By: Megan Crewe
The assault by the virus on Kaelyn's neighborhood begins as an itch that you just can't satisfy. Then comes the coughing, the hysteria, and eventually death. And no one is safe, but as the population and Kaelyn soon learns, there isn't anywhere to run to either. Which results in chaos and havoc that threatens to destroy everything and everyone she knows.
This book greatly reminded me of Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (review). Which, if you know me at all, is one of my all-time favorite books. There is something really compelling about being in the thick of a crisis and learning how to survive until either help arrives, or the storm calms. The Way We Fall definitely falls into that category, and even shares the same narrative style (diary format) with the aforementioned Life as We Knew It.
However, unlike Miranda, Kaelyn has a lot more warning, and information, about what is specifically going on. And, as far as she knows, this illness is strictly confined to her small island in Canada. But, that's not to take away from the very scary situation. Initially, it isn't known how the virus spreads or how to prevent it. Even with further research, the hospital is flooded with patients, and there isn't any reliable way to get information out to people.
Kaelyn is a great narrator. She isn't whiny, takes the situation into her own hands, and is a great protector of her family. And with the diary style narrative, you really get a sense of her feelings as some truly horrible things happen to her and her family. There is also a very satisfying romance that ensues.
But, what I loved about this story was that there were so many characters that just did the right thing. Of course, there were plenty that were out to save their own skin and just do whatever they had to survive. But, for every one of those, there was another that was willing to make huge sacrifices and fill a need.
Another fantastic perk is that, from what I can tell, the book is pretty scientifically sound. At least in the capacity that I didn't have to suspend any disbelief about how the virus spread, or how it affected people.
So, there you have it. A satisfying apocalypse book with a plague, romance, and likeable characters. If that isn't enough to get you to pick it up, I don't know what is.
Great review! I recently finished this book too, and my review of it went live today, and I have to say, too, that I was really impressed by just how realistic this book was. Science was sound, characters were competent and acted like real people instead of convenient plot devices. It was a great read!
ReplyDeleteI'm off to check out your review! Sounds like you liked it for a lot of the same reasons that I did. Have you read Life as We Knew It?
Deleteanother one on my to read list thanks!
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm SO excited for this one, because I love apocalyptic stories too! I'm waiting to pick up my copy for another week or so though, because I'm going to Megan's book launch for TWWF!
ReplyDeleteOooh, how lucky that you get to attend the launch party! And, what is it about a plague that is so thrilling? Because I love it too!
DeleteI really loved (and was freaked out by) LAWKI, so I'm excited to learn about another one like it that sounds good! Nothing like a good apocalypse story to wake us up :)
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