Mondays Need a Good Book: METALTOWN

THE BLURB:  The rules of Metaltown are simple: Work hard, keep your head down, and watch your back. You look out for number one, and no one knows that better than Ty. She’s been surviving on the factory line as long as she can remember. But now Ty has Colin. She’s no longer alone; it’s the two of them against the world. That’s something even a town this brutal can’t take away from her. Until it does.

Lena’s future depends on her family’s factory, a beast that demands a ruthless master, and Lena is prepared to be as ruthless as it takes if it means finally proving herself to her father. But when a chance encounter with Colin, a dreamer despite his circumstances, exposes Lena to the consequences of her actions, she’ll risk everything to do what’s right.

In Lena, Ty sees an heiress with a chip on her shoulder. Colin sees something more. In a world of disease and war, tragedy and betrayal, allies and enemies, all three of them must learn that challenging what they thought was true can change all the rules.

An enthralling story of friendship and rebellion, Metaltown will have you believing in the power of hope.

THE SCOOP: I'd describe this book as an apocalyptic Newsies. Then, once Lena was introduced, I realized it had a big dose of Eponine, Cosette, and Marius. 

The world is wildly creative, we get three diverse and interesting points of view, and I'm a sucker for social justice stories. I really appreciated having Lena's character, since it gave us insight into the bad guys and prevented them from looking like caricatures.

THE VERDICT: It's grittier than my usual reads, but it's a great book. I already gave a copy to a girl who will eat it up. Give it a try!