Astray

Reviewed by: Mariah Machado - Davis Memorial Library, Limington,ME, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 10, 2014

Review

In Astray, the sequel to her book Gated, Amy Christine Parker follows Lyla as she tries to adjust to life after leaving the cult in which she was raised. Lyla has been removed from her family and is now staying with the sheriff and his family, including son Cody - Lyla's love interest. The author does a great job at expressing Lyla's internal struggle with leaving all she has ever known behind and coming to terms with her childhood in the cult. Adjusting to life outside the Community is not easy, and the townspeople don't make it any easier for her. Lyla must also deal with truly seeing, for the first time in her life, how crazy the Community's blind allegiance to their leader, Pioneer, makes them seem. Things escalate as Pioneer's trial looms, and the Community's fervor takes a sinister turn. You do need to read the first book to really understand what is going on, but Astray is a much better read than Gated. The first book was slow, and lacked suspense. The sequel is suspenseful and engrossing, a nice psychological thriller.

Overall Book Score: good