Following the success of his hit spy thriller Orphan X, which came out earlier this year, bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz is set to release the first novel in his new young adult series.
Chance Rain is working late in his aunt and uncle’s barn the night the world ends. Or, at least, it ends as he knows it. Suddenly, people all around him have become zombie-like creatures. Their eyes have disappeared, replaced by holes that go all the way through the backs of their heads. Strangely, though, only the adults have been affected. And they begin attacking the kids, tying them up and taking them captive.
To make matters worse, the zombie adults are working together with robot-like precision, with each individual seemingly playing a part in some bigger plan. When it becomes clear that the problem isn’t going to go away on its own, but is only getting worse, Chance, his older brother Patrick, and Patrick’s girlfriend must outsmart and outrun the adults they once relied on to find out who or what is behind it all…before their time runs out.
Hurwitz’s YA thriller is written almost exclusively in first-person narrative, so you get a really in-depth look at what Chance is feeling and thinking. Despite having lived most of his sixteen years as no stranger to hard work, Chance isn’t the toughest guy around. He leaves that job to Patrick, who has been his rock ever since their parents died when they were little. Chance instead relies more on his brain and instincts to get him past the various obstacles he faces throughout the book. He’s definitely not perfect, but he is relatable, which makes him a strong lead character
The Rains, New York Times bestselling author Gregg Hurwitz’s first young adult novel, is a solid book that most teens, and some adults, will thoroughly enjoy. Hurwitz wastes no time jumping into the story, starting right at the beginning and launching full-speed into the plot, which is incredibly suspenseful throughout. You’ll be glued to the edge of your seat waiting to see how Chance handles the next curveball thrown at him and those he cares about.
If there is a downside, however, it’s that due to the lightning-fast pace of the story, there isn’t much build-up to some of the many twists and turns in the plot. Parts of the novel fall into a somewhat predictable pattern, while other parts are genuinely shocking.
Reading like a cross between the movies World War Z and Independence Day, Gregg Hurwitz’s The Rains is a little gory, a tad scary, and tons of fun.
BOOK DETAILS
Author: Gregg Hurwitz
Series: Chance Rain #1
Pages: 352 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0765382679
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: October 18, 2016 (Order Now!)