Gated by Amy Christine Parker
YA thriller.
Pioneer runs the Community, a secluded and self sustaining farm environment of approximately 50 families where the outside world is limited. No phones, internet or influences that Pioneer doesn’t control. He makes the rules and punishments and demands total loyalty.
Lyla is now 17. Her family has been part of the Community since the 9/11 terrorists attacks and her mother is grateful that there is nothing of that magnitude within their residents. Lyla accidentally meets a boy about her age from the outside world and she’s fascinated with his life and freedom. But she has to forget about him because Pioneer has proclaimed that the world is under attack and they all must retreat and live on the emergency silos they’ve built. Pioneer is a prophet and the Community must follow his will.

A fictional Jim Jones cult story written from the young adult perspective of Lyla, her life, friendships and view of her world. The author actually references as a descriptor that cult and the things going on. Here we get to understand how the families follow and believe because of their limited access to the outside world and are drawn in by the charismatic leader.
It chilling to think these continue to happen over and over again.
The story itself is fast moving. I was constantly cheering on Lyla to think for herself and question events. Fortunately this story has a much better ending than the Jones saga. ( )

CW: Animals slaughtered, torture of teens who disobeyed the cult leader, loss of loved ones

3.5 Stars

Well that had some really tense moments in it!

I am intrigued by cults and this novel did a fabulous job of showing how easily people allow themselves to manipulated and mislead if they are attempting to escape their former lives. Lyla has a chance meeting with someone outside the Community and starts to wonder if their leader, Pioneer, is someone to be loved or feared. A very good YA thriller. Will move on to book two. ( )

"Seventeen-year-old Lyla feels ambivalent when the charismatic leader of her isolated suburban community is told that the end of the world is near and when it arrives they must all be ready to defend themselves against the unchosen."

Lyla has pretty much grown up in Mandrodage Meadows. (Mandrodage is an anagram for Armageddon, which is an indication of what type of community this is). After her sister goes missing, her parents move the family to this isolated community to keep them safe from outsiders. They grow their own food and live simply, and get very upset if you call them a cult. They are taught to shoot to kill because when the world ends in a matter of months, all the "unchosen" will try to take what they have, and they have to be ready. Their leader, Pioneer, leads with a very firm hand and demands absolute obedience, and isn't afraid to dole out the punishments if anyone dares to question him. When Lyla meets an outsider, a boy her own age, she begins to question Pioneer and everything he stands for.

Wow! I loved this book! It was about doomsday cults, which I find very intriguing, and had a great plot, so I was hooked. It had a slow build up, but it absolutely worked here. We needed to get to know everything about the members of the group and the way they lived so we would be sufficiently invested when the action really started picking up. I liked that this author didn't sensationalize the subject matter, but didn't shy away from it, either. The pacing was excellent, the characters were well defined, and the plot was interesting.

I think anyone who loves a good YA doomsday cult thriller (and let's be honest, there aren't many of them to choose from), will love this book! I am very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House Children's, Random House Books for Young Readers, and Amy Christine Parker for the opportunity to read and review this book. ( )

If you've followed my reviews for any length of time, you'll know I have a strange obsession with books based on cults. There's something about the thorough brainwashing these people experience that fascinates me. Amy Christine Parker weaves a chilling story. A story about what happens to the children who are raised in this community, and what it looks like from the outside. I'm not going to lie, I absolutely couldn't get enough.

The reason behind Lyla's move to the cult was what first blew me away about Gated. Despite all the other books I've read on this subject, I've never actually seen how the parents were swayed to join. In this case, we see that Pioneer is cold and calculated in his timing. He sees Lyla's mother at an emotionally crippling moment, and takes advantage of it. It intrigued me, the way that Pioneer makes it seem that he is"saving" the people he converts. With such slick and charismatic ways, it was no surprise to me that people chose to follow him.

It's true that the beginning of this book moves a little slowly. However it does so in order to explore the inner workings of the whole community. Lyla's world seems quiet and simple at first. If it wasn't for the constant reminder that the end of the world is coming, it's easy to assume they are just a group of people who want to live off the grid. I was so immersed in the way that this community functioned as a whole, and I can honestly say I was never bored. If you feel the pace is slow at the beginning, please keep reading! The second half picks up considerably. By the time I reached the end, I could have read another entire book.

I could gush on about the romance aspect, and about the way that friendships are portrayed, but I'll end here. If you have an interest in cult mentality, this will be a book you'll enjoy. Go into Gated with an open mind, and keep reading on! This ended up being one of my favorites, and I'm honestly hoping for more.
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Mandodrage Meadows.... Mandodrage Meadows is the name of the community that the "chosen" people in Gated live in but it's not just any community. Mandodrage is actually an anagram for Armageddon. Congrats to YouKneek &  Passionate About Books for guessing correctly!! : )
 
After 9/11, Pioneer, the leader of the community & "prophet", chose families (hence the "chosen"), to come and live in this secluded community to escape the evils of the outside world and prepare for the end of the world which his "visions" told him was very near.
 
This book produced so many emotions in me! If you ever followed the Waco story or read about Charles Manson's life you will see the similarities in this story. It was amazing how charismatic the leader, Pioneer, was. He had me almost believing in him. LoL The author does such a great job of showing you how these leaders and "prophets" think and act and she really makes you sympathize with the families that have chosen this way of life. I don't believe in it myself but I think have a better understanding of how these people become members of these cults (a term which they do not like) and fall under the spell of these leaders and "prophets." It was just a very eye opening and moving story. A lot of the kids that were in this community, grew up within it, so they have no knowledge of the outside world. They've never even had fountain drinks or seen a tablet, like an Ipad before! It was just an amazing glimpse into this world. A definite-must read!
 
If you like audio books, I would recommend listening to the audio version to get the full experience because the narrator is also fantastic!
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