Gated Review

Title: Gated
Author: Amy Christine Parker
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Sci-Fi, Contemporary

Blurb: (from goodreads) A fast-paced, nerve-fraying contemporary thriller that questions loyalties and twists truths.

Appearances can be deceiving.

In the Community, life seems perfect. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Pioneer invited Lyla’s family to join his group and escape the evil in the world. They were happy to be chosen, happy to move away from New York and start over in such an idyllic gated community. Now seventeen, Lyla knows that Pioneer is more than just their charismatic leader, he is their prophet . . . but his visions have grown dark.

Lyla is a loyal member of the Community, but a chance encounter with an outsider boy has her questioning Pioneer, the Community—everything. And if there’s one thing not allowed in the Community, it’s doubt. Her family and friends are certain in their belief. Lyla wishes she could feel the same. As Pioneer begins to manipulate his flock toward disaster, the question remains: Will Lyla follow them over the edge?

From the outside looking in, it’s hard to understand why anyone would join a cult. But Gated tells the story of the Community from the inside looking out, and from behind the gates things are not quite so simple. Amy Christine Parker’s beautiful writing creates a chilling, utterly unique YA story. Perfect for fans of creepy thrillers and contemporary fiction alike.

Me: A story set in the current time period, it weaves together a dystopian feel along with the events that are happening now.

The Ups: What's really interesting about this book is that as you're reading it and it talks about current events, you can almost imagine walking out of your town and finding this cult right there. I think that's what really great about contemporary fiction. So the entire time I was reading this I was constantly thinking about how cool it would be if the Community really existed and people came into the local Walmart and they were talking about the end of the world and stuff. I really liked the viewpoint of Lyla as well, because even though I knew it was set in the current time period and that the outside world was fine, I really felt like Lyla wasn't safe outside. Pioneer was such a great character as well, with a lot of depth and personality to him. The book incorporated dictatorship into it as well and I loved the relationship between Pioneer and Lyla.

The Downs: I feel like it was really fast-paced, and although I enjoyed that, the bonds between Lyla and her family and her friends weren't developed enough for me to feel the panic when she got separated from her family. Also it was really hard for me to picture the Silo- but really that's about it.

A very enjoyable book:) Excited for Astray coming out in Oct. 2014!

Rating: 4 kisses out of 5!