Monument 14 By Emmy Laybourne

Monument 14

On the way to school on the bus there is a sudden natural disaster involving massive hailstones that reek havoc on the buses and the world around them. Out of all the children on the bus only 14 make it out alive when the bus driver gets them to safety in the local food mega store. This book follows their struggle as they try to deal with what is going on in the real world and their fight to survive.

The book is written from Dean's point of view, who (a bit of a clique) likes to write and so records everything in his notebook. I thought his character was lovable and sincere which helped me to connect with him. Being the geeky one he didn't really have a special friend in the situation whereas the other characters were mostly popular and already in little groups.

I liked how everyone reacted differently to what was happening around them; including shell shock, taking control, ensuring structure, separating themselves, getting drunk, throwing away all cares and morals. I thought that it was a genuine portrayal of what would happen.
One thing that did get me a little bit was the fact that everyone seemed a lot older than they actually were, and i understand that in a situation without adults children would step up but I feel that some of it was a bit exaggerated and not realistic.

I thought the author kept me on my toes with the little twists and turns. When I was confident that I could predict what was going to happen I was pleasantly surprised when I was wrong!
I liked the way the author gave little bits of background on each character as it went along, rather than offload a lot of information all at once and then making myself try to remember as it went along. Although I would have appreciated maybe some flashbacks or something so that I could compare more clearly how the characters relationships have changed with what has happened, but then I suppose that can't be expected when it is written from one persons point of view in a notebook style.

The fact that the romantic story line was not too prominent was good. Because although it is written from a teenager point of view the disaster going on around them takes precedence. And I found myself not really caring for the romance anyway so it suited me.

I won't lie at the end of the book I was a bit frustrated to realize that it doesn't finish and is the first book. I was hoping it was a stand alone book but despite that I will be buying the sequel. I would recommend this book to someone who wants an easy read that keeps you on your toes without overpowering you with drama.