My impressions of this book are...mixed, much like my feelings for it's predecessor, The Passage. The Passage was long and uneven. It was basically two books melded into one. When I saw that this book was half the page count, I was hopeful that Cronin had figured out how to be more succinct than he was in his previous effort, but instead, it felt like he just eliminated whole chapters. Necessary chapters.

I spent a good chunk of the book feeling confused. Like I missed something. Listening to it on audiobook, I began to wonder if I'd accidentally fast forwarded through some relevant chapters. But no, Cronin just didn't feel the need to elaborate, only elude to certain things. Big things that left you wondering.

This book went in a completely different direction than expected from the ending of the first. All of the characters from the first book are scattered to the wind, but there is no real explanation as to how or why or what has happened to them in the interim. He just starts the book as if there is an expectation that you already know what happened. And then he brings them all back together and it's like, "Wait, what?" But you just have to go with it and pretend like you get it because he's not going to explain it for you.

He also introduces a whole host of new characters and then does something with some of them and nothing at all with the rest of them. First, they are there and then, he moves onto something else and never mentions them again. Presumably, this will all be fleshed out in the final installment of the series (I assume), but it's just a really, really bizarre way to write a trilogy.

The story overall was okay. I really waffled between giving this two stars and three. In the end, I decided on three because it wasn't awful, but because of all of the switching back in time and between characters and with the utter lack of explanation, it was just confusing.

Despite it all, I'll probably read the last book. Just to see what happens to Amy and Peter. He left them in a really weird spot and I'm curious how it will end. But I have the distinct impression that when it's all said and done, I will think that this series has been vastly overrated.

A struggle for the survival of the human race.

The gathering of the 11 was so vivid. what an image to try and sleep with. Couldn't read this book at bed time. Sleep was long delayed... to finish the book

The closing scene was my favorite. inspired. No spoiler here.

Becoming

who can you trust? are you ever sure.

Great reading and really interesting story. Riveting and fun. I loved the first one in the series and this sequel did not disappoint.

Fantastic story line. What a world. So much going on.

could be better

Sleep with one eye open

Can't wait to start the second novel in the series

It is a complex story with a lot of characters and time jumps, something that would take me forever to read in the short evenings I have. Listening to the book made me look forward to my hour commute back and forth to work each day.

There were several (literal) jaw dropping story twists that were excellent.

His performance was good. I prefer women readers myself, mainly because they don't try and sound like a man when reading the dialog of a male character. Mr. Brick fortunately doesn't do much of this either. There is nothing more annoying than a man trying to sound like a woman and coming out sounding like a little girl play acting.

Several laughing points, no crying, but several jaw drops.

This was a satisfying listen, I enjoyed both the first book and this one. One of the things that is extremely nice is that the listener wasn't left hanging at the end of this book. It was obvious that there will be a third to continue the story, but there was no cliff hanging story line to frustrate the listener; it stopped with a nice wrap up and was given a little hint of continuing story line to add just enough anticipation that the listener will look forward to the arrival of the third in the series.

If you are in a very quiet room just focusing on the book, maybe you can follow it better than me. I kept finding myself drifting from this book. I had to re-listen to several parts.

I found this book to be drawn out. The first book kept me very interested, but by comparison, this one is so slow. Not really exciting.

Disgust at the actions that the some of the females had to endure.

I enjoyed the storyline and the characters, both new and old. I'm excited to read the last installment!!

Probably not. He is wonderful to a degree and has a great tone. My only issue with him was The Twelve is already a dramatic story at times, then you had in his over the top reading through some parts and it lost something. There were times I stopped listening at these moments and read the book then would go back to the audio. All in all I didn't mind it but at times he over dramatized the drama and it because comical instead of the intensity I think it deserved.

Only to a friend with a fascination for apocalyptic fiction, and a very patient nature. Some of the narrative was a little too metaphysical for the story - didn't quite jive.

I finished The Passage and went right into The Twelve. I was expecting to see Peter and his group Kill another of the twelve . Of course then I would have to buckle down and wait for each of the next eleven books. Thank You Justin for apparently not choosing that format.

Justin created a world ruled by vampires, and at the same time ravaged by human hands. In The Passage we learned that people had found the fountian of youth, but also found that it had bad side effects. The U.S. government chose twelve people from death rows around the country. They created the twelve vampires that would end the world as we know it. The Passage ended with the heros killing one of the twelve.

The Twelve started five years after the killing of one of the twelve. Each of the main characters, Peter, Aime, Sarah, Isha, and Micheal had continued on with their lives seperatly from the others. Peter joining the army fighting the virals, Aime taking care Peter's brother's baby Caleb, Micheal becoming an oiler, and Sarah being kidnapped. Each of the members would travel through the story aimed at the same destination, the destruction of the twelve. The stories of the group from beginning to end are fantastic. Each one of the stories had its own character that met new characters and followed its own seperate story. The author was very creative in this way. Not only did he create a whole new world but he also created full stories for his main characters.

The evil character in this book was not even a part of the twelve. He was a normal person that had become more by keeping one of the twelve chained up. He was creating a city that support the twelve in the future. This character in the beginning struggles with the bad things he has done to his own people, but this does not last long.The main characters all meet here at this city for a final confrontation with evil. The fianl battle has many unexpected twists and turns that will keep you guessing.



This a very well written book. I would recommend it to all the zombie lovers out their because it introduces vampires on the level of zombies. Something new for you to read about.

Whereas the The Passage seemed sprawling and meandering (in a very good way), The Twelve is, equally epic, is much tighter in terms of the novel's overall goal and how it gets the reader there. Like the first book, this book is filled with wonderful characters: the old ones from the first book return, along with characters only lightly mentioned in the first book and some brand new ones as well. And, it's the characters -- their development, their interaction, their growth, that makes them so compelling. Combine this strong sense of character development with a gripping plot structure, and you have what makes for an excellent audiobook. And, with Scott Brick as narrator, well, the guy could read the White Pages and make it a gripping listen. Scott Brick knows how to narrate.

So, there you have it: gripping story, fantastic sense of character development, and a narrator who knows how to tell a story (not as easy as it sounds). The total package is, well, one helluva story. Enjoy!