Kaethe

One day, traveling back from a debate tournament, everything goes crazy and awful: flocks of birds cause several plane crashes. Okay, birds are creepy. Then there's a national state of emergency which leaves Reece, her teammate and their debate coach stranded farm from home with phones out/down/whatever and no flights. Highschool students unable to get home or contact their folks during an emergency, that's a hell of a situation.  And then things get worse. And worse. And still more worse.

Plotwise, there's a hell of a lot to work with. Sadly, there's so much going on that things don't necessarily get a chance to build. On the plus side, the emotional relationships do get a chance to build, so they come off really well. I think the book is weakest in the scifi/thriller aspects, but those are still good ideas. I'll definitely be picking up the sequel.

Library copy