This is Not a Test vs. Monument 14

I have not read a whole lot of books focusing on zombies or an apocalypse, but This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers is a story that shares many similarities with another book I read a few years ago, Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne. Admittedly, I enjoyed This is Not a Test a whole lot better than Monument 14 for reasons I will explain later on.

Six high school students, two eighth graders, and six younger children have taken refuge in a chain superstore (for example, Walmart). Occurring outside are a series of escalating disasters ranging from a monster hailstorm to a chemical weapons spill, which are tearing the world apart. This is the first of a series, but I only managed to finish the first one because I wasn't very impressed with the characters and the writing. It's safe to say that I will not be continuing the series. Same goes for This is Not a Test, though only because after two apocalyptic stories, I think I've had enough.

Six students have taken cover in their high school after a zombie epidemic breaks out. Sound familiar? Yeah, very similar story lines, but I enjoyed this one a lot more because it had some good character development. The main character is Sloane Price, who lost her will to live after her older sister ran away and left Sloane to live alone with their abusive father. And now the world's falling apart, and people are dying left and right. What does she do? It's interesting to see Sloane trying to figure out a way to end her life without burdening her five companions who are desperately trying to survive.

Now I won't go into detail about the two books (I hardly remember Monument 14 except for the fact that it had really stupid characters and no development). But I will say that both stories have a very similar layout. I don't know if this is the case with most apocalyptic books as I haven't read much in that genre, but that's the thing I noticed while reading This is Not a Test. Both books have a group of characters taking refuge in a sturdy building with enough supplies to last them a while. Both groups of characters aren't originally friends (they only happened to be there and therefore need each other to survive). There are conflicts between the characters themselves, and a lot of tension because of the chaos going on outside the walls. They also both end in a similar fashion.

If you are a die-hard fan of apocalyptic stories, then I'd recommend This is Not a Test because of the two, this one had a lot more character development and it had a decent story. If you aren't, don't waste your time on either of them because I'm sure there are a ton of apocalyptic stories with a much more original and less cliched story line as these.

Gone vs. Maze Runner

The Gone series by Michael Grant versus the Maze Runner series by James Dashner. Since I just finished Fear, the fifth book in the Gone series, I realized several reasons why this series is one of my favorites. The best way to show this is to compare it to another book. Not that the Maze Runner series isn't a good series; it is. But for me, Gone, is just my kind of book. I chose Maze Runner because it is very similar as in the things they encounter. They're both about a group of kids who encounter horrifying obstacles and must use the resources they find to survive. A ton of people die on the way, as they face challenges that threaten their lives. Only the structure of how they're written is different.

One thing a good story needs is a variety of different characters. Although both series has a good number of main characters, Maze Runner is told solely by Thomas's point of view, while Gone is told from many different points of view. Although it may be for a purpose such as if it's only told from a single person's point of view, you have no idea what's going on, making the plot more suspenseful, I found it frustrating that I had no idea what was going on in another character's mind. In Gone, the character's points of view just gives a better insight on what's going on, creating more of a horror scene when you don't want them to fall into a trap or something.

The plot itself differs in many ways. In Maze Runner they encounter obstacles one after another; they would get pass one horror only to find themselves facing yet another obstacle in their path. I think this is why it seems so fast-paced, when it never gives you a decent break. Gone has many obstacles too, yet they are organized in a more confusing way. All these little obstacles in the beginning overlap each other, while it leads to an even bigger problem. More like that there are so many things going on, you can't even stop to think. All the different characters, all in different situations, it's enough to make your head spin.

Why they are similar is because they both face horrifying obstacles as they struggle to survive. They both face horrifying creatures, struggling in a crazy new world. They are both exciting, terrifying, suspenseful sci-fi novels. They are both great series. But in my opinion, I think the Gone series is superior.