When the pandemic broke out a few years back, I was surprised to see one reaction: a sudden spate of dystopian fiction examining how things would work when a worldwide disaster such as an EMP broke out. I never was drawn to read that fiction at that time. I am a registered nurse, and I saw enough real-world drama and death that I didn’t want to partake of such books for pleasure. But it’s hard for me to pass up a series of audiobooks on a favorite book review site, so I decided to test the waters with this book and series. I was especially intrigued as the book’s heroine is an ER doctor newly stateside after active military duty. This book, and the rest in the series, will follow her as she tries to survive while keeping the hospital she works in afloat, as well as her ex-husband, a survivalist who lives off the grid in Canada and who is determined to get to her. I found this book surprisingly interesting to listen to unfold, more so than I thought I would. I did think some things were a bit repetitious. For instance, the hospital was besieged—first from within, then from without—by a similar band of ruffians. Mix it up a little! It also feels a bit predictable in places, like when the ex-husband had his trust shattered in a way that severely delayed his journey and imperiled him and the newly orphaned teen he had taken under his wing. As a nurse who has worked in the hospital, I also found some ways the colleagues treated each other were incorrect and unprofessional. I wonder how much experience the author has in the medical field or the hospital. While it made sense for the drama, it made little sense for how people typically treat each other in the hospital. The book certainly has a few villains to despise, as well as stories of redemption. The book ends on multiple cliffhangers, but luckily, I have the next book queued up and ready to go. I am interested to see how it works out for these two complex protagonists as they try to save themselves, those they love and have come to love, and how it will be when they reunite.