Title: Breaking Point
Author: Charlie Higson
Series: #1 - The Enemy
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0
Author: Charlie Higson
Series: #1 - The Enemy
Format: Hardback
Release Date: May 11th, 2010My Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0
They'll chase you. They'll rip you open. They'll feed on you...When the sickness came, every parent, policeman, politician - every adult - fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they're fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there - alive?
Teens battle diseased grown-ups in this post-apocalyptic thriller full of unexpected twists and quick-thinking heroes.
Teens battle diseased grown-ups in this post-apocalyptic thriller full of unexpected twists and quick-thinking heroes.
My Review:
The Enemy was a rather underwhelming read and while I wanted more and expected a whole lot more from the book, there was something that wants to keep reading the series. I am hoping to see more and know more about this series. I want to keep my eye on it, but I am going to be leery on what I expect and the more I see from this book. While it is a zombie book, I expected it to be more mature and grown up. Yet my expectations were dashed slightly.
The best part of this book was that it took place in London. Now being American and only really living in the US, I have wondered what other countries look like. How the city was structured and organized actually kept me more enthralled. I loved that Higson didn't just keep going with the streets, but he also incorporated the sewers or train rails. The imagery and the passion of the city's destruction poured through the pages, and I loved seeing the chaos and destruction and just how far times have fallen with the rise of the dead.
There was a slough of characters and frankly I wasn't sure I knew who to follow or what character was narrating at any given time. The book seemed to take on a third person and peer over the different characters as if they were all equally important. I found that my attention was driven to the Waitrose kids more so than the others. However, the biggest downfall of this amount of characters was the fact that when the kids died, there was no impact. It was a, "Oh hey, another one down, keep trekking on." It was disappointing to feel that way about this book, when I had high hopes for a good zombie novel.
Now what turned me off about this book the most was the plot. It's been over done, run from zombies or crazed parents towards safety or the thought of safety. I was just so bored and let down with the premise of the book that nearly every page I thought I would find something new, something that would explain why the adults were all zombie-fied. So the end of the book left me with no explanation on that question and left me with more than what the book started. Books like this that have no real conclusion or leave the reader with some unanswered doubts shouldn't be on the shelves.
There was something though that makes me want to read more, and something that wants to find those answers. The death of one character struck me as grand, Arran. He was great and by far the best character in the series aside Maxie and Achilleus. For Maxie and Achilleus I will read the next book and maybe finish the series, but if they die I may lose my motivation and passion to finish this book.
The best part of this book was that it took place in London. Now being American and only really living in the US, I have wondered what other countries look like. How the city was structured and organized actually kept me more enthralled. I loved that Higson didn't just keep going with the streets, but he also incorporated the sewers or train rails. The imagery and the passion of the city's destruction poured through the pages, and I loved seeing the chaos and destruction and just how far times have fallen with the rise of the dead.
There was a slough of characters and frankly I wasn't sure I knew who to follow or what character was narrating at any given time. The book seemed to take on a third person and peer over the different characters as if they were all equally important. I found that my attention was driven to the Waitrose kids more so than the others. However, the biggest downfall of this amount of characters was the fact that when the kids died, there was no impact. It was a, "Oh hey, another one down, keep trekking on." It was disappointing to feel that way about this book, when I had high hopes for a good zombie novel.
Now what turned me off about this book the most was the plot. It's been over done, run from zombies or crazed parents towards safety or the thought of safety. I was just so bored and let down with the premise of the book that nearly every page I thought I would find something new, something that would explain why the adults were all zombie-fied. So the end of the book left me with no explanation on that question and left me with more than what the book started. Books like this that have no real conclusion or leave the reader with some unanswered doubts shouldn't be on the shelves.
There was something though that makes me want to read more, and something that wants to find those answers. The death of one character struck me as grand, Arran. He was great and by far the best character in the series aside Maxie and Achilleus. For Maxie and Achilleus I will read the next book and maybe finish the series, but if they die I may lose my motivation and passion to finish this book.
