One day, while procrastinating and shopping on Amazon as opposed to writing, I stumbled up on a freebie book, which I tend to look for a lot. I love to try new-to-me authors via a sample or free story. Because I am the type of reader who, if I like the teaser, will go on to buy the book(s). Anyway, I stumbled upon this free prequel...
We meet the main female character, Cass, as she's meeting up with her ex to give him back his stuff. While at the diner, the lights go out and a car crashes through the front window. Planes go down. Phones don't work. Rescue never comes. And did I mention it's the middle of the coldest winter on record, and the snow is falling heavily?
Having been raised by doomsday preppers, Cass has some knowledge about what's happening and what the fallout will be among the residents of Portland, Oregon. She decides her best bet is to head to her parents' compound, which she knows will be the safest place to ride out whatever is happening. She packs up supplies, takes her dog, and heads out. And that's promptly where this book ends.
Now, I read this while sitting in the ER with my daughter. By the time I'd finished this short prequel, we were no closer to being sent home, so I went to Amazon and one-clicked the first book.
Anyway, Cass and her dog are braving the weather in hopes of reaching her parents' compound where she'll be safe. Not only is the weather making things difficult, but people are scared and panicking. Looters are out in full force. It's just all around dangerous terrain.
GRIP OF DARKNESS is book 2, and because I'm already sucked into the story and these characters, I didn't bother to read the blurb. I just bought the book and started reading, fully expecting to dive right back into Cass and Isaac's journey. But nope!
When Cass stops for supplies, she's cornered by her ex-boyfriend (Nate), who is apparently stalking her. This was a tad weird, but okay. It's just the first book, so I decided to give it some time to see where it was going.
The new POV character, Isaac, is an ex-Marine and has noticed a strange man following a woman around. He follows and ends up saving Cass from her ex's attack. During this tussle, the dog is injured but not severely, and she's not killed. Because believe me, if the dog died, I was 100% DONE! I would have noped out so fast... (but I'm 5 books in and the dog is still alive, so yay!)
Cass and Isaac realize they're headed the same direction, so for safety reasons, they decide to travel together. And off they go... while I go off to Amazon to one-click book 2. (Still sitting in the ER at this point.)
This book is told in alternating 3rd person POV from two entirely new characters! Talk about a shock! I almost stopped reading, because I was so jarred and felt like I was starting a whole new series. But I stuck with it, just to see how things played out. Ultimately, I'm glad I did.
In this book, we meet Charlie (who is Cass's sister) and Harper (an ER nurse who doesn't seem to have any immediate connections to Cass, Charlie, or Isaac). They are both living in the small town which is Cass's ultimate destination. I fully expect the stories to merge at some point within the series.
By the end, I'm still only lukewarm toward these two new characters, but book 3 goes back to Cass and Isaac, so of course I'm going to go back to Amazon and one-click.... Yes, I'm *still* in the ER. Might as well keep reading, right? I mean, I absolutely love this genre -- the post-apocalyptic, end of the world, survival type books. I'm in my element with this series, and it's really keeping me entertained while I wait for my daughter's lab results.
Stay tuned on Friday for my thoughts on books 3-5 in the End of Days Series by Sam J Fires.
Anyone else read this series? Or any of these books?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
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