Do you ever read a book and really like the writing, the characters and the story but don’t feel the pull to continue in the series? That happened for me with this read. I’m not sure where it lost me, but for now I don’t plan to continue this series.
The overall plot felt slow and it’s definitely something you have to have patience with. The book starts with being thrown into a post apocalyptic world that is quite confusing. I really had to stick with this one to grasp all the concepts and give it a chance until I started to understand what was going on.
The female characters were excellent! I felt liked I really cared for them and I understood their struggles. They were strong and real. Probably some of the best female characters I’ve ever read.
The hardest part for me to get use to was the 2nd POV narrative. It’s very different to read because it’s not done very often. The other POV’s were done in 3rd person, so switching back and forth took a little bit for me to feel comfortable with.
I liked the blend of sci-fi and fantasy and the emphasis on the importance of family. Maybe this is one I will continue later, but for now I’ll wait to hear more reviews for the rest of the series.
Synopsis
This is the way the world ends. Again.
Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, a woman living an ordinary life in a small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Meanwhile, mighty Sanze — the world-spanning empire whose innovations have been civilization’s bedrock for a thousand years — collapses as most of its citizens are murdered to serve a madman’s vengeance. And worst of all, across the heart of the vast continent known as the Stillness, a great red rift has been torn into the heart of the earth, spewing ash enough to darken the sky for years. Or centuries.
Now Essun must pursue the wreckage of her family through a deadly, dying land. Without sunlight, clean water, or arable land, and with limited stockpiles of supplies, there will be war all across the Stillness: a battle royale of nations not for power or territory, but simply for the basic resources necessary to get through the long dark night. Essun does not care if the world falls apart around her. She’ll break it herself, if she must, to save her daughter.
Happy Reading
Xoxo Tricia
Lovely Reader Girl 