Gated Blog Tour and Review!

Gated by Amy Christine Parker:

Add to your RB Bookshelf | Goodreads | On shelves 08/06!

She thought the evil lived outside the walls. She was wrong.

Amy Christine Parker's deliciously chilling prose creates a fast-paced, nerve-fraying contemporary thriller that questions loyalties and twists truths.

In the Community, life seems perfect. Lyla Hamilton believes she is one of the chosen. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Pioneer invited her family to join the Community and escape the evil in the world. They've thrived under his strict, charismatic leadership.

Now seventeen, Lyla knows certain facts are not to be questioned:

Pioneer is her leader.
Will is her Intended.
The end of the world is near.

Pioneer has visions of the imminent destruction of humanity. He says his chosen must prepare to fight off the unchosen people, who will surely seek refuge in the Silo, the underground shelter where the Community will wait out the apocalypse.

Lyla loves her family and friends, but a chance encounter with an unchosen boy has her questioning Pioneer, the Community--everything. She needs time to figure out the truth. But with Pioneer's deadline for the end of days fast approaching, time is the one thing she doesn't have.

Gated by Amy Christine Parker

4.5 stars 

Review: Lyla’s life in Mandrodage Meadows always seemed perfect. Pioneer protected the people in the community and it seemed like nothing could ever go wrong. As the impending end is approaching, Lyla begins to question things and the meeting with an outsider leads Lyla to uncover secrets that will destroy them all. I wasn’t sure if I would like Gated. I went into it knowing that it was about cults, which have always fascinated me, but even I know that a subject like this hard to achieve. Especially a subject tackled by a debut author. I was definitely blown away. I read a few reviews while reading Gated and most of them point out a lot of good points about characters and such. This story is a definite thriller. Slow at first, but once Gated picks up, it never stops. Parker does an excellent job of keeping the reading guessing when Lyla will find out Pioneer’s secrets and how. The story is slightly predictable, but once the climax happens, it’s nonstop action. 

The main female character is Lyla. Lyla is a good character, but her naivety was just ridiculous. She lived in the real world at one time and I found it odd how she doesn’t remember what junk food tastes like. I’m pretty sure her parents gave her junk food when she was a toddler, so I don’t see why Lyla wouldn’t be able to remember some of these. It just seems odd that she once lived in the ‘real’ world, but is so shocked by how good junk food is. I also found a lot of her choices to be rather foolish. It was easier to like her towards the end, though. Lyla isn’t an extraordinary character, but she is likable and well-rounded. I enjoyed her POV and it was never a dull moment in her mind.

 

Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 8.5 

The main male characters are Will and Cody. Will is Lyla’s best friend and her intended. I didn’t really care for Will. He was a good friend to Lyla and I saw that, but he as the story progressed he just seemed… off. I tried to like him, but like Lyla I only saw him as a friend to her. Cody is the sheriff’s son and I liked Cody a lot at first. By the end of the story though, he seemed clingy and just annoying. I personally didn’t like either boy very much, but they both had their moments where I really liked them. I just didn’t swoon over these love interests.

Swoon Worthy Scale: Will: 7 Cody: 7 

The Villain- Pioneer is probably one of the best villains I’ve come across in YA in a while. He’s methodical, manipulative, and cold. I hate Pioneer with a passion and he is a truly terrifying human being. It was so interesting to see what this mastermind would do. I’m not exactly sure why he started Mandrodage Meadows and I wish that would’ve been touched on. I’m still shocked by the horrors he put these people threw.

Villain Scale: 9.5 

I didn’t particularly like Lyla’s best friend, Marie, at first, but as the story went on, I liked her more and more. She really was a good friend to Lyla and it was never a dull moment when they were together. I don’t really have anything to say about Marie’s intended, Brian (I think), he was there, but never really there.

Character Scale: 9

The psychological parts of this story were interesting, but it felt like something was slightly missing. It was never a dull moment for me while reading Gated and I look forward to more of Parker’s works. Gated is definitely a book you don’t want to miss!

Cover Thoughts: I love the cover! It’s so creepy and I’m happy that it actually fits the book. 

About Amy Christine Parker:

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Amy was born in Pennsylvania and spent most of her early years there. Many of her best memories are of hiding out in her room where she made up elaborate pretend play scenarios most often involving orphaned baby dolls and Barbies dressed in fashions made out of Kleenex.

Amy was always attracted to writing, but she tried a lot of other jobs on for size first before settling into writing full time. At some point or another, she has been a collectible doll-maker, a fondue waitress, an inner city school teacher, and a stay at home mom. Currently she is writing full time and lives in a suburb of Tampa, Florida with her very supportive husband, their two creative and energetic daughters, one absurdly fat orange cat, and two escape artist mice.