The Fearless

Gr 7 Up—Cass was just a kid when the invasion happened. The whole world was taken over and conquered by "the fearless"—unstoppable humans who feel no pain, have no feelings. At first, the serum was thought to be revolutionary—something to give to soldiers to do away with their PTSD symptoms. However, after rushing to give the serum to every soldier in every country on Earth, the creators soon realized that Neurophyxil caused side effects that no one expected. Unparalleled strength along with a loss of humanity, soon the fearless took over every country on Earth. Cass escaped with her pregnant mother to Hope Island, a safe haven purchased by the father of Cass's best friend, Sol. Fast forward to the present: Cass's baby brother Jori is now seven years old and Cass is 17. She's annoyed by Sol's affection for her, and now everyone on the island is up in arms because a boy her age named Myo has come from the mainland. That's when everything goes wrong. Jori is captured by a fearless who somehow made it on to the island. With no support from her community or Sol, Cass is forced to trust the one person she's not sure she can—Myo. This is a fun and fast read that will appeal to lovers of zombie invasions as well as books that feature strong females in a dystopian setting. Though the story feels familiar, it's action-packed and the characters are developed enough to keep readers interested. There is some graphic violence, but it is not gratuitous and is crucial to the story and building of suspense. Give to those who enjoyed Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth(Random, 2009) but be ready to hear groans from readers when they reach the cliff-hanger ending.—Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR