster due to a experiment he did earlier and refuses. Sam refuses as well, even though he does not know what Caine does, and their mother is revealed as a hideous and bloodthirsty creature. They pop back into reality and Caine retreats from the town.
Somewhere out in the local desert, Caine follows Pack Leader to the mine and to the Darkness.^[1]

Hunger

The FAYZ has been slowly starving, because of the initial waste of food. Sam Temple, the mayor of the town, tries to find various ways to solve this through agriculture. However, his efforts are hampered by the fact that no one wants to work, and that food is distributed evenly. His attempts are further harmed when mutated, territorial worms with razor sharp teeth are found hiding in the cabbage patch, a main supply of food. Sam eventually has to bribe Charles "Orc" Merrimen, who is mainly made of stone and may be invulnerable to the worms, or "zekes", with beer so that he will gather cabbages.
Meanwhile, Albert Hillsborough, who ran the old McDonald's before the food ran out, starts a dance club, where kids must pay an entry fee of toilet paper or batteries in order to get in. Sam and Astrid arrive, but Sam decides to let the McClub, as it's called, stay open. Meanwhile, Quinn Gaither starts a fishing business with Albert, also charging toilet paper and batteries. Albert eventually ponders on creating a monetary financial system.
Caine Soren, Sam's enemy and twin brother, has spent months in a state of insanity due to his interaction with the gaiaphage, also called the Darkness. Diana has nursed him back, though Drake, who serves the gaiaphage willingly, attempts to undermine her. Caine then resumes command of the Coates' kids, although he must put up with Drake's planned rebellion!
Almost immediately after he awakes, Caine devises a plan to break into the nuclear plant to control the electricity of Perdido Beach. Caine also has Diana go to town and get Computer Jack to assist them. They succeed but become trapped in the plant after Sam's soldiers surround them and Caine realizes that he has barely any food. Diana then begins to question what this plan was meant to accomplish. Caine then receives a message from the gaiaphage telling him to feed it. Caine has the horrible realization that his entire plan may have just been him unconsciously obeying the gaiaphage.
Meanwhile, Lana has also been receiving messages from the Darkness telling her to come to it because it has need for her. She devises a plan to destroy the mine shaft using Hermit Jim's truck. She goes to the mining town with Cookie and manages to back up the truck to the cave mouth and kill Pack Leader, but is stopped by the gaiaphage before she can blow it up and is brainwashed. She then is Lead to the Darkness.
While this is all going on, a mutant called Hunter, who is able to fire waves of heat from his hands like a microwave, has a fight with his roommate Zil Sperry and accidentally kills their mutual friend Harry. Zil sets up a group called the Human Crew, who are all normals and believe all freaks are evil and should be killed. They capture Hunter and try to hang him in the plaza. Astrid, with Little Pete in town, try to stop them but are captured and Little Pete receives a blow to the head. Orc eventually prevents the execution, and saves Astrid, Little Pete, and Hunter. Because Hunter killed Harry he is banished and cannot enter the town so he decides to live up to his name and hunts for the kids in the town. He received brain damage being hit over the head with a bat by the human crew and, although perfectly sane, has trouble remembering (especially words) and is more simple minded than before
During this Edilio Escobar and Dekka are on their way to destroy the mine shaft. They arrive and are met by Lana, under the control of the gaiaphage, who tells them to stop and then shoots Edilio. She then retreats into the cave and leaves Dekka to the coyotes, who attack her. It is then revealed that the gaiaphage plans to use Lana's powers to create a new body for itself, one that, if destroyed, reveals an even more deadly monster, like a nesting doll. It will achieve this after Caine arrives and feeds it the fuel rod. Astrid discovers the gaiaphage is in contact with Little Pete, using him to give it the idea of a near-invincible body. She also works out that the gaiaphage is the result of an accident at the plant thirteen years ago, when a meteorite hit. She theorizes that a virus may have been alive on the rock when it hit, and that virus + radiation = mutation. The accident might have affected the kids as well, giving them their powers.
Thanks to the distraction in town Caine is able to use his powers to levitate a uranium rod to the mine shaft, with Diana and Jack. Drake stays behind to deal with anyone who follows. Sam receives this news and heads to the plant to fight Drake. He arrives but Drake tells him that with a push of a button he can release the radiation and destroy everyone, unless Sam lets Drake do whatever he wants to him. Sam, who is in the process of being tortured by Drake, is saved by Brianna, who cuts Drake's whip hand off; as well as stopping the radiation. Drake then flees to Caine.
Sam, who is gravely injured and barely alive, tells Brianna to take Duck Zhang to the mine shaft. Duck Zhang is a mutant who can control his density, and may be the only weapon they have that the gaiaphage does not know about. He then gets picked up by Quinn and gets taken to the mine shaft where he sees Dekka and Edilio, both of who are near death, as well as Caine, Jack, Diana and Drake. Diana is injured by Drake and in a fit of rage Caine hurls the uranium rod at Drake's chest, knocking him into the mine shaft, and then collapses the entrance.
Brianna then arrives with Duck and together they devise a plan to get Lana. They climb over the shaft and Duck uses his powers to make a hole in the ground to the gaiaphage. Duck, Caine, and Sam go in and Caine uses his powers to throw Duck into the gaiaphage. While Duck is flying through the air, he becomes heavier than a mountain and smashes into the gaiaphage, creating a massive hole that drags him and the gaiaphage down to the bottom of the bubble surrounding the FAYZ, however, it is hinted that Duck dies in the process. Quinn then enters and finds Lana dazed, Sam passed out, and Caine stunned. They then use Lana's powers to heal Edilio, Dekka, Brianna, and Sam. Caine then heads back to Coates.
In the aftermath they mourn Duck who saved them all. Zil and his gang run wild, the kids negotiate with the zekes, and Albert reveals his new system of money, using 'Bertos made of gold. Sam and Quinn then head out into the ocean on their boards, with Dekka on a boat, who uses her powers to create waves for them. The book ends with Brittney, a girl who was killed during the fight for the power plant and has the power to not die, alive in her grave with a pale slug (the end of Drake's whip hand) attached to her while she asks her dead brother to pray for her in Heaven.

Lies

Electricity is out in the FAYZ and the water supply no longer works. Sam Temple, the former mayor of Perdido Beach, is walking the streets at 2a.m. Down on the beach he sees Orsay Pettijohn, a mutant who can see other people's dreams. She's with a group of other kids and claiming she can see the dreams of those on the other side of the FAYZ wall. Sam also sees a girl called Nerezza, who he does not recognize. Orsay tells Sam that she's dreamed of Sam's mother, who wants to tell him that there's a time when the world no longer needs heroes. And then the true hero knows to walk away.
Meanwhile, a young girl called Jill who lives in the part of town Zil Sperry has declared a no freak zone is beaten and kicked out of her home because she is like a Siren: when she sings people can do nothing but listen. Sam discovers her gagged and bound in a hole in the ground, in the graveyard. He gets his second in command, Edilio Escobar, who tells him Jill was in the grave of a girl called Brittney, who appears to have escaped, even though she's been buried for over a month.
The next day in the "Mall", a boy called Francis tells Sam and Sam's girlfriend, Astrid Ellison, that he's going to step out of the FAYZ on his fifteenth birthday. Before Sam can say anything, Francis disappears. Astrid calls a meeting of the newly appointed council: Sam, Astrid, Edilio, Dekka, John Terrafino, Albert Hillsborough and Howard Bassem. Astrid is furious Sam lied to her about Orsay. The council agree to tell everyone Orsay is lying. Sam and Astrid later have an argument and Sam moves out of the house they both live in. Afterward a girl called Taylor, who can teleport, tells Astrid that someone claims to have spotted Drake Merwin on the beach, the evil boy with a whip hand who nearly killed Sam. They also find a boy with Drake's whip marks all over him. Later on she tells Sam that the supposedly dead Brittney is alive and in Howard and Orc's house. Sam, not knowing what else to do, asks Brianna a.k.a. The Breeze, who has the power of enhanced speed, to look after Brittney.
Meanwhile Sam's corrupt brother, Caine Soren, and the rest of the Coates kids are getting weaker and weaker, slowly starving. A camouflaging freak called Bug tells Caine there might be an island off the coast of Perdido Beach, where there might be food. Desperate, Caine strikes a deal with Zil Sperry. If Zil sets fire to Perdido Beach, it would cause enough distraction for Caine to be able to steal some boats. Caine does not expect Zil to have the courage to actually go through with it, but he does and Caine sails to the island, along with Bug, Diana and Penny; who makes people think they are seeing monsters. After Zil tries to make Sam's people think Caine did it, Caine kills one of Zil's people, Hank, who tried shooting Caine. Sam discovers it is Zil who set fire to the town and sets out to kill him, ignoring both Edilio's and Astrid's warnings. However, he soon finds himself back at the power plant, where Drake had tortured him, and knew that's where he'd end up all along.
When Caine gets to the island, he discovers kids living there; the adopted children of the mansion's owners. A boy called Sanjit gives them food but it's drugged and they all fall unconscious. When they wake up, they see Sanjit is trying to use a helicopter to escape with the other children. Caine nearly kills them, along with Penny, but Diana falls off the edge of the cliff and Caine has to release his hold on the helicopter in order to save her. Sanjit escapes and, flying the best he can with his siblings, heads to Perdido Beach.
In Perdido Beach, the inhabitants manage to stop the fire but many kids are killed. At a cook off in the plaza, Mary Terrafino claims she saw Drake, who soon arrives and causes mass panic. At the same time, Nerezza convinces Mary to take the children to the cliff over the beach. Nerezza then tries to kill Little Pete, Astrid's autistic little brother and the person who caused the FAYZ, but she fails. Astrid arrives at the cliff and sees Mary and a line of children holding hands at the cliff edge. On the moment of her fifteenth birthday, Mary sees her mother and steps off the cliff to try to get to her, pulling the children with her. Sam arrives, but no one can help because they are rendered helpless by Nerezza, who tells Jill to sing. However, Sanjit's helicopter arrives and drowns out the singing. Mary vacates, but the children are saved by Dekka and Brianna. Then Brittney arrives, slowly transforming into Drake. Drake attacks Sam but Sam uses his power to burn Drake. However Drake soon turns into Brittney again and Sam is not able to kill the innocent girl. He asks Brianna to grab some ropes and chains to hold Drake. At the same time, Little Pete finds that his GameBoy, the favourite thing he owns, smashed on the ground. He reacts by screaming and causing the FAYZ wall to disappear for a split second. Astrid sees adults staring on the other side before the wall returns.
It is finally revealed that the evil creature called the gaiaphage is behind everything. It needed both Brittney's immortality and Lana Arwen Lazar's healing powers to bring Drake back from the dead. However, Brittney's willpower stopped Drake taking over the body they shared completely. Nerezza is not human at all; she's the gaiapahge's avatar, brought to life using Little Pete's impossible powers, who was tricked into thinking he was playing a game. The gaiaphage had used Nerezza to try to kill the young children Mary pulled after her, which would have broken the kids of the FAYZ, but the tactic failed, and Astrid almost kills Nerezza by choking her, but realizes it is not the answer and stops. Brittney/Drake needs no food or water to survive, so Sam locks them in Howard and Orc's basement. In the end Sam catches the flu, which is a hint as to the plot of the fourth book, Plague.

Plague

The Book starts with a short chapter about Pete Ellison which describes life from his point of view. Sam Temple is revealed to be drunk after seeing Brittney/Drake earlier in the day and feeling particularly low about his and Astrid's relationship decline. Sam had obtained the alcohol from Orc and Howard, stating that he was "confiscating" it but later succumbing to the temptation. In a blind, drunken rage, he attacks the FAYZ wall, but his efforts yield no result; whilst he is up on the clifftop Taylor "bounces" up to see him and they end up kissing. In the end, Sam feels guilty and pulls away. Taylor tells him to come back when he gets bored of Astrid's frigidity.
The next chapter focuses initially on Diana at the island home, who has qualms about what she has done and decides to become a better person and perhaps reform Caine as well. The second half of the chapter deals with three previously unknown girls, Jennifer B, Jennifer H and Jennifer L; all three are suffering from a new strain of flu which causes the victims to literally cough up their lungs. After Jennifer H dies from the flu, Jennifer B crawls to the makeshift hospital to warn Dahra Baidoo of the deadly disease, but Dahra mistakes her warning as feverish hallucinations. Lana, the healer, finds that her healing powers are ineffective against the fever.
Meanwhile, Hunter is stalking a lion, but he is distracted by a growth on his shoulder - he notes he can feel it moving around inside him. The lion notices him and pounces, but is startled when bitten by the growth, allowing Hunter to kill it. Later, as Hunter delivers the lion meat, his growth bites one of the collectors.
Perdido Beach is now being effectively run by Albert, whose scheme to introduce capitalism has been a success and has placed him in a position of considerable power. Albert sends Sam, Jack and Dekka on a mission to find a new water source over at Lake Tramonto, almost directly opposite Perdido Beach, as the town's supplies are running low. Sam and a few others embark on the journey and presently encounter Hunter. Multiple insects are hatching from within him and he is attempting (and failing) to commit suicide with his microwaving ability. Sam agrees to kill him out of pity; after Hunter and Dekka pray together, Sam incinerates Hunter with his power. The insects within Hunter, however, are unaffected. A new pack leader, who is also infected by the insects, is discovered shortly afterwards. He reveals he knows where the creatures that cause the infections live, and willingly leads Sam's party there, on the premise that Sam will euthanize him afterwards. During Sam's cleansing of the creatures (these are physically different from the insects, being described as flying snakes, and no not share the insectoid invulnerability to Sam's power) one drops a green slime on Dekka; Sam cauterises the area to prevent infection.
Brittney/Drake has been incarcerated in a house basement in Perdido Beach, with Howard and Orc on guard duty; whilst Howard is out, Jamal (Albert's personal bodyguard) visits and accidentally enrages Orc. In the ensuing melee, Drake escapes, and quickly secures Jamal's allegiance through threats of violence.
On their way to the lake, Sam, Jack, and Dekka come across a military base and search it in hope of food. They discover the base was containing and studying freaks, but only one remains: Toto, who has the ability to discern truth from lies. He appears to have mental problems and is constantly speaking to a plastic Spider-man bust, even after Sam grows angry and melts the figure. Toto leads the group to a derailed train, whose containers reveal many things; Nutella, Apple computer products, Pepsi, putrefied oranges and handheld missile launchers. When Sam and his friends finally reach the lake, they are confronted by the insects once more, which have grown to the size of SUVs and are being commanded by Drake. They escape, and learn the town will shortly be under attack. It is also revealed that Sam's cauterising attempt has failed; Dekka is infested with the insects.
Meanwhile the flu is spreading in Perdido Beach, causing the inhabitants to effect a quarantine. Despite assistance from Sanjit and Lana, Dahra's hospital is being over-stretched, and there is still have no effective treatment. Edilio discovers the kid bitten by Hunter's growth, Roscoe, infested with the parasitic insects. He makes the decision to confine him to a heavily-secured room and leave him to die, stopping the insects from spreading further. Between the flu and the water shortage, society begins to break down in Perdido Beach. Former Human-Crew members Turk and Lance attack Albert, leaving him close to death. Meanwhile, Pete - suffering from a fever - removes the walls and ceiling from his room and produces a raincloud to cool himself, revealing his powers to the FAYZ at large. Orc accidentally kills a boy in a drunken rage and goes to find Astrid for redemption. Turk and Lance reach Astrid's house and announce their plan to wound Astrid and murder Pete. A feverish Edilio turns up at the scene and a stand-off ensues - panicking, Edilio shoots both Turk and Lance. Orc takes Astrid and Pete to Coates Academy.
Back up at the cave, Brianna attacks Drake with a garotte, using it to slice him apart in a reversal of an idea Drake previously used to set up traps for her. However, Drake's body reassembles itself - he has gained Brittany's immortality - and Brianna only narrowly escapes. Edilio sends Quinn to get Caine, realising they need his power to offer a defence against the insects. Caine accepts, seeing the invitation as an opportunity to take complete control of the town and become a totalitarian king, ignoring Diana's pleas for them to remain on the island.
Sam's party formulate a plan to use Dekka's power to rapidly move themselves and the missile container back to Perdido Beach, intending to use the missiles to kill Drake's insects. Drake's insects attack the town and Caine attempts a defence, but is almost overwhelmed and has to be saved by Brianna. Sam's plan works and he, Toto, Jack and Dekka arrive back at Perdido Beach; however, the insects begin to emerge from Dekka. Brianna and Lana arrive and ultimately save her life. It is strongly hinted that Dekka reveals her attraction to Brianna before passing out.
Drake travels up to the Coates academy with some of his insects; he has been ordered by the Gaiaphage to capture Pete, and personally wishes to murder Astrid. Orc attempts to attack Drake but is too drunk to finish the job and falls out of the window, where the insects swarm him. Jack runs in to help Orc. Acting on a gamble, Astrid throws Pete to the insects; he realises the danger and vanishes the insects, along with himself. It is suggested that this move by Astrid, adding to her concerns over Sam, are beginning to affect her sanity.
Caine and Sam hold a meeting in Perdido Beach, giving every citizen the option of staying in the town with Caine as king or moving to the lake with Sam. Toto is present to ensure that neither party make false promises. Albert stays in Perdido Beach on the grounds that Caine makes several concessions to him, making Sam note that despite his and Caine's abilities, Albert holds the real power. Quinn stays in Perdido Beach with his fishing team. Diana unexpectedly chooses to go with Sam, and reveals that she is pregnant with Caine's child.
The book ends with a view from Pete's mind, who is apparently alive but without a body to inhabit. He revels in the fact that he has overcome the "limitations" of his mind, suggesting his autism disappeared along with his body.
Unlike the previous books, 'Plague' contains no excerpt from the next book, to be entitled 'Fear'

[edit] Fear

Four months have passed since the events of the previous novel. Pete is experimenting with his current existence by tampering with 'avatars' within his 'new game', actually the inhabitants of the FAYZ. This results in gruesome deaths as he changes their DNA clumsily, and one of his victims is Taylor.
At Lake Tramonto Sam decides to get the missiles he left in Perido Beach, but discovers that someone has already taken them. While looking for the missiles he sees that the FAYZ wall is turning black. Astrid, who is currently living in the woods, also sees the changed barrier and returns to Lake Tramonto to see Sam and inform him about the barrier.
Outside the FAYZ, nurse Connie Temple learns that the military has been testing the strength of the barrier by hitting it with x-rays and examining how much is reflected back. The FAYZ wall has reflected 100% of the x-rays since the start of the testing but is now only reflecting 98.4. Mary Terrafino and Francis, who 'poofed', are revealed to have been taken outside of the FAYZ and hideously mutilated by the event, they eventually die whilst on life support.
In Perdido Beach Caine punishes Cigar, one of the Quinn's fishermen, for killing a boy named Jaden. His punishment is 6 hours with the now insane Penny. Penny's visions eventually cause Cigar to claw his own eyes out. Lana heals him but his vision does not work properly and his eyes only reach the size of marbles. Quinn is very upset about this and retaliates by refusing to fish until Penny is forced to leave Perdido Beach.
Drake/Brittney has returned with the task of bringing Diana and her unborn baby to the Gaiaphage, so that it may use the baby as a body.
Upon realizing that the FAYZ will go dark, Sam decides to send a message to Caine offering to give light to Perdido Beach. However, the messenger Mohamed sees Drake and his coyotes killing Howard and returns to the lake. Realizing that they will all die if Sam does not give them his Sammy suns, Astrid goes out on her own to send the message to Caine.
Darkness fills the FAYZ. Believing there to be no hope, Albert decides to leave for San Francisco de Sales Island with the missiles. Penny cements Caine's hands together and calls herself Queen of Perdido Beach, dragging Caine through the streets. The residents of Perdido Beach want Caine back as King due to the dire circumstances, and drive Penny out of town where she reunites with Drake, who has captured Diana and is heading for the mineshaft. Quinn is placed in temporary command of the town.
Brianna, Jack, Dekka and Orc all fail to find or stop Drake reaching the Gaiaphage, and Jack is badly injured as a result of his attempt.
In the Gaiaphages lair, Diana gives birth to her baby, who the Gaiaphage then inhabits. Drake, Diana, Penny and the Gaiaphage (who is known as Gaia in the baby form) head to the wall through Perdido Beach.
Astrid meets Cigar who (with his new eyes) can see little Pete and the pair accidentally walk into a field of zekes. Cigar gets eaten but Astrid makes it out alive and talks to Pete, who connects with her mind. Pete reveals that the barrier is turning black because it is dying and that it and the Gaiaphage are connected. He realises that without his body, he does not have the power to bring down the wall and that he used the Gaiaphage's power to first create it.
Sam finds Astrid and they head to Perido beach where they free Caine and get Quinn. Sam, Caine, and Quinn head toward Drake, Penny, Diana, and the Gaiaphage.
Outside, the military plans to try and destroy the barrier using a nuclear bomb underground. Sergeant Darius Ashton reveals this to his girlfriend Connie Temple (Sam's mother) and she tells the public. After much protesting, the military decides to stop the detonation, but an unseen force causes the countdown to continue.
During the battle, Penny is killed by Caine and Sam fires and hits Gaia. Instantly sunlight returns to the FAYZ as the wall turns transparent. As the world looks in, Sam once again fires on Gaia who burns but is seemingly unhurt. She, along with Diana and Drake, flee the scene.
As communication through signs starts between the FAYZ and parents, Sam and the others feel despair as parents ask where dead children are. Astrid feels distant from her family, and eventually realises it is because she is no longer 'theirs', and that Sam and Astrid now belong to each other, and the FAYZ belongs to them too.
My opinion? One of my favorite series of all time. I was never a fan of superheros and crazy sci-fi, but I love these books. The last book will be out in a year or so. MY FAVORITE BOOKS EVEREVEREVER <333333



So think about them if your ever looking for a read? My writing comes from every author I've ever read, so if you like my writing your sure to like theirs!