Quarantine #2: The Saints (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
I wish my review could be me waving my hand in a gesture of 'meh'.The book succeeded in portraying a gritty, desperate, isolated society of teenagers, and that is no small feat.However.There were typos. I'm not usually a stickler for small mistakes like that since everyone makes them and when you've read something a million times your brain can play tricks on you, but seeing several in a published work was jarring. In addition, at one point while describing Hilary's backstory the authors refer to her as Lucy.This is a problem not just because it is confusing for the reader, but because it raises the question of whether or not the authors see their female characters as interchangable; this is a mistake that should not have happened. Or, at the very least, it should have been caught at some point in the editing process.Those problems aside, I can say that I read this book, like the first, in one sitting and didn't suffer much for it. The characters were relatable, their stories were compelling and the tropes were well used.I gave this book three stars because it needed a level of editing before publication that it did not receive. It was not as successful as the first in the series, but I largely enjoyed reading it. I'm going to give the third book the benefit of the doubt. Eighteen months since the virus broke out, McKinley High students are still quarantined inside, but the nightmare has not diminished. David Thorpe has escaped confinement and left his brother Will, Lucy and what remains of the Loners behind. In "The Saints", the second book in the Quarantine series the action and heartbreak continues as a new gang of kids arrive to break them out of their prison only to find themselves locked inside. In this new turn of events the dynamics within the gangs begins to change as "The Saints", a new popular faction takes power . In this story the remnant of Loners have joined other gangs. Will and Lucy's friendship has been weakened by harsh words and both struggle with their inner demons to survive in a world that's only grown worse.Like the high school the world outside has increased in hostility and brutality as the virus spreads and the military begins killing teens on sight if they don't turn themselves in. At McKinley High after a disastrous attempt to free the students, a new gang of outsiders called the Saints have taken power their leader blackmailing their protectors into giving them the amenities they've sorely lacked including alcohol, a motorcycle and a hog. With clever adroitness the team of Lex Thomas has developed a riveting plot that twists and turns as events unfold. Although the gangs intermingle at parties and at the Geek Show, any sense of humanity has been lost amid the depravity, violence and hopelessness.In this story old characters have returned, but new personalities have taken center stage who revel in blackmail, lust, and madness. Will Thorpe wanting the respect and admiration his brother once held has joined the Saints, walking in the shadow of its cocky and admired leader, Gates. But as time passes he's becoming more and more disillusioned with Gate's obsessive -compulsive behaviour. Lucy who's joined the Sluts has gained a new confident aggressiveness. Yet for all the cruelty and heartlessness she shows from time to time, Lucy still holds tight to her self-respect. Sam Howard ostracized not only by his gang but all those who hate him has become a hopeless victim, wallowing in the past, while Hilary Bowden has become even more proud and arrogant, ice-cold in her interactions. Of the Saints, Gates is the high-strung, reckless, volatile leader; one minute overconfident and bold, the next moody and indulging his psychosis. All these characters and the secrets they harbour raise the intensity and drama of this darkly chilling story.This is the second of the Quarantine series which follows the further moral and ethical decline of teens locked away in a high school until with age the virus disappears and they can leave. This story which introduces new elements in the makeup of the gangs is probably darker and even more explosive than the last. Having read "the Lord of the Flies" and the "Gone" series I'm interested in how Lex Thomas will end this mesmerizing story in the last book.
What do You think about Quarantine #2: The Saints (2013)?
I may be a nerd, but it's the homage to The Lord of the Flies that makes me love this series.
—DarkOdds
All I can say is wow. Not what I expected at all..... it was so much better.
—Vickie
Pretty much the same as the first one, but I liked it anyways!
—parmafamily
