Review: Lies by Michael Grant

Synopsis from jacket:

It’s been seven months since all the adults disappeared. GONE.


It happens in one night. A girl who died walks among the living; Zil and the Human Crew set fire to Perdido Beach; and amid the flames and smoke, Sam sees the figure of boy he fears the most: Drake. But Drake is dead. Sam and Caine defeated him along with the Darkness – or so they thought.


As Perdido Beach burns, battles rage: Astrid against the Town Council; the Human Crew versus the mutants, and Same against Drake, who is back from the dead and ready to finish where he and Sam left off. And all the while deadly rumors are raging like the fire itself, spread by the prophetess Orsay and he companion, Nerezza. They say that death is a way to escape the FAYZ. Conditions are worse than ever and kids are desperate to get out. But are the desperate enough to believe that death will set them free?



Was This Book Worth My Time?

Totally. I am a huge fan of Grant’s “Gone” series. I came across Gone browsing Barnes and Noble one day and decided to give it a try (I’m a fan of trying the first books of series in hopes to find good stories that last longer than 300 pages). I love the plot line. I mean isn’t it a compelling thought to be in a world where any person older than 15 disappears? It was for me. I couldn’t put the first book down.

Lies is a book that did not let me down. I was worried that this book, like so many series books, would be dull and repetitive; yet, never once did I feel bored. I thought the best part of this novel was the fact that these kids have multiple conflicts to resolve. Their makeshift council is falling apart, their food supply is nonexistent, and their “hero” doesn’t want to be a hero. There is still fighting between the “freaks” and humans which helps to excel the level of action in the book. Two people we thought were “dead” aren’t really, and Sam and Astrid’s relationship is on rocky ground.

If that wasn’t enough, Grant introduces a whole family we weren’t aware lived in the FAYZ.

This series is great for middle school boys and girls.



What Bothered Me?

Truthfully, if I had read this book pretty closely after reading the other two books in the series nothing would have bothered me. However, because I waited so long after reading Gone and Hunger I felt out of the loop. There were lots of points in the novel where I questioned characters and events.

Despite this, I give Grant kudos for being an author who does not spend chapters reminding his readers of what happened in previous novels. I hate that.

You have to read the first two books before this one. No cheating; it wouldn't be worth it.