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Edge of Collapse #5
Edge of Defiance
Freedom demands a price...
Weeks after an EMP attack devastates the United States, the country is falling apart.Hannah, Liam, and the others have survived the brutal cold and violent adversaries,but the threat has never been greater.
Enemies from within have taken control of the town--including what little remains of the food. On the verge of starvation, and with Michigan still locked in a brutal winter, the townspeople are faced with a desperate choice.
To be free, Fall Creek may have to sacrifice more than they ever thought possible.
When the country goes dark, ordinary people find themselves facing the end of the world as they know it. With society collapsing before their eyes, they'll have to risk everything to protect their home and the people they love.
Edge of Collapse is a riveting post-apocalyptic series featuring flawed, complex characters and heart-in-your-throat action. It's perfect for fans of One Second After, Swan Song, and The Road.
Preorder Edge of Defiance now.
Weeks after an EMP attack devastates the United States, the country is falling apart.Hannah, Liam, and the others have survived the brutal cold and violent adversaries,but the threat has never been greater.
Enemies from within have taken control of the town--including what little remains of the food. On the verge of starvation, and with Michigan still locked in a brutal winter, the townspeople are faced with a desperate choice.
To be free, Fall Creek may have to sacrifice more than they ever thought possible.
When the country goes dark, ordinary people find themselves facing the end of the world as they know it. With society collapsing before their eyes, they'll have to risk everything to protect their home and the people they love.
Edge of Collapse is a riveting post-apocalyptic series featuring flawed, complex characters and heart-in-your-throat action. It's perfect for fans of One Second After, Swan Song, and The Road.
Preorder Edge of Defiance now.
390 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 22, 2020
5557 people are currently reading
2942 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 550 reviews
October 7, 2024
☆☆☆☆
WHO CAN YOU TRUST WITH YOUR LIFE, FAMILY, FRIENDS, GOVERNMENT LEADERS?
When it comes to who you trust, make sure you put your trust into those that are truly good and not just because of what good they can do for you. Those who seek your trust, loyalty, friendship, and love for their own benefits will turn on you in an instant if it befits themselves.
Edge of Defiance: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival Thriller (Edge of Collapse Book 5) by Kyla Stone is a well written story of the struggles and losses of a small town in Michigan after an EMP has brought the rural town to its knees and those trusted to help turn out to be selfish, greedy, murderous, and out right evil to the core.
But with all good stores, those that are good stand together to fight those who are bad. The good guys vs. the bad guys. Unfortunately, to defeat evil, those who freely put their lifes on the line to defend the innocent and those who are unable to defend themselves comes at a cost. What we truly consider priceless, life, friendship, love, and freedom has always come from the sacrifices in blood, sweat, tears, and life. This story is no different.
This book, book five in this series, is well written, action-packed, intriguing, and suspenseful. It will truly blow your mind when it comes to who is the good guys and who is the bad guys.
WHO CAN YOU TRUST WITH YOUR LIFE, FAMILY, FRIENDS, GOVERNMENT LEADERS?
When it comes to who you trust, make sure you put your trust into those that are truly good and not just because of what good they can do for you. Those who seek your trust, loyalty, friendship, and love for their own benefits will turn on you in an instant if it befits themselves.
Edge of Defiance: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival Thriller (Edge of Collapse Book 5) by Kyla Stone is a well written story of the struggles and losses of a small town in Michigan after an EMP has brought the rural town to its knees and those trusted to help turn out to be selfish, greedy, murderous, and out right evil to the core.
But with all good stores, those that are good stand together to fight those who are bad. The good guys vs. the bad guys. Unfortunately, to defeat evil, those who freely put their lifes on the line to defend the innocent and those who are unable to defend themselves comes at a cost. What we truly consider priceless, life, friendship, love, and freedom has always come from the sacrifices in blood, sweat, tears, and life. This story is no different.
This book, book five in this series, is well written, action-packed, intriguing, and suspenseful. It will truly blow your mind when it comes to who is the good guys and who is the bad guys.
December 24, 2024
I’m powering through this series as though my life depended on it and I’m so glad I stumbled across this author and took the plunge to purchase and jump right in.
February 16, 2025
This series is a roller coaster of emotions!
I can’t stop reading this!
It’s worth reading.
I can’t stop reading this!
It’s worth reading.
February 15, 2021
The big showdown finally arrived, but it took awhile to get there. It seemed like the chapters leading up to the finale were a lot of filler and repetition.
Liam is still the same brooding, untrusting guy, but he does seem to be at least 5% happier by the end. Quinn is still the best character (aside from Ghost) but it looks like she's embracing her dark side.
This really seemed like it could (probably should) be the end of the story, several storylines came to a natural conclusion, but there are still two more books? I hope it's some new territory and not just a rehashing of what's already happened to Fall Creek.
Liam is still the same brooding, untrusting guy, but he does seem to be at least 5% happier by the end. Quinn is still the best character (aside from Ghost) but it looks like she's embracing her dark side.
This really seemed like it could (probably should) be the end of the story, several storylines came to a natural conclusion, but there are still two more books? I hope it's some new territory and not just a rehashing of what's already happened to Fall Creek.
April 27, 2022
I am beyond furious at the Noah storyline. Kyla Stone you did him wrong! The poor man didn’t even get peace when he was dying or to die a meaningful death! He didn’t get to see Milo again or have a touching moment with Quinn. This felt forced to get him out of the way for Liam and Hannah. I knew that was going to happen, but couldn’t Noah be redeemed and he and Hannah just go their separate ways?
He started off so good and had the potential for great development even after his bad choices. His decline was never convincing. The Noah from the beginning would have turned on Rosamand after she threatened Milo. And the relationship between Noah and Quinn that I loved from book 2 just fell by the way side for some inexplicable reason.
Don’t even get me started on everyone blaming Noah for the bad ending to the town. He got more blame than Rosamand! And Hannah dared to blame him for Milo almost dying in the fire? And for “betraying” Milo? Noah was a better parent to Milo than Hannah has been so far.
Every choice he made was wrong, but he wanted to protect Milo and get his medicine more than anything. I guess Hannah will rely on Liam for that now, like she does everything else.
Noah wasn’t evil, just weak. But, in my opinion Hannah is weak as well and I’m sure she’ll get a HEA.
He started off so good and had the potential for great development even after his bad choices. His decline was never convincing. The Noah from the beginning would have turned on Rosamand after she threatened Milo. And the relationship between Noah and Quinn that I loved from book 2 just fell by the way side for some inexplicable reason.
Don’t even get me started on everyone blaming Noah for the bad ending to the town. He got more blame than Rosamand! And Hannah dared to blame him for Milo almost dying in the fire? And for “betraying” Milo? Noah was a better parent to Milo than Hannah has been so far.
Every choice he made was wrong, but he wanted to protect Milo and get his medicine more than anything. I guess Hannah will rely on Liam for that now, like she does everything else.
Noah wasn’t evil, just weak. But, in my opinion Hannah is weak as well and I’m sure she’ll get a HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2025
**Loved and hated at the same time**
Things pissed me off enough to want me to rate it on the lowly side, but then there were the things I loved so much that I couldn't fathom rating it anything less than perfect. I got angry. Sad. All things in between. I had all. The. FEELS. If you specifically wanna know what pissed me off, though, skip down past the sentence in bold where I will rant about it. Because it needs more than a mere mention, and you better believe I'm diving in, even if it DIDN'T rate with low stars.
But why rate it higher?
Regardless of which direction I swayed towards (love vs hate), I couldn't stop reading. It never bored me. Never lost my interest. The way this story managed to invoke literally every kind of emotion outta me WITHOUT making me regret it, well...that's a story forcing me to praise it, complaints be damned. It practically dragged that 5th star outta me. While some of the dialogue was comically exaggerated, a greater portion of it was heart-punching. I cried some ugly tears over this book, I kid you not. UGLY. I'm talking sniffles and snot kind of tears. I truly FELT the various characters' pain, even minor characters.
Way to frickin' abuse me, Kyla Stone.
Like its predecessor, you're THROWN RIGHT IN at the start of this entry without even getting a chance to buckle up, and I mean that in the literal sense. Chapter one is guns blazing, and it rarely lets up. War has officially come. If things weren't real before, things are DEFINITELY real now. The pacing stays quick while the gravity of it all is heavy. The action and violence are intensified. There's so much going on, so much to take in, both plot wise and character wise, much of it difficult to accept. I think Kyla did a fantastic job in ramping up the overall energy in this entry; it had all the feel of being the final book it had initially intended to be.
However, thanks to that aforementioned quick pace, there were certain transitional moments between chapters that felt WAY rushed since they'd often involved unexpected (and often unwelcome) time jumps. For example, after the pivotal moment that Hannah chose to ungraciously leave Noah (seriously, the woman exercised not a hint of tact for that whole scene), the next chapter that involves Liam is already the next day without any interaction between the two. There were plenty of moments like this, the quiet moments you can't witness, that left me feeling a bit gypped.
But what REALLY pissed me off in this story?
The treatment of Noah. Reducing this once great character to a bumbling, pliable fool until the literal end was UNACCEPTABLE. Now okay, yes, it was clear (especially during my second read) that this was simply his fated arc; that all those negative traits were always there just bubbling under the surface until the time came for them to erupt and taint him into someone who was all along meant to fall from grace. I honestly get that and hey, I'm even cool with it. But the thing is, it just didn't feel like a natural growth. It felt forced even beyond the purpose of shock value.
After all the things he went through to be his own hero of the story, I'm supposed to believe that he's okay with being a pushover even when things are even MORE obvious for him? It just didn't mesh right with me. I should have been seeing more signs of that early on. *sigh* But I guess perhaps I DID see the signs, and I'm in denial. Maybe all the times he disagreed with what was happening but said nothing, questioned things without acting, even when something was against his better judgment, and it all just spiraled out from there: Noah resorting to living in a fear bubble for Milo's sake. Regardless, though, even if he had justifications for his astronomically frustrating decisions (the protection of his son), it still felt like a complete change of the character I've gotten to know since the beginning.
Which is why I'm more leaning on another more obvious reason for his forced antagonism: Poor Noah was in the way of the VERY obvious romance being set up for Hannah and Liam. I for one think it's a shame to taint one decent character to advance others. And not just taint him, but kill him off altogether. Heck, not even just killing him off, but doing so without granting him SOME bit of reprieve before doing so. I know he made some horrible decisions, but my God he made some good ones too. He couldn't at LEAST gain some semblance of a hero's death, even when he had a moment for it, such as being the preferable one to kill Rosamond?
It would have been the one predictable element in a series that has already been so predictable that I would have GLADLY accepted. The dude didn't get to share any meaningful last words with anyone. Didn't get to experience peace. He just slowly suffers and withers away with his mind so full of regret and heartache, deprived of an opportunity to purge it all. Never had a chance to experience warmth or love before his life slips away. I mean come on! To not even be allowed to have died with the little bit of the dignity he used to have? And WORSE YET! Even after he dies, the characters that loved him can only focus on his fall, on the ways he'd messed up. Sure they grieve, sure they cry (and so did I), but they can't even bother to dwell on what he did right.
Only young Quinn was able to do that, at least at first, which is why her response was the most authentic and the most saddening. She put up the most fight for him and so is the one to earn the anger towards him. It was just SUCH a tragic waste to his character, and no amount of character arc should have been worth that. He should have been done away with in a much more respectful manner, even if just a smidgen of it, especially after his helping carry the series for so long. Did he honestly deserve that? I don't think so. Not at all. Look I'm fine with his death. I have to be. If it had to happen, it had to happen. I'm just not fine with his moment of clarity dying along with him, that he couldn't even make things right in his last seconds of living. That his arc was always meant to be a crashing one, and now everyone will look at him as the man who screwed up. That enraged me.
Whew. That felt good to get out. I'm still happily wanting to finish this series, even happy for Liam and Hannah, (even though she lost major cool points from me for the manner in which she left Noah), but yeah. Noah was done too dirty and I hope I won't see a repeat of that with any other characters in this series. For all my frustrated and colorful commentary, click here.
Things pissed me off enough to want me to rate it on the lowly side, but then there were the things I loved so much that I couldn't fathom rating it anything less than perfect. I got angry. Sad. All things in between. I had all. The. FEELS. If you specifically wanna know what pissed me off, though, skip down past the sentence in bold where I will rant about it. Because it needs more than a mere mention, and you better believe I'm diving in, even if it DIDN'T rate with low stars.
But why rate it higher?
Regardless of which direction I swayed towards (love vs hate), I couldn't stop reading. It never bored me. Never lost my interest. The way this story managed to invoke literally every kind of emotion outta me WITHOUT making me regret it, well...that's a story forcing me to praise it, complaints be damned. It practically dragged that 5th star outta me. While some of the dialogue was comically exaggerated, a greater portion of it was heart-punching. I cried some ugly tears over this book, I kid you not. UGLY. I'm talking sniffles and snot kind of tears. I truly FELT the various characters' pain, even minor characters.
Way to frickin' abuse me, Kyla Stone.
Like its predecessor, you're THROWN RIGHT IN at the start of this entry without even getting a chance to buckle up, and I mean that in the literal sense. Chapter one is guns blazing, and it rarely lets up. War has officially come. If things weren't real before, things are DEFINITELY real now. The pacing stays quick while the gravity of it all is heavy. The action and violence are intensified. There's so much going on, so much to take in, both plot wise and character wise, much of it difficult to accept. I think Kyla did a fantastic job in ramping up the overall energy in this entry; it had all the feel of being the final book it had initially intended to be.
However, thanks to that aforementioned quick pace, there were certain transitional moments between chapters that felt WAY rushed since they'd often involved unexpected (and often unwelcome) time jumps. For example, after the pivotal moment that Hannah chose to ungraciously leave Noah (seriously, the woman exercised not a hint of tact for that whole scene), the next chapter that involves Liam is already the next day without any interaction between the two. There were plenty of moments like this, the quiet moments you can't witness, that left me feeling a bit gypped.
But what REALLY pissed me off in this story?
The treatment of Noah. Reducing this once great character to a bumbling, pliable fool until the literal end was UNACCEPTABLE. Now okay, yes, it was clear (especially during my second read) that this was simply his fated arc; that all those negative traits were always there just bubbling under the surface until the time came for them to erupt and taint him into someone who was all along meant to fall from grace. I honestly get that and hey, I'm even cool with it. But the thing is, it just didn't feel like a natural growth. It felt forced even beyond the purpose of shock value.
After all the things he went through to be his own hero of the story, I'm supposed to believe that he's okay with being a pushover even when things are even MORE obvious for him? It just didn't mesh right with me. I should have been seeing more signs of that early on. *sigh* But I guess perhaps I DID see the signs, and I'm in denial. Maybe all the times he disagreed with what was happening but said nothing, questioned things without acting, even when something was against his better judgment, and it all just spiraled out from there: Noah resorting to living in a fear bubble for Milo's sake. Regardless, though, even if he had justifications for his astronomically frustrating decisions (the protection of his son), it still felt like a complete change of the character I've gotten to know since the beginning.
Which is why I'm more leaning on another more obvious reason for his forced antagonism: Poor Noah was in the way of the VERY obvious romance being set up for Hannah and Liam. I for one think it's a shame to taint one decent character to advance others. And not just taint him, but kill him off altogether. Heck, not even just killing him off, but doing so without granting him SOME bit of reprieve before doing so. I know he made some horrible decisions, but my God he made some good ones too. He couldn't at LEAST gain some semblance of a hero's death, even when he had a moment for it, such as being the preferable one to kill Rosamond?
It would have been the one predictable element in a series that has already been so predictable that I would have GLADLY accepted. The dude didn't get to share any meaningful last words with anyone. Didn't get to experience peace. He just slowly suffers and withers away with his mind so full of regret and heartache, deprived of an opportunity to purge it all. Never had a chance to experience warmth or love before his life slips away. I mean come on! To not even be allowed to have died with the little bit of the dignity he used to have? And WORSE YET! Even after he dies, the characters that loved him can only focus on his fall, on the ways he'd messed up. Sure they grieve, sure they cry (and so did I), but they can't even bother to dwell on what he did right.
Only young Quinn was able to do that, at least at first, which is why her response was the most authentic and the most saddening. She put up the most fight for him and so is the one to earn the anger towards him. It was just SUCH a tragic waste to his character, and no amount of character arc should have been worth that. He should have been done away with in a much more respectful manner, even if just a smidgen of it, especially after his helping carry the series for so long. Did he honestly deserve that? I don't think so. Not at all. Look I'm fine with his death. I have to be. If it had to happen, it had to happen. I'm just not fine with his moment of clarity dying along with him, that he couldn't even make things right in his last seconds of living. That his arc was always meant to be a crashing one, and now everyone will look at him as the man who screwed up. That enraged me.
Whew. That felt good to get out. I'm still happily wanting to finish this series, even happy for Liam and Hannah, (even though she lost major cool points from me for the manner in which she left Noah), but yeah. Noah was done too dirty and I hope I won't see a repeat of that with any other characters in this series. For all my frustrated and colorful commentary, click here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2025
During this 5th book in this series, some of the town leaders have formed a militia. They have seized control, including over the food, and are treating the townspeople with lawless cruelty. That doesn’t sit well with Liam, Hannah & Quinn. And the police chief, who is Hannah’s husband, has lost his strength and morality. This book is full of action and heading towards a showdown between the oppressors and the townspeople.
December 9, 2024
This is a great series. This addition was exciting, with a lot of fighting to take back their town of Fall Creek against the militia. I was hoping this was the last book in the series as it's starting to become mundane at the very end. The next book is again to be a battlefield, and I'm going to read it none the less.
January 17, 2025
SO SATISFYING. Still enjoyed how ominous the ending was since we're looking for some final resolution.
March 19, 2022
This was the best of the series yet, just as I was ready to get rid of Hannah myself, she finally redeemed herself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2021
I never liked the story line with Noah. And it's just worse here.
People are behaving out of character and it looks like it is just done to stir a pot.
If the author was trying for some unusual angst it just didn't work.
I'm continuing with the series because I still enjoy parts of the story and the other characters.
But this wasn't an excellent book like the first one.
People are behaving out of character and it looks like it is just done to stir a pot.
If the author was trying for some unusual angst it just didn't work.
I'm continuing with the series because I still enjoy parts of the story and the other characters.
But this wasn't an excellent book like the first one.
October 20, 2020
The Edge of Collapse series is Kyla Stone’s newest series and her most successful. She has solid, gripping prose, great characters and a fast-paced plot.
Apocalyptic entertainment at its best.
In this instalment everything comes together and some of the scenes are outright cathartic.
Apocalyptic entertainment at its best.
In this instalment everything comes together and some of the scenes are outright cathartic.
February 25, 2023
Genres: Dystopia/Sci-fi
This is book # 5 in the Edge of Collapse series and it was by far my favorite one. Again, I couldn't put this one down and I was hanging on to every scene as this train wreck was coming to a head. I love it when a book can sweep me away like that.
It was nice to see the characters get their dose of karma. It felt very satisfying. This one seemed a little more ruthless and violent than the others but the author firmly nailed it all down . I loved her attention to the details that gave this a solid foundation for what it could be like if something like this really did happen. I also liked that the author wasn't frantically trying to fit every eventuality into the plot. She kept it reigned in. All things that I can appreciate...so 5 stars for this one.
This is book # 5 in the Edge of Collapse series and it was by far my favorite one. Again, I couldn't put this one down and I was hanging on to every scene as this train wreck was coming to a head. I love it when a book can sweep me away like that.
It was nice to see the characters get their dose of karma. It felt very satisfying. This one seemed a little more ruthless and violent than the others but the author firmly nailed it all down . I loved her attention to the details that gave this a solid foundation for what it could be like if something like this really did happen. I also liked that the author wasn't frantically trying to fit every eventuality into the plot. She kept it reigned in. All things that I can appreciate...so 5 stars for this one.
March 18, 2024
Freaking Fantastic!!
Whoa! This book had me angry, crying and flipping through the pages to see what happens to Fall Creek next! This is a great series and it gets crazier and more addictive with each book!!
Whoa! This book had me angry, crying and flipping through the pages to see what happens to Fall Creek next! This is a great series and it gets crazier and more addictive with each book!!
December 9, 2024
The quality hasn't changed; I just lost interest. The best story arcs were finished in the prior book and nothing good is on the horizon. I'm bored with Hannah, Liam and Noah - especially Noah. DNF@ 33%.
May 29, 2021
This series is so great! I love Liam, Hannah, and Quinn! I’m so glad this author added 2 more books after this one. 😃 I can’t get enough of these characters!
April 6, 2025
4,5 ⭐
May 30, 2024
I don’t think I’ve written any reviews on this series so far, but I just had to write one for this particular book. I really loved this series in the beginning. I loved the suspense, the writing style, the characters, but each book has gotten worse in my opinion. I’m not even sure I’m going to read the last two books.
One of my biggest issues with these books is the inaccuracy when it comes to medical issues (and dog behavior, but I’ll get to that in a minute). As a medical provider, I found most of her medical information to be grossly inaccurate. I don’t expect writers to be medical experts, but if they are going to make medical issues a large part of the plot, then I expect them to have at least done some homework. This is the second time that a character really should not have lived without intensive medical intervention (which we know is not available), and it really made the story unbelievable for me. I guess you *could* say it was supposed to be a miracle, but that’s an awful lot of miracles happening to people who really only pray as an afterthought. I don’t buy it.
Now about the dog… As a character, I love Ghost, but as a dog, he is completely unrealistic. I mean, the dog was abused, starved, and neglected for YEARS. He likely was never socialized and has never had any experience with children, other dogs, cats, etc. He would NOT magically be totally ok with kids and cats and all people who are not bad guys. In reality, this dog would need serious behavioral training and would likely have fear/aggression issues (which he kind of does, but only for the bad guys). In the fantasy world of this book, however, the dog just magically knows how to sit, stay, be quiet, search for things by smell on command, etc., etc. Those things have to be trained! Dogs do not just know them. Any dog who can rip someone’s throat out is dangerous and could not be trusted around kids, but somehow the dog automatically KNOWS who needs their throat ripped out, so that makes everything ok. *eye roll*
Other minor issues I have with these books include predictability, repetitive plot devices, lots of violence and killing. I’m not sure if Kyla is just really bad at using foreshadowing as a plot device or if she actually means for you to know what’s coming way in advance, either way, it makes for too much predictability for me. On a better note, the narrator for the audiobooks is great— Stacey Glemboski does an excellent job! Probably one of the best I’ve heard.
*** Spoiler ahead ***
The main reason I don’t want to continue is the Noah storyline. I loved Noah in book 2, and I just don’t see how he could possibly have sunk so low. It did not seem realistic at all for me. I feel like the author just wanted to get him out of the way so Liam and Hanna could be together, and it all just felt forced and unrealistic. As others have said, he didn’t even get a chance to redeem himself. He was pathetic and weak in the end, and that didn’t fit his character at all. What happened to the man who fearlessly climbed on the ski lift cables to save his son and the others, or the man who was an amazing single father for 5 long years and still wore his wedding ring? I really loved Noah as a character, and I kept waiting for him to at least get a chance to redeem himself. Kyla could have at least given him that. I saw his death coming since book 3 (because I knew she would take the easy way out to allow Liam and Hanna to be together), so I wasn’t really surprised. I was surprised that he died a pathetic and meaningless death. And now it looks like she’s starting on Quinn with the “darkness” bit at the end. I really hope Quinn doesn’t get the same treatment as Noah, because she is my favorite remaining character. I was planning on continuing to read the books because of her, but now I’m afraid of what Kyla has planned for her. I am just so incredibly disappointed in her handling of Noah’s story, and I feel that a skilled writer would have been able to handle Liam and Hanna being together without killing off Noah. She just took the easy way out and lost my respect in the process.
One of my biggest issues with these books is the inaccuracy when it comes to medical issues (and dog behavior, but I’ll get to that in a minute). As a medical provider, I found most of her medical information to be grossly inaccurate. I don’t expect writers to be medical experts, but if they are going to make medical issues a large part of the plot, then I expect them to have at least done some homework. This is the second time that a character really should not have lived without intensive medical intervention (which we know is not available), and it really made the story unbelievable for me. I guess you *could* say it was supposed to be a miracle, but that’s an awful lot of miracles happening to people who really only pray as an afterthought. I don’t buy it.
Now about the dog… As a character, I love Ghost, but as a dog, he is completely unrealistic. I mean, the dog was abused, starved, and neglected for YEARS. He likely was never socialized and has never had any experience with children, other dogs, cats, etc. He would NOT magically be totally ok with kids and cats and all people who are not bad guys. In reality, this dog would need serious behavioral training and would likely have fear/aggression issues (which he kind of does, but only for the bad guys). In the fantasy world of this book, however, the dog just magically knows how to sit, stay, be quiet, search for things by smell on command, etc., etc. Those things have to be trained! Dogs do not just know them. Any dog who can rip someone’s throat out is dangerous and could not be trusted around kids, but somehow the dog automatically KNOWS who needs their throat ripped out, so that makes everything ok. *eye roll*
Other minor issues I have with these books include predictability, repetitive plot devices, lots of violence and killing. I’m not sure if Kyla is just really bad at using foreshadowing as a plot device or if she actually means for you to know what’s coming way in advance, either way, it makes for too much predictability for me. On a better note, the narrator for the audiobooks is great— Stacey Glemboski does an excellent job! Probably one of the best I’ve heard.
*** Spoiler ahead ***
The main reason I don’t want to continue is the Noah storyline. I loved Noah in book 2, and I just don’t see how he could possibly have sunk so low. It did not seem realistic at all for me. I feel like the author just wanted to get him out of the way so Liam and Hanna could be together, and it all just felt forced and unrealistic. As others have said, he didn’t even get a chance to redeem himself. He was pathetic and weak in the end, and that didn’t fit his character at all. What happened to the man who fearlessly climbed on the ski lift cables to save his son and the others, or the man who was an amazing single father for 5 long years and still wore his wedding ring? I really loved Noah as a character, and I kept waiting for him to at least get a chance to redeem himself. Kyla could have at least given him that. I saw his death coming since book 3 (because I knew she would take the easy way out to allow Liam and Hanna to be together), so I wasn’t really surprised. I was surprised that he died a pathetic and meaningless death. And now it looks like she’s starting on Quinn with the “darkness” bit at the end. I really hope Quinn doesn’t get the same treatment as Noah, because she is my favorite remaining character. I was planning on continuing to read the books because of her, but now I’m afraid of what Kyla has planned for her. I am just so incredibly disappointed in her handling of Noah’s story, and I feel that a skilled writer would have been able to handle Liam and Hanna being together without killing off Noah. She just took the easy way out and lost my respect in the process.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2020
This has continued to be a good series and this book has a much needed confrontation come to a climax at last. Most of the bad guys and many of the good guys have become one dimensional, an exception being James Luther who goes along with the bad for the most part but does draw a much needed line (I still wouldn't let him stay in the community). I was bothered a bit by some weakness from Hannah. She had endured the horror of five years of being the captive of a deranged lunatic, escaped that and made it home. At a crucial moment, she lowers her gun because her husband told her too (even though he is right on the edge of crazy). That forced a teenager girl to have to step up and save the day and also have to bear the guilt of killing. I am not sure where the story goes from here, though there is that shadowy call placed by Rosalind to a group that was in no particular hurry to get to the town.
May 5, 2023
Since this was the last planned book, it will be the last one I read.
Surprise. I don't really care about these characters anymore. Like so many of these series (that aren't as great as others), it is just droning on with evil, death, despair, and misery. Killing of people for the joy of killing. Not worth my time even if I can read one a day. I do feel sorry for some reviewers who have never had the joy of reading a truly great and wonderful book. How else could they give these 4 or 5 stars.
Surprise. I don't really care about these characters anymore. Like so many of these series (that aren't as great as others), it is just droning on with evil, death, despair, and misery. Killing of people for the joy of killing. Not worth my time even if I can read one a day. I do feel sorry for some reviewers who have never had the joy of reading a truly great and wonderful book. How else could they give these 4 or 5 stars.
January 4, 2025
This series is good but it’s just lost me after 5 books and so many POVs dragging the story out.
Disappointed with how Noah’s character arc went, flicked through the last two books to figure out how it all ends.
Good series for someone who enjoys dystopian and doesn’t mind multiple POV/long stories because of so many POVs.
Disappointed with how Noah’s character arc went, flicked through the last two books to figure out how it all ends.
Good series for someone who enjoys dystopian and doesn’t mind multiple POV/long stories because of so many POVs.
March 21, 2024
I really wanted this to be the last book, but the author had other plans.
❄️ Fall Creek is doing everything they can to survive against the militia and the stupid of Rosamond Trump mandates. They really don't care about the people.
❄️ Noah really lost all the little hope I had on him... wow, I can believe it he even decided to keep trusting that old bitch.
❄️ Quinn is one of those 16-year-olds that had experience so much that they feel more grown up than the real adults. She is going to kick ass on the next book, I can feel it.
❄️ Molly is the best grandma anyone could wish for if we found ourselves in this same post-apocalyptic situation.
❄️ I want to see Hannah finally giving in for Liam, that poor man is ready to spill his guts with love.
❄️ Why I have a feeling that Fall Creek is not done yet before another horrible thing happens to them.
❄️ Liam is taking very seriously the nickname Quinn gave him, Wolverine.
❄️ Sutter is as slimy as a literal snail, how the hell he always keeps getting the chance to run away! He needs to pay too!
❄️ Who the hell is the guy Rosemond kept calling?!
❄️ Fall Creek is doing everything they can to survive against the militia and the stupid of Rosamond Trump mandates. They really don't care about the people.
❄️ Noah really lost all the little hope I had on him... wow, I can believe it he even decided to keep trusting that old bitch.
❄️ Quinn is one of those 16-year-olds that had experience so much that they feel more grown up than the real adults. She is going to kick ass on the next book, I can feel it.
❄️ Molly is the best grandma anyone could wish for if we found ourselves in this same post-apocalyptic situation.
❄️ I want to see Hannah finally giving in for Liam, that poor man is ready to spill his guts with love.
❄️ Why I have a feeling that Fall Creek is not done yet before another horrible thing happens to them.
❄️ Liam is taking very seriously the nickname Quinn gave him, Wolverine.
❄️ Sutter is as slimy as a literal snail, how the hell he always keeps getting the chance to run away! He needs to pay too!
❄️ Who the hell is the guy Rosemond kept calling?!
February 26, 2023
Awesomeness
What an awesome wrap up to a brutal leader. Putting an end to the militia saved the town. Hannah, Liam, Quinn, and Milo have a fighting chance now in this world that has been thrown back in to the dark ages thanks to the EMP. Of course one bad guy got away but there will always be a bad guy. Noah turned out to be a failure because he put his beliefs in the wrong people and by the time he realized everything was a lie, it was to late.
The story is full of action, the characters draw you in, so real and believable that you actually believe you're living in the world yourself. The funny thing is that the author has captured a possibility that we in real life could be facing from China and Russia. Times are hard right now and war between other countries are threatening our spoiled selves. The authors fantasy writing scares me because its not far fetched. The authors examples are spot on when it comes to survival. I'm very impressed and look forward to reading more of her work. Now I'm off to read more of the series since the author stated she added more to it because the characters had more to say.
Excellent Read.
What an awesome wrap up to a brutal leader. Putting an end to the militia saved the town. Hannah, Liam, Quinn, and Milo have a fighting chance now in this world that has been thrown back in to the dark ages thanks to the EMP. Of course one bad guy got away but there will always be a bad guy. Noah turned out to be a failure because he put his beliefs in the wrong people and by the time he realized everything was a lie, it was to late.
The story is full of action, the characters draw you in, so real and believable that you actually believe you're living in the world yourself. The funny thing is that the author has captured a possibility that we in real life could be facing from China and Russia. Times are hard right now and war between other countries are threatening our spoiled selves. The authors fantasy writing scares me because its not far fetched. The authors examples are spot on when it comes to survival. I'm very impressed and look forward to reading more of her work. Now I'm off to read more of the series since the author stated she added more to it because the characters had more to say.
Excellent Read.
October 23, 2020
This in town really started to fraction and most of the people are realizing they have been lied to and used. I was happy to see them figure this out and do something. I hated the choice that Hannah made, but it needed to be done and I found the fate of Noah to be about right and didn't feel sorry for him. He's made his choices all along and knew the devil he sided with. By the end, I feel like the town has a chance now, the bad people are gone and spring is here. I only hope the POS at the end isn't successful at rilling people up.
June 26, 2025
This series has been a bit up and down, I found this one a bit harder to get through, some of it felt a bit repetitive to get to the final showdown.
I think killing Noah off was a bit too convenient to make way for Liam and Hannah to move forward, I feel like they could have just split up and that would have been fine? It had been 5 years they’d been apart and I think it would be unrealistic for Hannah to go back to her previous relationship that sounded strained in the first place.
I don’t know if I’ll continue with the series at this point, I’ll take a break and see how I feel in a while.
I think killing Noah off was a bit too convenient to make way for Liam and Hannah to move forward, I feel like they could have just split up and that would have been fine? It had been 5 years they’d been apart and I think it would be unrealistic for Hannah to go back to her previous relationship that sounded strained in the first place.
I don’t know if I’ll continue with the series at this point, I’ll take a break and see how I feel in a while.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2024
My least favorite of the series. Very repetitive early on. The last part of the book was good.
HATED how Noah was the in-charge, hero in the first books and transformed into the weak, follower. And what’s up with Quinn? Not sure where her character is going yet, but sounds like the author is taking her to the dark side.
HATED how Noah was the in-charge, hero in the first books and transformed into the weak, follower. And what’s up with Quinn? Not sure where her character is going yet, but sounds like the author is taking her to the dark side.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2024
There are so many emotions right now! I'm glad this story isn't over yet! The Lord of the Flies children at the end are very intriguing!!! Love the characters, even the ones I hate. This series always leaves me wondering if the crazy would happen this quickly...but I'm still in love!
March 18, 2023
A whirlwind!!
I was on the edge of my seat reading to see what happens with the militia. A bit worries about Quinn but hope she can find herself.
I was on the edge of my seat reading to see what happens with the militia. A bit worries about Quinn but hope she can find herself.
February 26, 2024
Still loving this series and watching how the characters and their relationships develop. This book is a turning point in the series and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
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