'Til the World Ends: An Anthology

by Julie Kagawa, Ann Aguirre, and Karen Duvall

New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed authors Julie Kagawa, Ann Aguirre and Karen Duvall imagine what it takes to survive in a world where everything you know—and love—is about to disappear…forever.

Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa

Before The Immortal Rules, there was 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.

• ISBN10: 0373803494
• ISBN13: 9780373803491
• Publish Date: 29 January 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: CA
• Imprint: Luna Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kelly]

4 Stars for the first story, by Julie Kagawa. A prelude to The Immortal Rules. In which we learn the story of the beginnings of the Rabids and the journey that Kylie and Ben take to make it back to Ben's parents farm. Those who have already read the Immortal Rules will remember the Archer's farm that took in the group looking for eden.

Have not read the other two stories as yet.

[inlibrisveritas]

Dawn of Eden is a novella connected directly to the storyline of Kagawa’s Blood of Eden series. It centers around Kylie, a doctor who has been trying to battle the Red Lung, and Ben Archer. If you’ve read Immortal Rules then his name should ring some bells, but don’t worry because even if you have not read the first book this is not dependent on it at all and would be a great place to start. It is a great intro to the world as well as the beginning of the events described in The Immortal Rules. The relationship between Kylie and Ben feel genuine and it’s rather sweet, and given the horrid situation they are both in I don’t find it strange that they would come to depend on each other. I will say that this one does bump up the maturity level, so be aware of that. Individually I’d give this novella a 4 star rating.

Thistle and Thorn is by Ann Aguirre, the author of the Razorland series. As far as I know this novella is not connected to any storyline she has going right now, which is a bit of a disappointment because this story was really awesome. I’d love to see a full length version of this run down and battered world. I was actually impressed that she fit what could have been a whole book’s plot into about 33% of this over all anthology, and managed to pull it off. Mari, is a rather tough young woman who is struggling to survive and keep her family safe in what is known as the Red Zone. It’s a gritty area where crime is an everyday occurrence. She’s strong and fairly resourceful. Thorne is an emotionally and physically scarred guy who is sick of the corruption and the killing, and he finds himself dependent on Mari to help bring it all down. These two are fiercely independent so it was nice to see what they could do working together and I liked the subtle growth of emotion between them. I loved that their pasts were explained and that they were given needed depth to truly understand their struggles. It’s also fairly action packed and the pacing of the novel is deliberate yet quick. The way this one ended has me wanting more and I hope she revisits this world in the future. Individually this one gets 4 stars as well.

Sun Storm by Karen Duvall, author of the Knight Curse series, is another free standing novella with a ton of potential. For me this was the weakest one of the three because it didn’t really work for me as a short story. I would have preferred to see this one played out in a full length novel, where everything can really flesh out and wouldn’t feel as rushed. The concept is really awesome. Earth is dying and it’s all because the Sun is bombarding it with solar storms, the humans that have survived do so at great peril because not only is the temperature rising it’s deadly to be caught in one of these storms. The lucky few who don’t die from exposure end up as Kinetics with some amazing powers. Sarah can predict Solar storms and she uses it to warn people before they hit, and Ian Matthews is just as powerful as her though his gift is very different. There is a lot going on in this one from the fact that Earth is dying, to people gaining powers from the radiation, to having the government involved. As I read this I couldn’t help but feel it was a tad rushed because there is so much detail proved and yet at the same time it feels a bit glossed over. I wanted to know more about everything and I wanted to have the characters fleshed out a bit more. If Duvall ever writes a full length story in this particular world I’d definitely read it. Individually I have to give this one a 3 star rating.

I received this from Netgalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa take us to the time before Immortal Rules giving us an amazing look at the beginnings of the world we have come to love. The Red Lung virus is leaving a path of destruction in its wake. As scientist race to find a cure, doctors like Kylie fight to save those those they can. Kylie and a handful of nurses have been struggling in a make-shift hospital. Ben Archer arrives with his wounded friend and we discover that things are about to get worse. Kagawa has this incredible gift for drawing the reader in and immersing you into the tale. I adored Ben and Kylie and felt their relationship was genuine. The tale that unfolds is both terrifying and breathtakingly beautiful. I abso- freakin-loutely loved this and cannot wait for the next book. 4.5 stars

Thistle & Thorne by Ann Aguirre take us into a world that has been altered by a catastrophic chemical spill. It is a dystopian world that feels eerily real, where the rich live in fortresses and the rest of the world called the Red Zone is ruled by thugs with guns, money and manpower. The mob man rules and those who want to survive pay for his protection. Mari Thistle lives with her two younger siblings in the home that they owned while their parents were alive. She has learned to be a thief to survive and feed her family. Mari is sent on a task to steal a box for the mob boss within the fortress; she fails and narrowly escapes with the help of Throne Goodman. She learns of a terrible plot by the greedy mob boss and joins forces with Throne. The tale was fascinating, and Aguirre brought the world to life. There is no romance but a friendship develops and we see growth from Mari. The characters were fascinating and we got glimpses of their depth but I would have preferred a full length version of this particular tale. 3.5 stars

Sun Storm by Karen Duvall- brings us a post-apocalyptic world where solar flares have destroyed the Earth and people die from exposure. We meet Sarah Daggot who has been chasing storms since she was a kid. When the solar flares hit, she survived and was transformed into a Kinetic. She is able to predict sun storms and gives advanced warning for others to take cover. She meets another Kinetic the smexy, mysterious Ian Matthews and things heat up. Conspiracies, an evil Federal Agent gone rogue and a prediction of an apocalyptic sun flare kept me turning the pages. The romance was sweet and while I had a strong enough sense of the world and plot, I wish it had been a full length novel. Sarah and Matthew together were kiss-ass and the ended felt rush as a novella. I would pick up another book by this author. 4 stars.
Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*

ARC received on November 30, 2012. This review was first posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews.

'Til The World Ends is an anthology written by two authors I adore, and one whose books I had never read before. All three stories are set in a dystopian world, and each has something very scary to be on the lookout for! All three also have some pretty cool female characters, as well as a well built world, some suspense and a wish for more!