Monster (Gone Book 7)

I really wanted to be able to say I loved Monster, but I can't in fact I'm not sure I even liked it. I think the writing is still top notch and there were brief instances were I thought the story was going to turn around for me. Sadly they didn't.One of the main problems I had with Monster was the new lead Shade Darby. I personally don't like her. And I'll share why. When she is introduced I felt like the reader was being told about her personality traits instead of shown. Which made it seem like it was very important for the reader to view Shade a certain way. Shade is analytical I get that. I understand her motivation for her actions, but felt that all the characters around her give her way too much leeway to do whatever she wants. The only character that ever calls her on some of the stuff she does happens to do it in a manner that is easily scoffed off.Shade is shown to be smart enough to be fully aware of the consequences of her actions. And she regularly thinks through these consequences, simply choosing to ignore them instead. Also because of the way Shade behaves it made it harder to like the characters that made the decision to be around her since I felt like they just enabled her. One of the characters even says as much. And continues to enable her.A lot of Monster sets up what will be explored in Heroes and Villain. I plan to read the sequel to see what happens next. Hopeful this time I will check my expectations at the door. If I had and went in realizing that it was a spinoff and not a sequel meaning it would have a similar feel and new concepts. I would have enjoyed it a bit more. PS: A core concept that is introduced I tried to like but just didn't but now that I am used to it. I shouldn't be bothered by in come the sequels.On a sidenote I happened to like Dekka in the originally series and I was happy to have her back. Even more so since it so happens that the parts of the book that I enjoyed the most happened to feature Dekka. Without going into detail there was a budding friendship that I found heartwarming and hope to see that continue and grow in the sequels.If you're a fan of the Gone series I'd still recommend the book. I just think that you shouldn't come into it expect it to be like the original series. Monster feels familiar but it's not the same. That Gone is well gone.

My 7 year old son and I rapidly read books 1-6 despite their length; we loved the series. Michael Grant writes very well. For that, I gave 4 stars. But this book was a letdown. Everything is very rushed and scattered. Lots of characters all at once. The endless battle of good vs evil takes place with mutated humans, but very little background was given about most of the characters except for Shade and Dekka’s background I already knew from the previous books. I did buy book 8 though, so I hope the next book will impress me. This book for me, was just ‘meh’.

The first chapter is great but it goes downhill from there. In this attempt to make bigger and scarier monsters, Grant leaves behind all the elements that made the Gone series work so well. Grandiose descriptions that fall flat, adults running amok, this book was a big disappointment.

Boy was this book a ripper. Not. I'll tell y'all why. Firstly there are random new people (apart from Dekka) who just appear, steal part of the rock like it takes no effort, and destroy the enemy mutators. Just like that. Then Sam Temple is randomly introduced at the very end hiding in a cupboard with Dekka. Again, there are still many things this book has not told us. How did Martin Darby react when his daughter was almost killed by a lava-spewing demon? How would Martin Darby let his only other family member out on the run? Where did Astrid go? Where did Edillio go? How did Tom Peaks coincidentally know exactly where to find Drake Merwin? You see what I mean? There are so many unexpected plot twists and so many unexplained things. I know all that info probably couldn't fit in the book, but at least give us a little backfill on what's happening in the other FAYZ survivors lives'.One really big problem this book had was that Vincet Vu could've just stayed at home with his dad, while his mom went out to fetch the big rock. In the book it says that Vincent Vu's Dad was at home.

I just finished gone book 6 (light) and i thought to myself, aww thats it I wish the series kept going! When I saw this book I was overjoyed. The first chapter was about explaining Shades shallow, selfish manipulative personality. The second chapter was about Shade manipulating and usiing cruz for her own obbsession and desires(forgive my bad english I am Phillipino). Anyways, the protagonist scenes were boring to me, and the only parts of the book I enjoyed were the parts with the old crew. Michael Grant, how can you continue to gone series like this? It would have been so much better if sam or dekka or Astrid OR EVEN DRAKE was the leading main character. I can understand if you were trying to do sonething new and different, but it was not good, not to mention that the whole body transformation thing doesn't really work out, at least for me. Just stop at book 6 person reading this.

The Gone series was fantastic but I felt the author decided to continue on with his animorphs books with these powers instead of the way powers were in the FAYZ. I love his books but it felt like Dekka was only there to tether us in long enough to try his other passion. A disappointment honestly.

Michael Grant should have left the Gone series at Light. While it was nice seeing Dekka, and the ending itself (not the fight, but of Sam), I did not enjoy the new characters as much. Maybe if it had been more Dekka-centric, it would have been better, but I didn't feel as invested in these new characters as I had with those of the previous Gone books. That being said, the ending did leave me a bit curious about the next book.

Read the Gone series and stop there. This book lacks the character development that makes you want to keep reading the original books. I really didn't care what happened to these new "Monster"s, they were selfish and whiney. Their perilous situations were of their own making, not thrust upon them. Please please current authors will you stop shoving the f-word in reader's faces. There was absolutely no need to include it in this book(or multiple times in movies instead of writing actual dialogue).

Monster is the exciting and explosive first book in a trilogy that will be a sequel series to the superb and super selling Gone Series.The Gone Series had six books:1. Gone2. Hunger3. Lies4. Plague5. Fear6. LightIn Monster it has been four years since the events at Perdido Beach.Four years ago, a meteorite hit a Nuclear Power Plant, an invisible dome was created and all the adults disappeared. The children and teenagers that remained trapped inside the dome had a lot to deal with including an alien virus that gave some of them powers. Some used their powers for good and others for selfish or cruel purposes.Now more pieces from the same meteorite are starting to fall to earth from space.This time the alien virus make even more dramatic changes to people whom come into contact with it. They are much more powerful than those in the Perdido Beach dome ever were. They will be able to morph into monsters with astonishing powers and then be able to de-morph back into human form. But for each of those infected with the alien virus, one question trumps all others: Will you be a Hero, Villain or Monster?Most of our main characters are new. Shade Darby saw her mother murdered by Gaia when the Perdido Beach dome came down and barely survived herself. Her father works for the Government studying pieces of the meteorite in space and he has calculated the exact position of the pieces landing.Shade was powerless when her mother was murdered and is determined never to be so again. In fact, quite the opposite, she wants to gain power to become a hero. Malik Tenerife is in love with Shade, but their relationship ended due to Shade’s obsession with gaining power.Shade meets Cruz Martinez Rojas at a bus stop. Cruz is a trans character, although physically male, he dresses feminine and feels neither male nor female. Grant explained and dealt with this gender issue expertly. This didn’t come as a surprise, after all The Gone Series had gay, lesbian and bisexual characters.Justin DeVeere is a promising art student with delusions of grandeur. He is going out with Erin O’Day. Justin comes in contact with one of the pieces of the meteorite and develops powers. In panic, but with some pleasure he makes some mistakes that harm people.But Justin makes a choice to murder. He decides to name himself Knightmare and tries to make it a persona. He is aiming for people to think of him like The Hulk. Justin is Bruce Banner and Knightmare is the Hulk, something he has no control over. Only he does.Armo (his nickname, actual name: Aristotle Adamo) is an Adonis, who happens to have Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). He has his whole life a head of him, being just 17 years old. That is until the accident and his nonconsensual exposure to one of the pieces of the meteorite.Vincent Vu hears voices in his head. He possibly has bipolar or schizophrenia. He is exposed to the largest piece and amount of the meteorite an undergoes the most dramatic change. But does this make him unstoppable?Dekka Talent makes a welcome return and offers fans of The Gone Series the opportunity to find out what happened to other characters from the series. Tom Peaks from the US Government recruits Dekka to help, but all is not what it seems as Dekka quickly discovers.Whenever any of the characters use their powers, they are aware of being watched by Dark Watchers. These Dark Watchers appear to be using them as a form of entertainment and love death, destruction and devastation.The description was superb and brilliant. The plot was action packed and compelled the reader to read on. The pacing was ultra fast-paced.I would highly recommend Monster to anyone and everyone. It’s a crucial and necessary read for any fan of The Gone Series. Those who haven’t read any of The Gone Series could still pick it up, know what’s happened, understand what’s going on and get full enjoyment from the book.Review soon,Antony

You could argue that this book is worlds away from the Gone series and in my opinion I believe that its correct. Don't get me wrong the FAYZ was bad, terrible and HORRIBLE but at least the good guys and the bad had powers to balance it out...however in this story. That may not be always the case which makes you actually feel scared for the good guys in this story...(even the government)You have new characters that you sympathise and grow to love and old ones which had my childhood self doing backflips in my head because of how much I missed the story and its characters.The reason why I gave it 3 stars and not 4 cause in some eras I thought the story lagged a bit and some chapters were missing that certain spark which I dunno what...I know I know I shouldn't compare the two but the gone series seemed more put together but with connection with the 'Monsters' storyline this seemed all over the place. And the descriptions of SOME monsters were so ridiculous It was kinda hard to imagine lol.Neither the less a great story by a great author and even though it wasn't what I was expecting it was still entertaining in it's own way.

I didn't realise that Michael Grant had added to his FAYZ series until I looked him up to try and get an idea if these were suitable for my daughter. I read the series some years ago and the books have now come back to us via my nephew. Having read Monster I have remembered that I don't think she will be reading them just yet - however, it reminded me how good they are. Incredibly violent but essentially built on human emotions. When I have finished this series I may go back to the beginning again.

This couldn’t have been better. You must read the 6 books from the Gone series first. But this is the beginning of a new world. It has a lovely balance of using the Gone series, but develops its own identity. Characters feel real, so crazy powers seem feasible as this sets the scene for a great trilogy of clear good v evil at a global level

I enjoyed all of the Gone series so thought I'd give this a try. Didn't grab me as much as the Gone series did.