Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne Review

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Title: Monument 14
Author: Emmy Laybourne (Twitter)
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publish Date:  June 5, 2012
Genre: YA, Dystopian
Pages: 294
Source: Publisher

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not—you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.

Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran. Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.
Imagine that the day started like any other. Now imagine what happens the minute that day turns to hell, and a superstorm rains down up your town, leaving death and destruction in its wake. This is the world that Dean now lives in. Dean and his surviving busmates take shelter in the store, and they're left to their own devices as the only surviving adult searches for help. But Dean and the others are in a harrowing predicament. The outside world is ravaged, and they must somehow maintain a sense of order to survive inside the store. But can they do so?

I've been complaining for a long time now that I want to read a true post-apocalyptic novel where the world is so immeasurably broken that we, as readers, are forced to pick up the pieces with the characters. When I read the premise for Monument 14, I realized that we're pretty much offered that and much more. Author, Emmy Laybourne, tackles a tricky topic and deftly merges the lives of fourteen unique characters into a tense survival story. In the wake of utter destruction, Monument 14 offers us a chance to view a coming-of-age tale, or a downward spiral, and we're left guessing which will win out in the end. 

You know, I'm kind of a mixed bag of emotions on this one because, on one hand, I think the author really succeeded in what she set out to accomplish with this story. On the other hand though, I think I still expected (or at least hoped for) more. The biggest strength of Monument 14 lies within the claustrophobic world within the pages. We get to experience complete devastation from the very start, then we're thrust into this cramped superstore with a mixed spread of characters of all ages, and we're challenged to get to know them and relate to them. It's a tricky task, to be sure, because not all the characters are entirely relatable. Dean  was an entirely real main character, but his lack of people skills made it a bit difficult to get in his head sometimes. Niko, however, displayed a depth that really resonated with me, and as he worked to maintain order and care for the younger children, there was a sense of calm and steadiness that really solidified the character arc. For the most part, I think that Monument 14 succeeded if you look at it as a psychological tale. These characters are presented with horrible circumstances, and we're forced to side with them as the try to survive together. I do think that, despite the immediate action, we lacked a lot of danger in the midst of the story, and it felt a bit flat as we got to know the characters and their backstories. However, the pacing did kick up at the end, and the book did finish on a high note, despite its pacing flaws.

Overall, Monument 14 was a pretty good start to a new series. Was it amazing? No, not really. But it was good, and I think that the ending set up a nice premise for the second installment. I give it a 3.5 out of 5, and I'd recommend it to fans of YA, especially those who enjoy dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

21 comments:

  1. I didn't pay much attention to this book when it first got published and I never knew much about it's story, but I want to read it so bad now that I've read your review. It's been a while since I've read a post-apocalyptic book like this one and I think i'm alright with facing a few pacing issues in order to read and enjoy it.

    - Ellie at The Selkie Reads Stories

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    1. I really hope you do read it, Ellie! It's a really good book, despite a few flaws - and it's definitely a sold post-apocalyptic tale :)

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  2. I received an ARC of this but never read it because I was so through with dystopian books at the time. I'm still not ready to delve back into the genre since it's so disappointing more often than not for me, but I'm glad to see you did enjoy this one. Great, balanced review, Melissa! :)

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    1. Thank you, Keertana! I think it was a pretty solid post-apocalyptic read, but I can understand why you didn't want to give it a go :)

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  3. I received an ARC of this one but never read it because I wasn't in the mood for dystopian - and I still don't think I am. Off late, YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic has been disappointing for me, but I'm really glad you managed to enjoy this one. Lovely, balanced review, Melissa! :)

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  4. Ooh, I love post-apoc! Have you read Dark Inside/Rage Within by Jeyn Roberts? Those books are big favourites of mine. I'll have to check this one out too!

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    1. I haven't read that! Hmmmm I'll definitely need to look into them! Thanks, Leanna!

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  5. I agree with a lot of what you said. I liked Niko, but I also wish things had been less flat. There could have been a lot more peril given the situation.

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    1. Niko was definitely a highlight of the book. I guess we're always looking for a bit MORE tension, you know?

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  6. I've always loved the idea of this book, but I didn't pick it up after some lackluster reviews. I think I'll wait until the sequel comes out to make my decision to read this. Great review, Melissa. :)

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    1. That's definitely not a bad idea, Rachel! I think it was a good start to a new series, but let's be honest - there are TONS of books out there for us to read already anyway :)

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  7. I do love a good post apocalyptic story and this one sounds good. I'm glad you liked the characters and I'm excited to read this book. I'll be putting this one on my list. Great review Melissa:)!

    Danna

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    1. Thanks, Danna! Despite a few flaws, I really enjoyed this one :)

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  8. You know what's interesting? This one came in the mail for me while I was at BEA over the past few days. I haven't read dystopian or apocalyptic in a while so maybe it's time to dive back in again. I don't think I'll ever get tired of them. I think even the ones that aren't amazing are still pretty fun. Great review, Melissa!

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    1. Gahhh I wish I wasn't growing tired of dystopian! I just want something newer...darker...fresher! Geez.

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  9. I've seen some mixed reviews for this one and since I'm not a big dystopian/post apocalyptic fan, I probably won't read it. But it's nice to hear your thoughts about it. Great review, Melissa.

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    1. It's not a bad book by any means...I just always want more haha

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  10. I have been wanting to read this one for a while. I hear the sequel is great!

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  11. This did sound like an interesting premise when I first heard of it. The main character sounds a little frustrating with how he handles things. Sorry this fell flat for you. Great honest review. :)

    Thanks Melissa.


    Irene Jennings of Beef Jerky

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  12. I've seen this one around and just never felt inclined to pick it up. It does seem fairly interesting, but I think I'm a little burnt out on novels of its kind at the moment. Still, I love the fact that they're taking refuge in a superstore -- and that might be enough to sway me to read it eventually.

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  13. For me, the characters and the backstories are what made this book. It was more about how they reacted to everything that the actual action that drew me in!

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