(Image of book cover taken from goodreads.)
Dystopian, romance, and suspense aren’t my usual go-to genres, for varying reasons, but Kristina pulls all three off in a way that I can enjoy them. I’ve commented in previous reviews that Kristina’s books will keep you flipping those pages, and this book was no different.
I fell in love with Mellie right from the first page of chapter 1. No, I’m not exaggerating. Specifically, it was this quote that let me know I’d like her and made me laugh out loud:
“And Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson would be glad to scare off this guy who’d driven me to the mental depths of talking to a message. Their nerves were a lot steadier than mine.”
(Page 9).
And guys, it doesn’t stop there. The snark and sarcasm that make up Mellie is perfect. But beneath that, she’s a woman who’s past she is trying to forget. She’s scarred, (and later, when her past catches up, utterly terrified) and her snark is a way of dealing with that. In that way, she reminds me of Hawkeye from the television series MASH. She is definitely my favorite character.
But that doesn’t mean the second main character, Friedrich, isn’t amazing too. Once again, when he was introduced, I liked him. He is certainly interesting, with his German background and all. Plus, he is so sweet with his concern for Mellie. And he too has a complicated past, which happens to involve his MINOR SPOILER IN BOLD: Karl, his elder brother.
But don’t get the impression that these characters are 100% perfect. No, definitely not. Mellie struggles with fear, Friedrich with his past, Mellie with doubt, and Friedrich with never living up to *someone else mentioned in minor spoiler above*.
Now, as for plot? Yeah it’s intense alright. And honestly, I never guessed where it was going. There’s just enough detail given to make you want even more. Very suspenseful, but not over the top or unrealistic. Like, I legitimately think this *could* happen in a dystopian world like this.
Speaking of dystopian, having read Kristina’s Refuge series, this book gave me the same feelings. It felt very similar in that regard to Kristina’s other books. But I don’t have any problem with that.
And that ENDING! Didn’t see it coming, though I think I might’ve had an idea if I’d paid a little more attention to the little details. I had no idea how they were going to MINOR SPOILERS IN BOLD: get out of that situation. And then, boom, it happened. My goodness, did it HAPPEN. Phew, probably the most intense part of the whole book.
Also, again, the ending definitely fit with the plot and seemed like it could happen in that situation. And it was an answer to prayer, but not in a cheesy way.
The faith elements are as strongly there as in Kristina’s other works that I’ve read, and the title ties into it, which is always fun to see 😉
Alright, I’ll wrap up this spiel of words by saying that I enjoyed this work of Kristina’s and I think it’s my favorite one of hers yet. I recommend it for ages 15+.
I was given a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own and are not influenced by this. Thank you so much Kristina for allowing me to read your wonderful work!
Until the next review,
Abby