The Apocalypse Five (Archive of the Fives, #1)

by Stacey Rourke

• ISBN10: 1707290636
• ISBN13: 9781707290635
• Publish Date: 10 November 2019 (first published 12 February 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Independently Published
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 222
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Apocalypse Five through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Apocalypse Five is the first novel in the Archive of the Fives series by Stacey Rourke. If I had to define the novel for you in just a few sentences, I would say that it’s Hunger Games in a science fiction setting, only with a couple major twists thrown into the mix.
Apocalypse Five is a combination of so many things, that I honestly don’t envy whoever had to make the decision on what category to put it into. It’s a little bit science fiction, young adult, survival, post-apocalyptic, and so much more. It also touches on other elements, some coming of age, a little bit of romance, that sort of thing.



Warnings: My comparison to Hunger Games is accurate in one sense, at least. There are children (okay, teenagers) in this series. And adults too, of course. These people are used as soldiers for what appears to be entertainment. Their deaths are not always easy or quick, but they’re not overly detailed at least.
Apocalypse Five was a fast-paced novel full of so many twists and turns. With every new twist, I thought I had a handle on the situation, that I fully understood what was happening it this world. Only for another twist to come along and further shake my perception of the world. It left me feeling like I had to constantly stay on my toes as I read – waiting for the next big reveal.
I enjoyed reading this novel. I liked how quick the pace was, and while there was a lot of violence in it, it never really felt overly gory or graphic. That’s a hard line to walk on, so I really appreciate it and feel like it deserves to be pointed out.
I’ll admit that it took me a couple of chapters to really get into this book. The first chapter really threw me through a loop. It was great that it started right out in the action, but I had no idea what was happening or who these people were. Once I got farther along I was able to truly understand what I had read, but it did take me a minute.
That being said, once I got past that point it didn’t take long for me to start becoming attached to the characters. And trust me, I tried to say ambivalent about them too – after that introduction (and my comparison to the Hunger Games) I was afraid to become too attached to anybody. So the fact that I did despite all of that says something, I think.
I’m not sure how I feel about the final twist in this book. It’s interesting, and I do look forward to seeing that get developed further. At the same time, it leaves me with more questions than answers. It’s not a cliffhanger, not quite. But it did change the book from feeling complete to making it very clear that there’s a lot more going on that we initially thought. I’ll have to wait and see what is shown in the second novel before I comment on it too much though.
I like that I wasn’t able to predict what was going to happen next. It’s refreshing to not have any clue what is going to happen, even if it is also a little bit stressful – I was constantly concerned about the fate of the five main characters.
I really enjoyed reading Apocalypse Five, and am looking forward to the sequel. The only shame is that I’ll have to wait. I guess that’s the downside to reading a novel the second it comes out (okay, I read it slightly before it came out, but you know what I mean).


For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[llamareads]

Every once in a while, I just need a good YA scifi romp. There’s something undeniably fun about a bunch of teens saving the world, and this book definitely fits the bill. It’s a bit of a mash between The Hunger Games and Ender’s Game, and it works pretty well. There’s a lovely found family theme flowing through the book, one of my favorite tropes, and it made this so much more enjoyable.

“June-bug, I need you to breathe. Remember the A.S.K. method we came up with? If we are Alive, Safe, and Concealed we’re doing okay.”
Her breath ragged, his sister flicked a wayward curl from her eyes. “A.S.K. isn’t a thing! Concealed starts with a C, and our entire lives are a lie!”
Reno pulled back as if she slapped him. “It does?”

The story is centered around an elite group of teens raised since birth in the hopes of becoming part of the Apocalypse Five, a group who trains through simulations to recover Earth from whatever horrors they might face in the future. They’re celebrities, with their missions and private lives filmed and broadcast for the rest of humanity’s viewing pleasure. After spending her young life training for this very job, and leading the team for over a year, Detroit should be pleased. But something is not quite right, and when Detroit stumbles on to a secret, suddenly her team is enemy number one. Stranded on an unfamiliar Earth and without any resources, they’re forced to come to terms with an unimaginable truth. How far will the team go to protect a new chance at life?

“The four of you are the only family I have ever known. You’ve made me who I am. I would deny myself every luxury in this galaxy to keep all of you safe.”
Juneau’s face fell into a frown and she let go of the shower wall. “In that case, you truly are the best toy soldier the AT-1-NS has.”

I loved Detroit and all of the Apocalypse Five team. I thought they were all well-characterized, and I loved the team interactions. Detroit subsumes her feelings into her work, Augusta drinks, and Houston is, well, hot, apparently. There’s also the twins – Juneau with her love of romance and Reno who’s main interest is keeping his sister safe. Once they’re exiled to Earth and on the run, they finally start to really gel and become a family, and I loved watching that happen. A nice bit was that the women were always considered equal teammates with the men, and each character has a speciality that they use to help the team out. I also liked the romance between Detroit and Houston, though it did get a bit overwrought towards the end.

The book is undeniably fun, but it’s also a bit less sophisticated than the other books it’s been compared to. The plot is predictable – it’s obvious from the beginning what’s going on and how it will all pan out. I did enjoy the world-building, though I found some of it confusing, and I liked the various Earth groups that were introduced, including the newborn and her parents. Any gamer will groan about the bane of all quests, the escort mission, and when I first realized that’s what the book was turning into, I was apprehensive. It’s still delightfully action-packed, though, between the missions at the beginning and being on the run for the rest of the book. The various battles were well-described and thrilling. The one thing I would complain about there is that there’s a lot of purple prose – one villain’s eyes are described as “lasers of hate” and two characters “optically copulate” – which detracted a bit from the emotion of the scene. There’s a good bit of humor in the book as well, which helped, though it’s mostly of the quick quip or one-liner variety. A lot of the humor reminded me of a TV show or movie, and I honestly think it would make a great action blockbuster, even though I found it a bit unsatisfying as a book.

Overall, while I enjoyed the book, it was a bit too predictable for me, and I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the series. If you’re hungry for a fun YA scifi romp, though, I’d definitely recommend this to you!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.