Publication date: April 7th, 2015
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 272
This middle-grade book was sent to me by the Disney Book Group (Thanks guys!!) to read and give an honest review.
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The signs are everywhere, Jory’s stepfather, Caleb, says. Red leaves in the springtime. Pages torn from a library book. All the fish in an aquarium facing the same way. A cracked egg with twin yolks. Everywhere and anywhere. And because of them, Jory’s life is far from ordinary. He must follow a very specific set of rules: don’t trust anyone outside the family, have your work boots at the ready just in case, and always, always watch out for the signs. The end is coming, and they must be prepared.
School is Jory’s only escape from Caleb’s tight grasp. With the help of new friends, he begins to explore a world beyond his family’s farm. Then Caleb notifies the family that the time has come for final preparations: digging in their backyard canyon at night. Every night.
As the hole gets deeper, so does Jory’s doubt about whether Caleb’s prophecy is true. When the real reason for their digging becomes clear, Jory must choose between living his own life or following behind Caleb, shutting his eyes to the bright world he’s just begun to see.
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The Writing
I really enjoyed the writing and insight to the mindset of such a young boy, shielded from the world in so many ways. I flew through this book. The dialogues felt real and was intriguing. I felt connected to the story and the characters early on in the story.
The Characters
Jory was an interesting male lead character in this story. I liked his focus on family but also this insecurity about how his life is changing into something that scares him. He felt real and very relatable even though his situation and family relationship was far from anything that I’ve ever experienced.
When I first was introduced to Caleb I got this sick feeling in my stomache. He reminded me of those brain washed people that I’ve seen on Doomsday preppers combined with a man that wants to be the saviour and will do anything to get there. He was a well made character, but I would have loved to see more of his background to make him an ever deeper character.
Kit was my favorite! The mystery around her was so well written and I was really rooting for her!
The Plot
As I wrote earlier on, I flew through this one. This is not an action/packed read but it is a different story with a very importent focus. The plot stayed very consistent and I felt very satisfied at the end of this. I would have loved to know more about what happened to everyone but sometimes you just get an ending that doesn’t tell you everything, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
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I really enjoyed this book and I ended up giving it a four out of five stars. A unique and interesting read that suits grownups as well as children.
If you want your own copy of Watch The Sky, click on the Amazon logo below:
I’m sorry if this review is a little more messy than my earlier reviews but I’m currently on holiday in San Fransisco/Las Vegas/LA so I’m doing this on an iPad. Better with a tiny bit messy review than no review 🙂
Christina de Vries 