In this fifth outing, the young people stuck inside the dome think they have a routine (however flawed) set, until everything begins to go dark: fear becomes a new enemy to face. The characters are complex and the blistering pace works well in describing the spontaneity of youth running their own world; unfortunately, awkward exposition masking as dialogue interrupts the flow. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

It's difficult to think of another YA author who is as cruel to his characters as Grant. In the course of this fifth entry in the Gone series, the perennially tortured characters suffer gouged eyes, melted faces, severed limbs, self-cannibalism, abnormal tooth growth, ungodly splicing with animals, and oh so much more. Isn't it great?! The mysterious dome that trapped the kids way back in Gone (2008) has by now become something of a gladiator arena, with the desperate, increasingly twisted teens using their superpowers to fight off one another as well as a cavalcade of grotesque new threats. This wicked sequel focuses upon three new developments: a black stain on the dome that threatens to plunge their world into eternal darkness, Little Pete's resurrection as a godlike force unable to handle his power, and the evil gaiaphage's hunger for Diana's yet-to-be-born baby. Heroism abounds, but only of the conflicted, miserable variety, and Grant's masterstroke continues to be how his huge cast of dangerously talented mutants remains as haunted and fallible as anyone else. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With reportedly only one final volume to come, teen interest, already at best-seller levels, will reach a peak. Extensive social media outreach and online advertising should make this a slam dunk.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist