Monday, February 13, 2017

The Roar

The Roar. Emma Clayton. 2008. Scholastic. 496 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: The sun was setting over the Atlantic, and as it ran like molten gold into the waves a girl in a Pod Fighter ripped through the scene like graffiti sprayed across a landscape painting.

Premise/plot: You can trust the news to tell you the truth, right? The news would never lie to you and try to manipulate you, right? In Emma Clayton's The Roar, Readers meet inhabitants of a future London living behind a wall. Life is dismal and bleak. The rich have built up and up and up. The poor well they live below, living in fold-out apartments, eating fake food, and trying to survive the effects of mold.

Mika is the only one in his family that believes his sister Ellie is still alive. The government said she died, that she drowned, but he knows she is still alive. He still feels connected to his twin especially when he's asleep. Readers know she's alive too for the first few chapters are from her point of view.

Mika is one of the few skeptics, he doesn't trust many people. So when officials show up at his school with free sandwiches and other so-called treats including a new powdered drink that will be a requirement for ALL children to drink daily, he thinks the worst. Why do people suddenly care about the children? Why are they making such a big deal about a brand new game for them to play? Shouldn't arcade games be voluntary?!

Soon a competition is announced, six children will be chosen, and if you're one of the lucky ones, your life and the lives of your family members will improve dramatically in quality. An apartment above in the Golden Turrets, real food, a hover car, these are just a few of the perks. But the game is more dangerous than anyone knows.

Readers are teased with a big secret, and this one is action packed as well.

My thoughts: This is a quick, compelling read. I definitely enjoyed it. I liked the world building especially.

© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

1 comment:

Joy Weese Moll said...

In certain moods, I could really get into a book set in a dystopian London.