Anomaly

By Emma Lord
Reviewed by Lucille Rose

Winner of the 2024 Victorial Premier’s Literary Award for Young Adults.
Winner of 2024 Best Young Adult Novel Aurealis Awards

This action-filled dystopian thriller follows the story of young Piper Manning, one of the only survivors of the strange infection that swept across the world fifty-two days ago. Isolated on a farm in New South Wales, with only her dog Griff and some interesting new abilities to keep her company. Piper sets off in search of food, only to find something much stranger. Seth, battered, bruised and dark eyed, warns Piper of an imminent threat that’s been looming over the mountains, and Piper gets to see firsthand that the infection isn’t the only thing that’s causing the end of the world. Armed with new knowledge, Piper and Seth set off to warn the rest of the survivors about the monsters plaguing their world, and in Piper’s case, with the hope of finding a cure for her powers. Little does she know that the end of the world is just the beginning….

Anomaly is by far one of the best books I’ve reviewed. I was sceptical at first, because the ‘post-apocalyptic superpowered teenager’ is a trope I’ve seen battered all too often. But this book far exceeded my expectations. The plot walks the perfect line of revealing just enough to keep the reader interested, without world dumping in the first ten pages and giving away the whole storyline. I was impossibly engrossed in the story, and the little revelations sprinkled throughout created the perfect foundation for when the truth was revealed. I’m not lying when I say I practically screamed when the plot twisted, and all the pieces fell into place. I assure you, the mystery that kept me hanging onto each word will not disappoint.

Neither will the truly impressive writing. The way the author rearranged the twenty-six letters in the alphabet to create such well-crafted sentences, comparisons and descriptions never disappointed. To write well is to read well, which is why I recommend this book to young readers looking to improve their writing.

Piper, at first, seems a dull character. But when further details of her past are revealed against the backdrop of the deadly times she is facing, it is almost too easy to connect with and root for her. The same can be said about Seth, whose snarky yet sincere personality is the perfect match for Piper’s strong and serious one. This may reflect my own love of romance novels, but I felt as if the romance between Seth and Piper could have been more developed. This being said, I realize this is not the central idea of the book, and accept that Seth and Piper’s long looks, loud silences and evident care for one another are enough against the backdrop of the post-apocalyptic world.

It’s a difficult feat to scare a reader. Describing a monster in books rarely ever works to raise the goosebumps on one’s arm, to make them fear the dark they read in, and reconsider opening a book before going to sleep. This is yet another reason why Anomaly is a must-read. The descriptions of the perilous monsters known as Reapers genuinely terrified me, in the best way possible. How they attack and regard their prey, shown in the various fight scenes and when we get glimpses of their inner thoughts, made my blood freeze over. It was a thrilling feeling.

Overall, I recommend this book to all young adult readers fourteen and over, no matter their genre preferences, it is a must read for all. I am already looking forward to book two.

Warning: this book covers contents regarding violence, death of a parent, illness, mass death, abuse of power, attempted sexual predation, animal cruelty, mental illness, and horror.

Affirm Press 2024