Title: Midland
Author: Scott Alan Wade
eBook ISBN: 9781615729333
Print ISBN: 9781615729340
Genre: Young Adult Supernatural/Adventure
Fifteen-year-old Sam Grace is practically running her family’s
small farm after the death of her father and her mother’s deadly illness. This means
making sure her younger siblings get an education, keeping the animals fed, and
keeping the guns loaded for when the walking dead show up after dark. It is all
in a day’s—and night’s—work for Sam, until her mother’s illness takes a turn
for the worse.
Now she has to saddle up and head from Midland Mesa down to “town”
to try to track down Doc Green’s place that she remembers her dad taking her to
when she was just a little kid. I was shocked at what she found in town, and won’t
give it away, but let’s just say that the hordes of zombies aren't the only
thing she has to fight.
The first chapter is a great portrayal of the monotony and
hard work of farm life, punctuated by the terror and sadness and desperation of
their particular situation. Because I’m a survival geek, I love the details
about what she takes with her on her journey, and what she gathers along the
way. This includes bringing her little blind dog in a flour sack, at first just
for company, but it becomes clear that the dog is probably the most valuable
thing she’s brought (well, that and her gun!). The rest of the book is action-packed and scary; a quick read too—it
only took me a few days to finish it because it was so exciting.
But my
favorite thing about Midland is its main character, Sam. Sam’s a strong heroine
is there ever was one. She was deeply influenced by her father’s training, and
by witnessing the strong and mutually-respectful relationship of her parents
(before her father’s death and mother’s illness). She takes after them in how
she deals with the (very scary) problems that come up.
"See a problem, solve a
problem,” she reminds herself.
I also appreciate that she’s not perfect, and that she struggles with how
to put her family first while not letting down others who have sacrificed their
safety for hers. Her strength comes from her courage and integrity. It isn’t
that she’s not afraid, but she is going to do what needs to be done to protect the
innocent.
I highly recommend this book! Five stars!
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
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