What if you _knew_ that the end of the world would be here in a few days? What if you and the people around you had been preparing for it all your life, or at least most of the life you remember? What if your family had been through an unspeakably horrific situation, and one person led them out of that hell, and now that person is preparing you to survive horrors at the end of the world?
Lyla is the main character, Pioneer is the prophet and the End Times are Now.
Ms. Parker paints one heck of a picture of a girl growing up in a survivalist cult. Her main character, Lyla, is a seventeen year old, and has spent the past ten years in Mandrodage Meadows. (Mandrodage = Armageddon. I'm not any kind of genius and I figured it out the moment I saw it) Lyla and her family, as well as nineteen other families and of course, The Pioneer, have been preparing for the end of the world, when only their small group will be saved.
Literally saved, in a survivalist silo just past the orchards. Every moment of their lives, both before and after the Earth changes rotation (the event that kills off everyone else, according to Pioneer and the shadowy Brethren that are only plugged into Pioneer) has been planned, down to their spouses and the fact that they will kill anyone outside their group on sight. Not because they don't have the supplies to save any additional mouths, but because everyone outside their group is Evil.
This book is written for adolescents, but would be a decent read for adults as well. It moves quickly, has lots of cliffhangers, and it takes almost no time to pull you into the story. Does the world really end? (The book's world. Since I'm writing this, our world hasn't ended yet) Does this group of survivalists manage to stay together and keep everyone out? And what about Lyla? Can she manage to keep her doubts and her character a secret, so that she can stay with her family and live to see tomorrow? [overprotective mother warning: there are a few violent and scary scenes toward the end, and animals die. Many girls are more upset about the horses rather than the mostly faceless people who die.]
I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it for anyone say twelve and older, provided they know about survivalist groups. A few minutes of watching television should tell you if you have the stomach to deal with survivalist camps, who seem to star in reality shows 24/7. Even an old bat like myself enjoyed this book greatly, and I'm old enough to have kids well over twelve!
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Customer reviews
I bought a copy of GATED at a book signing and let me say, Amy Christine Parker is so nice and talented I couldn't wait to read this book! It lived up to everything I thought! Definitely a thriller and I loved the psychological aspects exploring how and why people could become part of a cult. Pioneer, the cult leader, was creepy but not blatantly which I think worked perfectly with the story and his character in being nice enough to make people feel like he has their best interest in mind, but then he does some messed up stuff. The main character Lyla was believable and well developed and I was rooting for her throughout and the ending was great! The author has a beautiful way of painting the landscape and scenes so vividly you can really picture yourself right there living alongside the characters and story - though at the same time I'm glad I'm not living there with them, you know, because of the cult and all. A great read with twists and turns. I definitely recommend it! (Picture is of my copy of the book with my cat, showing my recommended way of reading this Psychological Thriller: in the dark with a book light and a cat!)
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