#1 The Ending Series
Genre: New Adult Fiction/ Dystopian/Romance
Genre: New Adult Fiction/ Dystopian/Romance
My Rating: ★★★★1/2
Goodreads Summary:
The Virus spread. Billions died. The Ending began. We may have survived the apocalypse, but the Virus changed us.
The Virus spread. Billions died. The Ending began. We may have survived the apocalypse, but the Virus changed us.
**Spoiler Free Review**
I've read a lot of dystopian fiction over the past few years and it is definitely one of my favourite genres so this book appealed to me immediately. It was actually recommended to me by my sister when it was free on the Kobo store (which it still is if anyone is interested! Click here). She loved it and so I picked it up soon after and it had me hooked.
The book follows two main characters who are friends on different sides of the country, Zoe and Dani, and alternates between their perspectives. It is set in America when a deadly virus hits, wiping out most of the population and leaving those who survive different.
The writing in this book flows very well and it makes the book very fast-paced and incredibly quick to read. It also has really great characters throughout the book. Although I found one of the main characters a little hard to connect to at the beginning of the novel because of her thought processes, I soon adapted to the story and began liking her more and more. It was occasionally quite confusing because there are a lot of characters, and switching between characters meant it was sometimes a lot to take in as there voices sounded a bit alike. However, after a while it becomes more clear who everyone is and all of the characters develop so much throughout the book. I am impressed that two authors wrote this book as it feels so cohesive to read and their writing style flawlessly flows into each other's.
I know many people, like myself, have read a lot of dystopians which often have the same feel and it does get a little dull. However, Fairleigh and Pogue took After the Ending in a direction that I've never read before in a dystopian novel like this and I love it! The introduction of what happens to characters who survive the virus is something I absolutely loved about this book and it made me immediately go out and buy the next two books in the series. I would definitely consider these books an addictive read even if the plot and character development occasionally has a couple of holes in it (although it is a four book series so more is explained in later books).
Normally I'm not a huge fan of romances and I haven't read many New Adult books but I found the romances in this to be part of what made the books so unique and they often kept me turning the page just to find out what would happen. Because the main characters are in their twenties, like myself, both their romantic relationships and relationships with other people were a lot more relatable than some Young Adult novels I've read recently. And I found this to be a refreshing part of the storyline, even if I didn't always agree with character's decisions!
Just another note, I have put this book in the genre of New Adult rather than Young Adult as this book, and others in the series, have explicit scenes of an adult nature and also the occasional use of strong language. If you're not sure if you should be reading this book because you think you might be too young then I'd ask a parent. However I think anyone over the age of 15 should be okay reading this book, but that's just my opinion!
If you're a dystopian fan or even just a New Adult fan, I would definitely recommend this book. It's quite a light read, despite some darker themes and it's incredibly quick to read. I love the story more than I thought I would and I've already flown through the second book. As I said previously, it is a four book series and the final book is being released some time this year and I can't wait!! If you do read all three books there's also an omnibus of prequel novellas to keep you going until the final book. I would at least recommend anyone who has a kobo to go and get the free ebook now and at least try it because they really are great books.
I've read a lot of dystopian fiction over the past few years and it is definitely one of my favourite genres so this book appealed to me immediately. It was actually recommended to me by my sister when it was free on the Kobo store (which it still is if anyone is interested! Click here). She loved it and so I picked it up soon after and it had me hooked.
The book follows two main characters who are friends on different sides of the country, Zoe and Dani, and alternates between their perspectives. It is set in America when a deadly virus hits, wiping out most of the population and leaving those who survive different.
The writing in this book flows very well and it makes the book very fast-paced and incredibly quick to read. It also has really great characters throughout the book. Although I found one of the main characters a little hard to connect to at the beginning of the novel because of her thought processes, I soon adapted to the story and began liking her more and more. It was occasionally quite confusing because there are a lot of characters, and switching between characters meant it was sometimes a lot to take in as there voices sounded a bit alike. However, after a while it becomes more clear who everyone is and all of the characters develop so much throughout the book. I am impressed that two authors wrote this book as it feels so cohesive to read and their writing style flawlessly flows into each other's.
I know many people, like myself, have read a lot of dystopians which often have the same feel and it does get a little dull. However, Fairleigh and Pogue took After the Ending in a direction that I've never read before in a dystopian novel like this and I love it! The introduction of what happens to characters who survive the virus is something I absolutely loved about this book and it made me immediately go out and buy the next two books in the series. I would definitely consider these books an addictive read even if the plot and character development occasionally has a couple of holes in it (although it is a four book series so more is explained in later books).
Normally I'm not a huge fan of romances and I haven't read many New Adult books but I found the romances in this to be part of what made the books so unique and they often kept me turning the page just to find out what would happen. Because the main characters are in their twenties, like myself, both their romantic relationships and relationships with other people were a lot more relatable than some Young Adult novels I've read recently. And I found this to be a refreshing part of the storyline, even if I didn't always agree with character's decisions!
Just another note, I have put this book in the genre of New Adult rather than Young Adult as this book, and others in the series, have explicit scenes of an adult nature and also the occasional use of strong language. If you're not sure if you should be reading this book because you think you might be too young then I'd ask a parent. However I think anyone over the age of 15 should be okay reading this book, but that's just my opinion!
If you're a dystopian fan or even just a New Adult fan, I would definitely recommend this book. It's quite a light read, despite some darker themes and it's incredibly quick to read. I love the story more than I thought I would and I've already flown through the second book. As I said previously, it is a four book series and the final book is being released some time this year and I can't wait!! If you do read all three books there's also an omnibus of prequel novellas to keep you going until the final book. I would at least recommend anyone who has a kobo to go and get the free ebook now and at least try it because they really are great books.
Thank you for the great review! ! I hope you enjoy book 3!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading the review! :) I'm sure I will!
DeleteI'll be reviewing the second and third book at some point too :)