Teenage Lucy is still struggling with PTSD from her childhood experiences in Peru when she witnesses a demonic attack in her high school classroom. A fellow student blinds another. And then he kills the teacher who tries to break up the fight. Mysterious men then kill the attacker. But that is only the start of what Lucy has to deal with in The Loop.
When I saw the publisher’s blurb stating the book is “Stranger Things meets World War Z”, I had to read this book. This is technological horror at its best. It reminds me of the first time I watched Independence Day. At its heart, it is pure good versus pure evil.
However, despite its teenage characters, it would definitely be rated R for its crass depiction of women and its gut-wrenching gory violence. Bottom line is that it’s genuinely frightening. It is easy to imagine yourself in Lucy’s position. Which Lucy would you be? The version that has the “ability to disappear into the world of ghosts” and remain on the sidelines? Or the Lucy who “wanted nothing so much as to crush whatever had tried to harm her”? I know which one I would choose.
While definitely not for children or even pre-teens, The Loop is an exciting look into a possible future when technology turns on us all. As another reviewer suggested, it reads like a Stephen King blockbuster without all the unnecessary words. 5 stars!
Thanks to Saga Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.