I’m not sure how to feel about this book, it was really creepy
Lyla goes to live in this gated community controlled by a man called Pioneer, he tells them the end of the world is coming and they are the chosen ones to survive.
The plot was interesting, I liked Lyla she questioned their lifestyle, she wanted more, believed there was more, the writing was also pretty great, I’m just not so sure this type of books are for me, it felt too much like reality and I prefer my books to be all about the fantasy.
But I would definitely recommend for people who likes to read about cults.

"Seventeen-year-old Lyla feels ambivalent when the charismatic leader of her isolated suburban community is told that the end of the world is near and when it arrives they must all be ready to defend themselves against the unchosen."

Lyla has pretty much grown up in Mandrodage Meadows. (Mandrodage is an anagram for Armageddon, which is an indication of what type of community this is). After her sister goes missing, her parents move the family to this isolated community to keep them safe from outsiders. They grow their own food and live simply, and get very upset if you call them a cult. They are taught to shoot to kill because when the world ends in a matter of months, all the "unchosen" will try to take what they have, and they have to be ready. Their leader, Pioneer, leads with a very firm hand and demands absolute obedience, and isn't afraid to dole out the punishments if anyone dares to question him. When Lyla meets an outsider, a boy her own age, she begins to question Pioneer and everything he stands for.

Wow! I loved this book! It was about doomsday cults, which I find very intriguing, and had a great plot, so I was hooked. It had a slow build up, but it absolutely worked here. We needed to get to know everything about the members of the group and the way they lived so we would be sufficiently invested when the action really started picking up. I liked that this author didn't sensationalize the subject matter, but didn't shy away from it, either. The pacing was excellent, the characters were well defined, and the plot was interesting.

I think anyone who loves a good YA doomsday cult thriller (and let's be honest, there aren't many of them to choose from), will love this book! I am very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House Children's, Random House Books for Young Readers, and Amy Christine Parker for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book was requested when I was young and requested more books than I could possibly read. Sadly, I no longer have access to this book and my tastes have changed. Thus I will not be able to give feedback on this title.

Thanks for providing a review copy, I was not able to read this one. So I will not be leaving a review on social media at this time.

From the blurb I got the feeling this was about a society that was maybe a little out there with their thinking and beliefs, but it was a lot more than that, it about a cult ran by a seriously deranged man. Lyla is just 17 years old, stay off the radar, observes those around her, and when an outsider comes to Mandrodage Meadows, she begins to question the things she has been taught about the upcoming apocalypse. There are so many question that she want answers to. The big one for me, was what is going to do if she finds the truth she is looking for, and what is she going to do with?

Lyla was a great character and narrator, maybe a little out of place in a society like she lived in. She thought different, she was bold and strong and stood out, and wasn’t like the other teenagers that truly believed Pioneer. But something about her, just worked for me. The secondary characters brought their own level of intensity to the story, from Cody is the outsider that comes to visit and Lyla is drawn to, to Marie the best friend who has a fascination with the books from the outside. There a few others, that I enjoy as well. There was a little bit of a romance between Lyla and Cody but it didn’t play a big role.

This isn’t a fast paced story at all, and it needed be this way to give the full feeling of the life they live in the Community and especially the domination Pioneer had over “his people”. They have been lead to believe the world outside their walls is in a state of chaos. Pioneer the leader, was a fantastic villain. I’m not sure whether he truly believed what he told them, or he was just plain psycho. Anyway, Lyla is stuck, she wants to be with her family but at the same time, she is certain that things aren’t what they seem. She does all she can to find the truth. Following her and watching her grow into her own was a part that I liked watching. And with the twist climatic twist toward the end, I so engrossed I just couldn’t stop reading. It’s not a happy ending but closure for those in the Community, and an ending that was just right for a book like this.

Gated is dark and thrilling, and takes the reader into cult living, and was horrifying and intriguing all at the same time. The quotes at the start of each new chapter, just added to the creepiness of it all. I think this definitely makes you think, and worth reading.