Gone by Michael Grant (Book Review)

Goodreads summary:
In the blink of an eye.

Everyone disappears.

Gone.

Everyone except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not a single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Gone, too, are the phones, internet, and televisioon. There is no way to get help.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents -- unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers -- that grow stronger by the day.

It's a terrifying new world. Side are being chosen and war is imminent.

It's first in a breathtaking saga about teens battling each other and their darkest selves, gone is a page-turning thriller that will make you look at the world in a whole new way.

                                                             My rating - 4

My review:
It is rare for me to find a series where I am excited to find out what's going to happen next, that I have to pick up the sequel straight away. Gone was one of those series.

I picked up Gone because of the theme. Teenagers take adults for granted. Adults keep them in line and do everything for them. But what if there were no adults? What if teenagers are the only people left? In Gone, we see everybody over the age of 15 disappear. No warning. They just disappear in front of everybody's eyes. At first the children are excited. No adults? Nobody to tell you what to do anymore. But soon things start to change and the children are growing scared. When you turn 15 you disappear like the rest of them. They don't know what happens when you disappear. What happens? Do you die? Or do you end up somewhere safe? Some of the children start developing powers and they suddenly realise that something is wrong.

There are babies and toddlers, and it's up to the older children to look after them. But there are children who are causing trouble, and things start getting out of control.

Sam is our protagonist. He was sitting in class when his teacher disappeared in front of him. Soon children are looking for a leader, and when Sam attempts to save a child from a burning building, he is the one they choose. Sam was one of the first children to develop a power - the ability to create light with his hand. Until the FAZE he kept it secret.

Sam meets Astrid who he has a crush on. She tells him that she has a little brother who's autistic, and they go to search for him. They find him in the nuclear power plant and Astrid reveals that Little Pete has had powers for a while. They believe that he is involved with the disappearance of the adults.

Then we meet Cain who is Sam's fraternal twin brother. He is from Coates Academy which is a school for troubled children. He arrives in Perdido Beach and soon takes over the FAZE. Children start turning on each other. There are fights and deaths aplenty.

Gone is extremely well written. It is over 500 pages long, but the chapters are short and it is fast paced so it's an easy read. Full of twists and turns that will keep you hooked, Gone is one of those books you won't want to put it down until you're finished the whole thing.