Genre: Paranormal, Post Apocalyptic, YA, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Jau
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About The Book
An epic post-apocalyptic love story.
A paranormal with a difference.
MC’s that are fated with a capital F.
Ilya knows little about the world Before. All his village has left are pictures in books of glittering cities made of glass, of dangerous creatures like bears and wolves that used to haunt more than the forests. Ilya knows little of the wars that forced people to flee the cities and hide.
One dusk, when Ilya and his sister are hunting rabbits, a bear, a creature that they were told no longer exists, comes into the glade, and everything Ilya thought he knew about his world begins to disintegrate. Especially everything he thought he knew about Caleb, the mysterious boy none of the villagers can understand. Getting to know Caleb feels secret. But Ilya has too many secrets of his own—he can feel heartbeats, sense the forest, the warmth of all life within it. And Ilya has not always lived in the village…though where he comes from, he does not know…
The Review
This post-apocalyptic story starts simply, with villagers beset by beasts in the woods. It is never clear what part of the world the events take place in (the characters probably have no idea of our geographical realities) though from the naming systems I would suspect northern Europe.
There are shifters and people with unusual powers, and family drama within a post-apocalyptic world that is slowly but carefully developed until we know just why things are happening.
The romance between Ilya and Caleb is sweet, with well developed characters, as are the minor romances. In some respects the book seems to be YA but later explicit sex scenes would push it into a more mature category.
This is a novel that spans various genres. The writing is spare and beautiful, as I have come to expect from this author.
I recommend this book for anyone over eighteen who likes paranormal fantasy, and am happy that there’s going to be a sequel.
The Reviewer
I’ve been doing book reviews on my website, crossposted or linked to various social media, for a few years. I read a number of genres but I really enjoy all kinds of speculative fiction so thought I’d like to share my views with you. I love sci fi and other speculative fiction because of the way it can, at its best, make us see ourselves in a new light. Quite apart from the exciting stories, of course! I used to be an English teacher, and I’m a writer (fantasy) so I can be quite critical about style etc. but I hope I can also appreciate properly some books that don’t appeal to me personally but might be simply perfect for others. I have, obviously, read widely, and continue to do so.