by Julia Kagawa, Ann Aguirre, Karen Duvall
Series: Blood of Eden #0.5
Genres: Dystopian
Source: Publisher
Before The Immortal Rules, there was the Red Lung, a relentless virus determined to take out all in its path. For Kylie, the miracle of her survival is also her burden-as a doctor at one of the clinics for the infected, she is forced to witness endless suffering. What's worse, strange things are happening to the remains of the dead, and by the time she befriends Ben Archer, she's beginning to wonder if a global pandemic is the least of her problems....
Thistle & Thorne by Ann Aguirre
After a catastrophic spill turns the country into a vast chemical wasteland, those who could afford it retreated to fortresses, self-contained communities run by powerful corporations. But for Mari Thistle, life on the outside-in the Red Zone-is a constant struggle. To protect her family, Mari teams up with the mysterious Thorne Goodman. Together, they'll face an evil plot in both the underworld of the Red Zone and the society inside the fortresses that could destroy those on the outside...for good.
Sun Storm by Karen Duvall
Sarah Daggot has been chasing storms since she was a child. But after the biggest solar flares in history nearly destroy the planet, she becomes a Kinetic, endowed by her exposure to extreme radiation with the power to sense coming storms-in the cosmos and beyond. And she's not the only one. Sarah believes the Kinetics are destined to join forces and halt the final onslaught of the sun. She'll vow to keep trying to convince the one missing link in their chain of defense, the enigmatic Ian Matthews, up until the world ends.
Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa take us to the time before Immortal Rules giving us an amazing look at the beginnings of the world we have come to love. The Red Lung virus is leaving a path of destruction in its wake. As scientists race to find a cure, doctors like Kylie fight to save those they can. Kylie and a handful of nurses have been struggling in a make-shift hospital. Ben Archer arrives with his wounded friend and we discover that things are about to get worse. Kagawa has this incredible gift for drawing the reader in and immersing you into the tale. I adored Ben and Kylie and felt their relationship was genuine. The tale that unfolds is both terrifying and breathtakingly beautiful. I abso-freakin-loutely loved this and cannot wait for the next book.
Thistle & Thorne by Ann Aguirre take us into a world that has been altered by a catastrophic chemical spill. It is a dystopian world that feels eerily real, where the rich live in fortresses and the rest of the world called the Red Zone is ruled by thugs with guns, money, and manpower. The mob man rules and those who want to survive pay for his protection. Mari Thistle lives with her two younger siblings in the home that they owned while their parents were alive. She has learned to be a thief to survive and feed her family. Mari is sent on a task to steal a box for the mob boss within the fortress; she fails and narrowly escapes with the help of Throne Goodman. She learned of a terrible plot by the greedy mob boss and joins forces with Throne. The tale was fascinating, and Aguirre brought the world to life. There is no romance but a friendship develops and we see growth from Mari. The characters were fascinating and we got glimpses of their depth but I would have preferred a full-length version of this particular tale.
Sun Storm by Karen Duvall- brings us a post-apocalyptic world where solar flares have destroyed the Earth and people die from exposure. We meet Sarah Daggot who has been chasing storms since she was a kid. When the solar flares hit, she survived and was transformed into a Kinetic. She is able to predict sun storms and gives advanced warning for others to take cover. She meets another Kinetic the smexy, mysterious Ian Matthews and things heat up. Conspiracies, an evil Federal Agent has gone rogue and a prediction of an apocalyptic sun flare kept me turning the pages. The romance was sweet and while I had a strong enough sense of the world and plot, I wish it had been a full-length novel. Sarah and Matthew together were a kiss-ass and the ending felt rushed as a novella. I would pick up another book by this author.
I am so glad that I had a chance to read ‘Til the World Ends and recommend it to fans of dystopian and post-apocalyptic worlds.
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Erica Nicholas
Oh I am SO looking forward to this.
kimbacaffeinate
Yes and if you look back at comments from other followers you will see a whole lot of them loved this too!
kindlemom1
I have seen very little reviews on this one and I have really been curious about how it was. I am glad that overall you enjoyed it. Anthologies can be so hit and miss you just never know what you will get.
kimbacaffeinate
this was really good, if you get a chance to read it I think you will enjoy them all!
thegeekyblogger
WOW!!! This novella sounds like it really did hit the spot. I think I would like to read the Ann Aguirre story in it 😉
kimbacaffeinate
Oh Immortal Rules rocked Dawn of Eden was awesome!
kimbacaffeinate
these were all good my friend
Blodeuedd
Dunno since at least that one belongs to a series that actually is
Maja (The Nocturnal Library)
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Immortal Rules out there, but I do love origin stories, especially when a virus is involved, so that makes Kagawa’s short a must-read.
Ann Aguirre is my favorite author (and one of my favorite people) in the world so hers is also a must-read, and I can see why you’d want it to be longer, I want ALL her stories to be endless, lol.
Fantastic review, Kimba!
kimbacaffeinate
Aww, sorry you didn’t love Immortal Rules but all of these were wonderful and you know I love dystopians, origin tales and post-apocalyptic worlds!
kimbacaffeinate
OMG Nick you must read Dawn of Eden..you must! I did not read Enclave and if it is then I probs want to read it, but it didn’t say so..hmm I should investigate! Worth the cover price for sure !
Nick
Julie Kagawa and Ann Aguirre? This book must be full of awesomeness! I loved the Immortal Rules so it should be very interesting to read Kagawa’s origin story! Ben and Kylie sound great!
Thistle and Thorn isn’t related to Enclave is it? Anyways, whatever, it’s Ann Aguirre. There’s no way I can’t not read this!
Great review, Kim! 🙂
kimbacaffeinate
I do not know I did not read Enclave, but if it was then I need to read them, I am going to investigation since ya all have me so curious now!
Candace's Book Blog
Okay, I SO need to read this! Especially the first two stories. Love both those authors! So Thistle and Thorn isn’t a prequel to the Enclave books? Since you didn’t say then I’m assuming no. Either way, still want to read!
Sharon - Obsession with Books
I love both Julie Kagawa & Ann Aguirre but haven’t read anything by Duvall, i’ll have to pop this one on my TBR pile, I tend to avoid short stories for some reason but these sound so good!
Great reviews!
kimbacaffeinate
this was really well done and worth the price!
kimbacaffeinate
welcome hope you enjoy it!
Naomi Hop
I am a big fan of Kagawa, and didn’t realise this story came out! Thank for sharing! Loved the reviews!
Jennifer Bielman
The Dawn of Eden one sounds great. This book has my interest now. 🙂
kimbacaffeinate
I loved Immortal Rules and cannot wait for book two.
Sam
I’m most eager to read Julie Kagawa and Ann Aguirre’s stories, especially Dawn of Eden, as I loved Immortal Rules. Great reviews, Kimba!
readingdiva
Thanks Kim, I will be sure to grab this one. Can’t wait to see what happened before Immortal Rules!
Jenea Whittington
This sounds like a great group of novellas. I am really excited for the second book in the Blood of Eden series. Great reviews.
Aurian
I am not a fan of dystopian books, but well, these are some big name authors I still want to read someday.