Last Chance

August 15, 2017
After an alien invasion, the survival of humanity depends on teenage brothers.At the close of series opener The Rains (2016), Chance and his older brother, Patrick, were separated, and Chance encountered an alien rebel who told him that humanity's fate depends on his staying out of the aliens' clutches. As this book opens, he's been caught, and an alien scan identifies him. Although readers are tossed quickly into the action, a brief synopsis reminds them of the spores that turned those over 18 into mindless workers who prepared Earth for the arrival of the alien Drones and Queens who, with assistance from the already-turned Hosts, round up kids and teens and make them into Husks that incubate the alien Hatchlings. Patrick and his girlfriend--whom Chance also loves--arrive and rescue him, and the three flee to their high school, where survivors have established a base of operations and where a thinly developed bully character represents the man-is-the-true-danger figure that all post-apocalyptic books seem to need these days (this storyline is exceptionally forced). Alien rebels reveal how to stop the invasion and its required cost--which has been telegraphed in the novel's epigraph, leaving no surprises. The novel's conceit--that it's been written by Chance as journal entries--distracts, but the endless action is solid. The narrative defaults to white, with exceptions identified by ethnicity (a Tongan ranch hand) or name (Dr. Chatterjee). Predictable and plot-driven. (Post-apocalyptic adventure. 12-18)

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October 1, 2017

Gr 7 Up-Following phase one of the spore invasion that turned everyone 18 and older into vicious inhuman beings in The Rains, this sequel is an edge-of-your seat test of constant survival. The Hosts, adults transformed into unrecognizable monsters, paved the way for the invaders and turned the small town of Creek's Cause into a world only found in nightmares. Finding refuge in the local high school after the invasion, Chance and Patrick Rain continue the struggle to survive and keep the rest of the "under eighteen-year-olds" safe and orderly. Facing opposition, the two brothers, along with Alex, Patrick's girlfriend, work together to tfind a "cure" that will save the others from being turned into ferocious monsters the minute they turn 18. Not only do the survivors of the first attack have to fight the Hosts; now a new breed of predatory creatures has spawned and spread across the world, devouring all living things in its path. Chance is discovered by alien rebels who reveal how to stop the invasion and its required cost. This installment continues the fast-paced action of the first book in the series. Fresh writing and characterization sets this work apart from other zombie novels. VERDICT A definite purchase where the first book is popular. If the first book isn't already in the library, it should be.-Amy Caldera, Dripping Springs Middle School, TX

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2018
In small-town Creek's Cause, teenage brothers Chance and Patrick Rain (The Rains) continue their fight against an alien invasion that seeks to invade human bodies over age eighteen to incubate them. The plot struggles to remain action-packed against a narrative conceit relying on Chance's journal entries, which become tiresome. Readers are likely to see the eventual resolution coming.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)