Review: Haunting, Genre-Defining
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 7, 2014
As a life-time reader you go through a great number of books, even from a very early age. Over the years you start to develop unique tastes and cravings that not every author can provide. You also learn many common threads (some people call them tropes or clichés) that the vast majority of authors repeat. And then... then you have books like this one, that surpass your every expectation.Set in a (sort of) post-apocalyptic setting in the United States of America, J.E. Plemons has crafted one of those rare treats, a novel that defies (and defines) an entire genre. Right from the start the author is able to sink their hooks into you and never let go for the entire wild ride. I found myself reading well into the twilight hours turning page after page, I couldn't put it down.Arena and her twin brother, Gabe, are fascinating characters that feel like real people. Their struggles in this fictional world are breath-taking and haunting; I had to physically remind myself to breath sometimes. I could not help but get heavily invested in these characters and their strangely familiar, yet alien world.The future depicted here is both simultaneously terrifying, yet beautiful in its own way. The author has obviously done their research on American history and is familiar with that old adage of "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it". The story also plays with fate, destiny, and heritage, asking us to think about who we really are, and where we choose to go. Is this set in stone? Can it be changed?They say you can feel an author's passion in their works and I felt it here in spades. J.E. Plemons felt very strongly about this book and everything inside it. This level of emotion is sadly not common in modern novels, but there's no shortage of that here!Every time I get a good novel I tell myself to read it slowly, to take my time before it’s all gone. Every time I ignore that advice. I simply could not put it down and I cannot wait until the next one. While the story doesn't end on a major cliff hanger, there is just so much more to explore in the lives of these characters.