Into the End, by Bonnie R. Paulson, is fascinating to me because it’s a whole new way of destruction. Well, in a way. At first, it seems like the typical “disasters around the world/break down of society” motif. I mean, it kind of starts by explaining how Las Vegas is now ocean-front property. The great thing about Into the End, though, is not how the world “ends,” it’s what happens afterward.
America has been devastated by natural disasters. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, you name it, it’s happened. A little freaky to read after being hit hard with a hurricane two years in a row in an area that got lightly hit maybe once every decade or so! Plus, with all the tornadoes in the Midwest, the story takes on a bit of a “whoa, this is really kind of happening already” feeling.
There are too many characters to get into in a single review, and they all play an integral role. Rachel and her somewhat estranged sister Brenda are the key players, though, and they’re as different as night and day. What I loved about the two characters is that they are flawed yet likeable. I can’t stand flawless characters, they’re not real to me and I can’t relate.
The story itself is fast-paced, with very few slow spots. It is the first book in the series, so don’t expect everything to be neatly tied up in a bow at the end. In fact, expect a bit of a cliffhanger. Fortunately, all three books are currently available, so you can continue right on with the story. Throughout the entire book, there was only one thing that really bothered me: the idea that a 15 year old boy is man enough to go off into a dangerous situation simply because he whined that he’s old enough to be a man. I wouldn’t have let him go. Then again, maybe when the end of the world comes, 15 won’t seem so young, and in the author’s defense, the boy was trained by his father to be a survivor. Still, it kind of bugged me!
Other than that one teensy thing, though, I really loved this book and plan to read the other two right away. Even if you’re not really into the whole “end of the world” theme, Into the End is more about family, love and survival than dealing with the apocalypse.
Full review on PrettyOpinionated.com