The Rundown
Seventeen-year-old Max has been alone for as long as he can remember. His crappy foster dad isn’t much of a parent, and his surly disposition keeps other kids his age at a distance. But it’s cool, he didn’t need friends anyway.
But when Max begins having mind-splitting nightmares of a post-apocalyptic city, he’s at a loss. Max is convinced that suicide is the only option, and finds himself in an institution following a failed attempt. Except something’s strange about this place. His counselor sees something “special” in him.
Max then meets four other people his age that have been having the same nightmares. But they say that these “nightmares” are more like visions of the future, and Max finds out that he and his newfound allies might be something more than human. But now they know too much, and powerful forces are trying to keep Max from finding out the truth, by any means necessary.
The Recommendation
The Enemy Within has everything you’d expect in a YA fiction novel. The central mystery is engaging, the main cast members are endearing and have some funny dialogue, and the main character Max deals with his isolation in a very relatable way. The book is also very tightly written. Every line of dialogue and plot set piece serves a purpose with not an ounce of fluff. All the elements of the book fit well together as well, leaving the reader with a short, but overall very solid read.
But this novel’s greatest strength is also it’s greatest weakness. The Enemy Within has everything YA fiction lovers want, and that’s about it. The book doesn’t innovate in any significant way. While everything is more than competently executed, seasoned YA fiction readers will find themselves spotting genre cliches and tropes on almost every page.
But despite that flaw, The Enemy Within held my interest straight through to the end. While it does nothing new, this book is a fun read, and that’s what counts.
While the opening chapters are practically brimming with teen angst, it dies off soon afterward. Nothing terribly graphic happens and the author writes in a straightforward and descriptive style that should be easy for most readers to keep up with. The Enemy Within would make a great introduction to YA fiction, and please any YA fiction lovers as long as they come in with reasonable expectations.
The Rating
4 Stars (out of 5): Recommended. For the right audience, this book is a great read. It can hold its own against any traditionally published novel in its genre.
The Pros & Cons
Pros: Characterization, Dialogue, Strong World-BuildingCons: Predictable, Theme
