Stylish in the Stacks: REVIEW--Lockdown

Happy Monday! We're only 1 1/2 weeks away from Christmas and I can't wait! This is my favorite season of the year, and it's especially joyful when you have little boys to celebrate it with!

Today's book review is, ironically enough, very un-Christmas. It is one of the most popular books in my library with my male students. So popular in fact that I haven't been able to get ahold of the sequel. It's Lockdown: Escape from Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith. So let's get started!

First in the Escape from Furnace series
Horror and Suspense

The Gist:
Alex is on the wrong track. It started out with him being a bully and taking money from kids on the playground. But then it escalated to him robbing homes.
The government is no longer putting up with criminal activity (there was a "Summer of Slaughter" involving many teen criminals that they have a zero tolerance policy on crime) and has gone to extremes to stop it for good. Like the fact that Alex gets set-up to rob a home and falls for it.
But he's not just set-up for a robbery; he's framed by prison guards for the murder of Alex's friend, Toby. He's sentenced to Furnace, an underground cavernous prison with ravenous dog beasts, huge "blacksuit" guards with silver eyes, and creepy wheezer gas mask guys. Alex has a life sentence but is determined to find a way out. But no one ever escapes Furnace...right?

What I Loved:

WOW! There is some intense action in this book! It had me nervous, anxious, scared, you name it!
The villains in this book are like super-villains. Wheezers have gas masks sewn into their skin. No one can look in the warden's eyes. Super creepy.
The ending leaves you on a cliffhanger that makes you want so much more.

What I Didn't Love:

Alex's parents completely gave up on him. I was hoping they would fight for him more.
I'm a claustrophobic person, and at times I needed to take a break from this book. My worst nightmare!
DONOVAN! My favorite character had such an unpleasant end.
Alex and his buddies were able to set up their escape plan pretty easily; I expected more fight in the guards.

My favorite quote: "Committing any crime can be easy if you don't think about it."

A really enjoyable read--I definitely see why my boys flock to this book. It's creepy, action-packed, and just downright scary. I can't wait to read the second one!