Forty Days by Morgan DeVivo

After a bomb explodes in a local mall where she had been shopping with her younger sister, Stella awakes with no memory of who she is or how she got there as she waits with a large group of other teenagers to be registered and assigned rooms in some sort of building. But where is she, actually? And why are they all given numbers and told not to tell anyone their name, just their number? It all seems rather odd. They also are told they need to follow the rules and not ask questions. But soon, what Stella learns is enough to convince her that these people do not have her interests at heart. She needs to find a way out, and she only has forty days.

This was a very interesting story from a first time author. I received a review copy of this book and very much enjoyed reading it. While not exactly a horror story, it is definitely a young adult, science fiction novel, with a touch of a thriller story in there as well. It involves what happens to people in a coma, as well as explores the state of being between life and death.

Miss DeVivo’s writing style differs greatly from her mother’s ( of whose books I have also read and reviewed several). And this debut novel is one that will keep readers wanting to know what happens next. A few times I thought I might have figured out how it was going to end, only to be surprised when I did learn what happened to the main character in this story. It is a shorter book than many that I have the chance to review these days, but it was a very enjoyable one to read.

I believe that anyone who enjoys reading young adult novels, science fiction, stories involving life versus death and the state of being between both, and those who enjoy mild thrillers will enjoy this book. I certainly enjoyed this first-time author’s debut novel, and am looking forward to seeing what she writes next. Recommended.

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