The Darkest Path by Jeff Hirsch

 

Summary: In Jeff Hirsch’s novel The Darkest Path, In a dystopian version of America’s future,  Callum Roe, a sixteen- year-old former child soldier struggling to survive in the midst of the Second American Civil War, which is between the Glorious path who wanted total control over America, and the U.S federal army who wants to restore peace and is the remainder of America’s army. Callum and his brother (James Roe) were taken away from their family 5 years ago and were forced to serve in the Glorious Path, but when Callum finds out what is in store for them in the future, he escapes into a long and tiring journey to seek his long-lost parents with the odds of survival stacked against him. Sadly, his brother James doesn’t believe him and decides to remain in the Glorious path. Along Callum’s 2,147 mile journey from Arizona to New York (location of the U.S federal army) he befriends a dog named Bear and murders his Commander/trainer who was going to train him into a killing machine. Together, they must overcome fate’s test for friendship, betrayal, and loyalty in ways you would never think were ever possible.

 I decided to read this book because of its positive reviews by the people who read it and an interview of Jeff hirsch talking about the book. Another reason is because Jeff Hirsch is one of my favorite authors when it comes to books, one of his most recent books was the eleventh plague, which received some rewards and a lot of amazing reviews for it. Amazingly, The Darkest Path showed some signs of similarity to the eleventh plague genre-wise, which made me think Jeff Hirsch likes post-apocalyptic subjects. One reason why I kept reading The Darkest Path was because I was so intrigued with the plot due to its fast paced/heart pounding events and how it kept me at the edge of my seat…literally. Secondly, The Darkest Path got me so emotionally hooked, I had to shed a few tears along the way to process the unfortunate moments the book has to offer which was not common when I read books! Lastly, as I continued to read Jeff Hirsch’s story, I got pulled into Callum’s point of view and felt, saw, heard, smelled, and tasted throughout his journey. I believe this is for anyone who wants a face paced, heart pounding, and emotional ride into a post-apocalyptic version of America’s future. I would also recommend this book for fiction/adventure readers, if you are not looking for any of these, I would definitely still pick it up because trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

 

Reviewed by Edmund W.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

Though named after a beautiful queen, Cassiopeia prefers to go by Cassie. She grew up like any normal kid. But in those few years, the Earth is attacked by aliens. Not green aliens or huge eyed aliens, but aliens that look just like any other human, and they didn’t just attack once and wage a war. The Others, attack in waves. After the first wave there were no lights. After the second wave, only the lucky survived. After the third, only the unlucky survived. When the fourth wave hit, the only rule that applies is; trust no one. The fifth wave is coming,and Cassie must rescue the little brother that was taken from her.

This book was a quintessential mix of mystery, drama, romance, humor and action. It makes sure that you know the feeling of the characters and their views on the situation. It is very interesting because it shows how even if you might be the only human alive in the universe, there is still hope. The author made sure to show that both men and women have equal power, which I thought was really cool. This is one of the few books that shows the equality between men and women. The intense circumstances may raise confusion, for example in one part of the book, Cassie is living with another person. Rick Yancey potrays her feelings as conflicted between safety and mistrust. While I was reading that part, I was very confused about whether that character was a good person or not. But as I moved through the next chapters, it became very clear.

I loved this book because of the humor, especially in the first few pages. It starts of hilarious and only gets better. I found it cool how the author mixed the humor and the action in a way that kept you on the edge, yet laughing at the same time.

I picked this book up because my friend, a great book lender, told me that this was my kind of book. She just handed it over and I thought, why not?

I kept reading this book because of its grip on the reader. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. The mystery about what was to come and the humor was just capturing.

I would give this book to anyone who loves romance, mystery, war/action, aliens, sci-fi, humor or all. This is a great book which I think anyone with even the slightest interest in reading, would love.

Reviewed by Prathista

 

I am Legend by Richard Matheson