34949918From Goodreads: “With one drop of blood, the old world is gone for ever. And in its place, something extraordinary begins…

They call it The Doom – a deadly pandemic that starts on a cold New Year’s Eve in the Scottish countryside. There’s something mysterious about the virus and the way it spreads. As billions fall sick and die, some survivors find themselves invested with strange, unexpected abilities.

Lana, a New York chef, has the power to move things and people with her will. Fred can summon light in the darkness. Jonah, a paramedic, sees snatches of the future in those he touches. Katie gives birth to twins, and suspects that she has brought fresh magic into the world, along with new life.

But The Doom affects people differently. Along with the light, a dark and terrifying magic will also rise. As the remaining authorities round up the immune and the ‘Uncannies’ for testing, Lana, Katie and others flee New York in search of a safe haven. The old world is over, and Year One has begun.”

My Review

Where do I start with this book? I enjoyed it but I also had problems with it. I don’t read fantasy even though some people have been trying to get me to read it for years. It makes me feel uncomfortable, embarrassed even when I think of dwarfs, elves and faeries, except in Narnia! I do however like dystopia, having discovered it last year through Station Eleven, The Feed, and Vox.

I loved the way Nora Roberts described how The Doom spread so incredibly quickly. I thought that was really clever, and really made me think how a pandemic could happen in the world today.

I liked the main characters Lana and Max and how they were discovering their powers and how to handle them. I loved Aryls, Freddie, Jonah, Rachel and Katie, especially Freddie and Katie. I liked that these characters were normal people and not bad-ass, something I really don’t identify with at all. There were some really tender moments later on in the book between Freddie and a new character that brought tears to my eyes.

I liked how people gathered together and started making communities again, but still wasn’t too sure about the brash fantasy elements. I can cope with the subtle elements but not the ‘in your face’ fantasy, they really make me cringe.

Something I really struggled with at times was the dialogue and who was saying what. If there were multiple characters involved I got really confused and I had to reread the conversation quite a few times to understand it. Did anyone else struggle like this or was it just me. :/

I did enjoy it, but I didn’t think it was as amazing as I thought it would be. The ending was a bit too cheesy for me. I’ll probably get the next book out from the library but I have a feeling that there’s going to be a stronger fantasy element to it, which I’m not sure about at all. Should I stick with the trilogy or will it make me cringe and DNF??

This is my third book for the 2019 Library Love Challenge