Line Bookaholic

My mom is part of a kind of subscription where she can choose one book every 3 months, so I often look at the catalogue because my mom only reads on holiday (such a pity) so I get to choose the book. I found this one and decided that I would give it a try. I don’t usually read YA in French because it seems off for me. I feel like it’s more childish than in English, maybe because French is my mothertongue. Anyway, last time I read YA in French it was amazing so why not try it again?!

The idea behind this book is simple: one virus killed everyone except the teenagers and the important people (military, government…). The power is off and everything is chaos. Jules lives in Paris and found himself alone with corpses in his building, so he is trying to find a way to survive. I told you: really basic and simple idea. What is really interesting is that this book is part of a 4 book series, each book relating the same story but from a different point of view, and you can read them in any order you wish.

The books are in French and I’m not sure there is an English version (yet), but for those of you who speak French it could be something you’re interested in.

Like I said, the idea was simple, but great. The characters were likable and seem just ordinary, at least the main character in this one. He is a regular teenager who used to spend time playing games online. The others though are more like badass survivalists and it was weird, especially the girls, it made them seem less real. I’m curious about discovering their stories in the other books.

The plot was easy to follow but seems a bit off. As the other characters have their own books, they sometimes meet Jules and then disappear without a good explanation. I did not like that, it did not feel really natural. I guess it was because the other books are centered around them, so they need to have their time “alone”, but it was often rushed.

The writing was simple, but not bad. I liked the fact that it took place in Europe (most specifically France) and I was thus really familiar with the cultural references (what can be a problem when I read books taking place in the United States for example where I don’t often get all the references). The book also describes Paris thoroughly and as I’m going there next month for the first time, I’m even more excited now (yes, I live something like 200km from Paris and I’ve never been there, except to Disneyland, which is not really in Paris. Such a shame).

It was a great book but some elements were a bit annoying, like the fact that characters disappear suddenly (for the purpose of the other books, I’m sure). Apart from that, I enjoyed it a lot and I will read the other books in the series.