I read Road Out of Winter during an incredible heatwave, and remember saying that I really don't love the idea of the heatpocalypse. It just doesn't sound fun. But then reading this book, I realized I would also not love the coldpocalypse. So basically, no apocalypse will be great, which... I guess I should have already known but here we are. So let us talk about what I liked and what left me wanting more!
The Things I Loved:
- ►Felt so realistic! Things start out messed up and then.... slowly devolve into complete anarchy. Sounds legit, right? At first, it felt eerily similar to the pandemic response: people were buying out stores, panic hoarding, etc. But then when all the stocks were depleted, they started fully panicking and running for... well, who knows what a person runs from when the end is near, but run they do. In this case, I suppose the hope of a more temperate climate, but I assume that would present its own problems? There's the fun though, right?
- ►Loved the characters. Not a one of them was perfect. They all had a ton of baggage and flaws, and that is what made me appreciate their end of the world struggles. Because you still have to deal with your actual life crap while trying to survive, and I love that the author highlighted that through family and relational issues, stereotypes that were still going strong even as the world collapsed, and past mistakes.
- ►I love a road trip! I mean, this wasn't a happy time adventure, but it was still a road trip. And they brought a tiny house along! I have a real thing for tiny houses, so this was just extra fun. Plus I love the extra excitement that a road trip brings to a book. Especially in an apocalyptic situation.
- ►It was absolutely a high stakes adventure. Speaking of, there was a lot going on in this book! The gang met some unsavory folks along the way, and things got pretty chaotic. I loved it both for plot purposes, and the fact that there will undoubtedly be a lot of terrible people at the end of the world, and I liked that this book highlighted that.
The One Thing I Struggled With:
- ►The ending was kind of open and I wanted to know more stuff! Because the perspective was limited to Wil's knowledge, it made sense that we didn't have much of an idea what was going on outside of her area. Which was fine, I enjoyed finding out as she did! But gosh, I want to know more, so much more! I am really keeping my fingers crossed for a sequel.
Bottom Line: Coldpocalypse is a mess and so are humans. An exciting adventure that feels eerily plausible, I definitely recommend!