Mundie Moms

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Survival Colony 9 by Joshua David Bellin, Book Review


By: Joshua David Bellin
Published by: McElderry Books
Released on: 9.23.14
Source: arc to review
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In a future world of dust and ruin, fourteen-year-old Querry Genn struggles to recover the lost memory that might save the human race.

Querry is a member of Survival Colony Nine, one of the small, roving groups of people who outlived the wars and environmental catastrophes that destroyed the old world. The commander of Survival Colony Nine is his father, Laman Genn, who runs the camp with an iron will. He has to--because heat, dust, and starvation aren't the only threats in this ruined world.

There are also the Skaldi.

Monsters with the ability to infect and mimic human hosts, the Skaldi appeared on the planet shortly after the wars of destruction. No one knows where they came from or what they are. But if they're not stopped, it might mean the end of humanity.

Six months ago, Querry had an encounter with the Skaldi--and now he can't remember anything that happened before then. If he can recall his past, he might be able to find the key to defeat the Skaldi.

If he can't, he's their next victim.


Action, mystery, survival and a touch of romance, Survival Colony 9 is a book unlike anything I've read before. It's part sci-fi, part dystopian, and part finding out who Querry Genn really is. I like how Bellin bleed all three of these elements together in his debut. Living in a dangerous, war torn world, Querry Genn lives in a colony called Survival Colony Nine. Constantly on the move, and on the run from the Skaldi, creepy creatures/aliens who are bent on destroying them. Let me just say, these creatures are some of the freakiest creatures I've ever read about. Literally. There is nothing quite like them in the YA world, and I think readers will be both horrified and a little intrigued with them. Bellin has one heck of an imagination. These are definitely not your friendly neighborhood aliens who come in peace and want to make friends. 


Querry Genn is a character who's trying to figure out who he really is. An accident six months ago left him with no memory. He is the son of the colony's leader, and he's being groomed to be the next leader. His world is desolate, and creepy as heck. The small group that make up Survival Colony Nine have to work together in order to survive the attacks by the Skaldi. When you're one of the last known humans alive, and you're facing a bleak future, it's hard to figure out who's really the dangerous creatures. The aliens or those within your colony. On Querry's quest to discovery who he really is, he finds out more about his world, the history of his colony, and those who make it up. 


One of the things I liked about the book is the way Bellin wrote his characters. They are not all likable characters. Which I liked. Given the nature of the story and the setting, characters couldn't be likable. Some of them needed to be harsh and rough around the edges to make them believable. For as much as I didn't like some of them, I liked the way Bellin developed each of his characters. There wasn't one person I could totally trust. I liked that I was suspicious of everyone. It added to the book's mystery and appeal of just how bad Querry's world really is. 


This world is brutal! It's one that is in ruins and chaos, and that filters into the colony and changes people. Characters are at odds with each other, but is understandable. The group is trying to survive in an extremely dangerous, unforgiving, almost uninhabitable world. I except there to be trouble, and confrontations, and unrest. The world itself is well created. It is a gritty, lethal and definitely one I wouldn't want to be apart of. I liked that even when it seems like there's no way out of the destitute or hope that the future will one day be like how the world used to be, there is a little bit hope left and a will to survive. That will and hope are what keep the characters going.


While I felt Bellin did a fabulous job at creating his world, and characters, I had some issues with the story line it self. There was inconstancies, and too many unanswered questions. There were times I felt the storyline was strong, and other times I felt there was something missing. I can't mention what some of those things are because of spoilers. Had Bellin not created such a terrifying world, solid characters and had some exciting/shocking twists, this would have been a book I would have walked away from. I imagine that the next book Bellin writes will be fabulous. I'm looking forward to finding out what his next project is. Over all I walked away from this book feeling like it was a good read. 


3 stars 

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