Gated by Amy Christine Parker

Goodreads Blurb

Do the gates keep the unchosen out or the chosen in?
In Mandrodage Meadows, life seems perfect. The members of this isolated suburban community have thrived under Pioneer, the charismatic leader who saved them from their sad, damaged lives. Lyla Hamilton and her parents are original members of the flock. They moved here following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, looking to escape the evil in the world. Now seventeen, Lyla knows certain facts are not to be questioned:
Pioneer is her leader.
Will is her Intended.
The end of the world is near.
Like Noah before him, Pioneer has been told of the imminent destruction of humanity. He says his chosen must arm themselves to fight off the unchosen people, who will surely seek refuge in the compound's underground fortress--the Silo.
Lyla loves her family and friends, but given the choice, she prefers painting to target practice. And lately she'd rather think about a certain boy outside the compound than plan for married life in the Silo with Will. But with the end of days drawing near, she will have to pick up a gun, take a side, and let everyone know where she stands.

Gated was an absolutely fascinating read with an original concept and an absolutely brilliant villain!

Cults are always a fascinating thing, but I doubt we ever understand why they're so...crazy sometimes. Gated definitely gives us a first class look in on cults! Pioneer was an amazing villain and he was so suave with his manipulation and, honestly, I'm not quite sure if he was a psycho and really believed what he was saying...or if he was just a really good actor. But he was by far the most interesting part of Gated!

My only complaints was the romance and the plot. While there were a ton of twists, they were really just clumped in the end. The first half of the story was pretty slow, though it gave us an amazing look into Lyla's life and Pioneer's...methods. And, while sometimes I wanted to bang my head on a wall, I could definitely understand why these characters did what they did.

The romance was insta-love, definitely (and sadly.) My only relief about it is that, while it was completely insta-love, it didn't play a major major roll in the plot. We never really focused on it and Cole (our boy outside) was only mentioned a few times, really.

I really did adore this book though. It was a new idea and was definitely written well, I think, for someone who never got involved with a cult (err...I hope.) It was definitely a new perspective seeing this from the inside out! I sort of expected this to be apocalyptic and it definitely had a dystopian feel to it. I have to give it to Parker--she definitely knows how to make something like this creepy! (Those lasting words in the end...oh God. The shudders.)

Different with just the right touch of chilling, Gated is a must read for people who love dystopians and those who love those wonderfully written and different contemporaries!

Pages: 384
Genre: Contemporary/Cult
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Random House Children's
Release Date: August 27, 2013
Rating: 3.5 stars