Let me start with some positives. The whole series is well written and the characters are well thought out. Character development is some of the best I have come across and the reality of how some of the characters act astonished me. The ability to switch between the different viewpoints of different characters is done in a way that really gives the reader an insight into more of the story. I believe any who would deny these points have low intelligence and lack the ability to separate the content from the technique.
And now the bad. The content is the worst I have ever come across. By the third book I hated the series, the author, and the author's twisted mind. By the fourth I pledged to myself that once I was done reading that I would burn the books in a fire pit and do whatever it took to get the series banned. I originally found this and started reading it in my high school library, and wished I never came across it. It's content is nothing short of evil and the author should be investigated of any and every crime. The detail put into describing the death, fear, gore, drugs, suffering, and despair are just the start of it. It doesn't surprise me that Stephen King is a fan of these books when in later books it goes into detail of minors engaging in sexual acts.
I urge any adults against reading this series and demand no children get close to any book written by Michael Grant. The overwhelming bad is the reason I gave this a single star.