Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Teenage Joel Walker wakes from a nap to learn that his mother and younger sister are stranded at a local movie theater following a city-wide power outage due to an incoming storm. But numerous missed calls, including several frantic voicemails from Mom and an emergency weather alert recommending that residents take shelter, sow worry in Joel. After striking out to find his missing family, Joel is intercepted by a teen named Emily, who fills him in: while he slept, ominous sirens started blaring across the city, and anyone exposed to the noise for an extended period was rendered despondent before inexplicably disappearing. The duo become fast friends as they attempt to make sense of the chaos. They soon stumble upon a group hunkered down in an abandoned building, but Joel is immediately wary of the group's leader, whose outward magnanimity seems to cover a sinister truth. Thin characterization and uneven pacing leads to lowered stakes in this cinematic read. Nevertheless, there's adrenaline-pumping action aplenty in Cawthon's apocalyptic debut, which uses appropriately apprehensive ambiance and well-trod tropes to ferry an inventive premise to its harrowing resolution. Ages 12--up. (Sept.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up--Joel is home on a break from college and is asked by his mom and little sister Ava to go with them into the city to see a movie. He's not feeling great and they go on without him. It's only when they don't come home the next day that he heads off to the city to find them. Abandoned cars on the road, no people outside, the world around him quiet and seemingly devoid of life. What happened? Another survivor finds him and tells him the truth: when the sun goes down, the power goes out, and the sirens begin. The loud, otherworldly, and maddening sirens never let up all night long Too many questions remain unanswered, but Joel is focused on one goal: to be reunited with his mother and sister. This is Cawthon's debut, bringing a new voice to young adult horror. While this book will raise many questions for readers, much is left to one's own interpretation regarding what exactly happens when you hear the sirens and voices. Easily seen comparisons to mythical siren's song as well various religious elements will generate much discussion among readers. VERDICT Many readers will be drawn to this apocalyptic, debut horror tale.--Adam Fisher
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
When emergency sirens start sounding in the night, Joel sets out to rescue his mother and sister. After staying home from the family trip to the movies because of a headache, college student Joel awakens to a series of distressing voicemails from his mom. His drive into the city reveals deserted neighborhoods; soon, abandoned cars blocking the roads force him to continue on foot. He's dragged into a house by a young woman named Emily who explains the danger he's in and describes the chaos of the previous night. They shelter in a basement, waiting out the sirens that begin when the moon rises. Journeying toward the city together, the pair encounter disturbed survivors and gruesome signs of violence. They meet a larger group of people who are working together, but Emily is suspicious of their leader, and Joel starts to hear voices alongside the sirens broadcasting an announcement for everyone to evacuate. Though the central mystery offers a good hook, the utilitarian writing style impedes the development of any true atmosphere. The few intriguing details get lost as the action moves the narrative along at a steady jog, smoothing over any chance for real emotional attachment to the characters. By the time readers reach what should have been an emotional ending, only surface-level questions have been answered, leaving the "why" behind all the preceding events unsatisfyingly lacking in resolution. Main characters are cued white. An interesting premise undermined by bland characterization and incomplete catharsis. (Horror. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
