London Eye by Tim Lebbon

Author: Tim Lebbon
Title: London Eye
Series: Toxic City #1
Publication: October 2012
Publisher: PYR
Source: Publisher for honest review

~Website | ~Twitter

The Hunger Games meets the X-Men in an exciting postapocalyptic debut

Two years after London is struck by a devastating terrorist attack, it is cut off from the world, protected by a military force known as Choppers. The rest of Britain believes that the city is now a toxic, uninhabited wasteland.

But Jack and his friends—some of whom lost family on what has become known as Doomsday—know that the reality is very different. At great risk, they have been gathering evidence about what is really happening in London—and it is incredible.

Because the handful of London's survivors are changing. Developing strange, fantastic powers. Evolving. 

Upon discovering that his mother is still alive inside London, Jack, his sister, and their three friends sneak into a city in ruins.

Vast swathes have been bombed flat. Choppers cruise the streets, looking for survivors to experiment upon. The toxic city is filled with wonders and dangers that will challenge Jack and his friends . . . and perhaps kill them. But Jack knows that the truth must be revealed to the outside world or every survivor will die.

Thoughts:Lebbon has created an unusual but entertaining concept in this book. It all begins when a plane loaded with a biological weapon crashes in London causing everyone in the general vicinity to die. However, some of the survivors wake up to discover that they have changed and are now being hunted as experiments or just killed. Quarantined off from the rest of the world, the families they've left behind ponder their fate, holding on to the hope that they are still alive and will someday return to them.  Jack and his friends know that the truth is being hidden from them and in an effort to find his parents and enlighten the world to what's really going on behind the gates of London, decides to travels inside to document their findings. What they discover is horrifying and unbelievable. War is raging in the confines of London and Jack and crew will have to fight for their lives to get back on the other side.

This is truly a promising and unique story with a great setting yet the characters were difficult to grasp and I wasn't able to fully connect. One characters sticks out in mind not necessarily because I liked her but she was absolutely off her rocker. There is a scene where she takes off screaming like a madwoman and leaves her friends behind, while they are being shot at, to wonder around alone. Overall, the story is good, full of action but very little romance. I just wish more detail and information was given about the characters.

Will I read the next book? Yes, because I like the direction the story is going and I'm curious to see what will happen next with Jack.