Book Review | 'Fear'

Fear
Michael Grant
eBook/ARC
Katherine Tegen Books
Five stars | A+



I think that an explanation is due as to how I received an ARC of this book.

For those who are familiar with this blog, you would know that I received an ARC of Plague back in March of last year and posted an in-depth, spoiler-filled review of the novel, seeing as nobody had read the novel at the time of my finishing the book. Isaac also received an ARC of this novel, but he has yet to read it, even though the pair of us got them in December. I read mine in one sitting, thank you very much. The actual details of receiving our ARCs are top secret, though.

NOTE: The first half of this review lacks spoilers. I will break the page when the spoilers begin in the second half.

The undoubtedly most brilliant novel I have read in a while, Fear provides the shuddering eeriness that Michael Grant has made himself notable for in the years that his Gone series has been on shelves. This book provides perhaps the most realistic look at the situation his characters are in, trumping over its predecessors by a landslide. I will admit, though, that immediately after finishing Fear I was so stunned by the book's innards that I couldn't tell if it was my favorite or not. I needed time to digest the complex plot that is the penultimate Gone novel, and I predict that readers will need that extra time, as well. As always, multiple conflicts are presented in this novel (both internal and external) and--what I love about these novels is that--it is up to the readers to decipher whether or not they are ultimately resolved in the end.

The story revolves primarily around Diana Ladris, something that made me extremely happy, but something that could have been foreseen from the ending of the previous novel. Diana is featured on the cover of this installment, as well as the second (Hunger) and the sixth and final (Light). Ladris's character plays an incredibly significant role in the central plot, as do characters that have played a back seat role recently in the series.

The biggest praise I have for Grant for this novel is his ability to maintain the adoration of his faithful readers through all the horrific, morbid plots that occur. How does Grant do this, though? He deems himself a flawless writer by stringing together complex characters with their intricate plots and creating a Gaiaphage-like story that is so real it's scary. I truly love these books, and they deserve a spot as my favorite series of all time...behind Harry Potter, of course.

The following section of this review contains spoilers pertaining to Fear.




I loved Penny. Emphasis on the loved. Throughout this novel, the reader should develop a strong animosity towards the disgusting, sadistic little girl and the illusions she inflicts on her victims. I totally did not expect Penny to play such an important role, and was surprised to see her last until the very end with her putrid death (having her head smashed into the ground by Caine Soren and a boulder).
Sam and Astrid's relationship expands to the point that super-shippers (like our very own Stefanie) had hoped it would; they have intercourse, something that I definitely wasn't expecting from Astrid, even though her character had a massive translation. There was a lot of intercourse occurring between these two in this book.
I was also surprised to see Diana's pregnancy being strikingly similar to...dare I say it...Bella Swan's pregnancy in Breaking Dawn. I was also disappointed at the fact that Diana named her daughter Gaia...although I suppose it did make sense.
There was also a shocking amount of deaths in this book, but also a lack of discussion on previous deaths, save for Diana's constant reminder of her cannibalistic experiences. I was surprised to see Taylor bite it in this novel; I really liked her and thought she would make it to the end.
I was really glad to see Dekka realize Brianna's sexuality and embrace the fact that they would never be together. It was such a beautiful thing to see Dekka grow up in that way.
I hated Drake and Brittany in this book more than ever. I've always felt bad for Brittany, but she and Drake just really got under my skin in this book, and I got so tired of her 'messages from God.'

MAJOR SPOILER
But nothing could top that ending.

I mean...I honestly didn't even know if anything like that would happen to the FAYZ, even though there was that dark stain creeping along its existence throughout the whole novel. I did like the outside looks, but I wasn't expecting so much of them. I am still so bewildered at the idea that the characters can make visual contact with people outside of the wall (or inside, depending on the character's perspective).

I anxiously await Light, expected to be released next year!