Astray (Gated Sequel) (Gated Series)

Absolutely love this book!

"Astray" book two in the "Gated" series by Amy Christine Parker was a great read. I'm not going to lie I had to start it early and finish it when it was still daylight. I'm not much of a horror/thriller reader, but Amy did a great job with it. She had my attention from the beginning, and I couldn't put it down. I remember reading book one for a book club, and when I started this one, it all came back to me. Lyla is trying to figure out who she should trust more and what is right in life. She has grown up in a "gated/cult" life and doesn't know who is telling her the truth. She is working on being strong and standing up for what she feels is the right thing. I really enjoy Lyla's character. There is another book in this series, and I will definitely read it.

I have always had a fascination with cults and how they attract people. This story was told from the perspective of a girl who was involved in the cult / community. Hearing her story and struggle was very interesting. Check out the first book in the series so you have the background.

Amy Christine Parker is such a talented author! I absolutely loved both Gated and Astray. The story moved at a great pace and kept me engaged the entire time! I loved how dark some moments were but there were still lighter happier moments!

This was a gift for my granddaughter. She was hooked after receiving a signed copy of "Gated". She tells me that "Astray" is every bit as exciting as "Gated". All in all,a good read for a young teen.

Great read! Proud to say I've known Amy since she was a young girl. Loved Gated and thought Amy out did herself with Astray. I look forward to Amy's next book. @amychristinepar

When I saw that Ms. Parker was releasing a continuation to Lyla's story, I just had to read it. Gated was my first experience with such a plot about a closed off, cult-like community basically led by a lunatic, and I was very intrigued as to what would happen to the members once their lives had been interrupted and their leader taken away. I wanted to know if they would have a change of heart and come to the realization that Pioneer was only brainwashing them. Astray gave me an eye-opening. It's certainly not easy to leave all you've believed in for so many years behind. The community members were as devoted as ever, and they kept trying to lure Lyla back to them. Throughout the book, it was a struggle for Lyla to try and figure out her place; where she belonged, were her beliefs wrong, and if she made a mistake. There were times I grew frustrated with her for doubting all that she'd done in the first book and for thinking that maybe things should have stayed the way they were. Then I had to remind myself that Lyla needs time to sort out her life. It takes years for people like her and the other members of the community to really let go of all that they were fed by Pioneer. I must point out that the majority of the book dealt with Lyla fitting in, as well as how the Outsiders react to the community. So it was a little slow building to what would happen in this continuation. Pioneer is in jail for his crimes and is awaiting trial, but not without getting members of the community to torment Lyla. Interesting, how he still had so much power over them to even convince them to prove their faith to him. I wanted to cry when Lyla took the risk and ended up going back and they made her prove herself as well. But she was so drained after their recentering process that she didn't even care anymore. I got nervous. I thought for a second there we'd lost her again, but then when she found Cody's note and her senses snapped back, I knew she was starting to see again that their way was wrong and she had to leave. Oh, for those looking for the spooky, there was a bit of that. Like how one of them would show up at the Sheriff's house and move things around, as well as the photos she found at her parents' trailer. Indeed, there was a bit of creepy thrown in the mist. It wasn't a lot though. Aside from the empty stares and spine-chilling chants, it wasn't as frightening as one might want it to be, but the story definitely aroused my curiosity because I wanted to see how everything would work out. The ending was great. I knew Mr. Brown, Brian, and Jonathan were up to something extreme, but I had no idea what. So that was just crazy. In the end, Lyla did another brave thing and saved the "Outsiders". In spite of their treatment, she risked her life for theirs. I was very satisfied with how things wrapped up, just a little sad that Lyla's mom is in such a hopeless state. I guess it's harder for some to give up their beliefs. Overall, it was great experience. Wonderful writing as usual. A slow pace, but an intriguing story. I actually smiled when Lyla finally found the peace that she was looking for, and I'm happy that she's developed into a fearless young lady. Good job, Ms. Parker. I look forward to your next book.

This is an easy and page turning read!

In den letzten Jahren war ich ziemlich schlecht darin Buchreihen zeitnah weiter zu lesen. Das war oft eine Mischung aus Nicht-dazu-kommen oder Noch-nicht-trennen-wollen. Manche Bücher schaffen es aber, dass ich am liebsten sofort in dieser grandios beschriebenen Atmosphäre bleiben möchte — und dann macht mir eine ewig lange Lieferzeit einen Strich durch die Rechnung. Gated von Amy Christine Parker hatte mir bis auf einige Kleinigkeiten unglaublich gut gefallen, weil die Autorin es durch leise Worte geschafft hatte, mich mit der Hörigkeit der Sektenanhänger nachhaltig zu berühren. So viel Wut wie bei diesem Buch hatte ich selten im Bauch; und doch wurde es beim zweiten Band Astray noch schlimmer. Und deshalb war dieses Buch tatsächlich noch besser. „Once you’re in, you’re in for life . . . or death.“ steht auf dem Cover der englischsprachigen Ausgabe, die deutsche Übersetzung heißt Gated - Sie sind überall und viel besser könnte man das Konzept dieses Buches und seine Atmosphäre gar nicht zusammenfassen. So war es wieder eine Mischung aus Wut, Angst und Unverständnis, die mich durch das Buch getragen hat. Nach dem Ende des ersten Bandes (ja, Spoiler!) ist Lyla der Community endlich entkommen, um bei ihrem Freund Cody und seiner Familie zu leben — könnte man meinen. Man könnte auch meinen, dass den anderen Mitgliedern der Community endlich die Augen geöffnet wurden, nachdem die von Pioneer angekündigte Apokalypse nicht gekommen ist und er es vielmehr selbst in die Hand genommen hat, dass seine Schäfchen ja alle mehr oder weniger friedlich einschlafen. Doch falsch gedacht: Jahrelange Konditionierung lässt sich offensichtlich nicht so einfach ablegen. Astray erzählt nicht nur von den Nachwirkungen von Pioneer auf die Mitglieder der Community, sondern auch von den Reaktionen der Einwohner von Culver Creek, wo sie jetzt leben. Für die neuen Mitschüler sind das nur die komischen Sektenkinder, über die man sich lustig machen kann, für einige besorgte Mütter sind es gar schlechte und gefährliche Einflüsse auf ihre eigenen sorgsam behüteten Kinder. Und die Sektenmitglieder selbst? Ich hatte zwar nicht erwartet, dass es immer noch so schlimm sein wird, doch diese kauen immer noch genau das nach, was ihnen eingetrichtert wurde. Pioneer ist eben immer noch ein Mensch, der für jede Möglichkeit vorsorgt, sodass er im Nachhinein sagen kann: Hab ich euch nicht vorhergesagt, wie schlimm die Outsiders sein werden? So entsteht ein komplexe Spannung zwischen diesen beiden Polen, zwischen diesen Gruppen, die sich gegenseitig für verrückt und dumm halten — und Lyla mitten dazwischen. Amy Christine Parker arbeitet hier wieder sehr geschickt mit leisen Worten und Situationen, die nach und nach ein immer gefährlicher anmutendes Gesamtbild zeigen. In diesem Band funktioniert das sogar noch besser, weil vor allem Lyla, aus deren Perspektive wir das ganze erleben, gelernt hat differenzierter zu denken und zu beurteilen. Dieses Buch ist nicht nur die Darstellung eines Sektenlebens, sondern auch eine Charakterstudie an den verschiedenen Sektenmitgliedern. Auf den ersten Blick erscheinen sie — Lyla ausgenommen — alle gleich, sie reden und denken gleich, sind eine Gruppe, die zusammen, wenn auch verrückt, aber dennoch unbezwingbar wirkt. Doch natürlich gibt es auch innerhalb der Gruppe massive Unterschiede (und auch noch tiefere Abgründe als vorher gedacht), wenn man genau hinschaut. Und das macht Amy Christine Parker in diesem Folgeband. Wer schon den ersten Band "Gated" gemocht hat, wird den folgenden und abschließenden Band "Astray" mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit noch mehr mögen. Mich zumindest hat dieses Buch noch wütender und atemloser zurückgelassen.