Hunger by Michael Grant

   It has been three months since everyone over the age of 15 had disappeared.
   This 590 paged novel is the sequel to Gone.
   Food is running out and the starvation of all kids in Perdido Beach is fast-approaching. So Sam Temple (the mayor of Perdido Beach) considers every day a AHBL day (All Hell Breaking Loose), having to solve and ration food for around 300 kids, and even settle fights between siblings or making sure the youngsters get a visit from the "Tooth Fairy". Only to add to Sam's problems, Caine (Sam's fraternal twin brother) takes over their nuclear plant and shuts down Perdido Beach's power. The only way Caine would turn it back on, is in exchange for food, because Coates Academy apparently also has no food, driving some of the Coates kids to cannibalism.
   Meanwhile, Lana the "Healer" went to a dark mine shaft in a ghost town in the middle of nowhere where the "Darkness" lives. The "Darkness" is a creature that plans to destroy the world and then reconstruct it. To do this, it must use some of the "freak's" (kids who have powers) powers to build himself, that is why it is taking over the kids' minds, calling out to them, and Lana being one of them. Unfortunately, when she came to destroy it, it took control of her mentality and she was then forced to serve it.
   Caine found out then that he never intended to take over the power plant. Just that he was one of the kids that the Darkness was calling to, and it manipulated him to steal the fuel rod to feed the Darkness.
   Like the first book, I was completely speechless of the plot and character development. I love all the characters, for they are so gratifying. I even like the villains, like Caine: He knows he's bad, and he OWNS it. One thing I think is really interesting about the Darkness is that before it destroys the world, it uses the kids to make monsters, unbeatable monsters. If you ever did destroy its monster, there would be another one, then another one, like a Russian nesting doll. I honestly think that that is a very creative idea, even if it would destroy the world.
   Michael Grant describes the setting and characters so well that I feel like I am in Perdido Beach, living through the adult-less nightmare of killing mutated animals, and kids with supernatural powers that will surely leave your mouth gaping open, and what is better that that? (I'm being sarcastic. You will never want to be in this terrible torment. Trust me, I've lived through it.) But, if you are willing to read this obscure fiction, your funeral.