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Siege

3.63 of 5 stars 3.63 · rating details · 38 ratings · 19 reviews

Leah Jackson - in detention. Then armed Year 9s burst in, shooting. She escapes, just. But the new Lock Down system for keeping intruders out is now locking everyone in. She takes to the ceilings and air vents with another student, Anton, and manages to use her mobile to call out to the world.

First: survive the gang - the so-called 'Eternal Knights'.
Second: rescue other k...more

400 pages

Published March 7th 2013 by Hodder Children's Books (first published March 1st 2013)

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Feb 24, 2013 Misty rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: juvenile-ya, contemporary, horror-mystery-suspense-thriller, own, arc-or-galley, dark, dystopia-postapocalyptic, crime, read-in-2013, review-copy-accepted, social-commentary

If I don't shout maybe I can save myself, save the rest of us. But I don't know how I can just look on and watch a murder. Can you do that? Can you look on and do nothing? It feels like I ought to do something. It feels like all of this was because we all just stood by and did nothing, in the before time, in the time when we had every flipping day to sort out all the Connors and all the Jases and all the Lucases ever born.

I went into this with some trepidation, because I think we'd all agree, t...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Kirsty Vizard rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-copy, couldn-t-put-down, dystopian, emotional, pause-for-thought, tense

It is hard to write a review of a book that left me staring into space long after I had turned the last page, I don't know where to begin. . . . .
With 'Siege' Sarah Mussi has written a story that is raw, honest, powerful, intense and hard to read. There are times that I almost put the book down because Srah Mussi's powerful social commentary is eerie; the idea that poverty and poor education are factors in crime; government conspiracy exists and gun crime is escalating. Unfortunately for the aut...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Luna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Small tip, when you start reading this book do it with enough time to finish in one sitting – because it is impossible to put down.

Siege is a book that left me feeling like my emotions had been put through a cheese-grater. I was raw, I was drained, I was bereft. Given the subject I wasn’t exactly expecting rainbows but truth be told I didn’t anticipate being such an emotional wreck at the end of Siege. One of the reasons is the fact that Leah’s future is too plausible. That thought terrifies me....more

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Jan 27, 2013 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller

‘Siege’ is an intense and confronting novel. You can’t read it without getting emotional. In light of current situations, a high school gun and hostage situation is a pretty powerful topic, and Sarah Mussi captures the danger and destruction that goes along with it very well.

The book is set slightly in the future where kids from economically disadvantaged families are sent to high security schools to receive courtesy education with no actual intent to send them into better situations – like col...more ‘Siege’ is an intense and confronting novel. You can’t read it without getting emotional. In light of current situations, a high school gun and hostage situation is a pretty powerful topic, and Sarah Mussi captures the danger and destruction that goes along with it very well.

The book is set slightly in the future where kids from economically disadvantaged families are sent to high security schools to receive courtesy education with no actual intent to send them into better situations – like college or high paying jobs - making the lives of the students seem difficult already. But when a group of Year 9 boys bring weapons into the school and start shooting and rounding up students and teachers in a hostage attempt, things get a little more dangerous. Only a handful of students escape being rounded up, but are still directly in danger of being shot at just for the fun of it – it’s extremely hard to read about. I wasn't sure what I was expecting at first: a daring rescue attempt? Or some perfect world that hit a speed bump in the shape of a few guns? But what I got was a lot more complicated. I enjoyed that it was such a risky topic. Not everything in the world is sunshine and daisies, and having novels reflect that is important.

The story is told from Leah Jackson’s point a view; a student who manages to escape being rounded up, only to be chased all over the school with the threat of being killed. None of that stops her from trying desperately to save herself, the other students and most importantly, her brother, who may or may not be one of the Year 9 gunmen. I really admired Leah. All she wants in life is to do something meaningful. She looks after her siblings the best she can and just wants a better life. I was impressed with the warring nature of her voice; how she struggles to decide to save herself or try and save others and is forced to question whether it’s right for one person to die in order for the rest to live. Leah’s voice is a little tricky to get used to. At times she sounded like a young teen, even though she was supposed to be older than her brother. But the rest of the time she was very realistic. And I felt for her.

I was surprised at the way the hostage situation was handled from the outside. Government involvement isn’t always helpful in Mussi’s world. And I was definitely shocked at the way the story ended. I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting what happened and I still can’t believe it. I was so emotionally involved in the story by the end of the book, that the end hit me powerfully.

And intense and shocking read. I’d definitely recommend it.

4/5 stars
(less)

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Apr 09, 2013 Claire rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was disappointing.

Not only did it continually use clichéd twists and turns but it also had a strange dimension of futuristic, 1984-ish Big Brother type of world created within it.

I was excited to read this book but I was let down. This book is also terribly proofread and edited - a total no-go for me. Many of the developments in the book are nonsensical and underdeveloped. The character development is okay and perhaps average at best. The setting development on the other hand is incr...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Brooke rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: big-bad-evil-people, death-tragedy-suicide, i-own-a-copy, mental-and-general-health, no-no-no, realistic-fiction, scary-scary

Wow. For such a little book, this one packed a lot of punch!

Whilst parts of it didn't entirely seem realistic, the author did a great job of putting you in the school with the protagonist and made you really want to see her get out and to be safe. There was plenty of suspence, shock, "NO!" moments and of course a few bittersweet moments, but all in all it made for a great read.

The ending was satisfying but... not. I mean, I could have read 50 more pages, I was wrapped up. I'll definitely be read...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Cass - Words on Paper marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2013-release, review-copy

This one sounds so interesting... but the thought of reading this right now makes me shudder. Shootings. Not really something I'd like to read about, fictional or not. But it's a startling truth that has happened in our world, so I think it's important that these kinds of books are written--not just shoved under the carpet. I'm not sure if this book will be written such that it glorifies these acts or not, but I'll read it (someday) and get back to you on it.

Even the cover gives me the jeebs. Th...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Jenni Arndt rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, own

This review contains spoilers.

Siege was a novel that I was actually pretty nervous to read when it came time to pick it up. First of all, the cover of the ARC is very jarring and screams unrelenting violence. Second of all, with recent events of the world it seemed like one that would be hard to read and possibly make me want to homeschool my children. I can say that the first 50% hit that mark, it was gory and seemed to be an act of teen rebellion but the way the story went in the latter half o...more This review contains spoilers.

Siege was a novel that I was actually pretty nervous to read when it came time to pick it up. First of all, the cover of the ARC is very jarring and screams unrelenting violence. Second of all, with recent events of the world it seemed like one that would be hard to read and possibly make me want to homeschool my children. I can say that the first 50% hit that mark, it was gory and seemed to be an act of teen rebellion but the way the story went in the latter half of the novel really ruined the whole experience for me as the novel became something the blurb says nothing about.

Here is the cover of the ARC for people who are now wondering:

I have no idea how I can talk about my disappointments without spoiling the plot of the novel. So there are going to be spoilers ahead, if you do plan on reading this novel turn back now, if you are going to heed my advice, read on! Okay, so I went into the novel bearing down for a gritty contemporary that was going to be a very literal and unflinching look at what goes on during a school shooting. I have a weird thing for books that deal with this topic and while I have read books that detail the events leading up to a shooting or the aftermath of one, I had never read a book that actually takes place DURING the actual shooting. The first half is just that, Leah is running, hiding in the ceiling tiles and attempting to save some friends of hers. All along there are these random seeds planted that point towards these people living in a dystopian society. The school has a hefty lock down protocol that is virtually undoable inside the school unless a fire blazes that was implemented after the citizens rioted one too many times. Then the whole shooting becomes one that the government planned and is broadcasting over the net to show just how violent the poor kids are and to prove to the world that these Challenge schools for them should be shut down because they are worthless and violent and don’t deserve an education. Yeah, so this was not a contemporary novel.

There wasn’t near enough development to explain why the government was doing this at all. All we get as far as world building really is just Leah remembering why some things are the way that they are, nothing more than that because it all takes place in a day during the shooting. The character development is a bit better than the world building at least with our MC Leah. She struggles throughout the book thinking about the possibility that her younger brother is among the shooters in the school and her feelings about that possibility are all over the place. She’s grown up with a depressed mother and as basically that sole caregiver for her younger siblings which had me feeling pretty bad for her. She didn’t always make good decisions and I found myself so frustrated at her constant need to get down out of the ceiling. I guess she had to though, it wouldn’t have been much of a story if she just hid up in the tiles through the whole thing, I guess I just wish her reasonings were better sometimes. The first time she gets down she is above the empty library that the Eternal Knights just left with all remaining surivivors. She wants to phone the police (which she did twice but then refused to talk) so she gets down out of the ceiling to go down to the boiler room where the furnaces will cover the sound of her voice. You’re above an empty library, rather than talking in a low voice to the police, I think getting down and running through the school is definitely a better course of action *sarcasm*. It just didn’t make sense. She's really the only character that we get development on, so even the people in the story left something to be desired.

This novel was not what I expected it to be and definitely not what it has been advertised to be. That left me feeling disappointed and angry at the book. I guess if you are looking for a light dystopian read that you can read without much reasoning and forget about world building entirely, then this could be for you. But as it stands I don’t think this one has a lot going for it and I can’t recommend it.

An Advanced Reading Copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

--

You can read all of my reviews at Alluring Reads.(less)

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Jan 12, 2013 Beth Kemp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-contemp, review-books, recent-favourites

Shocking, raw and powerful - a fab YA thriller

I know that some people have found this to be too violent. It is certainly not suitable for the younger end of the YA spectrum. However, the violence is not gratuitous and the novel is thought-provoking and challenging enough to justify its shock value (think Clockwork Orange, perhaps).

Written in a strong first person, present tense voice, and set in 2020, Siege introduces us to Leah Jackson at the precise moment a group of boys open fire in assembl...more Shocking, raw and powerful - a fab YA thriller

I know that some people have found this to be too violent. It is certainly not suitable for the younger end of the YA spectrum. However, the violence is not gratuitous and the novel is thought-provoking and challenging enough to justify its shock value (think Clockwork Orange, perhaps).

Written in a strong first person, present tense voice, and set in 2020, Siege introduces us to Leah Jackson at the precise moment a group of boys open fire in assembly. But since she was late to school and is in detention, she doesn't immediately realise what is happening. The novel then follows her as she works to avoid being shot, to escape and raise the alarm, travelling through air vents and crawling across ceiling tiles. Twists and turns abound as Leah runs into difficulty after difficulty in this tightly-plotted thriller that will have you holding your breath. Die Hard in a school is an appropriate description of this book, with the themes of containment and against-the-odds battle to protect the innocent and stop the guilty.

Her escape is hampered by the nature of her school. In this version of the near future, society has fractured even further and the schools are more obviously streamed by social class. Leah's school is built to contain and restrain, founded on the assumption that lower-class kids are Trouble. This means that once the school goes into Lock Down, escape is not a simple matter.

I loved the character of Leah. Loved her speech patterns ("That don't sound right."), her bravery and her resourcefulness. She's been used to looking after the family, and I found it easy to sympathise with her and her nagging worry that her brother, Connor, may be one of the boys at the centre of all this. Could she have prevented it? Should she have done more to help him? This additional personal layer of sickening guilt is just enough to rack up the tension even higher.

I found this to be an excellent read, right on the money for our times. Sarah Mussi has something to say about social deprivation, violence and responsibility and she conveys it in terms that are both accessible and enjoyable to read. Yes, there is violence and some scenes are graphic, but many kids are seeing worse on games consoles and tv screens every day - and in a purely 'entertaining' way without the subtle social analysis that is present here.(less)

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May 04, 2013 Chelsea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, dystopian, crime

This was intense and filled with non-stop action. I thought it was very well done ... except for the ending. That annoyed me. I thought there could have been a sequel where the kids and teachers are still trapped in the school fighting off the military or something.

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Feb 12, 2013 Braiden marked it as to-read

So at work yesterday we received 20 preview chapter samplers for this book and then today I receive the actual book in the mail from Hachette. I think the world is telling me that I need to read this book. Soon.

(The spine is pretty spiffy!)

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Oct 05, 2012 Megan McDade rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a good book with a scary topic as in the "siege" in the story could happen on some scale or another. It is quite violent so I would reccommned an older YA audience of 15+.

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Apr 02, 2013 Sacha rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was an easy read and to begin with I was intrigued. The story has a fair amount of tension and drama but I was disappointed by the ending.

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Apr 28, 2013 Debra rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reading-challenge, review-copy-read

Check out my review below:

Debra's Book Cafe

Debs :-)

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Mar 22, 2013 Trisha added it

Shelves: all-in-one-day, grief-loss, suspense, ya-literature

Hard to read, harder to review, difficult to rate.

Confronting, disturbing, depressing and ultimately heart- breaking.

Leah's determination to save everyone is courageous. Not a book for everyone.

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May 07, 2013 Mrs Daley rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-senior-school

Disturbing beyond belief.

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Apr 12, 2013 Kristen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Even though I had to keep reading until the end there is no way I will be giving this to any teenagers to read. Confronting, disturbing and violent.

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Apr 29, 2013 Jess rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an amazing book!! Everyone should read it

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Sep 27, 2012 Kirsty (overflowing library) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-books, did-not-finish, uk-author

Really not my kind of book. It's too nasty and lots of violence which is horrible. Giving up on this one.

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May 17, 2013 Claire Merle marked it as to-read

May 15, 2013 Ricia marked it as to-read

May 15, 2013 Stephensm rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

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About Sarah Mussi

Sarah Mussi was born in Gloucestershire. After her education at a girl’s school in Cheltenham, she completed a post graduate degree at the Royal College of Art before leaving the UK for West Africa. She lived in Ghana, West Africa for over eighteen years, marrying a Ghanaian and teaching in Accra. Sarah now lives in Brixton and teaches in Lewisham, splitting her holidays between England and Ghana.

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