The Sacrifice (Enemy #4) Review

Trying to review a book in the middle of a series can be difficult. I want to talk about how characters have changed, but trying to give the backstory to all the characters would be a novella in itself. But lets give it a shot. The Sacrifice is the fourth novel in Charlie Higson’s best selling The Enemy series. Set in London in the not so distant future, a sickness wiped out everyone over the age of fourteen. It has been a year since all the adults got sick, most of them died. A few however, lived if you can call it that. They are diseased, crazy animals without thoughts except to eat the flesh of all the children still alive. At least that’s how it was for the past year. Shadowman (Dylan) has been following them, observing them and they are starting to change. They are growing smarter, working together, communication to one another and the kids are not safe. Groups have banded together all over London, in the Tower, the Palace, the Cathedral, and in Parliament. But the sickos, or adults, are smarter now. They are finding ways into the fortified buildings, communicating and working together. Those children who are left, are even more unsafe than they were before.

            This novel brings together all of the different pieces, places, and people that Higson has introduced his readers to over the past few books. Brothers and sisters are trying to cross London to reunite, no matter how many sickos might be between them. Sam and The Kid in trying to find their friends have been captured by more different groups believing them to by spies, or in Mad Matt’s opinion the Lamb and the Goat, the devil and the savior. Those children in power in their “strongholds” are starting to are irrational moves.

            Maybe there is hope. Wormwood, an adult and a sicko might not be as sick as the others. He can still talk, and while he craves the taste of human flesh like the rest, his nonsense talk is starting to make scene. He mumbles about the experiments and the mistakes in-between calling for flesh and turning from the light that burns his skin. Given enough time and darkness he might be able to help those who are left stop the disease and save the children.

            But for every yin there is a yang, and while Wormwood is doing his best to fight the cravings and help, St. George has given in completely to the ravaging and chaos in his mind. He leads the newly ordered and strong group of diseased adults, and they are intent on satisfying their craving for the flesh of children.

            I thought that this book was absolutely amazing and I cannot wait for the series to continue. The first three books focused on just one, maybe two groups of kids, but this novel is bringing them all together, and setting the story up for the final battle where I am assuming all the children will band together under Wormwood’s guidance to fight off the last of the sickness and begin to rebuild humanity.

            I give this novel 4.5/5 stars and wood recommend it for anyone who likes zombie books, post apocalyptic novels, books the feature strong children facing and fighting adversary, and novels like World War Z, Gone, the Killing Floor, and the Quarantine series.