ARC Review: Monument 14: Savage Drift by Emmy Laybourne

Monument 14: Savage Drift
Author: Emmy Laybourne
Series: Monument 14 (Book 3)
Publication: Feiwel & Friends (May 6, 2014)

Description: In Monument 14: Savage Drift, the stunningly fierce conclusion to the Monument 14 trilogy, author Emmy Laybourne ups the stakes even higher for a group of kids who have continually survived the unthinkable. Can they do so one last time?

It's over.  
Dean, Alex, and the other survivors of the Monument 14 have escaped the disaster zone and made it to the safety of a Canadian refugee camp. Some of the kids have been reunited with their families, and everyone is making tentative plans for the future. And then, Niko learns that his lost love, Josie, has survived!

Or is it? 
For Josie, separated from the group and presumed dead, life has gone from bad to worse. Trapped in a terrible prison camp with other exposed O's and traumatized by her experiences, she has given up all hope of rescue. Meanwhile, scared by the government's unusual interest in her pregnancy, Astrid--along with her two protectors, Dean and Jake--joins Niko on his desperate quest to be reunited with Josie.

My Thoughts: This conclusion to the Monument 14 trilogy is told from two points of view - Dean's and Josie's. After going through unimaginable difficulties after some horrendous storms caused the release of some secret military chemicals, the majority of the kids have reached the relative safety of a refugee camp in Canada. Conditions aren't terrible but there is so much uncertainty. Most of the kids, including Dean and his brother Alex, don't know if their parents survived or where they are.

Dean is worried about Astrid who is pregnant and isn't doing well. Rumors are that the American military are taking pregnant women who have been exposed to the chemicals and doing some kind of experiments on them. Despite needing medical attention, Astrid won't go to the doctors for fear of being taken. Dean also has to deal with Astrid's mixed feelings for the father of her baby and former boyfriend Jake. Jake is dealing with the uncertainty by drinking and using any kind of drug he can find.

When Niko hears that Josie didn't die but was rather taken to a refuged camp in Missouri, he is determined to go to her and take her to his uncle's farm in Pennsylvania. That farm has been an object of hope for many of the kids who haven't found their parents. It is a goal that they are trying for in the hopes of having a better life. When it becomes apparent that Astrid's danger is real, the father of the twins agrees to help the kids - Niko, Dean, Astrid, and Jake - sneak out of the camp to try to get to Josie.

Josie really does need rescuing. She has been imprisoned in a camp full of Os. They don't have enough food, clothing, or any other supplies. Some of the men have formed into gangs preying on the others and have made Josie a particular target. Josie has also drawn the negative attention of a particularly sadistic guard.

The group from Canada has a number of adventures on their way to Josie and, when they do get together, the situation is really tense and dangerous. My only complaint about the story was the ending which I felt was a little rushed and a little too coincidental.

Fans of post-apocalyptic fiction will enjoy this trilogy. It is filled with interesting characters and exciting situations.

Favorite Quote:

"They should be warning people!" Jake said, struggling to keep his voice even. "Everyone thinks they're rumors, but the drifts are real!"

"It's the military," I said. "They must be keeping the story quiet. But why?"

"To keep people from panicking," Niko said, his eyes on the road. "To keep them from evacuating."

"Why would they do that?" Jake asked.

"I don't know," Niko said. "Maybe because there's no place left to go."

I got the ARC from Macmillan. You can buy your copy here.