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Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace 1 (Escape from Furnace (Quality))Alex Sawyer isn’t really a bad kid. Well, sure, he’s been living a life of petty crime, but he was definitely framed for the murder of his best friend that lands him a life sentence in Furnace Penitentiary. Alex has little time to dwell on this injustice, though, as he is introduced to his new permanent home and personal hell. Furnace is a prison like no other, where gangs of inmates are a regular threat and other unspeakable creatures menace the night. And worst of all: escape is impossible. Or is it? Alex may be “new fish,” but he refuses to let stories and rumors crush his will. There’s got to be a way out of this play, and Alex is willing to risk everything, even fates worse than death, to find it.

Lockdown is one heck of an action packed book, with new thrills and horrors jumping out at the reader with every turn of the page. I was actually reluctant to start this book, thinking it would be too violent and too similar to The Maze Runner by James Dashner. I was correct that Lockdown and The Maze Runner share non-stop action and incredibly determined protagonists, but the constant state of danger turned out to be more addictive than frightening. Despite the fact that I just knew that things would not end well, I could not stop myself from reading on after each setback to Alex’s master plan of escape. It’s not just the plot that is wonderfully done; Smith manages to develop the characters and their relationships surprisingly well for such a plot based novel. I felt I got to know Alex and his friends Zee and Donovan very well, which just made each plot twist more jarring and tragic. There were definitely a couple of details about the story that continued to nag at me, such as why an institution that violates human rights as severely as Furnace would be allowed to exist in the modern world and where all the females were. Despite this, though, Lockdown is without a doubt an exciting and fast paced novel that most readers will find impossible to set down.

Lockdown will be enjoyed by fans of The Maze Runner by James Dashner, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Cherry Heaven by L.J. Adlington.

Rating: 4.25

Review copies from AuthorsOnTheWeb and Amazon Vine

7 munch(es) :

Leigh Purtill said...

Sounds terrific! Did you notice the cover looks very similar to Andrew Smith's "Marbury Lens"? Has a similar vibe too.

Rachael Stein said...

I just did! This cover for Lockdown is the new paperback one, and I like it much better than the HC one.

Jen Bigheart said...

I have always had my eye on this book. It looks dark and creepy...love it!

Moving this up on my TBR.

Jen

Jessy said...

Hey, I loved the Maze Runner. Hopefully this is one I will enjoy just as much! Thanks for the review.

Allison said...

After searching and reading a ton of reviews to find more books for YA boys, this is a book that I am so excited to add this one to my school library collection. Not only is the cover great but its seems like if you read Hunger Games/Maze Runner, you will love this.

I can't wait to read this myself!

Chen Yan Chang said...

Ooh, Lockdown sounds like an awesome book! I loved James Dashner's The Maze Runner, so Lockdown seems similar in excitement and action! Plus, I love The Hunger Games as well! Must get Lockdown now!

Princess Z said...

Can't wait to read it seems really interestig!

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