Year One (Chronicles of the One, #1)

by Nora Roberts

[stacey_is_sassy]

It’s the end of the world as we know it…

OK, first up, this is not my normal type of read. I am a romance reader, and Year One was not romantic at all. A virus that makes you hurl your guts up till you die is not my idea of fun and games. Watching people die because evil invaded the world, was hardly a party. Sure, I knew I’d be seeing the end of the world, but come on, it’s Nora Roberts. I kind of hoped that there’d be a little hearts aflutter and sweet nothings, but unfortunately, that would be a BIG NOOOOOO!!

Look, it wasn’t all doom and gloom…OK…it was mostly doom and gloom. But, there were some parts that let in the light. We meet some interesting characters along the way and we see strength in people who didn’t even know they had it in them.

For me, Year One was all about reflecting on ME and how I would handle the world coming to an end. How would I feel knowing that with a cough, it could be the start of my end? Would I be able to go on if all of my loved ones were gone? Could I survive without modern luxuries? Is there a chance I’d be pointing the finger at someone hoping they’d take the blame for my sorrow? Should I just turn the page and start anew? I just don't know. In the end, I decided that I didn’t want to think about it and I hoped that I’d be dead and buried before something like this hit our world.

Now, I can’t really judge this against other stories of the like because I haven’t really read many books like this one. I found the beginning thoroughly engaging. I wanted to see how the world went bad and what caused it. While the middle still held my interest, I was confused with the swapping and changing of our lead characters. It all comes together eventually, but the jumping made it harder to follow. The ending, well, I can honestly say that I was a little underwhelmed. Yeah, I know this is the first book in the series, but I felt like there was no clear path to where we were heading. What am I sticking around for? Who’s left? Who’s path am I supposed to be desperate to follow?

Look, it’s Nora Roberts, so it’s still bloody good, but it’s definitely not what I was hoping for. I wanted to see at least one of the couples together, living, loving and growing after The Doom. What we get are sparks that flicker, fizzle, flutter and flash and maybe even ignite. Unfortunately, we don't see the ignite and not even sure they stayed alight. Some of the lights go out and we’re left with darkness, heartbreak and loss.

This is not a light and fluffy read. It’s pretty dark and depressing. Do not go in thinking you’ll meet a couple and follow their journey towards a new beginning because you’ll be disappointed. If you start Year One with an open mind, knowing that it’s not romance, you may find the journey interesting.

Not a winner but definitely not a loser either. I read the whole thing and even though it took me longer than normal, it was still interesting.

Stacey is Sassy, received an advanced copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.