Look, I am an absolute sucker for an apocalyptic story. I am also a sucker for a road trip adventure. Throw in some very timely political shenanigans, and I am obviously going to be hooked. This was absolutely everything I wanted it to be and then some. Let us discuss why!
- • I love when a story like this starts out as if everything was just a normal day. Because we the reader know it's not, but those poor sweet summer characters? Not a clue that life shall henceforth implode around them. It's such sadistic fun!
- • The whole thing is focused on family. Jinx is our main character, and I enjoyed her, and her strength even when she wished she didn't have to be so strong. I loved that she is trying so hard to protect herself and her family. The family is in a bit of shambles when we meet them, as they're a blended family and that can get messy. But soon we see how much they mean to each other, and how far they'll go to keep each other safe.
- • Humans and their political nonsense destroyed the world. A very Trumpian regime is basically ruining everything which... sound familiar? Yeah it's supposed to, I would assume. And it's scary really, as we teeter so close to the lines that the "government" in this book crosses.
- • Amid the tense moments, there are humorous bits of levity (and yes, hope). Gosh, it would probably be a rather depressing book otherwise, so I am so glad that these tiny moments exist! Plus, it made me chuckle and I am always here for chuckling.
- • It's super twisty and exciting! I could not put the thing down really. I had no idea what was coming in so many cases! The stakes are obviously incredibly high, and I was so excited to see how our characters (and you know, humanity) would fare.
Bottom Line: This is such a Shannon book tbh. I can't come up with any complaints other than a case of the sads that I have to wait for book two.