The Survivors

In 1692, a group of 26 adolescents are accused of witchcraft in Salem. The town has lost some of its taste for execution, so the children are instead sent into exile, far into the western plains in the depth of winter. Only 14 survive, and they notice that not only do they not die, but they don’t age.

Fast forward to modern times. Sadie, the child of two of the original group, grows up in isolation in the walled city the survivors have built in the mountains. Unlike the rest of her “family” (as they call themselves), she longs to escape and learn of the outside world, and one day she walks away. She learns to live amongst humans, hiding her differences, until at last she meets someone whose powers more closely match her own.

The Survivors has been called “a better-written Twilight” and comparisons are certainly inevitable. I will tell you that there is a family of attractive, wealthy vampires, although happily they do not sparkle in the sun. (They’re not vegetarians, but they only drink the blood of people who are already dead or who are criminals. Safe for the whole family!) Sadie is in love with one of them, handsome Everett, but she feels drawn to the family as a whole, and can’t help but compare people who live and move happily in the human world unfavorably to her own “family,” in hiding in the mountains.

Sadie is also trying to figure out what exactly she is. She’s not a vampire but she’s not exactly a witch either. She travels through Europe meeting all sorts of exotic creatures such as nosferatu and vieczy, who are an especially dangerous type of vampire. She begins to understand more about her own family’s origins…

The Survivors sets the scene for a climatic battle that will be coming up in the sequel.

I was sent two copies for review: one for me and one for my 14 year old daughter Ilsa. Ilsa devoured her copy in one evening, but it took me a little longer to get to it. Ilsa had this to say about it: “It was well written and I think that the relationship between the two is better than in Twilight. Sadie has character. She’s stubborn and independent, but at the same time she’s not all about herself. I thought the plot was good; it was interesting. I will read the sequels—definitely.”

If you, or your teenaged daughter, enjoyed Twilight and like Young Adult paranormal fiction, I’m sure you’ll love The Survivors.

Elizabeth admits she didn’t love Twilight and that her favorite purple sparkly vampire is still The Count from Sesame Street. Read more of what she does like at her blog Planet Nomad.