#PBwkendread Review: The Loners (Quarantine #1) by Lex Thomas

Title: The Loners (Quarantine #1)
Author: Lex Thomas
Publisher: Egmont USA
Published: June 11, 2013
Pages: 432
Genre: YA
Review: Paperback from library
Buy Links: Amazon, Amazon.uk

It was just another ordinary day at McKinley High—until a massive explosion devastated the school. When loner David Thorpe tried to help his English teacher to safety, the teacher convulsed and died right in front of him. And that was just the beginning.
A year later, McKinley has descended into chaos. All the students are infected with a virus that makes them deadly to adults. The school is under military quarantine. The teachers are gone. Violent gangs have formed based on high school social cliques. Without a gang, you’re as good as dead. And David has no gang. It’s just him and his little brother, Will, against the whole school.

So I was looking through a section of my public library and saw the title of the book. Picked it up looked at the cover, then started reading the blurb. As soon as I saw that it mentioned a school being quarantine I had to read it, I wanted to know why and what the heck was going to happen within the school now.

I have to say it was pretty good. We meet David who use to be a part of the football team so when his actions one night brings him back to reality he is not too keen on going to school. It is his brother Will's first day of high school and so David has to go. Only maybe they should have stayed at home since it seems they aren't at school very long when it happens. The school becomes quarantine and you are left wondering why? We get told a small bit of what might have caused this but that is much later on within the book when they bring in the machine that will let you know if you are infected or not. 

Within the school it has become a fight to live, everyone is in some type of gang. You have nerds, sluts, geeks, varsity, pretty ones, freaks, skaters, and then the scraps. 

It is amazing to see how each person is able to survive in such conditions. The only food they receive is what is dropped from the military in an effort to make sure the kids do not starve but we never learn how the people on the outside of the school is handling it all. 

David and his brother Will do not belong to any gang and take care of each other though we slowly get to see Will become a rebel towards his brother and his actions will pay a price but for just a little bit.

It seems that being locked up within a small space will eventually drive anyone to go crazy and this is what we slowly see. Sam who is on the varsity gang has it out for David but what happens when David stands up for what is right? We see how it can go all crazy within just a moment between gangs and people.

Even though David insist on his brother and himself staying away from the gangs and trying to stay alive it seems that some people rather David be a leader to them give them a voice. 

There is so much that goes on within this book that I could continue to write and write a review and I still can not put it all together. 

Characters were good the only one I didn't like was Lucy minus of course Hilary and Sam. Lucy comes into David and Will's life and there is just something about her that I just really did not like. I am not sure if it is because she plays ditzy or what but she rubbed me the wrong way.

Now this virus or illness whatever it is seems to kill adults and the seniors that graduate are considered adults but who will make it out alive? As it seems that once you are an adult you have to stay away from the younger folks as you get to close you can die. I felt okay with not truly knowing what caused this craziness to happen as I can only hope the answer will come to light in the later books.

I say pick this book up, there is some violence but nothing too gory I wouldn't think there is drama and plenty of action. 

#PBwkendread

Lex Thomas is the pen name for the writing team of Lex Hrabe and Thomas Voorhies. Their first novel, QUARANTINE: THE LONERS, earned a starred review from Booklist, and Huffington Post Books praised it, saying, "You will not be able to put this book down."
Lex received a BA in Drama and English from the University of Virginia and has worked as an actor, director and writer. Thomas graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design, and now writes, and exhibits his realist oil paintings in Los Angeles.

Lex and Thomas met in a writers' group in Los Angeles. Their friendship developed as they tried to blow each other's minds with clips from bizarre movies. In 2005, they became a screenwriting team, and found that writing with a friend is much more fun than doing it alone. Visit them at www.lex-thomas.com.