The Sacrifice (The Enemy Book 4) - Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Survival Novel | Perfect for Dystopian Fiction Fans & Book Club Discussions

The Sacrifice is the fourth book in the series following The Enemy, The Dead and The Fear. This time the story follows Sam and The Kid in their efforts to find Sam's sister. Sam and The Kid were picked up by a group of kids based at the Tower of London led by Ed at the end of The Dead. Ed continues to play a part in this story and he crosses paths with a few individuals from across the series this time around. The interlinking stories format continues to work extremely well.Sam is a really likeable character, not as old as a lot of the previous central characters and so his behaviour and thought processes work differently. This comes across well and you can't help but like him for being a cute, almost comical kid, but also a strong, determined one. The Kid continues to act in his strange, humorous way with his unusual way of speaking. At first you just find him funny but as the story progresses and events unfold you start to see him as more of a real person, not as daft as he seems, and suffering just as everyone else is, and not just someone to add a little comedy value.Shadowman also has his story expanded. I had really hoped that he would become a bigger character in the ongoing saga and I was not to be disappointed. He continues to battle on in his own unique way in an attempt to learn more about the changing behaviour of a group of sicko's that he named The Fear in the last book. This is the group lead by The Butcher / Greg / St George that appeared to be learning / adapting / communicating when previously they just appeared to be thoughtless, brain-dead things only bothered about feasting on the flesh of any surviving children that they could find.This book also marks the return of a character that was steadily going crazier and crazier in the The Dead with his religious ranting. This is one that I particularly disliked, but in a good way. His part in the story is well written but he is the sort of person that I would absolutely detest in the real world. He is just so frustrating and this comes across extremely well. He easily fits into the category of stereotypical cult leader, convinced that he is right and yet constantly changing his stories / theories / interpretations to suit what he believes / wants, and to get others to follow him. What a cult! Do his religious ramblings about The Lamb and The Goat have any real relevance and if so is he heading in the right direction with his interpretation of it all?There is also a new addition to the cast in the form of Wormwood. I won't say much about him because that might give away a bit too much. He is an important person in the story though even if he is a bit peculiar.There are plenty of other characters that I could talk about but the ones I have mentioned are the key players around which the story is told. Yet again all of the people are really interesting and you feel differently about each one. You love some, hate others, laugh at a few, pity a couple and cheer on some. You feel happy and sad as things happen throughout the book. These individuals feel real. They are not just words in a book.The story itself takes on a slightly different style to the previous books in that they were more action packed whereas this time the blood and gore takes a slight step down to be replaced by story that expands on the behaviour and needs of the children and changing methods of the sickos. It does still have its fair share of gruesome, splatfest scenes, but they don't play as large a role in the plot this time around. This was a good change of pace and a great way to keep the whole story interesting, eliminating any chance of it becoming repetitive.Whilst not being perfect, this is certainly one of the most entertaining series of books that I have read. It keeps the reader interested by having numerous stories branching out and coming together in a way that never fails to impress me. At no point does the timeline fall apart due to the numerous plots linking in impossible ways. In short, this series goes from strength to strength and I can't wait for book five to come out.