(39) The Girl With All The Gifts

Title: The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
408 pages
Genre: Dystopian/sci fi/ fantasy

I received an advanced e-copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley.com in exchange for a fair review. 

Synopsis: Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her "our little genius."

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh. Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom and the children's cells. She tells her favorite teacher all the things she'll do when she grows up. Melanie doesn't know why this makes Miss Justineau look sad.

Review: This book is not at all what I expected, I'm not sure what I expected but it wasn't this. I don't want to give too much away because this book had a lot of twists and turns and I really never knew what to expect.  I was shocked, angry, sad, happy and stunned at different points throughout this book.

All Melanie knows is a small cell and being strapped to a chair every day in order for her to go to class.  She doesn't find this strange because she doesn't know any different.  When the outside world comes literally blasting into her world she discovers that outside is very different than everything she knows and who she thought she was is also called into question.  As Melanie, her teacher Miss Justineau and a few others flee the base that they have called home for years to find a safe place they encounter many dangers, some are even traveling with them.

I really found this book to be different and compelling.  Melanie's self awakening is slow and well planned.  You see her mature in the book despite her age.  By the end she is no longer the innocent child she was when she lived in her small cell, and those traveling with her all have their roles to play in helping her mature even if they didn't realize the role they were ultimately going to play in her life.

About the only thing I can say about this book without giving it away is that if you like post apocalyptic thrillers run don't walk to the nearest store or download the ebook immediately...don't read the back cover just start the book.  You don't want anything to ruin the ride for you.