This book is so outside the normal read for me, that I wasn't expecting to like it. I not only liked it, I loved it. Thinking I would force myself to read it for I had said I would write a review, I found, instead, that I was reading for hours, devouring it. Then when it was finished, I felt bereft.
The wonderful heroine, Lyric Walker's life is forever changed when she witnesses the arrival of thousands of creatures from the sea...the Alpha. These are ocean dwelling beings bringing surprise and interest which soon turn to suspicion, distrust and wild paranoia.
The setting is Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY. The arrival of 'the things' turns Coney Island into a police state. The descriptions of the island paints a terrifyingly deteriorated community, not the happy vacation spot so many have enjoyed for years.
Things must change. The Alpha must be controlled and/or eradicated. Lyric is enlisted in a plot to try to humanize the creatures. It is a plot many, including the governor, work to destroy. Lyric and her friends are caught in the middle. Her family, too, is not only caught in the middle but enmeshed in the mystery the Alpha bring.
Lyric is a realistic, likable character. A new and gritty female heroine. Get to know her, her family and friends and especially the Alpha in this beautifully written book.
UNDERTOW pulled me in and under from the first chapter. There are strange innovative creatures, good friends in jeopardy, a teenage world turned upside down, a family mystery, and oh, so much more too pull you in and under. It is action packed, emotional, and thoroughly satisfying. It should be a hit with YA/MG reader this hot summer.
Publication date: May 5, 2015.
That does sound interesting. The idea is so unique it hasn't been pounded to death.
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