An incredible, quick to read YA dystopian, meet: Skin by Liam Brown.

The plot:

A strange virus is sweeping the globe. Humans have become allergic to one another. Simply standing next to somebody could be a death sentence. A kiss could be fatal.

Angela is a woman trying to get by in this bewildering new world. Though she still lives with her husband and children, they lead separate lives. Confined to their rooms, they communicate via their computers and phones. In some ways, very little has changed.

That is, until she spots a mysterious stranger walking through town without even a face mask for protection. A man, it seems, immune to this disease. A man unlike anyone else she knows. A man it might just be safe to touch…

A thoroughly enjoyable read which warrants all your attention

I’m not entirely sure whether this is advertised as a YA, but it’s definitely the vibe I’ve gotten from it. There’s lots of conversations and chapters are short and to the point. Brown makes it very easy for you to imagine the surroundings and transports you to another world, which I adored.

Skin opens with an emergency alert which I am all here for. It chucks you straight into the deep-end, offering questions which makes it impossible to put down. Despite other goings-on, there’s always the underlying fear of the virus, and Brown’s played this well, blended with chapters which jump back in time to the beginning of the outbreak.

It ticks all your boxes for a YA dystopian. It had a hint of menace and unexpected violence, the virus, the intensity of what is going to happen next, wrapped up in a little bow of romance and deceit.

I think the ending was pulled together incredibly, but still gave off the YA vibe. It leaves you, as the reader, to decide what could happen next and is executed in a fabulous but sinister way.

There’s a quote on the back of the book comparing Skin to a modern-day blend of Brave New World and 1984, and I’d have to say I really don’t agree with this. I think it’s tough when you’re comparing it to two very famous dystopian reads, and as someone who lives and breathes 1984, it sets a high expectation.

Skin is a very, very good dystopian, but I just didn’t get the comparison to a modern-1984; I went in expecting something a little different, but I wasn’t disappointed.

I wish there was slightly more of Government play, as it does touch on this, but not enough for me.

I read Skin in a couple of sittings, but you can easily demolish it in one day. A thoroughly enjoyable read which warrants all your attention.

Skin, Liam Brown, RRP £8.99 (paperback); Book Depository 

Pages: 266

Publisher: Legend Press

Genre: YA/ Dystopian