Thursday, April 18, 2013

Survive by Alex Morel

Survive

Jane is on a plane on her way home to Montclair, New Jersey, from a mental hospital. She is about to kill herself. Just before she can swallow a lethal dose of pills, the plane hits turbulence and everything goes black. Jane wakes up amidst piles of wreckage and charred bodies on a snowy mountaintop. There is only one other survivor: a boy named Paul, who inspires Jane to want to fight for her life for the first time.
Jane and Paul scale icy slopes and huddle together for warmth at night, forging an intense emotional bond. But the wilderness is a vast and lethal force, and only one of them will survive.

Even though the summary of Survive basically tells you that the book is sad, I still wasn’t prepared for what I read. This book starts off sad, so one can assume that it will get happier. However, Survive doesn’t really get happier. There are moments of joy or giddiness, but there was always a looming sad feeling. That being said, I loved this book. I read it a month ago but I still keep thinking about it.

Jane is an amazing character. From the very beginning of Survive, I didn’t know if I should feel bad for her or be frightened of her possibly doing something. She ended up really growing throughout the novel, and I loved her character progression. Paul was fantastic. I loved him. Jane saw him as annoying at first, but from the very first time he’s introduced- I loved him. Jane and Paul are fantastic together and I loved how their relationship/friendship developed.

I couldn’t stop reading Survive. It captured me instantly, and wouldn’t let me go. Alex Morel is a fabulous writer. Survive made me gasp with anticipation, laugh, and cry. It was so easy to connect with Jane and Paul- that I miss reading about them now. I highly recommend Survive. It was spectacular.

FTC- Received from Publisher.