#BookReview: The Twelve

by Justin Cronin

About the Book:

In his internationally bestselling and critically acclaimed novel The Passage, Justin Cronin constructed an unforgettable world transformed by a government experiment gone horribly wrong. Now the scope widens and the intensity deepens as the epic story surges forward with The Twelve.

In the present day, as the man-made apocalypse unfolds, three strangers navigate the chaos. Lila, a doctor and an expectant mother, is so shattered by the spread of violence and infection that she continues to plan for her child’s arrival even as society dissolves around her. Kittridge, known to the world as “Last Stand in Denver,” has been forced to flee his stronghold and is now on the road, dodging the infected, armed but alone and well aware that a tank of gas will get him only so far. April is a teenager fighting to guide her little brother safely through a landscape of death and ruin. These three will learn that they have not been fully abandoned—and that in connection lies hope, even on the darkest of nights.

One hundred years in the future, Amy and the others fight on for humankind’s salvation…unaware that the rules have changed. The enemy has evolved, and a dark new order has arisen with a vision of the future infinitely more horrifying than man’s extinction. If the Twelve are to fall, one of those united to vanquish them will have to pay the ultimate price.

My Review:

I loved The Passage, book one in this epic trilogy, but I adored book two, The Twelve.
Though the story covers various timelines and many characters, the whole thing is woven together skilfully and seemlessly.
The narrative is superbly executed and is a work of art. I especially loved the narrative tension between Lila and Grey. The way the author portrayed their interactions is fantastic. By this point in the story, Lila has lost her mind (little wonder!), and Grey tries to navigate the morass and minefield of her confusion and delusion. So many times while I read, I found myself exclaiming, ‘wow’. And then there are the one-liners such as this: ‘The song didn’t end so much as turn a corner an fall down.’ I love the imagery and descriptive writing that fills the pages.
As soon as I finished The Twelve, I got up and grabbed the final book in the series, City of Mirrors, and I’m loving every page of it so far. I cannot recommened Justin Cronin and his The Passage trilogy highly enough, and The Twelve gets a solid five stars from me.

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NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it. 
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines. 
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.