Great events turn on small hinges.

4.5/5 stars but rounded up here.

I absolutely loved this journey, all of it.
When it comes to King, the character work is usually as good as the journey and this one wasn't much different.
One of my favorite things might've been how different types of people were depicted here, both among the kids and the adults.
Kids who, upon finding themselves in a hopeless and helpless situation, try to to help each other; they take the newbies under their wing to make their experience less scary. The way Luke and Sha almost became parent figures to Avery, despite all 3 of them being children. Harry, who looked like a bully at first, taking the little twins under his wing... the relationship among most of these kids was so so beautiful. But of course, there were those who would risk the lives of other kids just for their own gain too.
And then the adults who tried to help Luke, even without knowing his story, tried to feed him without expecting anything in return. While some saw a beat up, obviously abused kid, and all they thought about was reporting his whereabouts to the abusers, just because they were paid to do so.

And the journey was so emotional but also horrifying.
The Institute people have to be some of the most messed up humans I've seen, and they believed they were saving the world.
What they did somewhat reminded me of the title story in [b:Everything's Eventual|10579|Everything's Eventual|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386922876l/10579._SY75_.jpg|2330175] and the Breakers from [b:The Dark Tower|5091|The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7)|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372296329l/5091._SY75_.jpg|6309701], and I was waiting for a reference or a sign that they're connected, but I think the closest it got was the [b:’Salem’s Lot|11590|’Salem’s Lot|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1738025067l/11590._SY75_.jpg|3048937] reference suggesting they may all be happening in the same world.

[Spoiler]
Avery's final thoughts BROKE me.

Such a strong story. Just kept pulling you forward. It reminded me a little to some of The Stranger Things episodes on Netflix.

I'm so glad I started the year with such a great reading. I've always loved Stephen King's writing style and the way his stories progress, but I feel like this one was different. And I liked it. Also, the story in itself was impressive. I'll start recommending it to everyone who asks me about a great book.