donderdag 30 juli 2015

M. R. Carey: The Girl with all the Gifts

Hi

The Girl with all the Gifts by M. R. Carey was on my radar for a long time before I finally got it at Waterstones.
It has 460 pages and an interview of 9 pages.

“Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.”

                                *   SPOILERS   *

Doesn’t this sound amazing and enormously intriguing?
It did to me at least.

But I’m afraid it doesn’t really deliver. 
I had hoped for a grand, unique, totally unexpected story and though I did enjoy this immensely, it isn’t new or different enough to be all that.

The Girl with all the Gifts starts as a gripping, enticing, page-turner and I could not put it down. 
But once you realize what's happening and finding out why Melanie is where she is, it gets predictable. It’s not unique in any way. A group of mismatched people, trying to stay together in a doomed world, trying to survive.
Don't get me wrong, it is nice to read and I enjoyed it, it's just not entirely new.
Until you get to the final chapters where we get quite a shocking conclusion. Or so it was to me.

The characters are clearly worked out with their own, defined personality. They started out as somewhat of a cliché but got more and more depth as the story progresses. I actually ended up loving Sgt. Parks for example.
The inner struggle of Melanie because of her love and her fear is depicted wonderfully. Parental love (or something alike), even in such extreme situations is always hearth rendering.
The novel is well-paced, the prose is nicely readable but not childish, and it is a thrilling story.
And the ending really got to me. I’m still thinking about it.

The Girl with all the Gifts seems to be a typical YA Zombie novel; which it is until you reach the final chapters. Very entertaining, different enough from every other zombie novel and a lovely read but don’t get your hopes too high.

Happy reading!
Helena

Happy reading equals a happy Sunday.

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