Lockdown: Escape from Furnace Review

Title: Lockdown: Escape from Furnace
Author: Alexander Gordon Smith
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Publication Date: October 27, 2009
Pages: 273
My Edition: ARC Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Where I got it: Henry Holt InGroup 

Summary from Amazon:

Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison. 

Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.

  
Review:
Wow everything was amazing about this book! I loved it because of the compelling plot, and the characters with whom I could really relate with. The cover is really disturbing but in a good way. I really like it, and it goes perfectly with the story.  I loved every part of this book, and I was engaged the entire time while reading. The first sentence automatically captures your interest and will make you totally engrossed in the story. 

It was very well written, gruesome, and kept me wanting to keep reading and reading.  There are so many parts that are so well written that I was cringing from the disturbing image I saw in my head. I can’t wait to read the sequel because it left off with a total cliffhanger. I would definitely recommend this book because it is one of the best, gripping books of this year. I would caution younger readers because it is very gruesome and horrific, so I would say anyone under 13 probably shouldn't read this unless you feel you up for it. This is the author's first book which is pretty incredible since it's so good, and the sequel Solitary comes out Fall 2010 in the U.S. which is too far away.

   

Rating:

New blog button and extra entries for contest!

I've made a blog button which you can grab from my sidebar by copying and pasting the code! If you add my blog button to your blog I will give another you 2 extra entries for my contest which ends October 13th.

Enter HERE and I will love you forever if you add my button : ) Thanks!

 

IMMB (8)

In My Mailbox is where I post the books I bought, borrow, won, or received this week. IMMB was started by Kristi of The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.

This week I received several things from contests including: a signed Rampant bookmark, Give Up the Ghost swag (bookmarks, perfume, stickers, Chinese lamp, bracelet, and button), and Never Slow Dance with a Zombie.


Never Slow Dance with a Zombie By: E. Van Lowe
Summary from Amazon:

Principal Taft's 3 Simple Rules for Surviving a Zombie Uprising:
Rule #1: While in the halls, walk slowly and wear a vacant expression on your face. Zombies won't attack other zombies.
Rule #2:  Never travel alone.  Move in packs.  Follow the crowd.  Zombies detest blatant displays of individuality.
Rule #3:  If a zombie should attack, do not run. Instead, throw raw steak at to him.  Zombies love raw meat. This display of kindness will go a long way.
On the night of her middle school graduation, Margot Jean Johnson wrote a high school manifesto detailing her goals for what she was sure would be a most excellent high school career. She and her best friend, Sybil, would be popular and, most important, have boyfriends. Three years later, they haven't accomplished a thing! Then Margot and Sybil arrive at school one day to find that most of the student body has been turned into flesh-eating zombies. When kooky Principal Taft asks the girls to coexist with the zombies until the end of the semester, they realize that this is the perfect opportunity to live out their high school dreams. All they have to do is stay alive....

The Best and Worst of Covers (6)

Every Saturday, I will post one book cover I love and one I hate from books that I have read. I will post information on the edition of the book, the summary, and my thoughts of the cover. This week the cover I love is Masquerade by Melissa De La Cruz, and the cover I hate is Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen. Summaries from Amazon.

The Cover I Love: 
Title: Masquerade
Author: Melissa De La Cruz
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication Date: July 1, 2008
Pages:336 
Edition: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult   

Summary:
Schuyler Van Alen wants an explanation for the mysterious deaths of young vampires. With her best friend, Oliver, Schuyler travels to Italy in the hope of finding the one man who can help--her grandfather. Meanwhile, back in New York, preparations are feverishly underway for the Four Hundred Ball, an exclusive gala hosted by the city's wealthy, powerful, and unhuman--a true Blue Blood affair. But it's at the after-party, a masquerade ball thrown by the cunning Mimi Force, that the real danger lurks. Hidden behind the masks is a revelation that will forever change the course of a young vampire's destiny.

Thoughts of the Cover:

This cover is amazingly stunning! I love the big masquerade mask and the title font. This cover is my favorite out of all the Blue Bloods covers, even though I really like them all. This cover goes perfectly with the story, which is very good. I love this series and can't wait for the Van Alen Legacy!

The Cover I Hate:
Title: Lock and Key
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Publication Date: April 22, 2008
Pages: 432
Edition: Hardback
Reading Level: Young Adult
 
Summary:
What happens when your past is not just past, but wiped clean entirely? How do you figure out where you're going when you can't even claim where you've been? These were the questions that inspired Lock and Key. It's the story of a girl named Ruby who is abandoned by her mother and determined to make it on her own, even---and especially---when she is sent to live with her long-lost sister in a whole new world of privilege, family, and relationships. As Ruby learns, there's a big difference between being given help and being able to accept it. And sometimes, it takes reaching out to someone else to save yourself. 

Thoughts of the Cover:

This cover is very boring, kind of like the book. I really love all of Sarah Dessen's covers and books, but this one is probably my least favorite. The beginning of the story line starts off pretty boring, but once it gets going it starts to become good. The hardback cover could've been much better, like the paperback cover. The paperback is so mysterious and very pretty.

What are your thoughts on these two covers?

Friday Firsts (2)

Oops forgot to do this last week, oh well. The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.

• Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
• Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
• Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title and the author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
• Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?

The book I'm currently reading is the Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. This is the first sentence:

"We'd been driving for about seven thousand years."

 

In my opinion, this is not a great first sentence. It doesn't really explain much about the book, and it's just basically complaining. The next couple lines aren't the greatest either. The first line could have been a lot better, but it doesn't really matter that much because it isn't going to be a classic story people will remember So far, I like the story and hope to finish it soon.

Go HERE to see Well-Read Reviews's post and post your link.

Poll Results~What's your favorite series?

My poll ended to day and here are the results of your favorite series:
Harry Potter-20 votes
Other series-15 votes
Uglies trilogy-9 votes
Mortal Instruments-9 votes
Twilight saga-7 votes
Wicked Lovely-6 votes
Private series-6 votes
Blue Bloods-5 votes
Gossip Girl series-1 vote

Looks like Harry Potter is the favorite! Just wondering, what are the other series are your favorite and also what should my next poll be? Thanks : D