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The Survivor Chronicles #1
The Upheaval
The First tremors of the earth were felt at 7:22 EST. time. Every single person felt the rumbling, and experienced the tremors that would forever alter the course of history. Most did not survive. These are the accounts of some of those that did.
*Note* This book is the first compilation of a serial story, due to this fact it does not have a conclusion.
*Due to language and graphic content this book is recommended for readers 17 and older.
Edited by Kevin Mills
Edited by Leslie Mitchell at G2 Freelance Editing.
Cover art by www.EbookLaunch.com
*Note* This book is the first compilation of a serial story, due to this fact it does not have a conclusion.
*Due to language and graphic content this book is recommended for readers 17 and older.
Edited by Kevin Mills
Edited by Leslie Mitchell at G2 Freelance Editing.
Cover art by www.EbookLaunch.com
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2013
1921 people are currently reading
2961 people want to read
About the author
Erica Stevens
44 books2,283 followersErica Stevens is the author of the Captive Series, Coven Series, Kindred Series, Fire & Ice Series, Ravening Series, and the Survivor Chronicles. She enjoys writing young adult, new adult, romance, horror, and science fiction. She also writes adult paranormal romance and historical romance under the pen name, Brenda K. Davies. When not out with friends and family, she is at home with her husband, son, dogs, cat, and horse.
She loves to speak with readers and can be found:
Erica Stevens/Brenda K. Davies Mailing List: http://bit.ly/ESBKDNews
She loves to speak with readers and can be found:
Erica Stevens/Brenda K. Davies Mailing List: http://bit.ly/ESBKDNews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 253 reviews
September 15, 2019
3.5 apocalyptic stars ★★★✬✩
⇝Overall.
This was definitely a decent audiobook. I enjoyed listening to this a lot and always caught myself yearning to return to it. All the good signs for an enjoyable book are present here. I have the suspicion that reading this book instead of listening to the excellent narration from Stefan Rudnicki would have been an entirely different experience.
To be honest, I missed the somewhat epic feeling many dystopian novels leave me with, which is why I couldn't give this a full 4 stars. I've read many times, however, that the story improves a lot over its course so I'm excited to see where the books will lead me. The arch of suspense leaves something to be desired at times as well. The only other thing that really bothered me was that in all 3 groups the leaders were (white?) men? I've noticed that Erica's books aren't exactly the most diverse ones and really think at this point in time we can expect strong female and queer POC or even disabled leads. Just a thought that occurred to me.
➺What’s happening.
The book is set in the US and follows 3 different groups of people. There are multiple POVs, which didn't bother me too much, I realised. Each of the groups are searching for loved ones, information and shelter while trying to survive what clearly cannot be described as anything else but the apocalypse.
It all starts with repeating earthquakes that cause chaos, ddestruction, death and suffering. The geographical extend of this catastrophe is yet unknown, which leaves the main characers clueless and also frightened. Trying to navigate through the end of the world is neither fun nor a walk in the park and so a race against an unknown enemy begins for Mary-Anne, Allen, Riley, Sander, Carl, John and Michelle.
_____________________
Writing quality + easy of reading = 4*
pace = 4*
plot development = 4*
characters = 3*
enjoyability = 3*
insightfulness = 3*
_____________________
Thank you so much to Jamie Davies for the giveaway that got me the audiobook of this.
This book is for you if… you enjoy multi-POV narratives of apocalyptic stories. WARNING: this book ends on a slight cliffhanger.
⇝Overall.
This was definitely a decent audiobook. I enjoyed listening to this a lot and always caught myself yearning to return to it. All the good signs for an enjoyable book are present here. I have the suspicion that reading this book instead of listening to the excellent narration from Stefan Rudnicki would have been an entirely different experience.
To be honest, I missed the somewhat epic feeling many dystopian novels leave me with, which is why I couldn't give this a full 4 stars. I've read many times, however, that the story improves a lot over its course so I'm excited to see where the books will lead me. The arch of suspense leaves something to be desired at times as well. The only other thing that really bothered me was that in all 3 groups the leaders were (white?) men? I've noticed that Erica's books aren't exactly the most diverse ones and really think at this point in time we can expect strong female and queer POC or even disabled leads. Just a thought that occurred to me.
➺What’s happening.
The book is set in the US and follows 3 different groups of people. There are multiple POVs, which didn't bother me too much, I realised. Each of the groups are searching for loved ones, information and shelter while trying to survive what clearly cannot be described as anything else but the apocalypse.
It all starts with repeating earthquakes that cause chaos, ddestruction, death and suffering. The geographical extend of this catastrophe is yet unknown, which leaves the main characers clueless and also frightened. Trying to navigate through the end of the world is neither fun nor a walk in the park and so a race against an unknown enemy begins for Mary-Anne, Allen, Riley, Sander, Carl, John and Michelle.
_____________________
Writing quality + easy of reading = 4*
pace = 4*
plot development = 4*
characters = 3*
enjoyability = 3*
insightfulness = 3*
_____________________
Thank you so much to Jamie Davies for the giveaway that got me the audiobook of this.
March 31, 2015
What can I say about this book?
I can't stop reading this series - I didn't even want to take a break and write a review but I knew I had to share the awesomeness of this!
This book when you first start isn't about zombies...isn't about fighting. This book is about the end of the world as we know it.
The story is told in the POV of our main characters - Mary Ellen and Al --- Carl and John --- Riley and Xander - Did I miss anyone? These 3 groups survive earthquakes, tsunamis, black rain, lava and the earth caving in - plus so much more. And get this....the first book only spans less than 12 hours.
Amazing!
I can't stop reading this series - I didn't even want to take a break and write a review but I knew I had to share the awesomeness of this!
This book when you first start isn't about zombies...isn't about fighting. This book is about the end of the world as we know it.
The story is told in the POV of our main characters - Mary Ellen and Al --- Carl and John --- Riley and Xander - Did I miss anyone? These 3 groups survive earthquakes, tsunamis, black rain, lava and the earth caving in - plus so much more. And get this....the first book only spans less than 12 hours.
Amazing!
July 8, 2024
An excellent read.
This book is fast-paced, hard to put down and action-packed. The amount of times I had to hold my breath was unbelievable. I loved all of the characters by the end, and there was a particular moment when I felt my eyes watered. It is a must-read.
This book is fast-paced, hard to put down and action-packed. The amount of times I had to hold my breath was unbelievable. I loved all of the characters by the end, and there was a particular moment when I felt my eyes watered. It is a must-read.
June 9, 2018
Tsunamis, molten lava, earthquakes, fires, floods, the jaws of earth opening wide, swallowing up all in its path, is the end of the world near? Few will survive the rage of nature, fewer will survive the rage of humanity gone feral. How could this happen? Why? Who will survive in the end?
This is a story of the trials of some that did, their journey, their losses, their quest to find loved ones and their determination to be among the last still standing.
THE UPHEAVAL by Erica Stevens is a rock-solid foundation that sets the tone, introduces the characters and details the raw brutality of what could be the end of the world. There will be no simple answers, what is left of the world is still in shock, and evil and madness could be the first to regain its senses. Then again, heroes could be born from the ashes of destruction and love from hope for the future.
Brilliant writing that leaves readers desperate for news about the survivors.
Series: The Survivor Chronicles - Book 1
Publication Date: July 7, 2013
Publisher: Erica Stevens
Genre: Older YA Post-Apocalyptic
Print Length: 356 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
This is a story of the trials of some that did, their journey, their losses, their quest to find loved ones and their determination to be among the last still standing.
THE UPHEAVAL by Erica Stevens is a rock-solid foundation that sets the tone, introduces the characters and details the raw brutality of what could be the end of the world. There will be no simple answers, what is left of the world is still in shock, and evil and madness could be the first to regain its senses. Then again, heroes could be born from the ashes of destruction and love from hope for the future.
Brilliant writing that leaves readers desperate for news about the survivors.
Series: The Survivor Chronicles - Book 1
Publication Date: July 7, 2013
Publisher: Erica Stevens
Genre: Older YA Post-Apocalyptic
Print Length: 356 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
May 1, 2015
4.5
I had to scrap my original review.
I am currently on the 3rd book and could not allow this book to have a 3.5 star rating. I wasn't sure at first if I liked the book. Turns out, I do. I think this is such a great series. The characters are so believable and you do feel like you are right there with them running for you life. I enjoyed the writing and the story she is telling. I have been a fan of Erica Stevens since The Captive Series and was eager to check this series out. I am so glad I did. There are so many emotions and you go up and down and it is such a crazy, emotional ride!
I had to scrap my original review.
I am currently on the 3rd book and could not allow this book to have a 3.5 star rating. I wasn't sure at first if I liked the book. Turns out, I do. I think this is such a great series. The characters are so believable and you do feel like you are right there with them running for you life. I enjoyed the writing and the story she is telling. I have been a fan of Erica Stevens since The Captive Series and was eager to check this series out. I am so glad I did. There are so many emotions and you go up and down and it is such a crazy, emotional ride!
August 28, 2024
I like that you don't really know why everything is happening or if it all over the world. What will happen next??? That added the forth start.
The story is good and the characters are likable. I will read the next one
The story is good and the characters are likable. I will read the next one
December 16, 2017
Another disappointment, the writing was okay, the story, I have no idea since the numerous POV made it impossible to connect to it, I mean there was an earthquake we got it the first time no need to repeat it over and over again just move the hell on already!
September 21, 2013
There are 2 reasons why I'm glad the word "Chronicles" appeared in the title. Firstly, because I absolutely want to read the second book in what is to be a series, and hopefully a good series at that. And secondly, I didn't want this being a stand alone story as I feel the good stuff is yet to come.
I found some similarities to Chasm by Stephen Laws, which is no bad thing as giant seemingly bottomless holes in the earth is a scary concept.
Whilst there is indeed plenty of action here, and good characters which I'll come to in a bit, there isn't an explanation why any of the apocalyptic style events take place. There are hints such as the weird sun thing and the animals acting all crazy, even characters make suggestions, but no definitive reason why.
That in itself is both a good and bad thing. The action and suspense is enough to keep you reading but after a while, say 1/3 of the way through, you begin to want to know why such calamity has struck the earth, or at least Massachusetts. I'm not saying there had to be an obvious and clear instrument behind the orchestra of chaos, but I needed something else to watch out for other than yet another round of earthquakes, lava, rivers etc.
However, looking at it from a long term series point of view, this first instalment is all about setting the scene, establishing location, characters, initial threat level and so on. Because it was an enjoyable read I was willing to overlook the need for a why, and keep turning the pages.
There is a school of thought in the writing world that states a writer needs to show the antagonist early on, the earlier the better, in order to give the protagonist someone to battle against. Until the actual bad guys are revealed the reader has no choice but to accept the geological menace as the bad guy. And that works, kind of, but it didn't feel like enough somehow.
I hope the second book has that revelation, otherwise the more discerning reader may feel cheated out of not having a big bad boss type to hate.
On the plus side there's a lot going on here, and enough threat to the survivors to keep me turning the pages to find out what the hell else can possibly go wrong next! I would have liked more conflict between the characters. Conflict is good, it's what drives the story forward. Having said that I was happy to settle for the brutal conflict between characters and angry geology.
Of all the characters I found John and Carl the most entertaining, and I rooted for them considerably more than the others. More so when they find Rochelle, and the scene with the guys taking the truck is very good, nicely written with just the right amount of tense, edge of your seat style stuff. Both characters had a good arc, progressing from garden maintenance guys swapping banter to protectors of a child, willing to kill to protect her.
Mary Ellen is weak and pathetic, with no redeeming features and fails to progress and grow. Al, whilst a stronger character, is merely the other side of Mary Ellen, and to some extent the story would have benefited from combining both characters into one, with the weak Mary Ellen at the start, progressing to the stronger more determined elements of Al as the story moves on. That would have made for a more engrossing character arc.
As for Xander and Riley, they stand out nicely, although that seems due to their student pals being little more than filler characters whose purpose is to highlight Xander and Riley's relationship. I like the idea of a group of friends coming together against a threat, where issues like loyalty, love, loss, hope, fear and so on, become vastly more important in times or terror.
However, because those other characters, Carol, Bobby, Lee and...not sure if I'm missing someone, have considerably less page time they therefore feel less important to the reader, who won't lament their death or their choices as much as Xander or Riley.
What I loved was how the story moved from one set of characters to another, with their own survival stories winding around one another, growing ever closer together. I found myself hoping they wouldn't miss each other and would eventually team up. For me that 'will they won't they' element was what made the story tense and exciting.
Two issues brought me out of the story, not that it impacted on my enjoyment a great deal, but they were very noticeable and should have been avoided. First, there were way too many wan smiles from almost every character. A single character smiling wanly is okay, sort of, though personally I don't like a wan smile as it feels weak and hard to visualise.
But when wan smiles come from other characters I started to wonder if any of them were taking their life or death situation seriously? And therefore why should I take time to believe and hope in them? To make matters worse there are wan smiles at the weirdest of times, like during intense action where the character should be concentrating on getting away from the threat, not throwing around wan smiles.
The other issue, worse than the wan smiling, was the use of the word 'anymore' not only by the author but by every character. It's understandable for a character swept up in a life changing catastrophe to say: "Do you honestly think it matters anymore?" But the same word crops up over and over again. Every character has the same idea, that after seven hours of chaos they assume everything on the planet, their lives and their future will never ever be the same again.
That's a huge assumption, especially for every character to arrive at it independently. I searched the kindle edition for 'anymore' and found 63 results. It may seem like a somewhat pedantic comment to make but it grated on my nerves after yet another character used had used it. It would have had more impact had it been used a few times in that context to reinforce what is clearly a world changing event.
Those two jarring elements aside this was still a cracking read. Enjoyable start to finish. This was a refreshing take on an apocalyptic scenario that doesn't have zombies, aliens or religious aspects to it. Even the point I made about having no big bad boss guy is intriguing because the reader is left with a sense of: "But why....?" and the desire to read the next instalment.
I'm very much looking forward to the next book!
I found some similarities to Chasm by Stephen Laws, which is no bad thing as giant seemingly bottomless holes in the earth is a scary concept.
Whilst there is indeed plenty of action here, and good characters which I'll come to in a bit, there isn't an explanation why any of the apocalyptic style events take place. There are hints such as the weird sun thing and the animals acting all crazy, even characters make suggestions, but no definitive reason why.
That in itself is both a good and bad thing. The action and suspense is enough to keep you reading but after a while, say 1/3 of the way through, you begin to want to know why such calamity has struck the earth, or at least Massachusetts. I'm not saying there had to be an obvious and clear instrument behind the orchestra of chaos, but I needed something else to watch out for other than yet another round of earthquakes, lava, rivers etc.
However, looking at it from a long term series point of view, this first instalment is all about setting the scene, establishing location, characters, initial threat level and so on. Because it was an enjoyable read I was willing to overlook the need for a why, and keep turning the pages.
There is a school of thought in the writing world that states a writer needs to show the antagonist early on, the earlier the better, in order to give the protagonist someone to battle against. Until the actual bad guys are revealed the reader has no choice but to accept the geological menace as the bad guy. And that works, kind of, but it didn't feel like enough somehow.
I hope the second book has that revelation, otherwise the more discerning reader may feel cheated out of not having a big bad boss type to hate.
On the plus side there's a lot going on here, and enough threat to the survivors to keep me turning the pages to find out what the hell else can possibly go wrong next! I would have liked more conflict between the characters. Conflict is good, it's what drives the story forward. Having said that I was happy to settle for the brutal conflict between characters and angry geology.
Of all the characters I found John and Carl the most entertaining, and I rooted for them considerably more than the others. More so when they find Rochelle, and the scene with the guys taking the truck is very good, nicely written with just the right amount of tense, edge of your seat style stuff. Both characters had a good arc, progressing from garden maintenance guys swapping banter to protectors of a child, willing to kill to protect her.
Mary Ellen is weak and pathetic, with no redeeming features and fails to progress and grow. Al, whilst a stronger character, is merely the other side of Mary Ellen, and to some extent the story would have benefited from combining both characters into one, with the weak Mary Ellen at the start, progressing to the stronger more determined elements of Al as the story moves on. That would have made for a more engrossing character arc.
As for Xander and Riley, they stand out nicely, although that seems due to their student pals being little more than filler characters whose purpose is to highlight Xander and Riley's relationship. I like the idea of a group of friends coming together against a threat, where issues like loyalty, love, loss, hope, fear and so on, become vastly more important in times or terror.
However, because those other characters, Carol, Bobby, Lee and...not sure if I'm missing someone, have considerably less page time they therefore feel less important to the reader, who won't lament their death or their choices as much as Xander or Riley.
What I loved was how the story moved from one set of characters to another, with their own survival stories winding around one another, growing ever closer together. I found myself hoping they wouldn't miss each other and would eventually team up. For me that 'will they won't they' element was what made the story tense and exciting.
Two issues brought me out of the story, not that it impacted on my enjoyment a great deal, but they were very noticeable and should have been avoided. First, there were way too many wan smiles from almost every character. A single character smiling wanly is okay, sort of, though personally I don't like a wan smile as it feels weak and hard to visualise.
But when wan smiles come from other characters I started to wonder if any of them were taking their life or death situation seriously? And therefore why should I take time to believe and hope in them? To make matters worse there are wan smiles at the weirdest of times, like during intense action where the character should be concentrating on getting away from the threat, not throwing around wan smiles.
The other issue, worse than the wan smiling, was the use of the word 'anymore' not only by the author but by every character. It's understandable for a character swept up in a life changing catastrophe to say: "Do you honestly think it matters anymore?" But the same word crops up over and over again. Every character has the same idea, that after seven hours of chaos they assume everything on the planet, their lives and their future will never ever be the same again.
That's a huge assumption, especially for every character to arrive at it independently. I searched the kindle edition for 'anymore' and found 63 results. It may seem like a somewhat pedantic comment to make but it grated on my nerves after yet another character used had used it. It would have had more impact had it been used a few times in that context to reinforce what is clearly a world changing event.
Those two jarring elements aside this was still a cracking read. Enjoyable start to finish. This was a refreshing take on an apocalyptic scenario that doesn't have zombies, aliens or religious aspects to it. Even the point I made about having no big bad boss guy is intriguing because the reader is left with a sense of: "But why....?" and the desire to read the next instalment.
I'm very much looking forward to the next book!
October 11, 2014
This book is a real addition to the apocalypse genre. Everything about this book hits the spot, except for a very few spots of awkward phrasing or strange sentencing Stevens puts together a great book. The plot line is strong and the multiple viewpoints really brings the horror of the end of the world to life. While there may be some circumstances that come off as convenient or easy I feel like in the end the story reads realistically. Each character is well developed and unique and has an individual voice. Additionally I feel like this approach to the apocalypse is one that has yet to reveal its full impact. The reader is kept in the dark as to the true nature of this end of world scenario. This slow burn plot really hit my attention and makes reading the story even more intriguing.
I especially enjoy the serialized aspect of the series, it's innovative and I'm excited to be able to read a new chapter a week. Over all I'm very happy that I found this book and I can't wait to see where Stevens goes next.
I especially enjoy the serialized aspect of the series, it's innovative and I'm excited to be able to read a new chapter a week. Over all I'm very happy that I found this book and I can't wait to see where Stevens goes next.
December 4, 2013
Continuing my research on "end of the world as we know it" reading material, this series caught my eye. I like series as I get to know the people better. At the end of the first book, however, I still don't know what caused the mayhem - just as the people in the book, so I guess that is a good thing. Keeps me guessing! Just like in Lost, where a group of people are caught up in an event bigger themselves, this cast is taken from neighborhoods, people at work and at play and thrusts them into nature gone mad. It had me looking at my neighbors (I'm home all day) guessing at which ones had survival skills and level heads. (I'm toast.) The author sets up the chapters as to the various people and what their circumstances. I'm hooked. Onto the next book. p.s. I need to learn to hot-wire a big truck and siphon gas (diesel?). As I said, I'm toast.
March 29, 2020
Interesting
An interesting idea about different natural disasters happening all at one, and three groups of people trying to survive. I would have liked more variation between the reactions of the different groups, as they all had the same experiences and reactions, which got repetitive. I won’t be continuing with the series.
An interesting idea about different natural disasters happening all at one, and three groups of people trying to survive. I would have liked more variation between the reactions of the different groups, as they all had the same experiences and reactions, which got repetitive. I won’t be continuing with the series.
December 11, 2017
A great deal happens during this first novel of the series. The characters are well built. You begin to wonder if the bad will ever stop... so far is hasn't. But I don't want to spoil anything for you should you read the series. A big Thank You to the author. This is worth you buying and reading.
October 2, 2023
apocalypse
well, i hope we will never have to go through an apocalypse like that ever. For them though, sadly, I think the worst is yet to come.
Loved the story. loved everyone of the characters.
well, i hope we will never have to go through an apocalypse like that ever. For them though, sadly, I think the worst is yet to come.
Loved the story. loved everyone of the characters.
December 15, 2024
Really more of a 3.5, I realize this is set up to be a series, but there was no conclusion to anything. Plus there are too many characters with no real character development. You get no background to their lives so without the name at the beginning of each chapter they could be more or less the same person!
December 16, 2024
This wasn't bad but still awful
I did not care about anybody. I did not care what was happening.I was annoyed by most characters.Only thing that made the book ok was that the majority of the characters were not teenagers, thank God.
I did not care about anybody. I did not care what was happening.I was annoyed by most characters.Only thing that made the book ok was that the majority of the characters were not teenagers, thank God.
October 9, 2020
Not unusual for book one in a series to be a little slow, but this one seemed to be slower. I'll give it a 2.5. I got the trilogy as a freebie and will probably give book two a chance.
dnf
December 31, 2023A sad DNF - no rating
An apocalyptic action drama set during a massive disaster event and the hours that follow. Tremors, earthquakes, tsunami, fires, steaming holes in the earth, phones and internet are gone and nobody knows what is happening or why.
Following three separate groups of people in the north-eastern USA, we watch them scramble to survive those initial hours of death and destruction - work colleagues, neighbours, and high school friends band together to stay safe and begin the search for their loved ones. This book is very much setting up the rest of the series, introducing the characters but leaving us just as clueless as them when it comes to what is going on around them.
I’m usually a romance reader, but felt like I needed to read something a bit different (as I do from time to time). But despite having a love of natural disaster stories, I was a bit bored listening to this one, and when I did some further research and discovered that the next few books involve zombies, and we don’t actually find out what the big event is that happened until the end of the fourth book, it didn’t make me want to keep going.
It's a 10 hour audio, narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, and it took me a week to get through half of the book. By comparison, the next book I read was an 8 hour audio which I finished in two days. I’m a big fan of disaster movies and apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic books, and I was excited to start this one, but it just didn’t hold my interest. Maybe I’ll pick it up again in the future.
An apocalyptic action drama set during a massive disaster event and the hours that follow. Tremors, earthquakes, tsunami, fires, steaming holes in the earth, phones and internet are gone and nobody knows what is happening or why.
Following three separate groups of people in the north-eastern USA, we watch them scramble to survive those initial hours of death and destruction - work colleagues, neighbours, and high school friends band together to stay safe and begin the search for their loved ones. This book is very much setting up the rest of the series, introducing the characters but leaving us just as clueless as them when it comes to what is going on around them.
I’m usually a romance reader, but felt like I needed to read something a bit different (as I do from time to time). But despite having a love of natural disaster stories, I was a bit bored listening to this one, and when I did some further research and discovered that the next few books involve zombies, and we don’t actually find out what the big event is that happened until the end of the fourth book, it didn’t make me want to keep going.
It's a 10 hour audio, narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, and it took me a week to get through half of the book. By comparison, the next book I read was an 8 hour audio which I finished in two days. I’m a big fan of disaster movies and apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic books, and I was excited to start this one, but it just didn’t hold my interest. Maybe I’ll pick it up again in the future.
June 16, 2019
As a quick reader, a long plane trip from coast to coast strikes fear in my heart. Will I have enough? How many books can I borrow from the library, purchase inexpensively or find previously purchased but never read on my kindle reader? Then one must consider the important areas. Will I read or binge watch greatly edited movies the entire time as the back of someone else's seat reclines into my lap? My decision, quickly made at the moment, was to read for half the trip, then binge a little.
Thus, this book available through the library and highlighted as a "to read". Two clicks and I was off.
The premise is an old one. The world as we know it suddenly and completely changes. In this case, the earth rebels against us. Lava, gorges, tsunami, and rivers appear out of nowhere thwart the efforts of a divergent group of individuals who manage to find and then lose each other. The premise is interesting, but the telling of the tale is not as strong as the tale itself. The race from one part of MA to another allows the writer to highlight the terrain of MA, although I am not sure that it adds a lot to the storyline unless you know MA and the seemingly endless list of small towns butted up against each other.
The characters face one inexplicable event after another, and civilization seems to break down in equal proportions to each geographical betrayal as the earth metaphorically tells us humans that it has had enough, and we need to get out of Dodge.
By the middle of the book, I felt as if I could predict the remaining parts. Many, many references to menace and the social mores of the human race splintering. Many, many references to how fast things had changed in just a few hours. Too many the-facts-don't-really-matter-here-anyway references to Grand Canyon level craters that the intrepid team manages to work their way around in a few hours of walking. As a result, I skimmed the remainder of the book and quickly ignored the suggestion to purchase the next in the series.
Thus, this book available through the library and highlighted as a "to read". Two clicks and I was off.
The premise is an old one. The world as we know it suddenly and completely changes. In this case, the earth rebels against us. Lava, gorges, tsunami, and rivers appear out of nowhere thwart the efforts of a divergent group of individuals who manage to find and then lose each other. The premise is interesting, but the telling of the tale is not as strong as the tale itself. The race from one part of MA to another allows the writer to highlight the terrain of MA, although I am not sure that it adds a lot to the storyline unless you know MA and the seemingly endless list of small towns butted up against each other.
The characters face one inexplicable event after another, and civilization seems to break down in equal proportions to each geographical betrayal as the earth metaphorically tells us humans that it has had enough, and we need to get out of Dodge.
By the middle of the book, I felt as if I could predict the remaining parts. Many, many references to menace and the social mores of the human race splintering. Many, many references to how fast things had changed in just a few hours. Too many the-facts-don't-really-matter-here-anyway references to Grand Canyon level craters that the intrepid team manages to work their way around in a few hours of walking. As a result, I skimmed the remainder of the book and quickly ignored the suggestion to purchase the next in the series.
January 3, 2019
was a free-bee - kind of an ok page turner so bought the 2nd one. really just got worse and worse. its just a walking dead kind of thing.
February 15, 2017
When you think of a regular apocalypse book, you think of one main thing that happens to the main characters which "upheaves" them and then they go about their life trying to figure out how to survive and get past what happened. This is not that kind of book!
The Upheaval is a VERY different story from what I've read before! It all happens in 1 day, and it follows 3 different groups of people, all in the North Eastern area- near Mass. I believe. It starts with a few major earthquakes, then a Tsunami, major fires, and even lava!! It's crazy how the characters go through and see all of this and so much death and pain in about 7 hours! It felt very realistic and there were some areas when they moved based on a bad feeling one of the characters had. I think instincts are something to rely upon in this type of scenario, so it was interesting to see that take place.
I think the thing that confused me the most were the holes in the floor of the cabin in the woods at the end and the gruesome scenes inside the bedrooms that had killed the family. It might be part of the next book, but I'm so excited to dive right back in!
I highly recommend this book as it's very fast paced from the very beginning. It's important for me to have fast paced sometimes, as books that are too descriptive and are taking place at "the end of the world" or whatever is going on would bore me to pieces.
5 Stars all around!
The Upheaval is a VERY different story from what I've read before! It all happens in 1 day, and it follows 3 different groups of people, all in the North Eastern area- near Mass. I believe. It starts with a few major earthquakes, then a Tsunami, major fires, and even lava!! It's crazy how the characters go through and see all of this and so much death and pain in about 7 hours! It felt very realistic and there were some areas when they moved based on a bad feeling one of the characters had. I think instincts are something to rely upon in this type of scenario, so it was interesting to see that take place.
I think the thing that confused me the most were the holes in the floor of the cabin in the woods at the end and the gruesome scenes inside the bedrooms that had killed the family. It might be part of the next book, but I'm so excited to dive right back in!
I highly recommend this book as it's very fast paced from the very beginning. It's important for me to have fast paced sometimes, as books that are too descriptive and are taking place at "the end of the world" or whatever is going on would bore me to pieces.
5 Stars all around!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2020
LOVE LOVE these characters. They are family now. I care for them like they are truly real, which is a good thing. I can see this new world thanks to your writing. You can tell you love these people too. Everyone needs to read your work. they will love it and you too. Onward!!
If you have not read this, do so NOW!! I can see this as a mini series and can not understand how a large publishing house has not picked this up, along with her other works. If you like apocalyptic works, then this is for you. Vampires, check out her other books. And she is the NICEST person ever!! You will grow to love her works and her. Trust me.
Merged review:
If you have never had the pleasure of reading Erica Stevens work, let this be the one you give a go first. I can so see this as a mini-series. It pulls you in from page one and you begin to want the best for the characters. They become family the way she writes them. I know everyone won't survive but I have my favorites that I want to see continue in this scary new world they are thrust in. Erica has many more books that will draw you in. Her vampire ones, well lets just say, forget Twilight. Her vampire novels are far better, in my opinion. No sparking here. But let Survivor Chronicles be your introduction to Erica's world. You won't regret it.
If you have not read this, do so NOW!! I can see this as a mini series and can not understand how a large publishing house has not picked this up, along with her other works. If you like apocalyptic works, then this is for you. Vampires, check out her other books. And she is the NICEST person ever!! You will grow to love her works and her. Trust me.
Merged review:
If you have never had the pleasure of reading Erica Stevens work, let this be the one you give a go first. I can so see this as a mini-series. It pulls you in from page one and you begin to want the best for the characters. They become family the way she writes them. I know everyone won't survive but I have my favorites that I want to see continue in this scary new world they are thrust in. Erica has many more books that will draw you in. Her vampire ones, well lets just say, forget Twilight. Her vampire novels are far better, in my opinion. No sparking here. But let Survivor Chronicles be your introduction to Erica's world. You won't regret it.
November 26, 2015
This was okay. The guys weren't all that interesting, especially Xander, who's the worst. Mary Ellen and the girls are pretty cool.
I feel like an editor could have made this book a better read. So many people "demanded" to know if someone else was okay. And the number of "wan smiles" was astonishing.
That said, it's a good story. It's frustrating that we don't know WHAT exactly is happening, but the characters don't know either, so... fair enough. It adds to the suspense and to the panic. Which is great for an apocalypse book.
I was getting restless with the three POVs going on, so I'm glad they're all finding each other. The pacing is a bit weird at first, not bad, just takes some time to get used to it. Once I did, though, it worked really well and it was great.
I believe this might be a solid series. Not the best or anything, but solid.
I feel like an editor could have made this book a better read. So many people "demanded" to know if someone else was okay. And the number of "wan smiles" was astonishing.
That said, it's a good story. It's frustrating that we don't know WHAT exactly is happening, but the characters don't know either, so... fair enough. It adds to the suspense and to the panic. Which is great for an apocalypse book.
I was getting restless with the three POVs going on, so I'm glad they're all finding each other. The pacing is a bit weird at first, not bad, just takes some time to get used to it. Once I did, though, it worked really well and it was great.
I believe this might be a solid series. Not the best or anything, but solid.
January 27, 2016
This was a decent end of the world scenario. Although the characters are well fleshed out, I found that I wasn't connecting with them, and the world wasn't really believable. There just wasn't the terror, shock, emotional response etc that I expected. The world is pretty much blowing up - there should be some stuff going on in the heads of the characters. They seemed to be simplified over the course of the story, which started out very interesting and really sucked me in.
I'll read the next one to find out what happens, but I'm not in a rush. I hope that there's a little more cohesion to the next installment.
I'll read the next one to find out what happens, but I'm not in a rush. I hope that there's a little more cohesion to the next installment.
September 4, 2020
This book is pretty fast paced and action packed. It is about surviving the apocalypse and this end of the world throws everything at you including the kitchen sink. It follows a couple different of survivors during the journey to find a safe place while avoiding, lava, volcanoes, tsunamis and earthquakes. All that is missing in this book is zombies! I really enjoyed all the action and the emotions that the characters go through.
December 29, 2014
Fairly interesting apocalyptic tale. It focuses on three groups of people who you just know are going to converge at some point. The origin of the disaster is fairly mysterious. It was good enough to go for the second book of the series.
March 24, 2022
Amazing ! I loved it and after starting and finishing 2 of Erica's books in 2 days I had to go buy more! She's definitely a new favorite author and if you like post-apocalyptic stories she's an author for you:)
November 2, 2015
Strong characters and a unique plot.
I liked this book. The characters are personable and 'realistic' in how they react to the plot. The story is engaging and kept me entertained. I will definitely read the second installment.
I liked this book. The characters are personable and 'realistic' in how they react to the plot. The story is engaging and kept me entertained. I will definitely read the second installment.
May 17, 2014
Love!
this is the second time reading this book from this amazing author, Erica Stevens. she is in my top 5 of favorite authors, can't wait to read the last book in the series.
this is the second time reading this book from this amazing author, Erica Stevens. she is in my top 5 of favorite authors, can't wait to read the last book in the series.
April 27, 2019
I really enjoyed this story! A great start to the series & I will be looking to read the rest! Well written & very enjoyable!
December 27, 2019
I already read the whole series.
So this will be the review of all four books, sadly there is no box set released.
It was an ok read, but it will not end up on my bestseller list.
This is a routine apocalyptic story with multiple point of views.
Fortunately it gets better further into the books, when the multiple storylines unit.
The characters are all normal every day people and have their flaws, which makes them interesting but sometimes annoying.
It had an interesting take on “the end of the world as we know it” and some twists with “zombie” elements, which were believable and I was interested in where it would lead. The characters not only have to battle the world destruction but also sick people.
Sadly it felt the characters ran in circles not only plot wise but also when it came to the emotional struggles.
The plot threads looked like working through a list. First the focus was on gas, then it was on food, then followed by medicine. It didn’t include the essentials in one go but the author worked on one at a time. In the beginning the author focused on gas, which was later or at times totally forgotten. One time they even drove for miles, I wondered why they still had gas when not shortly before they constantly had to fill it up.
For all the food they found, we still only got told they ate just chips and sweets for the majority of the time, not even the spaghetti and sauce they found amongst other things. In the end the focus was on medicine which they never seemed to find at all.
The switch on the focus is best illustrated by the character Peter.
First we have a nice, empathetic and reasonable person, who suddenly decides the small group isn’t safe anymore, seeking civilisation, security and survival in numbers. And ending up not wanting to let anyone new into the group, feeling threatened his food and supplies would dwindle, which was the direct opposite he fought so hard over before.
I didn’t like that they were not organised or at least didn’t develop into that direction to stay alive. They didn’t think of bags for each one with the essentials, instead everything was stacked in one car. The other cars couldn’t get to. it was a chaotic mess when they entered and cleared houses, and was meant to end in a disaster. They didn’t plan and think anything through most of the times. Where the roads let they went ending every time in a disastrous confrontation with the sick people. The storyline was constantly interrupted by the characters day dreaming. That is a useful tool in itself but there is a time and place for it and not in the middle of a scene meant to be suspenseful, that just simply frustrates me as a reader. And I end up skipping it. Not being interested in the decor and colour scheme of a house, really.
Why do they always had to end up in bodily Sandwiches in a struggle, lying on top of each other on the ground?
The characters overall had the same few emotional problems to deal with.
Book four was a disaster for me.
I expected them to finally strike back and turn the tables on the sick people instead of again being the same old prey. They ran away one too many times and it got more frustrating than before.
A lot of plot threads pushed to the forefront vanished in the end or led to nothing much like the Lost souls struggle to save them. That was also a disappointment. Although Viktor wasn’t. Why make it into a conflict and focus in the first place?
The end felt rushed. We have a miraculous cure while Xander’s instead took days. That was amongst other things not plausible and strayed from the authenticity the author did stick to in the previous books.
And the “twist” to what caused it all turned out in the end to be a disappointment. After the author started out with an authentic plot over three books to hop onto the religious train felt ridiculous.
So this will be the review of all four books, sadly there is no box set released.
It was an ok read, but it will not end up on my bestseller list.
This is a routine apocalyptic story with multiple point of views.
Fortunately it gets better further into the books, when the multiple storylines unit.
The characters are all normal every day people and have their flaws, which makes them interesting but sometimes annoying.
It had an interesting take on “the end of the world as we know it” and some twists with “zombie” elements, which were believable and I was interested in where it would lead. The characters not only have to battle the world destruction but also sick people.
Sadly it felt the characters ran in circles not only plot wise but also when it came to the emotional struggles.
The plot threads looked like working through a list. First the focus was on gas, then it was on food, then followed by medicine. It didn’t include the essentials in one go but the author worked on one at a time. In the beginning the author focused on gas, which was later or at times totally forgotten. One time they even drove for miles, I wondered why they still had gas when not shortly before they constantly had to fill it up.
For all the food they found, we still only got told they ate just chips and sweets for the majority of the time, not even the spaghetti and sauce they found amongst other things. In the end the focus was on medicine which they never seemed to find at all.
The switch on the focus is best illustrated by the character Peter.
First we have a nice, empathetic and reasonable person, who suddenly decides the small group isn’t safe anymore, seeking civilisation, security and survival in numbers. And ending up not wanting to let anyone new into the group, feeling threatened his food and supplies would dwindle, which was the direct opposite he fought so hard over before.
I didn’t like that they were not organised or at least didn’t develop into that direction to stay alive. They didn’t think of bags for each one with the essentials, instead everything was stacked in one car. The other cars couldn’t get to. it was a chaotic mess when they entered and cleared houses, and was meant to end in a disaster. They didn’t plan and think anything through most of the times. Where the roads let they went ending every time in a disastrous confrontation with the sick people. The storyline was constantly interrupted by the characters day dreaming. That is a useful tool in itself but there is a time and place for it and not in the middle of a scene meant to be suspenseful, that just simply frustrates me as a reader. And I end up skipping it. Not being interested in the decor and colour scheme of a house, really.
Why do they always had to end up in bodily Sandwiches in a struggle, lying on top of each other on the ground?
The characters overall had the same few emotional problems to deal with.
Book four was a disaster for me.
I expected them to finally strike back and turn the tables on the sick people instead of again being the same old prey. They ran away one too many times and it got more frustrating than before.
A lot of plot threads pushed to the forefront vanished in the end or led to nothing much like the Lost souls struggle to save them. That was also a disappointment. Although Viktor wasn’t. Why make it into a conflict and focus in the first place?
The end felt rushed. We have a miraculous cure while Xander’s instead took days. That was amongst other things not plausible and strayed from the authenticity the author did stick to in the previous books.
And the “twist” to what caused it all turned out in the end to be a disappointment. After the author started out with an authentic plot over three books to hop onto the religious train felt ridiculous.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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