Release Date: 1st August, 2011Publisher: Penguin Australia
Pages: 308pgs
The Story
She has to escape. But who else is out there? And can anyone survive days like this?
I want to go back to the days when life made sense. The days before our parents became strange; before the warming ate away at all the living things in the world; before The Committee and their Blacktroopers. Before the wall.
Lily is a prisoner in her own home. Forced to stay inside by The Committee and guarded by their increasingly distant parents, Lily and her brother Daniel are beginning to ask why. Then, when Daniel disappears just before his seventeenth birthday, Lily knows she is next.
The Review
A big thanks to Tina from Penguin for sending me a review copy of this book!
It is a no brainer that dystopian is becoming the next book trend and I'm completely hooked on this genre. While there maybe 'some' people out there who are tired of the growth in dystopian books . . . but please look no further. If you're looking for something a little different in the market, then this book is for you. Because not only is this book a great little adventure but it's also a story set in Australia. It can't get better than that, right? I mean, we need more Australian dystopian!
DAYS LIKE THIS follows the main character, Lily, who has never set foot outside her own home, not since 'The Wall' was built. With the warming stripping the australian lands and with everyone living outside the civil area around Sydney being left for dead in the wastelands, it's no wonder why Lily wants a way out. Then when Lily thought things were getting worse for her family - what with her parents acting very strangely - her twin brother, Daniel, soon disappears without a trace and it's up to Lily to figure out where he's gone and most importantly . . . why?
When it comes to the characters I really liked Lily as the main protagonist. She's strong, admirable, loves her family, and even if she's stubborn and a little irrational, but overall she's a character that grows on you. The same goes with the supporting cast including Lily's brother Daniel. All of the supporting cast, much like the main heroine, are really interesting to read about and while a couple of characters might get on your nerves, but each one had a purpose to drive the novel in the right direction. Plotwise it moves at a steady pace and the mysteries behind this new dystopian world made me want to turn the pages more and more. Even the little bit of romance - while predictable and perhaps a little too quick for my liking - but it was entertaining nonetheless.
DAYS LIKE THIS is a wonderful tale about a corrupt world, one that is being constantly surrounded with greed and vanity. With a strong female character bringing this shocking new world to life, Stewart's new book will get Aussie readers and even international ones on the edge of their seats!
The Rating
4/5 stars
Great review, Erin! I'm reading this now and really enjoying it. And I too quite admire Lily's character, she's easy to like. And yes, we definitely need more Australian dystopian! Even though it's probably a little more disconcerting having a dystopian future set so close to home rather than in the US ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks Brodie. Glad you're enjoying the book! :)
ReplyDeleteI was appalled by this book - that my 12 year old daughter was exposed to a storyline that had a paedophile character who raped at least two 13 year old girls until they became pregnant; with their parents consent (regardless of any excuses they were addicted it is a disgraceful idea to include in a kids book). And there was no bringing him to justice, or constructive dialogue about how to help victims like that. It was a sickening story. And I usually enjoy dystopian novels. If ever I was going to argue for labelling books with warnings I would be citing this book as a prime example of one that needed it.
ReplyDelete