The Chaos

February 23, 2011 Uncategorized 0

The Chaos
Author: Rachel Ward
Publisher: Scholastic (Chicken House)
Publication Date: March 1, 2011
Pages: 
Source: ARC received from publisher


**Follow up to Num8ers**


WARNING: The summary and beginning of my review are slightly spoilery**


About the Book: Adam sees ‘numbers’ – when he looks in peoples’ eyes he can see their death-dates, just like his mum Jem used to. Adam has trouble dealing with his awful gift, and when he realises that everyone around him has the same series of numbers, he becomes deeply afraid of what might happen in 2025. 
Desperate to find out what could be about to go wrong, Adam spends hours researching possibilities – war, nuclear accidents, killer viruses. He knows something big is coming, but what? And is there anything he can possibly do about it?


My Thoughts: I read Num8ers as part of a young adult book club this summer. I DID NOT want there to be a sequel. It’s not that I didn’t like Num8ers… I really did. I just couldn’t watch Jem go through any more turmoil! Well, I needn’t have worried. 

The Chaos picks up in 2026, about 16 or so years after the main events in Num8ers. (NOTE: You can read The Chaos without having read Num8ers and it will totally make sense… you just get more if you’ve read Num8ers first.) It has dual narrators with the chapters alternating between them. We follow Adam (Jem and Spider’s son!) and Sarah. Adam has his mother’s ability times ten! Not only does he see the date a person will die in their eyes he feels it… if it’s peacful, violent, natural, etc… This has, understandably, done a number on him. He is a VERY troubled young man. Enter Sarah… when Adam sees her death it is years down the road and he is there with her. It’s a warm, calming vision. When Sarah sees Adam she sees the boy from her nightmares come to life. This does not make for a happy introduction. Both teens are confused and more than a little freaked out. To make matters worse, Adam is seeing TONS of people with death days at the beginning of the new year (which is right around the corner) and Sarah is dealing with a pretty messed up home life. We’re talking SERIOUSLY unhealthy. She knows she has to get out. Her nightmares continue and she and Adam realize that her visions and his deah days are connected. Some thing big and bad is about to happen in London and there is little they can do to stop it. 

This was one dark and disturbing book! Adam is incredibly angry. His life has never been easy and he carries the reputation of his family as well as his own curse. Sarah’s family may look perfect from the outside… rich, put together, happy… but behind closed doors there is an ugly secret. Both teens are looking for a place to belong and for someone to really see them.

The action starts right away and doesn’t ever slow down. I think the fact that the story jumps between Adam and Sarah keeps you on the edge of your seat. Every time Adam goes out in public it’s a struggle for him. He has to see and feel the deaths of all those around them. He feels helpless to stop whatever it is that’s coming. The only thing that brings him peace is Sarah but she wants nothing to do with him! It was interesting to watch the ways their stories would overlap and then go their separate ways. I was surprised by how much I could want to shake them one minute and then my heart would be breaking for them the next.

Aside from the language (which fit the story but could still get quite crude) there were only two things that bothered me. One was the fact that Adam was obsessed with wanting to know if he was one of the “twentysevens” (those who would die at the New Year.) He knows that Sarah is going to live to be old and that he’ll be there when she dies therefore he should know he survives! And the other was the mention of “crocs”… as in the shoes. Really, there are still crocs in 2027? Please God, say it isn’t so!

The Chaos is a nonstop ride. Adam and Sarah will grab your attention and keep it until the end. You won’t be able to put it down until you know if they’ve succeeded with their plans and made it through. 

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