Gone Dark: review

Big thanks to Edelweiss for the e-galley!

Amanda Panitch spent most of her childhood telling stories to her four younger siblings, trying both to make them laugh and scare them too much to sleep. Now she lives in New York City, where she writes dark, funny stories for teens, kids, and the pigeons that nest on her apartment balcony. You can follow her on Twitter @AmandaPanitch, and visit her online at www.amandapanitch.com

Title: Gone Dark

Author: Amanda Panitch

Release date: April 12th, 2022

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Page Count: 448 pages

Genre: YA survival

Dry meets Hatchet in this thrilling tale of survival following a teen girl who must lead her friends across country to the safety of her estranged father’s survivalist compound after a mass power failure leaves the country in chaos.

When seventeen-year-old Zara escaped her father’s backwoods survivalist compound five years ago, she traded crossbows and skinning hides for electricity and video games…and tried to forget the tragedy that drove her away.

Until a malware attack on the United States electrical grids cuts off the entire country’s power.

In the wake of the disaster and the chaos that ensues, Zara is forced to call upon skills she thought she’d never use again—and her best bet to survive is to go back to the home she left behind. Drawing upon a resilience she didn’t know she had, Zara leads a growing group of friends on an epic journey across a crumbling country back to her father’s compound, where their only hope for salvation lies.

But with every step she takes, Zara wonders if she truly has what it takes to face her father and the secrets of her past, or if she’d be better off hiding in the dark.

Reasons to read: uhhhh survival stories are a GREAT form of escapism because they remind you that things could ALWAYS be worse

I love a good apocalypse book; they are great, especially for book slumps. I have been in the greatest slump due to a loss in the family and this book got me out of it. I have yet to read a book about the loss of power (most involve loss of power after a virus, attack etc but not specifically a massive power grid loss) The whole time I was running through my head all the things I'd have to do without and nearly passed out. I'm dramatic, I admit. What I loved most about this one was the realistic way humans just fall into ruin when their lives are upended. Without rules, without laws, I feel like the way the author perfectly portrayed human nature and their need to survive no matter what.

I loved Zara and her resourcefulness. She had been trained to survive at a young age, so to see her in action was amazing. Her journey to help save her friend lands her in some precarious places (think 28 Days Later when they find that compound and end up only wanting the women to breed with etc) My only qualm about her character was how quickly she moved on after a devastating loss.

I think readers who love survival stories will enjoy this one a lot. Other than some violence, this is age-appropriate for tweens and teens.