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A review by chrissymcbooknerd
The Before by Emily McKay
3.0
(3.5 stars)
I guess I didn't realize, when I started THE BEFORE, that it is a prequel of sorts to McKay's novel, THE FARM (which I haven't yet read). So, in reviewing THE BEFORE, I guess I should say that I went into this totally blindly, not having any preconceived ideas about the characters or the plotline of the next book at all.
THE BEFORE opens with a terrifying telephone call to 17 year old Lily Price, from her beloved Uncle who was warning her of a dangerous situation that was spiraling out of control around them -- one that was currently being broadcast on every single channel on Lily's television, much to her surprise. From what she can gather, a widespread disorder of some type has been spreading between humans, starting at the alleged epicenter in Texas (where Lily lives) -- one that seems to turn people into monsters -- almost zombies, although people are strictly urged not to use such scary terms for fear of creating mass hysteria (further than what was already happening, of course). The Tick (the slang name for the zombie-like beings) appear to be targeting teenagers, for unknown reasons at this point, and the government has set up sites called Farms, where certain teenagers may be taken (often by force) to seek protection against immediate danger.
Lily wants nothing more than to keep herself and her twin sister Mel -- who lives in her own world of music and riddles due to symptoms of an autistic disorder -- out of the Farms, although all attempts to escape seem to lead to disastrous ends. Will Lily and Mel succumb to the law and allow themselves to be escorted to The Farm, leaving their mother alone in the midst of world chaos? Or, will Lily take matters into her own hands, risking her own life and that of her twin sister in a universe that seems to have gone mad?
THE BEFORE was a quick prequel, really giving readers of THE FARM enough back story to make things feel nicely pieced together -- at least, this is what I gather from the brief descriptions of THE FARM that I read after finishing this story (because, of course, now I need to continue with the story -- right?) From what I gather, THE FARM, whereas THE BEFORE allows readers the opportunity to see how the Tick started out and where the epidemic actually begun before becoming the chaotic nightmare that we see at the end of this story.
I think THE BEFORE was pretty well written, with descriptions being pretty quick and to-the-point, which kept things paced pretty well without overdoing it on unnecessary details. The passage of time was a little odd in places, but I give the benefit of the doubt here because, after all, this *is* a prequel and technically isn't intended to tell a full story.
The constant chanting of riddles on Mel's part got a tiny bit tiring to me, although I get that they were intended to develop Mel's character as being one on the autistic spectrum. Also, Lily tended to be irritating at times, especially in the way that she lectured her mother and regurgitated parental sayings when taking control of a situation, but again I presume that these tidbits were mostly to contrast Lily's overt strength versus the perceived helplessness of her twin.
THE BEFORE was interesting enough that I do plan to continue with THE FARM -- especially since there were so many (blatant) hints that the Farms may be up to much more malicious things than merely protecting the teenagers. So, look for that review coming up soon, I expect!
I guess I didn't realize, when I started THE BEFORE, that it is a prequel of sorts to McKay's novel, THE FARM (which I haven't yet read). So, in reviewing THE BEFORE, I guess I should say that I went into this totally blindly, not having any preconceived ideas about the characters or the plotline of the next book at all.
THE BEFORE opens with a terrifying telephone call to 17 year old Lily Price, from her beloved Uncle who was warning her of a dangerous situation that was spiraling out of control around them -- one that was currently being broadcast on every single channel on Lily's television, much to her surprise. From what she can gather, a widespread disorder of some type has been spreading between humans, starting at the alleged epicenter in Texas (where Lily lives) -- one that seems to turn people into monsters -- almost zombies, although people are strictly urged not to use such scary terms for fear of creating mass hysteria (further than what was already happening, of course). The Tick (the slang name for the zombie-like beings) appear to be targeting teenagers, for unknown reasons at this point, and the government has set up sites called Farms, where certain teenagers may be taken (often by force) to seek protection against immediate danger.
Lily wants nothing more than to keep herself and her twin sister Mel -- who lives in her own world of music and riddles due to symptoms of an autistic disorder -- out of the Farms, although all attempts to escape seem to lead to disastrous ends. Will Lily and Mel succumb to the law and allow themselves to be escorted to The Farm, leaving their mother alone in the midst of world chaos? Or, will Lily take matters into her own hands, risking her own life and that of her twin sister in a universe that seems to have gone mad?
THE BEFORE was a quick prequel, really giving readers of THE FARM enough back story to make things feel nicely pieced together -- at least, this is what I gather from the brief descriptions of THE FARM that I read after finishing this story (because, of course, now I need to continue with the story -- right?) From what I gather, THE FARM
Spoiler
immediately begins with Lily and Mel already at The Farm and focuses heavily upon their attempts to escape dangerI think THE BEFORE was pretty well written, with descriptions being pretty quick and to-the-point, which kept things paced pretty well without overdoing it on unnecessary details. The passage of time was a little odd in places, but I give the benefit of the doubt here because, after all, this *is* a prequel and technically isn't intended to tell a full story.
The constant chanting of riddles on Mel's part got a tiny bit tiring to me, although I get that they were intended to develop Mel's character as being one on the autistic spectrum. Also, Lily tended to be irritating at times, especially in the way that she lectured her mother and regurgitated parental sayings when taking control of a situation, but again I presume that these tidbits were mostly to contrast Lily's overt strength versus the perceived helplessness of her twin.
THE BEFORE was interesting enough that I do plan to continue with THE FARM -- especially since there were so many (blatant) hints that the Farms may be up to much more malicious things than merely protecting the teenagers. So, look for that review coming up soon, I expect!