Audiobook Review - The Twelve by Justin Cronin

Author: Justin Cronin
Release Date: October 16th, 2012
Publisher: The Random House Publishing Group/Random House Audio 
Narrator: Scott Brick
4.5 Stars - Loved this book

Synopsis:
At the end of The Passage, the great viral plague had left a small group of survivors clinging to life amidst a world transformed into a nightmare. In the second volume of this epic trilogy, this same group of survivors, led by the mysterious, charismatic Amy, go on the attack, leading an insurrection against the virals: the first offensives of the Second Viral War.

To do this, they must infiltrate a dozen hives, each presided over by one of the original Twelve. Their secret weapon: Alicia, transformed at the end of book one into a half human, half viral—but whose side, in the end, is she really on?

Review:
I hardly feel that I can put all of my emotions that I felt throughout this book into word form. I don't think I can do it justice.  Just as it's predecessor did, this book has captured my every waking minute. I re-listened to a couple parts several times. I was scared to death at one point, and crying the next.  It is a heart-wrenching account of a post-apocalyptic world left with little to no hope.  Believe it or not, but hope is what drives this series.  Hope for the people whose lives that have been ravaged by the virals.  Hope that one day they will see loved ones and family members again.  Hope that the twelve can be destroyed.  The power of the human spirit is tested to unbelievable degrees, and yet there is still hope.   
I am a huge fan of the show The Walking Dead.  This has a similar feel, but more intense and frightening.  The sheer fact that the virals are evolving gave me shivers up my spine.  And just like in The Passage, the author leaves you gasping and panting at the end, utterly reaching for that third and final book.           
photo and synopsis courtesy of Goodreads