post-apocalyptic

Review: Pestilence (The Four Horsemen #1) by Laura Thalassa

~ megs14malloy ~ Leave a comment

Pestilence (The Four Horsemen, #1)Pestilence by Laura Thalassa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Recently, I read Kaylie Smith’s popular dark-Romantasy novel, Phantasma, which I consider my first ‘real’ Romantasy experience.

I had so, so much fun reading it that I thought I had entered my Romantasy era, so I rushed out, and as you do, ended up purchasing like 16-books within that genre, including this ENTIRE series.

Pestilence was the first book I decided to pick up after that little **cough, cough** haul, and now I feel like I’m over my Romantasy era. I’m sort of kidding, but also, am I?

This book was interesting and for the most part, it kept me engaged, but it also began to feel quite repetitive over the course of the story.

This was published in 2018 and I’m sure for long-time Romantasy Lovers, this is old hat, and maybe the substance and style have evolved over the years. There wasn’t anything wrong with this really, it just failed to ever truly capture my full heart, although I will admit to being quite entertained.

I liked that the romance takes places in an apocalyptic setting, as that was certainly something I hadn’t read before, and I also liked how Pestilence wasn’t quite of our world.

Sara, as the MC, was likable as well. I liked her pluck and attitude. It was enjoyable being in her head, because she had a dry delivery and way of looking at the world, often snarky, which I personally enjoy.

A smaller gripe would be, Pestilence is sort of a long name to use to refer to someone all the time. I was constantly wishing she would just give him a nickname. My vote was for Pest, but the name thing didn’t ultimately get addressed until way too far into the story.

With this being said, I did enjoy how this concluded. I was confused the whole time how the author was gonna wrap it up, but she did succeed in that regard, and I’m intrigued enough to definitely continue on with the series.

Even though it’s slightly ridiculous, I’m still somehow enamored by it. Thalassa obviously knows what she’s doing, as she succeeded in making a fan out of me.

Bring on War, I’m ready for him!!!

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Review: American Rapture by C.J. Leede

~ megs14malloy

American RaptureAmerican Rapture by C.J. Leede
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙💚💙

Oofhhh. American Rapture hit me like a punch to the gut. The Author’s Note made me cry legitimate grown-lady tears.

This is such a well-executed Apocalypse story; completely successful, IMO, with the topics Leede chose to explore. This is going to stick in my mind for a very long time.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, shall we? Maeve Fly. When I read Maeve Fly last year, I found it to be shocking, yes, but also smart and visceral.

That story was presented in a biting stream of consciousness narrative style from the perspective of the MC. That type of narrative choice isn’t my favorite and I often find myself struggling to determine what exactly the author is hoping for me to get out of it.

American Rapture is nothing like Maeve Fly.

I mean, I guess I shouldn’t say that, because in some ways it is. It’s also smart and visceral, as well as certainly memorable, but the tone throughout, and the way the story is presented, is vastly different.

This is a truly realistic Apocalypse story. We follow a teen girl named, Sophie, who was raised in an extremely zealous Catholic household.

Sophie has been very sheltered from the world, and as you get to know her, she feels emotionally stunted; certainly more naive than she should be at her age.

We discover that she has a twin brother, Noah, who has been removed from the household and sent away for unknown reasons. On the brink of the societal collapse, Sophie sets out to try to find him. On her own for the first time, Sophie is quickly schooled in the ways of the world.

The synopsis alludes to sexual elements and sex, as well as sexuality, are def amongst the topics explored here.

The virus in question has many symptoms, but one of the most shocking is that infected individuals act out in sexual ways, often attacking in violent, lust-filled rages. Sophie is witness to these on more than a few occasions.

For Sophie, having been completely sexually repressed, this is beyond incomprehensible. She was on the verge of her own sexual awakening when this all started, which further complicates her confusion, guilt and shame.

In a lot of ways, Sophie made me think of Carrie White. This is what would have happened if an Apocalypse had hit just prior to Carrie going to the prom.

I did love going on this journey with Sophie though. I had such empathy for her. I wished I could have been there to help guide her and reassure her through many of her most difficult moments; clearly, her parents were useless.

I will be honest, I did skip Chapter 44. I had been warned ahead of time of some content contained therein, that because of circumstances going on in my life, I wouldn’t have handled well at the moment.

Even skipping that chapter though, I still feel like I easily understood everything that was happening in the story directly thereafter.

I did listen to the audiobook and loved the narration by Moniqua Plante. They did a great job bringing Sophie to life. I felt like I was listening to her recount these events first hand. It drew me in and held me.

I do feel like even though disaster struck numerous times over the course of this story, the world was literally falling apart, it nevertheless left me with a sense of hope and light.

An understanding that no matter what you are going through, no matter what your losses, as long as you are breathing, you can push through. You can come out the other side, maybe not the same, not undamaged, but alive and with the chance to be happy again.

If you pick this up, and I recommend you do, please be sure to read the Author’s Note at the end. I appreciate the novel even more after learning a bit about Leede’s own journey and the struggles that she had recently been going through.

I feel she put a lot of heart into this story. It’s thoughtful, impactful and gripping throughout. I was really impressed, and more importantly, moved by it.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

It’s clear that C.J. Leede is an incredible talent with a lot of versatility in her writing. I cannot wait for more!!!

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Review: The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson

~ megs14malloy

The ViolenceThe Violence by Delilah S. Dawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

The Violence is a unique and compelling plague story. Dawson succeeded at so many things with this. One of the standout features for me was how attached I became to the three women we are following.

I loved the journey I went on when them, but also appreciated the themes explored. Their lives were really a reflection of our society; one that can be difficult to look at. It’s hard-hitting, and IMO, very impactful.

The world-wide plague in this story causes random acts of extreme violence. There seems to be no logic to it. It can happen at any time and to anyone.

The measures put in place to protect citizens mimic those of the COVID pandemic, but unlike other stories touching upon that horrendous time, this one didn’t annoy me, or make me want to put it down and never look back.

Dawson captured the stress and uncertainty of that time without getting repetitive or preachy. She wasn’t just repackaging that whole episode for us, she was creating something new here, and I was loving it.

This story unfolds for the Reader from the POV’s of three different women: Chelsea, her Mom, Patricia, and Chelsea’s daughter, Ella.

I love how Dawson chose three women from the same family. Literally, three generations of women battling violence, but maybe not the violence you’re expecting.

I would recommend anyone picking up this story pay attention to the Author’s Note at the beginning, as that will give you an idea as to what you are about to get into.

I really, really, really enjoyed this. It definitely exceeded my expectations as far as the quality and creativity of the overall themes explored. I became so attached to the women we were following. I felt like I was right there with them.

Additionally, there’s a pro-wrestling aspect to this which surprised me and that I found so fun. I’m not sure if Dawson is an actual wrestling fan or not, but it certainly felt like it.

My rating is only down a half star because ((content warning)) (view spoiler)

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Review: Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine

~ megs14malloy

Your Shadow Half RemainsYour Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Your Shadow Half Remains is a difficult book to talk about. Frankly, I’m not sure I really understood it. At least not in the way the author intended. Nevertheless, I shall try…

Regardless of how much I actually comprehended though, I still enjoyed the reading experience. It’s a puzzler.

This is presented as a sort of post-apocalyptic world, where a virus has caused those infected to go into a violent, murderous rage if they look into another person’s eyes.

Our main character, Riley, hasn’t looked at, or interacted with any other humans in at least two years, maybe more. In fact, Riley hasn’t even dared look in a mirror, just in case.

She’s done a great job at keeping herself shut off from the rest of the world, if there’s even a rest of the world left. That is until she stumbles across a new neighbor.

Ellis, the newcomer, throws a kink in Riley’s routine and causes her to feel things she hasn’t in a long, long time. Unfortunately, this new swell of emotions causes her to question reality in the most extreme ways.

How much does Riley really know about the world around her? Can we trust her perspective at all, or is it all just the jaded creation of a diseased mind?

We are give the story entirely through Riley’s perspective. Initially, she seems confident in what she is relaying to the Reader. She seems to have a good handle on her situation, even though some details are hazy.

Once her interactions with Ellis begin though, Riley’s grip seems to slip. Before you know it, you are hurtling along through a fever dream of Riley’s own making. It’s unsettling to say the least.

For the most part, I enjoyed trying to decipher what exactly was real in this world. It was confusing, but not in a way that I found to be grating, or annoying.

I was surprised how much the author was able to pack into so few pages; it felt complete. I think it’s a great example of their skill as a writer, because this makes quite an impact in under 200-pages. That’s hard to do.

Overall, I found this to be eerie, disturbing, confusing and compelling. I was initially drawn to this because of the cover. It was giving me serious The Dark Half vibes and I was totally down for that.

While it’s a completely different kind of story than that, I feel like the unsettling cover still matches this story perfectly. I’m glad I picked this one up.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

I’m really looking forward to reading more from this author!

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Review: The Drift by C.J. Tudor

~ megs14malloy

The DriftThe Drift by C.J. Tudor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Drift is a Post-Apocalyptic Thriller from beloved author, C.J. Tudor. This story is full of action, twists and turns.

Unfortunately, even though I generally love Tudor’s work, this one fell flat for me personally. It hurts me to say, but I actually feel like my 3-star rating is a bit generous.

The reason this hurts so much is because I’ve read A Sliver of Darkness, which was a fantastic collection BTW, where in the Author’s Note, Tudor discusses this most recent release and what it meant to her.

It’s a bit of a passion project, if you will, a little outside of her normal lane. I would never want to poo-poo on anyone’s creativity, so it hurts that this one didn’t hit with me more.

Alas, I have to be honest about my experience, because otherwise, what are we all doing here?

This story essentially follows characters in three different survival scenarios. We have a group of young people, fleeing a private school in the midst of a blizzard, whose coach violently hits a snow drift, trapping them in the vehicle in extremely hazardous conditions.

Also in hazardous conditions is the group of characters trapped in a gondola lift after a power loss. And finally, we follow a group of individuals who live in a large mountaintop estate known as The Retreat, as the estate’s defenses begin to fail due to inclement weather and power issues.

Interestingly, the people in the coach and the people in the gondola were all trying to get to The Retreat. It’s unclear exactly what this Retreat is, but it’s definitely viewed as a safe haven against a dangerous world.

In the beginning, I was intrigued. The characters, though not likable, were compelling enough to keep me happily flipping the pages. Unfortunately, it got to a point where I was forcing myself to pick it up.

I just wanted to finish it. I ended up becoming so bored with the whole thing. I did not care at all what happened to anybody. I just wanted it to be over.

I know that sounds harsh, and I can’t even pinpoint what in particular that it was that didn’t work for me, it just didn’t.

It’s not the writing. Tudor is a fantastic writer and I think she did a great job of creatively revealing what was actually going on in this story. However, with this being said, by the time we got to some big reveals, I couldn’t care less.

I absolutely understand that I am in the minority opinion on this one. I’ve read the reviews. I get it. I just wish I could have loved it as much as everyone else.

With all of this being said, the fact that this one didn’t quite knock my socks off, in no way changes my opinion on C.J. Tudor as a writer and creator of thrilling, compelling and worth-while stories.

I will absolutely continue to pick up every single thing she writes. Also, just because this didn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. If you’re intrigued by the synopsis, you should give it a go.

Thank you to the publisher, Ballantine Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate it so much and look forward to seeing what Tudor comes up with next!

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Review: Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

~ megs14malloy

ManhuntManhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Holy Splatterpunk, this was good!!
Caution: Don’t read whilst eating…

Honestly, I don’t even know how to begin going about reviewing this book. While it technically fits into genres that I have read, it’s like nothing else.

Manhunt is like being punched in the face repeatedly and enjoying it. Maybe even asking for more…

This is like an unrated version of The Walking Dead, but with trans and other queer main characters.

Basically this story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a virus has turned the entire male population into horrifying creatures; like walkers.

We follow two best friends, Beth and Fran, trans women, trying to survive in New England. They are manhunters. For reasons I won’t go into here, they kill the infected men and harvest certain parts of them.

Any time they are out hunting they are in terrible danger. This entire setting is incredibly risky. There are not just the infected men they have to deal with, but also bands of TERFs scouting certain areas, as well as other general apocalypse survivors.

Everything and everyone poses a risk.

Over the course of the first part of the story, Fran and Beth join up with a trans man named, Robbie, and their long-time friend, a fertility doctor named, Indi.

Basically, as you can imagine, living situations in this world are highly unstable. We follow our quad as they move from one place to another, trying to find a safe situation for themselves. It ain’t easy and a lot of blood, guts and various other bodily fluids get shed along the way.

Y’all, wow. I haven’t read something this bloody, gorey, toe-curling, gag-inducing, addicting, erotic and uncomfortable, well…ever.

I love how Felker-Martin never lets up. It’s not a super gore-filled scene followed by 50-pages of nonsense. It is balls to the wall, pardon the pun, the entire way through.

The post-apocalyptic setting was so well done. I loved the idea behind the virus, how it struck men and how society tried to rearrange itself after. That was very creative.

Additionally, the characters were well done. I wish I had gotten to know each of them a little bit more, but I understand you can only make stories so long. The important bits were all here.

Towards the end, it did get chaotic for me. The perspectives were shifting so rapidly, it was sometimes hard to follow. In particular, as the final showdown approached, a few times I lost track of whose perspective I was reading from.

Overall, this was such an addicting story. Holy smokes. I feel like I need to take a recovery day to get over it. It’s violent, erotic, thought-provoking, visceral…did I mention erotic?

Proceed with caution, but also, don’t. It’s a ride worth being a little uncomfortable for. You can eat again after it’s over.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I cannot wait to see what Gretchen Felker-Martin dishes up next!!

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Review: Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

~ megs14malloy

Moon of the Crusted SnowMoon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Waubgeshig Rice’s post-apocalyptic novel, Moon of the Crusted Snow, is a perfect Winter read.

Listening to this audiobook, while out walking my dog in the dark, with nothing but a headlamp guiding our way through barren conservation lands was eerie and thrilling.

The narrator for the audiobook, Billy Merasty, did an incredible job; I felt transported into the story.

For me, Rice’s writing style is a great example of good ole’-fashioned storytelling. It’s blunt and straight-forward. There’s never any struggling to figure out what’s happening, or losing brain cells trying to decipher the plot.

This narrative follows a small, isolated Northern Anishinaabe community as they lose all communication with the outside world at the start of Winter.

Initially they don’t think much of it. It seems to be just the internet and cable, but soon things get worse.

Now without power and no idea as to why, the community must band together to wait it out. They have no idea if supplies from the South will be coming and as more time goes by, people are on the brink of panic.

It feels cold, dark and desperate; much like my heart.

Reading this post-the COVID lockdowns that we have all been dealing with over the last couple of years, made this story hit extra hard.

Rice did an incredible job building the feelings of despair and anxiousness. I was starting to get really anxious as the community’s resources began to dwindle. It’s a slow burn, but extremely well executed.

I liked getting to know this community; watching how they came together and dealt with their horrifying circumstances. It’s a great cast of characters overall. I particularly felt connected with Evan and Nicole.

As mentioned above, I did enjoy the way Rice built up that feeling of dread. It was a great atmosphere. I just wished he would have sunk his teeth into that aspect even more. Gone a bit farther to push that feeling on the Reader. I wanted just a little more.

With this being said, this is a super interesting and well written story. It was definitely a memorable reading experience for me. I look forward to reading more from Waubgeshig Rice in the future!

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Review: The Fireman by Joe Hill

~ megs14malloy

The FiremanThe Fireman by Joe Hill
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I finally got around to picking this up along with my friend, Shannon, for a buddy read.

Considering everything the world has been through over the course of the past year, it was an excellent choice. We certainly had a lot to discuss!

Following a group of characters, after a worldwide pandemic decimates the population, The Fireman is a chilling example of society stripped bare of its conventions.

The plague itself is spread by a highly contagious spore, physically representing itself on the human body as scaly skin discolorations and sores that come to be known as, Dragonscale.

Obviously, in my head I pictured, Greyscale, from Game of Thrones.

The most interesting aspect of this disease is the cause of death: spontaneous combustion.

Fires are erupting everywhere. There’s no advanced warning. Anyone could blow at any time. There’s no cure. Can you imagine the stress!?

Harper Grayson is a nurse in New Hampshire, who continues working long after the plague begins, in spite of great personal risk to herself.

As many other frontline workers, she feels compelled to help people as long as she can. Unfortunately, her husband Jakob isn’t crazy about her choice.

The couple make a pact, that if they become infected, they’ll take matters into their own hands. They’ll decide when they die, but when Harper finds signs on her skin that she has contracted the disease, she doesn’t want to follow through with it. She wants to live.

She’s pregnant and believes she can give her baby a fighting chance. In the hospital, she watched infected mothers give birth to healthy babies. She knows it’s possible.

When Harper expresses this to Jakob, he loses it. He comes completely unhinged, revealing a side to himself he previously kept hidden.

He believes Harper has gotten him sick, even though he has no symptoms yet. Jakob turns on her, blaming her for everything and ends up abandoning her.

With vigilantes, known as Cremation Squads, out hunting those infected with Dragonscale, Harper knows it is unsafe for her to stay alone.

Luckily, she is approached by some friendly infecteds, who offer her a place to stay within their survivor’s camp.

I found this to be an incredibly riveting story. To me, it feels sort of like The Stand-2.0. I did notice a few nods to that classic; my favorite book of all time.

The Stand was written in the late-1970s; The Fireman was published in 2016. A lot has changed in our society since then, but simultaneously, not much has changed at all.

As the rules and norms of society are broken down, people are returned to their more primal instincts in order to survive. It’s interesting to think about how people would arrange and conduct themselves following an apocalyptic event.

While this wasn’t as impactful or compelling for me as The Stand is, I still think it is a great post-apocalyptic story. Hill definitely has a narrative style that keeps me engaged and wanting more.

I also appreciated how layered this story was. You could deep dive into it and analyze so many different aspects.

Shannon noticed a lot of feminist themes woven throughout and that definitely fueled some of our more vibrant discussions.

Overall, I had a really good time reading this and do recommend it to those who enjoy a long-form, post-apocalyptic story!

I’m really looking forward to seeing what Hill comes up with next. He’s definitely an autobuy author for me.

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Review: We Hear Voices by Evie Green

~ megs14malloy

We Hear VoicesWe Hear Voices by Evie Green
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

During a mysterious flu pandemic, Rachel’s son, Billy, lies close to death. Rachel is so distraught. He is just a little boy, how could this happen?

Defying all odds, Billy fights through and survives, but he brings a friend back with him from the brink. An imaginary friend who he calls, Delfy.

Rachel knows that many children develop imaginary friends to help them cope through difficult times, so she’s not too concerned about it.

From what Billy is telling her, Delfy is encouraging him to get stronger and that can’t be a bad thing, can it?

But when Billy’s behavior takes a frightening turn, Rachel knows Delfy is to blame.

Billy’s older sister, Nina, also thinks Delfy’s influence is harmful, and she is determined to get to the bottom of it. Her theory is that the flu is the root of the issue and she believes other children may be experiencing the same phenomenon.

There’s a lot going on in this novel; some of the subplots being more interesting that others. One of my favorite aspects was reading about the pandemic, obviously made more eerie due to everything happening in our world.

This novel follows multiple perspectives as it builds out the dreary post-apocalyptic atmosphere. We follow Rachel, a struggling mother, Billy’s sister, Nina, who is part of a space program for teens, and a doctor, whose name I can’t recall, who treats children hearing voices post-flu.

While many of the aspects of this were interesting to me, once they were mushed together, it became a bit much. It was like the plot suffered a little because there was almost too much going on.

The pacing was off because of this as well, with me much preferring particular perspectives to others. Frankly, I could have done with just Rachel and Nina’s points of view.

Even though this is pitched as Horror, I would categorize it more as a Sci-Fi Thriller.

In spite of the tiny criticisms mentioned above, I still found this be to an engaging story and Green’s writing style to be quite pleasing. I would definitely pick up future work from this author.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I truly appreciate it.

On the heels of 2020, now is the perfect time to pick this one up! You’ll know what I mean once you read it.

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Review: The Girl in Red by Christina Henry

~ megs14malloy

The Girl in RedThe Girl in Red by Christina Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Red needs to get to Grandma’s house but this is no fairytale land she is traveling through.

This is a postapocalyptic war zone where a disease, known as ‘the cough’, runs rampant and has decimated the population. The world is a dangerous place with enemies around every corner, or so it seems. Most people have been rounded up into quarantine camps but Red would rather take her chances on the road.

Alternating between now and before, we get a pretty good idea of Red’s home life and family dynamic prior to the sickness. Red, who has a prosthetic limb, after being hit by a car at the age of 8, is used to people underestimating her. She becomes frustrated with this and constantly feels compelled to be tough and prove people wrong.

Highly risk averse, Red feels well prepared for this. Certainly more prepared than your average Joe. She knows the rules. She has been studying them via horror movies and other like media for years. I loved this aspect of Red’s personality. Hello, relatable.

Traveling with her whiny brother, Adam, Red feels like she needs to not only carry her weight but his too. Put simply, Adam was a huge pain in the ass. Red has the patience of a Saint, frankly, putting up with him as she did.

I loved how quickly the action in this kicks off and I thought that the postapocalyptic world was well imagine. The two timelines worked well playing off each other to reveal the entirety of the story. Watching Red’s character gain strength over time was so satisfying.

This being said, I did want a bit more. I know that not every book can be 500-pages but this was just so interesting and the ending, to me, felt rushed.

Overall, I think this is a very solid story. I enjoyed Henry’s imagination quite a bit. This is my first book from her but it definitely won’t be the last one I pick up.

A hearty thank you to the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I would definitely recommend this to readers who enjoy darker content and women who kick butt!

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