REVIEW: Monument 14 (Monument 14 #1) by Emmy Laybourne

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne
Series: Monument 14 #1
Published by Hachette Children's Books on 4th April 2013
Pages: 352

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong ...
Fourteen kids stranded inside a superstore. Inside they have everything they could ever need. There's junk food and clothes, computer games and books, drugs and alcohol ... and without adult supervision they can do whatever they want.
Sounds like fun?

But outside the world is being ripped apart by violent storms and chemicals leaking into the atmosphere that, depending on blood type, leave victims paranoid, violent or dead.

The kids must remain inside, forced to create their own community, unsure if they'll ever be able to leave. Can they stop the world they've created inside from self-destructing too?
So unique and gripping, this novel takes you on an unforgettable ride. The cover illustrates the key idea of this novel, how the outside world is falling apart and their only route outside is the roof.

When hailstones the size of tennis balls pummel down from the sky on a normal school run, 14 kids are left to fend for themselves in the confines of a superstore. They are forced to get along and keep the younger kids happy, but of course tensions soon arise between the older kids. But petty arguments are the least of their worries, as poisonous gases affect certain blood types in different ways, from bursting blisters to raging anger they confine themselves to the safety of the superstore. However, as people begin to become impatient and ready to leave, can they really leave the safe zone of their community into the apocalypse happening outside their doors.

We are presented with a large variety of distinct characters, with large age differences, personalities and popularity. At the beginning, their popularity differences and wariness of one another is apparent, though some retain their 'I am the most popular, do not cross me' character most become friends and their positive personalities that they would't have otherwise seen come out. Obviously you have characters that you strongly dislike *cough* Brayden and Sahalia *cough*, however you also have those who truly brought this novel together like Josie and Dean.

The idea of blood types was absolute genius! The idea is so intriguing and mysterious, it instantly made the novel more realistic and nail-biting as you do not know how everyone will be affected.

"Max was also starting to blister up (type A). The McKinley twins were hiding from us - they clearly had the paranoia (type AB). Ulysses was chattering to himself in Spanish, a rapid-fire monologue that made me pretty sure he had the paranoia type - type AB - as well as the twins.
Batiste had type B, the blood type that exhibited no symptoms, as did Alex, Jake, and Sahalia (sterility and reproductive failure - hooray!)."

Monument 14 (Monument 14 #1) by Emmy Laybourne

The plot of this novel was incredibly unique and realistic, events that occurred that could potentially happen but they were written in such a way that it felt as if you were there with them. Not to mention scary, I think nearly everyone has dreamt of what it would be like to be stuck in a supermarket with everything you could want, but this novel highlights the cracks and faults in everything.

This is a thrilling and scary adventure of 14 kids trying to survive alone, whist the apocalypse, something out of their control, is happening outside their doors.

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