Review by Booklist Review
For 10 years, Sash, her mother, grandmother, brother, and sister, along with two other families, have lived in an underground bunker after a cataclysm destroyed the Earth. Their lives are carefully controlled by Dr. Moran, a scientist whose father built the bunker. She sets the rules and routines, and she goes out in a hazmat suit to take "readings" of the surface, which, after a decade, is still uninhabitable. But the ventilation and electrical systems keep failing, their food is running out, and they are at the end of their supplies of clothes and other items. Sash and the other two teens, Gabe and Yuna, are worried, and in their investigations, Gabe finds a hidden hatch, and the three of them take a chance and see where it goes. But they make a potentially deadly discovery, and in a small community, nothing stays a secret for very long. The narrative, told from the points of view of Sash, Gabe, and Yuna, is chilling and taut with suspense, and the characterization is well developed. Not for the claustrophobic.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up--Three families have lived underground for 10 years since the Cataclysm, when chemicals fell from the sky and wiped out all existence. The bunker is run by a female scientist, Dr. Moran, and she has many rules to keep them alive: don't touch, don't talk about before, and above all else, don't go outside. But the teenagers in the bunker are starting to worry about its structural integrity and question the rules. Sash, whose father died protecting her during the Cataclysm, challenges Dr. Moran but is severely punished for doing so. Yuna, whose brother died, senses that things are off as well. Their friend Gabe, the tinkerer and repairman of the group, has concerns that the electric grid and other systems are on their last legs. The teens explore a previously hidden part of the bunker that Gabe finds that leads them outside, and they found more questions rather than answers. But when they return to the bunker, things begin to go horribly wrong. Did they jeopardize their families' lives by breaking the rules, or is something bigger at play? Solid characterization and riveting storytelling will keep readers focused until the final pages. The pacing of major events is excellent and leads nicely into the climax. While the ending seems a bit farfetched and dramatic, overall, teens will forgive the novel's flaws. VERDICT A good choice for where postapocalyptic fiction does well.--Kelly Jo Lasher, Middle Township H.S., Cape May Court House, NJ
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A horror-tinged, claustrophobic survival story. After the Cataclysm, three families believe they are the only people left on Earth and live with the charismatic Dr. Moran (whose name contains echoes of Dr. Moreau) in an underground bunker. Ten years in, the three teens--Russian American Sash, Korean American Yuna, and Gabe, who is cued as Latinx--chafe at Dr. Moran's strict rules, which include no touching. Steady Gabe collects facts and keeps the machinery of the bunker running, compassionate Yuna excels at the ballet classes taught by Sash's mom and keeps her head down, and rebellious Sash defies Dr. Moran and crushes on Yuna (her crush is reciprocated but largely unspoken). The straightforward, simple narration switches between them in close third-person chapters as they discover that Dr. Moran may be lying to them about everything. The bunker, littered with 1980s detritus, bathed in dim red light, and filled with their tiny collection of families, is tightly controlled by Dr. Moran, who suits up and exits each night to see if the world is habitable yet. This novel begins in slow motion with a classic dystopian arc but evolves into gripping light horror as the teens begin to discover the truth about the day the world ended and about Dr. Moran, who hides a fanatical cruelty beneath her seemingly benevolent exterior. A compelling and grim new entry into an evergreen genre. (Horror. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
