Book Review: Rage Within by Jeyn Roberts.

Product details:
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books.
Paperback, 368 pages.
Release date: August 30th 2012.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Series: Dark Inside #2
Other Books in Series: Dark Inside
Source:  Received from publisher for review.

After the earthquakes came the infectious rage, turning friends into deadly enemies. For survivors Michael, Aries, Mason and Clementine the battle to stay alive is about to get even tougher. The new world is organising itself, with camps that promise protection for the uninfected. But the reality of the sites is far more sinister. Besides, nobody is safe from the rage within their own soul...

For fans of Gone, or 28 Days Later not to be missed!

 Anger, anarchy, mayhem and torturous bloody brutality.  This is the new world. A world where chaos reigns and the Baggers are in charge.  After the earthquakes and the ancient evil that was unleashed along with them, this is all that remains.  The world as we know it has been razed to the ground, civilization has crumbled, and a horrific new world order is in place.  For those that remain, those that have survived and who are untouched by the dark inside, every day is a test of will, of strength and of courage.  Every hour, ever minute brings with it a new trial, a new struggle, a new enemy.

This is the world that Mason, Michael, Clementine and Aries now live in.  Three months have passed since the earthquakes.  The survivors are no longer on the run, because there is nowhere to run to.  The Baggers are in charge, more dangerous than ever as they become more organized, rounding up survivors, sending them to slave camps, or worse.  Those who remain must hide out in safe houses, living in darkness, with little food and the constant threat of attack.  Nobody is safe, because there is darkness within all of us. Nobody knows who to trust.

We again follow the paths of Mason, Michael, Clementine and Aries as we meet them in this new world.  All of them have been touched by death.  They are no longer the hopeful teens of the first book.  They no longer think that they’ll be going back to their homes, to their families.  Now they know that all they have is each other.  Michael and Clementine become closer while Mason pushes everyone away, retreating further and further into himself. They only one he’ll let in at all is Aries, but he knows that she only wants Daniel, that she sneaks out to meet him every night.  Aries is their leader, the one they all look to for guidance, but sometimes she needs a shoulder to lean on too.  She wants that person to be Daniel. She wants to be with him, but he remains distant. He keeps everything locked away inside. In this new world everyone is keeping secrets, Daniel maybe most of all.

Dark Inside welcomed us to the apocalypse.  Now in Rage Within we see the aftermath of that horror. We find out what happens next. And what happens next is very, very bad indeed.  Rage Within is just as brutal and bloody as its predecessor, but it’s scarier and more sinister too. In Dark Inside, the Baggers were a threat, but they were unorganized, they were easy to outwit and take down.  Not anymore.  In Rage Within the Baggers have upped their game.  They rule the show. They decide what will happen next.

A story of strength and survival, hope lost, hidden heartbreaks and enemies at every turn, Rage Within is the exemplary follow up to Dark Inside and a must read for horror fans everywhere. Be warned though, this book is bloody mayhem, and you won’t sleep easy after reading it!