Review: Raw and Graphic in Post-Apocalyptic World
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 12, 2014
I started this series out of order, having bought an anthology where where the last book, a novella that fit between the novels was included.  It took me a little to get into the story as it made the assumption that you knew who most of the characters were and what was going on in the world.  Once I got into the story, I was very enticed and as soon as I finished, looked up the author and promptly bought this set.The setting is a post-apocalyptic world, but with a very different take than I have previously read.  Usually it's war or disease or zombies, but this world was created due to solar flares, which I found extremely creative and unique.  The solar flares knocked out the satellites, scorched the earth, destroyed the electronics and electrical grid system, etc.  Sending civilization back to the dark ages for a period before people started to rebuild.As can be expected, you have the elite living in the main city the story revolves around.  Highly moralistic, hypocritical, and corrupt, like any good collective villain.  The surround areas, called sectors, eight total, are outside the walls of the city and are the manual labor, industry that support the city.  They are ruled over my sector leaders and it's pretty much ruling and surviving by the fittest.  You don't stay in power being dumb and weak.  Each sector has its specialty or focus and they tend not to like/trust one another.I enjoyed how the world was set up, the differences between the city and the sectors, the way life was described, and the little details that were fit snugly into the story giving it strength and foundation.The characters themselves are true delights.  They all had weaknesses, strengths, and were so strongly written that there wasn't one I disliked or could honestly say liked more than the others.  Their interactions, their thoughts, their beliefs all stayed true to the character and all of them developed and grew throughout the novels, which is another glowing feature for me.  Nothing more annoying than a 'perfect' character who doesn't grow or adapt.  What really made the story was that each character needed their counterpart to grow, to see what they needed to change or work on about themselves.  it made the family gang stronger seeing how they really did depend on one another and that as a whole, they made a better group of people than as individuals.The males are all strong alphas with equally strong females to match.  They pair off like puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly.And there is sex.  Lots and lots of sex.  But despite all the sex and sexual tension, none of it came across as redundant or boring.  It could be quite graphic and so that may turn away some readers, but I found with the nature of the story and the environment, it fit right in.  The setting and actions of the characters are equally graphic and rough and raw and the sex matches that.As you move through each book, the stories progress.  There is the main plot that focuses around the main male and female of that novel, and then the underlying plot that encompasses all the other characters and setting.  It is the underlying plot that builds and carries over to the next novel, with some parts being tied up and others expanding to continue to build.  It seems very well thought out and as one huge underlying plot comes to a close, the author already started to introduce the next one in pieces so that the story smoothly adjusts to the new challenge without stuttering or making huge jumps in plot.