In the first installment of the Quarantine series, we are introduced to brothers David and Will Thorpe. It is the first day of school when suddenly half of the school is blown up and all of the adults die horrible and gruesome deaths. As it turns out, all of the students in the school are carriers of a deadly super virus that thrives on the bodies of prepubescent teenagers, to all others, the virus is deathly toxic. To prevent the spread of the virus, the school is put under a military quarantine. The school quickly falls to chaos and groups of students ban together to increase their odds of survival. Every two weeks, supplies are dropped off to keep them alive; it is here where students brawl it out Hunger-Games-Cornucopia- style for their basic essentials. David and Will live within the sealed-off walls of McKinley High for over a year. By now gang members made an identity for themselves by dying their hair color. The S***s, Skaters, Geeks, Nerds, Freaks, and Pretty Ones all make up the vast majority of the student body. But the ones to be most feared are the notorious gang known as Varsity, a gang made up of the football team as well as other athletes. David and Will belong to no gang which makes them incredibly vulnerable. Living from day to day just to get by; Will and David do the laundry of other gangs in exchange for goods. The simple system comes to an end when David saves Lucy, a girl who is about to get raped by a member of Varsity. When David tries to save Lucy, he unintentionally kills the Varsity starting a one man war against the toughest gang in school.

The book wastes no time and jumps strait into the action. The authors under the penname Lex Thomas are not afraid to touch on the rather sensitive topics such as rape and murder and at times can be graphic in their descriptions. Quarantine: The Loners is a fast paced book with a strongly character driven plot that takes the reader on a high action, suspense roller coaster which keeps the reader guessing what will happen next. No one is safe in this brutal, kill or be killed high school where “people don’t fight to be popular; but to stay alive.”

Overall the book was well written with each of the characters having their own little vibe about them to make them unique. The stories narration alternates between 4 different characters; David, Will, Lucy, and Sam, the leader of Varsity. The variety of narrators gives the readers a fresh perspective on certain situations thus providing new outlooks. The only annoying thing about the book is that, like so many teen fiction books these days, the book ends on a cliffhanger, which leaves the reader with no choice but to pick up the next book to find out what happens next. Another frustrating fact about the book is its lack of significant insight. There is no major lesson or deep introspective philosophies to have the reader reflect on. The story seems to be told for the sake of the story, not for a greater cause or message.

Quarantine: The Loners is only the first book of Lex Thomas’ three book series. With the final installment set to release in July; I am excited to see where the plot will go and how such a disturbing yet realistic series will come to its conclusion. I recommend the Quarantine series to a reader with a strong stomach who can handle a fair amount of intense imagery. Overall I loved this book and would definitely recommend it to one of my friends.