Day One (Day Zero Duology #2)

***Book Review*** Day One By. Kelly Devos P. 471 Format: Print/Audiobook Rating: **** ********************** Day One is the second book in the Day Zero duology. It is a Young Adult apocalyptic multi-perspective science fiction book. The book follows Jinx the daughter of a survivalist and a computer genius. It is also told from the perspective of Jinxs stepsister, MacKenna, an aspiring journalist. Also, Gus, a boy who has had a crush on Jinx for years and who promised her father to help her to survive. In the first book we are introduced to the two main political parties The Spark and The Opposition. The second book gets you up close and personal to the heads of the parties. Jinxs parents were heavily connected to both and the plot naturally gives you an insider look at the people behind the politics. The book is extremely pessimistic about human nature, and it is also eerily foretelling of what is currently happening in the United States. There was one scene of the book that caused a panic attack. All I will say is why does it always happen to California? Also, why do I still live in California if it always happens to us? In the first book the teenagers are mostly on their own. They are the star of their own show. In Day One they are being used as pawns by adults. I absolutely hated that the boys were pulled into secret meetings and the girls were told to go in their rooms and wait to be told what to do. It was sexist and demeaning – and exactly what would happen. As a reader my blood was boiling, I also got exactly why it was written that way. The book did not blow me away. However, it was well written with unique and detailed characters. The duology is a quick read and will make you question politics even more. Although, I hope we figure to the mess we are in before we get to the utter chaos of Day One.

This young adult thriller is the sequel to Day Zero. The cast of characters is pretty much the same group as in the first book. The action is told from the viewpoints of two teenaged stepsisters, computer whiz Susan (Jinx) Marshall and the budding journalist MacKenna Novak. Jinxs dad, Maxwell, was a computer science professor who taught her well. He had a pessimistic view of society, wrote a survivalist handbook, and conducted drills with his family and with students to prepare them for an inevitable doomsday. The political climate in the US grew intense, with a severe economic depression and division between the adherents of the two competing parties, The Spark and The Opposition. Maxwell supported The Opposition, until he suddenly didnt anymore. Jinxs mom, Stephanie, a high school history teacher, was ostensibly for The Spark, and eventually divorced Maxwell and married MacKennas father, widower and bank security officer Jay Novak. MacKennas college student brother, Toby, and Jinxs younger brother, Charles, complete the blended family. Other characters introduced in the first book come back in the second book as well, and there are a few newbies. Day One begins about a month after Day Zero ends. DeVos does a good job of setting up the background for the reader, but I dont want to go into it here, because Day Zero is so good, you should read it first, rather than me spoiling it for you by giving you a quick summary. Lets just say that a crisis occurred in Day Zero that paralyzed the country, and it became very dangerous for everyone connected with either Maxwell Marshall or Jay Novak (so, basically, the entire family is in mortal danger). A major plot twist at the end of Day Zero shattered the family. Oh, and in Day One civil war breaks out. Every character has a different goal. Finding Charles, whos been kidnapped. Proving Jay is innocent of espionage. And preventing a cold fusion bomb from being launched. Sometimes Jinx and MacKenna work together, and sometimes they separate and work at cross purposes, but they and the others all believe they are following their best (and only) possible courses of action. Nothing is as it seems, and nothing goes according to plan. Day One had me in anxiety all the way through. I identified strongly with Jinx and MacKenna, who, although they dont always agree, are very idealistic and passionate about doing the right thing. As in the first book, there are multiple plot twists. Every chapter ends on a reversal or a surprise. The pace is rapid, requiring split second decisions of the characters, often without knowing all the facts. The book ends with the three goals being accomplished, but the country is still at war, and a sizable percentage of the characters are dead. I feel that the ending is realistic and satisfying, though not rosy. Day Zero and Day One are both excellent books, well worth reading. Just try not to see all the similarities to our present political situation; it could freak you out.

It appears that this book was more hastily produced; while the momentum had me racing through this book, as well, I was brought up short several times by typos and word combinations that were a bit jarring. Regardless, it was still an enjoyable story. I particularly liked the way the narrative went back and forth between Jinx and Mac. I also loved Jinxs speech at the end.

Read Day Zero, and then read this one!!! Theyre YA near future/almost apocalyptic and they dont get the attention they deserve!

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