The Farm

Review time! Okay you guys have NO idea how big my review pile is right now, I am at least 20 books behind and I'm making my way through at snail pace. The Farm by Emily McKay is YA debut novel ( or at least that's what Goodreads tell me). It was one of those books just popped out of no where, not much hype, it was just THERE and it was GOOD. You can purchase a copy of The Farm from Fishpond | The Nile | Booktopia | Bookworld Thanks to Penguin for the review copy!

(Goodreads) Life was different in the Before: before vampires began devouring humans in a swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined. These days, we know what those quarantines are—holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the undead monsters, known as Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other…

And when trust is a thing of the past, escape is nearly impossible.

Lily and her twin sister Mel have a plan. Though Mel can barely communicate, her autism helps her notice things no one else notices—like the portion of electrical fence that gets turned off every night. Getting across won’t be easy, but as Lily gathers what they need to escape, a familiar face appears out of nowhere, offering to help…

Carter was a schoolmate of Lily’s in the Before. Managing to evade capture until now, he has valuable knowledge of the outside world. But like everyone on the Farm, Carter has his own agenda, and he knows that behind the Ticks is an even more dangerous threat to the human race...

The Short Story? - If you liked Julie Kagawa's The Immortal Rules, I highly recommend The Farm by Emily Mckay. While the books are very different, the world building shows similarities. Set in a post apocalyptic world over run by blood-sucking vampire hybrids, this is a story of survival, saving the world and family love ( and other types of love too). Fast-paced, edgy and dangerous, if you like your heroes in pairs and completely down to earth, The Farm is just the book for you!

The Long Story? - I went into this novel not knowing what to expect, it arrived on my doorstep one morning and I picked it up, read it and was completely blown away! It's a fairly long book and there was a little bit of a wait for the story to pick up but once it picked up, IT REALLY PICKED UP. McKay's debut is almost like a post apocalyptic road trip WITHOUT the music and WITH the blood sucking vampire hybrids waiting to kill you every night. The Farm is different, edgy, gritty and more than anything it's exciting. Survivor on the road with a body count, vampires and an unlikely bunch of teens ( and there much older vampire protector/dude that's just there). McKay's The Farm is absolutely spectacular!

Another aspect of the novel I loved beside the whole road trip from hell aspect was the characterisation. McKay has not only explored a supernatural aspect with her debut but she also touches base on many issues like autism and teenage pregnancy. The Farm is told from multiple POVs. Lily who is essentially the protagonist is a brilliant character. I strongly admire her love for her autistic sister Mel, it's really tough especially for an 18 year old girl yet Lily knows all about love, sacrifice and perseverance. I also really enjoyed the parts of the novel written from Mel's perspective because they didn't really make sense, the whole thing was in riddles yet some how it fitted with the atmosphere of the novel perfectly. Carter who is Lily's love interest in the novel also got his own chapters and I loved how we can see a relationship from both parties, it just makes it more authentic and interesting. Overall McKay truly outdid herself with the characterisation!

The Farm is a hauntingly beautiful story to match an equally as beautiful cover. A phenomenal debut from McKay I can't wait to see what she has install for us next. Definitely pick this one up because aside from the totally awesome roadtrippy plot, the characterisation and writing is completely and utterly amazing. I don't regret reading this one at all! Two thumbs up for post apocalyptic vampires that don't sparkle!

What's it Worth? - Hand Over the Paycheck

Badass Bookie xx