Posts Tagged 'survivor'

Any Sign of Life by Carson Rae

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Paige wakes up in her bedroom hooked up to an IV without any memory of how she got there. Her mother is a nurse, so she’s guessing she got sick and her mother rigged the IV for her, but it’s obvious no one has checked on her for awhile as she is weak and underweight. As she begins looking around it becomes obvious that not only has her family died, but so has everyone in her neighborhood. As she struggles to get her strength back she finds her neighbor’s beloved dog still alive and finally has a companion. Eventually, she meets a few other survivors, but no one seems to know what caused this horrific turn of events. To make things even worse, they have spotted alien type creatures out patrolling as if looking to make sure no one has survived. Is this some kind of alien invasion? Why didn’t Paige and the other survivors die along with everyone else? What could the aliens want from Earth? What must Paige and her new friends do in order to survive long term?

The first in this series is compelling from the start as Paige struggles to come to terms with her new reality. She loses absolutely everything within a matter of days including her family, best friend, house, belongings, etc. She is definitely affected by this, but her desire to survive outweighs her need to feel sorry for herself. The other people she meets all have their own baggage as well, but despite their grief and fear they all do want to survive even though life as they knew it is completely different now. This book will interest everyone from avid readers to reluctant readers and everyone in between. It has a lot of action and plot twists that will keep everyone guessing and there’s plenty more story to come out as there is more to come. Highly recommended.

Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

306 p.

This story alternates between “then” and “now” and tells the story of how “Jane Anonymous” was abducted, held captive for seven months, and then returned to her family.  Jane was taken from her place of work very suddenly one day and although she was able to call her mother from the abductor’s car, they were unable to find her before she was taken away.  Jane finds herself in a tiny room that is filled with her favorite snacks, clothing, and toiletries.  She is told to perform certain tasks in order to earn gold stars that will get her rewards that she would like, such as books.  At first, she refuses to do anything, including shower, and is punished for her behavior.  It’s only when she begins speaking to someone through the wall that she learns her captor has others in this place and the best way to survive is to follow the rules.  She begins looking forward to hearing the voice of the teenage boy being held captive down the hall from her whenever he can sneak away through the vents to visit.  When she manages to find a way to escape she is unable to find anyone else to release before she has to flee.  She feels immense guilt as she returns to her very grateful family knowing that she left others behind.  As details of her captor are revealed, however, it becomes obvious that there was a lot she didn’t know about her situation.  Can she trust the police’s version even if it’s difference from the one in her own mind?

This powerful story tells how a teenage girl could be stalked and abducted without anyone being able to do anything about it.  In the end, she rescues herself and then must deal with the aftermath of returning to her home.  She has many strong people around her who want to help her adjust back to her life, but she isn’t sure she can after what happened to her.  Recommended for fans who like intense stories such as Pretend She’s Here or Ruthless.


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