I really enjoyed this book. I’m an avid listener to this genre and I feel like the theme is a little played out right now because it’s so popular but Rudolph really gives it a different spin with the characters and the shock value of events.
We start out with Lauren, a young woman out on her own, hiking local trails to scout for her family’s safety. This right here was a great beginning for me because I’m ridiculously into hiking right now. I’m working on doing 100 hikes for the year. So the knowledge and lingo about hiking and trails was really interesting and relevant for me. It made me want to look up any real life trail details on the area she’s in so I could get a visual of what the terrain is like.
I really liked the narrator too. His voice had the cadence and tone that pairs really well to this genre of story as well. I hope he narrates the rest of the books in the series.
The gritty reality of what life in America is like after the EMP ripped through unfolds through the chapters. There’s a big mystery as to what happened to Lauren’s father. At first I couldn’t determine if Norman was the father or Mom’s new beau or just a family friend but it becomes apparent as you move through the story. Unlike some stories that want to have every ridiculous series of events befall the main characters making it truly hard to suspend disbelief, this book offers up some likely scenarios and some gritty realities.
I like how the author gives you a snapshot of what life was like right after the event towards the end. I think what so many of these stories in this genre do is start well after whatever catastrophic events take place and the characters must ride out the aftermath, but I think it’s a good tangent to visit the actual event and the chaos that ensued especially if it’s a series. The immediate chaos is one of the best parts of these types of stories. It’s the part that feels the most scary and believable.
I’m definitely invested and interested to see where the story goes in the next book.