"The Girl With All The Gifts" Book Review

My Rating ★★★★★ 5 Stars   

Every now and then I stumble upon a book so riveting and so well-written that the highest rating (5 stars) simply seems beneath it. This is one of those books, in a league of its own, demanding respect from readers ranging from young adults to mature audiences and those who aren't even a fan of this genre.

This genre? It isn't even like the others in its genre, that's what amazes me. The Girl with All The Gifts wasn't a survivalist apocalypse book. Not really. It contained a delicious plethora of themes - ranging from survival to love (but not the traditional cliché love), to acceptance of the worst kind of humans out there and an in-depth look at the science behind a world gone to ruin. It was everything and more.

I loved how the synopsis gave nothing away. The cover first reeled me in. There was something about the stance of the girl on the front cover - power. A little girl wielding power is what I first thought. Then the synopsis confirmed that she, named Melanie, was a special little girl who promises that she won't bite. This of course is the one and only hint we get that this is a Zombie book.

Did I mention that this was so much more?
The characters, so sure of themselves, are each driven by their unique, ingrained ambitions, all remaining consistent throughout the entirety of the book.

Melanie has a love so profound for Ms. J and wishes to protect her. Ms. J in return has a sort of motherly love for her and wishes to protect her even though Melanie is what she is.
Sergeant Parks, a protector, a man ruined, tired and haunted by the things he's had to do for the good of the remaining humans at the base and underneath it all he seeks redemption and acceptance, from whom you may ask? Well, from anyone willing to listen to him long enough to grant him his desire I presume.
Private Gallagher, a young man, sworn to protect but still scared shitless. He does what he can when he can. He thinks himself a coward, but I didn't see it that way. He is simply a survivor who has not made the best decisions.
And Dr. Caldwell. Driven by an intense urge to find a cure, she's ruthless in both her methods and her devotion and will not stop at anything to achieve her goal. I loved how I ended up feeling for her toward the end of the book. This was a character who no one should feel any kind of pity for, yet I felt something. At one point I accepted her justifications, that she did what she had to do in order to achieve her goals. I saw things from her point of view and I wanted her to succeed.

This was by far the most mature, well-written, well-researched book I've read in the past 12 months.