I am still on the fence about how to feel about this one. On the one hand, there were some problems: POV errors (which is kinda a writer's pet peeve and won't bother the average reader), some plot holes that I had to suspend my disbelief for, a few slow spots.
On the other hand, it was a really enjoyable read, which is what a book is supposed to do. It definitely wasn't at all fast-paced, though it had its moments but it was well written and you could see that the author poured a lot of himself into the manuscript. It contained most of the tried and true "tropes" that make a post-apocalyptic book enjoyable but it was much more character driven which made the sad moments that much more impactful, even if they were expected.
I found myself waking up in the middle of the night, worrying about how Clay was going to take care of his family when (Spoiler) a certain important character was killed. That doesn't happen unless your subconscious in engaged.
The characters were fun, the plot slow with a few really great, engaging moments, the complications were continual and genuinely worrying, and the ending was nicely wrapped up. Overall, it was a great read (and I ate up the details about the firearms. You can tell the author knows what he's talking about.)
The only reason I didn't rate it five stars was because a) I feel like this author has much better in him once he nails down that POV (which is honestly the single biggest problem I run into with Indie authors and the fact that he does as good as he does is testament to his being wide read) b) I feel like he often got sidetracked from the story to "preach". While I, as a conservative Christian, agree with most if not all of his views, and I have great respect for them, there were times that it made the story feel more like a piece of propaganda than a story and I feel like he could have accomplished both an amazing story and a powerful theme much better if he'd used a bit more subtext. I also recognize that I'm probably judging this a bit more harshly than I would others because it was very good, and I think the author has better work in him in the future!
If you enjoy a good, slow-building book with some great adventure, themes of family and responsibility with a great Paragon character, I highly suggest you give it a try. I will be buying more by this author, for sure and I will be keeping a very close eye on his future works.
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Customer reviews
Top reviews from other countries
Morhib
A Post-apoc book on the values of people
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2016Verified Purchase
L Chapman
An entertaining read with a nice message of hope
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2016Verified Purchase
Kindle Customer
But slow
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2019Verified Purchase
Tatiana Vetturini
It is a smooth read, not the greatest but not too bad either
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 7, 2018Verified Purchase
Kate from Kent
I liked how this story didn't sugar coat how hard life ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 17, 2015Verified Purchase
