Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi is a fast-paced, action-packed ride, with a passionate and intense romance. Wo...more*Read full review at www.teenbookguru.com*
Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi is a fast-paced, action-packed ride, with a passionate and intense romance. Would I say it's as good as some of the other Dystopian novels of the last few years? Probably not. But it is definitely memorable and a very exciting read. I think that because there have been so many amazing post-apocalyptic novels recently, all the others kind of have to be mind-blowing too, just to measure up to all the great ones. *SPOILER ALERTS*
Peyton Anderson is one of the 'it-girls' in her school. She has the boyfriend, all her popular friends, and of course, the looks. Chris Parker is a big-hearted nerd. A nerd who's in love with Peyton. So, obviously, there is no way they could be together. Ever --- not even if the world ended --- or so that's what they think. Peyton's dad is a scientist - a mad scientist. He's convinced that the end of the world is right around the corner, and that creatures similar to zombies are going to cause it, but no one believes him- not even Peyton. So when people start to realize that the world is coming to an end, Peyton is prepared.
Chase and Peyton are brought together under strange circumstances - they both happen to be the first people to witness the first step of the end of the world- the infection. They start to grow close to each other, and make plans to run away. But (in typical Romeo and Juliet fashion), there is a last-minute change of plans, and Peyton can't leave with Chris. This leads to a whole lot of sadness and confusion and feelings of betrayal on Chris' part, and just a bunch of sadness on Peyton's side. So imagine their surprise when they meet again after four years - and find that they are both one of the few people in the whole world who are still alive. *SPOILERS OVER*
In Tomorrow Land, there were a lot of flashbacks to when everything was normal and also how the end of the world started, which was nice, because it provided a background to the characters, and made them seem more real. It also made it easier to sympathize with both Peyton and Chris. The best part of the book would have to be the romance, for me personally. Chris was just such a sweet heart *note the past tense*, and it broke my heart to see how easily Peyton used to dismiss him. Of course, when they meet after four years he isn't the same nice, easy guy who Peyton remembered (but, come on, you have to be tough and hard to survive the end of the world!). They got together eventually, but I still felt bad for Chris. It made me wonder - are there any guys out there who are as forgiving and committed as Chris? Probably not.
Peyton was a joy to get to know as well. While I don't normally like the 'queen-bee, rules the school' type of characters, I have to say I really liked Peyton. Not only was she a fierce fighter, and not only could she kick some major zombie ass, but she was also nice and caring -- and most importantly, she loved Chris back and stuck with him through the good and bad. And at the end of the day, what else could you ask for?
Something I didn't really like was the ending. It left so many questions unanswered and really left me hanging, it just seemed a little rushed to me. But there were some really good parts in the book, and I found Tomorrow Land to be a captivating read that left my fingernails bitten to the core, and my heart bursting with hope and happiness at the wonderful romance that Mancusi so wonderfully brought to life.
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