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Oh wow, it has been such a long time since I've read a dystopian book as well as J.A. Redmerski book or well Jessica Redmerski. Thankfully she didn't use an author name that was far off from her original one or I'd never realized who it was.
My knowledge of this book was rather slim, I signed up because I've loved Redmerski's previous books and it has been a few years since the last one of hers I've dove into. So, it was a no-brainer to go back to my romance author roots that I first started reading and give this one a try. I rarely gravitate towards dystopian reads because the few that I have read started off so strong and then they just simmered out or went a completely different direction that I didn't necessarily like.
Even though this was categorized as a dystopian, it is a love story true and true. And what an adventure it was for Thais and Atticus and none of it a walk in the park. Once the sickness hit the world, their lives with their family gradually went downhill. Living in the world where a moral compass doesn't seem to exist that much, heavily dominated by men who can be complete savages, it's a scary time and you're essentially living to get through the next day.
Both Atticus and Thais know and breathe tragedy, and they couldn't be more perfect for each other. Thais is the light to Atticus' dark, a dichotomous pair I'd say. I loved and appreciated the dual POV, I felt like it was so necessary for a story like this. These two found love in a world of darkness and chaos. Trust is very hard to come by and you have to be skeptical of everyone. I can't even imagine living like, it just terrifies me completely.
Even though it's a very male-dominated world, I love that Thais can almost hold her own. She's more than capable of providing for herself, she can survive. All she needs is to sharpen her defensive skills, and she'll have a much higher rate of surviving until hopefully some sort of balance can be restored. Attius turned out to be a more complex character than I anticipated. He battled with his guilt quite frequently when it came to what he did in the past. He was a more vulnerable character that I thought he'd be.
The one issue I had with the book was how long it turned out to be, 657 pages, people. That's super long and I can't even tell you the last book I've read that was that long. Yes, there were some parts where it lulled, but the story kept me captivated the entire time. Once 90% came around, I had the inkling that there was another book in store. And as predicted, that's the truth. It bummed me out because I don't want to wait for another one. Now I'm a little nervous and anxious for the 2nd book. I hope it isn't as long and doesn't get too crazy with the story. I just don't want any more complications in the already complicated world they live in.
Bravo, Jessica, absolutely loved this!