The Forevers: The YA debut from the 2021 CWA Gold Dagger Winner

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I don't think I've ever read any end of the world, meteor comet books before so this was giving me Don't Look Up vibes, to start with. I liked the idea of what would happen to society and individuals if they were on a count down to the death of the whole population but unfortunately this just wasn't the one to deliver it to me. What would you do if you knew the world was going to be destroyed by a huge asteroid in one month? The mesmerising YA debut from acclaimed crime writer and New York Times Bestselling author of We Begin at the End. Chris Whitaker sensitively handles many disturbing themes throughout this novel. As Selena hurtles towards earth, the adults are attempting normality by sending their children off to school, going to work and generally continuing with their day. It’s almost like they are in complete denial, always hopeful that the scientists can fix this. The teenage community has had no life beyond Selena. They will now never see adulthood and are more accepting of their fate. This is it…..

It’s no secret that my book of last year (and probably EVER!) is We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker. The book broke my heart into a million pieces and will remain with me forever. I heartily recommend everyone reads it. And I’m not the only fan as it was also Thriller of the Month at Waterstones and it recently won the CWA Gold Dagger. But we’re not here to talk about WBatE! We’re here to talk about Whitaker’s stunning new YA novel, The Forevers. Chris excels at writing memorable teenage characters in his adult fiction so his first YA novel was a thoroughly exciting prospect and one I couldn’t wait to read! The Forever Purge': The Once Scary Inhumanity Of The Franchise Curdles Into Cheap, Exploitative Gruel [Review]". theplaylist.net. Archived from the original on March 27, 2022 . Retrieved July 1, 2021. Mae as a character was likeable but the rest of the characters weren't. The school, the forevers, the community were a messed up ball of intricate effed-up-ness. Added into this was the fact that the writing was really confusing at times. I was jarred when unnamed characters entered scenes and I never knew who that person was and so the plot point was lost. There were also occasions where I felt like a small chunk of narrative was missing, so again, I was confused. All that said, I was able to string the story together but it was a push to keep going with the aid of some skimming. a b Schaefer, Sandy (October 25, 2019). "The Purge 5 Casts Ana de la Reguera As Its Star". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019 . Retrieved July 2, 2020.

LoveReading4Kids Says

Overall, this is a novel that is extremely thought-provoking and emotive. There were many humorous scenes which added a lighthearted tone to the story. I would recommend this book to everyone over the age of 12 due to sensitive topics being mentioned.

Mae and many others in West spend much of their final month attending school and working. I doubt I would be doing either if I knew the end was nigh. Mae’s also trying to learn the truth behind the recent death of Abi, her former best friend. The Forever Purge was released as a video rental on July 23, 2021, was released on digital platforms and on Movies Anywhere on September 14, 2021, and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment/Studio Distribution Services released it on Ultra HD Blu-ray, DVD, and Blu-ray on September 28, 2021. [47] Bonus features will include an alternate ending, deleted scenes and "Collapsing The System: Behind The Forever Purge" featurette. It was also released on DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray in the UK by Universal through Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on October 18, 2021. Mae is seventeen and about to die. Along with the rest of her friends, her family and probably most of the world. Asteroid Selena is hurtling towards earth and is due to crash into the planet in 30 days time. But this isn’t new news. The world has been aware of its impending destruction for 10 long years. Attempts have been made to redirect Selena. So far, all attempts have failed. As the deadline approaches, emotions within the small community are heightened. Several teenagers take their own lives. But did Abi Manton jump or did someone intentionally kill her? Mae is determined to find out what happened to her childhood friend. But the devastating secrets she uncovers along the way will have far reaching consequences for the local community… Did you feel it?" Mrs Baxter said, climbing out. "Global warming, Mae. It's like we've broken our world."Outlaw, Kofi (July 8, 2020). "The Forever Purge Gets New Release Date". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020 . Retrieved July 16, 2020. I usually don't like reading this kind of book because it has a high possibility in drifting my attention span out of a lane though I like how the author trying to attempt philosophical proses that make me ponder about little things I have never noticed before. Some of the characters are memorable and they're the reasons for me to continue on - Felix because he's effortlessly funny and Hunter because she's a baddie. If you're not looking for some fast-moving plot or any groundbreaking actions to stop the asteroid from blasting off the earth, but instead to indulge in people's everyday lives battling with their inner struggles in preparing for the end of the world, then this book is for you. In all honesty, it's likely not the book for me right now and I would probably enjoy it more another time. Partly because I read this while distracted by another more exciting book and partly because I had went into this one with wholly different expectations.

D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 29, 2021). "Universal Will Own Top Three Spots At July 4th Box Office In Rare Feat". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021 . Retrieved June 29, 2021.The main thing that let the book down was that there were various scenes, with various characters, some of which were very engaging and well described, but it was SO disjointed. The book would jump from one scene to another and I would be lost entirely, trying to work out the point at which the characters had got from scene A to scene B with no preamble. New characters would appear and indicate that Mae, Felix or another lead character was now in fact somewhere else but that would be our only clue. I have loved everything Chris Whitaker has written, but here he departs from his usual fare, focusing on YA in this pre-apocalyptic novel set a month prior to the destruction of the earth. 10 years previously, NASA's Juan Martin Morales identified Asteroid 8050XF11, named Selena, was set on a path for our planet, but optimistically it was thought that disaster could be averted. However, every attempt has met with failure and with not long to go, people are going off the rails, there are riots and suicides, amidst the fear, panic and terror, and the stark awareness there is nothing more to be done. Impoverished 17 year old Margaret 'Mae' Cassidy lost her parents when she was 10, and had to grow up pretty sharpish, having to take care of her prematurely born blind sister, Stella and her grandmother. She is responsible for providing for all of them, breaking into houses and stealing what she can.

Rubin, Rebecca (May 15, 2020). "Blumhouse's 'Purge 5' Pulled From July Release in Theaters". Variety. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020 . Retrieved July 2, 2020. The dialoges were all over the place. It wouldn’t always say who it said, so I was left to figure out who of the six (or more) characters in the room said it. I didn’t know the characters good enough (we barely spend time with them and don’t see them until they are necessary for the story) to guess. Sometimes it would say “She said”, which would narrow it down to four females in the room.You know how sometimes you have a favourite author, and then they suddenly do a 180 on you and write a book in a genre you don’t actually read? What’s a girl to do? I was obviously always going to buy ‘The Forevers‘ because I quite like having complete collections of favourite authors, even if I wasn’t going to read it. Yes, that is a valid reason for purchasing books. But in this case I decided, hell, it’s Chris Whitaker and I will read whatever he writes. Who cares that I can’t even remember anymore what being a YA is like. I think there were dinosaurs 🤔. The Forevers is a beautifully written, emotional tale of grief and loss, of secrets and lies, and of falling in love. Of facing your own mortality and in Mae’s case, staring it down. It’s about belonging, about having something to cling on to when all hope has gone and about being true to yourself. All of the books I have read written by this author have left their mark on me. The Forevers is no different. It made me question my own mortality in a way. It made me consider how I would feel in the same situation as Mae, and how I would spend my last thirty days. What I found fascinating was the path the author chose to take his characters down. It probably isn’t the one you would immediately expect. I can promise you they don’t all head to Alton Towers and ride Oblivion until they puke (which is probably what most of the teenagers I know would do!). I loved the steady, intriguing pace of the book. I was fully immersed in Mae’s investigation, following in Abi’s footsteps to try and find out what had really happened to her once-friend. All the i’s were dotted and the T’s crossed and it all just felt….right.