Since this is the sixth book of the series, this review may have some spoilers in it. If you don’t want to ruin the book and want to read it for yourself, I recommend not reading past this paragraph. If you’ve stumbled upon this review looking for something about the series, go check out the review for the first book Tomorrow, When the War Began. Unlike the previous book where the teenagers are quite suicidal in their actions, this book gives them back the belief of wanting to survive. It comes in a weird and unexpected way as well… with kids. While they have been in Stratton, they’ve kept a watchful eye on the kids that hide in the shadows of the streets. Ellie and Co are very aware of their existence due to the mugging they endured in the last book, but it is in this book when they decide to try and win the kids over. You’d think after so many books of pew pew pews, teenage angst and everything in between, you would start to get a bit bored. Well, I can say that I didn’t really find myself in that position in this book. Yes, I feel that some events are a bit repetitive, but I think of all the books this has been one of the more original in its timeline. Ultimately, I really liked this instalment and if you're into the action I think you will too!
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Since this is the fifth book of the series, this review may have some spoilers in it. If you don’t want to ruin the book and want to read it for yourself, I recommend not reading past this paragraph. If you’ve stumbled upon this review looking for something about the series, go check out the review for the first book Tomorrow, When the War Began. As the title suggests, John Marsden’s fifth instalment in his Tomorrow series brings back the fire with action that was missing in Darkness, Be My Friend. So, if you were not interested or did not enjoy the lack of action previously, you definitely get your money’s worth here. Remember when the New Zealand guerrillas wanted to blow up the airbase with the help of Ellie and co? Well, with all the unlucky attempts in book four, book five shows how ‘lucky’ they are to finally be able to do it, even though they didn’t necessarily plan to. Some aspects of this book I really enjoyed whereas there were a few times where I felt like there could only be one solution to their problem, in which case I read with a ‘well, it has to happen like this’ frame of mind. The action was phenomenal and the characters reaction to it really emphasised what was built in the last book, which was the emotional and mental fragilities that had been unmasked. However, people can only be so lucky in life, and so I found some of the results a little bit predictable. Then, there was Lee’s betrayal, which is a whole other issue in itself, but I’ll get into that later. Since this is the fourth book of the series, this review may have some spoilers in it. If you don’t want to ruin the book and want to read it for yourself, I recommend not reading past this paragraph. If you’ve stumbled upon this review looking for something about the series, go check out the review for the first book Tomorrow, When the War Began. This book starts with Ellie and co in New Zealand. Unlike the other books, where not a lot of time has passed since the ending of the previous story, this takes place about five months after. The first words, ‘I didn’t want to go back’, eludes to what is about to happen. This war isn’t over. Not for Ellie or her friends. I mean, it shouldn’t be surprising, we’re only four books in with three more to go! Ultimately, I like this book. It’s not as action-packed as the previous instalments, but it provides an insight into the damaging psychological effects that war or any traumatic experience can have on anyone. Each character is extremely different with their backgrounds and situations, so I enjoyed learning more about how they coped after they left and how they continued to cope going back. But, if you’re someone who’s really into action-packed scenes with explosions and guns and the pew pew pews, then this instalment might be a bit a drag for you. |
AuthorCharlotte is a reading and writing lover who has completed a creative writing intensive course at the University of Oxford and is a current university student studying a double degree in journalism and creative writing. If you are curious to learn more, check out the 'About' page. Archives
January 2019
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