ARC Review: ‘Til the World Ends by Julie Kagawa, Ann Aguirre, and Karen Duval
Release Date: January 29, 2013
Book provided by NetGalley and Harlequin
Before The Immortal Rules, there was the Red Lung, a relentless virus determined to take out all in its path. For Kylie, the miracle of her survival is also her burden—as a doctor at one of the clinics for the infected, she is forced to witness endless suffering. What’s worse, strange things are happening to the remains of the dead, and by the time she befriends Ben Archer, she’s beginning to wonder if a global pandemic is the least of her problems…Thistle & Thorne by Ann Aguirre
After a catastrophic spill turns the country into a vast chemical wasteland, those who could afford it retreated to fortresses, self-contained communities run by powerful corporations. But for Mari Thistle, life on the outside—in the Red Zone—is a constant struggle. To protect her family, Mari teams up with the mysterious Thorne Goodman. Together, they’ll face an evil plot in both the underworld of the Red Zone and the society inside the fortresses that could destroy those on the outside… for good.Sun Storm by Karen Duvall
Sarah Daggot has been chasing storms since she was a child. But after the biggest solar flares in history nearly destroy the planet, she becomes a Kinetic, endowed by her exposure to extreme radiation with the power to sense coming storms—in the cosmos and beyond. And she’s not the only one. Sarah believes the Kinetics are destined to join forces and halt the final onslaught of the sun. She’ll vow to keep trying to convince the one missing link in their chain of defense, the enigmatic Ian Matthews, up until the world ends.
AH’s Review – 4 Skulls – A-
’Til the World Ends is an anthology of three novellas about a post-apocalyptic world. I was excited to read this anthology mostly because of Julie Kagawa’s story Dawn of Eden, the prequel to her highly successful Blood of Eden series. I’ve enjoyed Ann Aguirre’s Sirantha Jax series and Karen Duval was a new to me author.
Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa
Easily my favorite story in the anthology, or perhaps it was because I was familiar with this world. Dawn of Eden is the story of the aftermath of the Red Lung virus and the beginnings of the scary vampire-human zombie like creatures that rule the night. This story focuses on Kylie, a Red Lung virus survivor and Ben Archer. Ben is headed home to his estranged family. The story is exciting and the pacing is frenetic. Some interesting revelations are made about the hybrids. There is also the appearance of a mysterious character, identified only as K. Well done and darker than The Immortal Rules. Recommended that The Immortal Rules be read BEFORE this novella.
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Thistle and Thorne by Ann Aguirre
I’m not really sure if this story fits into any of Ms. Aguirre’s series. This is an interesting take about a corrupt world set in the future after some world changing chemical spills. The world is lacking in resources and the main character resorts to theft in order to feed her younger siblings. She pairs up with an enforcer and the two of them work to unseat an incredibly bloodthirsty and corrupt official. I loved how this unlikely couple worked together. Nicely done.
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Sun Spots by Karen Duval
I’ve never read anything by Ms. Duval, but I think I may need to look up some of her books. Sun Spots takes place after a devastating event called The Bell Ringer. The sun sends down deadly sparks that can kill most humans. Our heroine Sarah is able to predict these storms and makes it her purpose to warn people to take shelter when these storms arrive. She meets Ian who is able to control the weather. They soon realize that their powers are complementary and seek out government officials because Sarah has a premonition of a catastrophic end of the world. Sun Spots was an interesting story that held my attention throughout.
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Overall, this was an enjoyable anthology and I am looking forward to reading more books by these authors.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin books for a review copy of this book.
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AH
Hi all! Bonjour! I’m AH and I am obsessed with reading. I read all kinds of books, but my favorites are paranormal romance and urban fantasy. What is it about those vampires and shape-shifters? Lately, I seem to be reading a lot of dystopian books as well. Are zombies the new vampire? I hope not. I have 3 boys – all reluctant readers so I tend to read a lot of young adult books aimed at boys. I want them to catch the reading bug too! I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts about books with you. Hope we can discover some great reads together.
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