**No spoilers.Well, that was a good time. For me, anyway. Not for Alex, the MC. Dude inadvertently landed himself in the WORST PRISON IN THE HISTORY OF PRISONS. Seriously. Sign me up for death if my only other option is to go into Furnace.With a name like Furnace and with its description of being buried 1 mile beneath the earth’s surface, my mind immediately went to “hell”. While Furnace is a hellish place, it’s not hell. It’s more like a fucked up science project funhouse gone awry. It’s fucking cray cray. The conditions of the place, the disgustingly putrid slop they have to eat, the daily beatings/humiliations at the hands of other inmates, and the backbreaking work they have to do is enough to make you welcome death. Oh, but there’s more.As the synopsis says, inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night. YEAH. Whatever that crazy shit means. And the guards? They wear suits. Like, WTF. I didn’t even have time to ponder all of this, because the intensity of the story had me riveted. The visuals alone were enough to give me the creeps and Smith did a great job making this place come to life. I have my own version of Furnace planted firmly in my mind. The place is dirty, dank, gritty, and terrifying. There was never a time that I couldn’t visualize what I was reading, which really made for a heightened reading experience. Only one thing prevented me from rating this five stars – Alex. I found Alex likable, but he continuously made TSTL mistake after TSTL mistake. Even when his friends would yell at him and say “Alex, don’t!”, Alex would. Over and over. I still rooted for him, but he pissed me off with his behavior. It's important to remember that he's only 14. It was easy to forget that while reading, because the book is so brutal and dark. Typically, a TSTL MC is a deal breaker for me. In this case, the story, the setting, the other characters and the intensity of my beating heart through most of it were able to offset my misgivings.Lastly, look at that cover. Stuff of nightmares, I tell you.WARNING: This book ends on a brutal cliffhanger, so try to have the sequel on hand, lest your brain explode.I have other book-reading obligations scheduled for today, but... **eyes sequel.For more of my reviews, visit my blog:
JennyJen
Supreme nerd, rabid reader, music snob. Strong of opinion, loud of mouth, quick of wit. Lover of all things canine and feline, cynic of all things.
Find me at FictionFrenzy.com.
**No spoilers.Well, that was a good time. For me, anyway. Not for Alex, the MC. Dude inadvertently landed himself in the WORST PRISON IN THE HISTORY OF PRISONS. Seriously. Sign me up for death if my only other option is to go into Furnace.With a name like Furnace and with its description of being buried 1 mile beneath the earth’s surface, my mind immediately went to “hell”. While Furnace is a hellish place, it’s not hell. It’s more like a fucked up science project funhouse gone awry. It’s fucking cray cray. The conditions of the place, the disgustingly putrid slop they have to eat, the daily beatings/humiliations at the hands of other inmates, and the backbreaking work they have to do is enough to make you welcome death. Oh, but there’s more.As the synopsis says, inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night. YEAH. Whatever that crazy shit means. And the guards? They wear suits. Like, WTF. I didn’t even have time to ponder all of this, because the intensity of the story had me riveted. The visuals alone were enough to give me the creeps and Smith did a great job making this place come to life. I have my own version of Furnace planted firmly in my mind. The place is dirty, dank, gritty, and terrifying. There was never a time that I couldn’t visualize what I was reading, which really made for a heightened reading experience. Only one thing prevented me from rating this five stars – Alex. I found Alex likable, but he continuously made TSTL mistake after TSTL mistake. Even when his friends would yell at him and say “Alex, don’t!”, Alex would. Over and over. I still rooted for him, but he pissed me off with his behavior. It's important to remember that he's only 14. It was easy to forget that while reading, because the book is so brutal and dark. Typically, a TSTL MC is a deal breaker for me. In this case, the story, the setting, the other characters and the intensity of my beating heart through most of it were able to offset my misgivings.Lastly, look at that cover. Stuff of nightmares, I tell you.WARNING: This book ends on a brutal cliffhanger, so try to have the sequel on hand, lest your brain explode.I have other book-reading obligations scheduled for today, but... **eyes sequel.For more of my reviews, visit my blog:
