’Til the World Ends is an anthology that contains (3) novellas set in a post-apocalyptic world. Julie Kagawa penned the story Dawn of Eden. Ann Aguirre offers Thistle & Thorne which is a standalone, and Karen Duvall offers up Sun Storm.
“Dawn of Eden” is considered the prequel to “The Immortal
Rules” by Julie Kagawa. Instead of being a YA novel like THR, it’s told by
adults. This prequel focuses on the lives of Kylie and Nathan Archer two 20
year olds who have somehow survived the Red Lung. Kylie, as a survivor of the
Red Lung Disease, has tried to save as many humans affected by the Disease as
she can while running a medical clinic and it’s a losing battle.When Nathan
Archer arrives on the scene, things quickly change from bad to devastating and
Kylie and Ben are forced to flee to Nathan’s hometown. There is a mysterious
vampire known as K that makes an appearance and I was actually drawn to the
mystery behind this person. Who is it? What was his crime against his people that
has him on the run? I think we all know the identity of this vampire, but I
shall not spoil it for anyone! I
actually enjoyed the Immortal Rules very much and therefore I found this
prequel/short story to be filled with promise and adventure as well. I loved Kylie
who was trying to hold onto hope while trying to save as many people as she can from
the Red Lung. As for Ben, he carries a whole bunch of baggage around with him.
He carries secrets as to how the virus spread as well as a longing to go home
and reconcile with his family before it’s too late. Since this is an adult themed
novella, there are some sex scenes between Kylie and Ben which I’m surprised by
since this is the supposed prequel to a YA series. (4/5 stars)
“Thistle & Thorne” by Ann Aguirre is the second novella
in the anthology and a standalone with no attachments to any other
series. This is a world where a catastrophic chemical spill turned the country
into wasteland leaving fortresses for the Rich and slums for the poor. It is a
world where people who live outside of the fortresses do whatever they can in
order to survive day by day. The story focuses on Mari Thistle who comes from a
family of thieves that goes back 300 years. In Mari’s case, she steals things
in order to protect her brother and sister. After agreeing to work for the
crime lord himself and failing at her mission, Mari finds herself hooking up
with the dark and dangerous Thorne Goodman in an effort to stay alive and later
helping Thorne take down the crime lord. I love the fact that although there
isn’t any romance between the couple, there is a definite feel of electricity
that flows between them. I guess you can call me a sucker for all things that
have been written by Ann Aguirre. I loved the pacing of this book right from
the start as well as the world building. I would love to see another story
surrounding Mari and Thorne! This book has similar feelings to the Immortal Rules in that both female leads are forced into a hunting and gathering items in order to survive. Probably why I liked it so much! (4/5)
“Sun Storm” is the first novella that I’ve read by Karen
Duvall since her Knight’s Curse series came out in early 2012. It’s the story
about two individuals, Sarah Daggot and Ian Matthews, who have been changed by
the Sun’s attack on the Earth. Called Kinetics because of their ability to
predict when a storm will come, or the ability to control the weather, Sarah
and Ian’s abilities may be the key to saving the planet from final destruction. Although I found aspects of this story
appealing, the story was probably the weakest link in this anthology. I’m sorry
to say that since Duvall has created a world where few people wander into the
sun anymore for fear of turning up dead, or altered. The chemistry between
Sarah and Ian was a given right from the onset. It usually is in a novella of
this length. Sarah was definitely the stronger character in that she knew
exactly what she needed to do in order to save people’s lives including her own father. Ian, on the
other hand, is one of those characters who felt that the world owed him something
so why should he care? Overall, this isn’t a bad novella by any stretch of the
imagination, and I probably would have given it a higher mark it didn’t rush to
the ending. (3/5)
Title - 'Til The World Ends
Authors - Julie Kagawa, Ann Aguirre, Karen Duvall.
Publisher - Harlequin Luma
Release Date - January 29, 2013
Genre - Post Apocalyptic
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