Review: The Farm by Emily McKay

PUBLISHER:

PENGUIN/BERKLEY

The Farm is a tightly wound atmospheric thriller with Vampires ( bitey, bitey, not sparkly, sparkly), and other supernatural elements. From the opening pages McKay winds the reader into Lily's desperate world. A virus has turned a variety of humans into bloodthirsty "ticks". These creatures roam outside the world of the farm looking for flesh. There are also a race of traditional Vampires who also now come to the forefront to rule humanity.

So though it is a prison the Farm is also a form of protection. Greens like Lily and her sister Mel, who is autistic, spend their days dominated by blood donations and meal times. The remainder of the time they are left to their own devices on the former Liberal Arts College they call their home. As long as their blood stays viable Mel and Lily can live in a modicum of comfort despite the dangerous of the Collab's and the fellow Green's. Lily however knows things won't stay this way. As the girls near the end of their teen years the face a shift in their hormones that may mean the end of their usefulness so Lily plans an escape. 

As she makes the necessary deals to get them the supplies they need Lily is surprised when one of the new arrivals on the  Farm is a boy from her past, a boy she had an embarrassing crush on named Carter. Carter is extremely helpful to Lily, annoyingly so. What hurts Lily most though is how Mel begins to respond to Carter after months of barely communicating to Lily.

Lily doesn't want to share her plans with Carter, convinced that something is off with his actions and his sudden appearance. Add in two more unexpected escapee's and you have a tension filled thriller with lots of twists and turns. I really liked Lily's character and was intrigued by Mel's inner monologues. What Carter is really doing at the farm is a surprising plot twist and sheds some light on a lot of happenings that have occurred in the girls life.

A great part of the book is devoted to Farm life and the girls escape plan, but once they reach the outer world the tension really rev's up. I enjoyed the fact that the romance between Lily and Carter wasn't forced, but slowly unwound until it hit some obstacles. The vampires and tick's are truly vicious and keep you turning the pages. A very interesting ending with a natural opening to a sequel. A very solid read that leaves you wanting more.