Thank you to Katy Nicholas for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
All quotes are taken from As the World Falls Down by Katy Nicholas.
// Content warning: sexual assault/harassment, abuse, death, reference to miscarriage, disease, violence, drowning, suicide, consensual sexual content //
// Quick Statistics //
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Plot: 4.5/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5 Stars
Writing: 5/5 Stars
Memorability: 5/5 Stars
// Quick Review //
As the World Falls Down takes the reader on a journey of discovery, adventure, love, and trust. A perfect beginning to the Cities in Dust series, this novel is nothing like I have ever read before.
Welcome to the end of the world. The apocalypse. The end times. The closing credits. The last scene of a bad B-movie to which I’d been given a front row seat.
// Other Information //
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Page Count: 408 pages
Release Date: January 15, 2020
Series: Cities in Dust #1
Genre: Fiction, Young adult, Adult, Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Science fiction, Romance
// Book Description (via Goodreads) //
Years after a mysterious plague wipes out humanity, Halley Clarke leaves the safety of home to search for other survivors. She finds Nate Reynolds, a young man devastated by loneliness and despair. Instantly, there is an inexplicable connection between them, and it becomes clear that this was no ordinary virus. They soon discover they aren’t the only ones changed by the virus or guided by strange feelings or voices. Their lives and the survival of humanity rests on uncovering answers and understanding their new world. Will the truth they unearth bring them closer together or tear them apart?
// Characters //
I fell in love with practically each and every one of the characters in this novel; Halley Clarke, Nate Reynolds, and Eve being among my favorite. Oh, and when I said each and every one, that did not include Halley’s asshole step-father, Andrew.
Halley and Nate’s romance left me breathless; I literally love them together. Their relationship is just the perfect mix of wholesomeness and spice. And not gonna lie, we all need a Nate in our lives.
I’m not even gonna attempt to talk about everything wrong with Andrew. There’s too much and too little time. Plus he’s just an asshat.
I envied them, huddled together in a place they found comfort in, frozen in a loving embrace until they finally became dust.
// Writing and Setting //
I cannot express how amazing Katy Nicholas’ writing style is. Literally, I have no words. So here is a quote just to show you how fantastic their writing is.
…the night sky was dark and moonless, splashed with thousands of twinkling lights and the fain smudges of faraway galaxies. Unhindered by light pollution, the magnificent spectacle of the universe spread out across the deep blue yonder, observed only by the few remaining humans inhabiting planet Earth.
As for the setting, it’s unlike anything I have ever seen before. Nicholas has managed to expertly combine a post-pandemic ridden world with a sci-fi and dystopian atmosphere. It is unclear when the novel takes place (or I just forgot the date), but it is definitely in modern times, if not in the future.
I hated that he was in so much pain, and I hated that, this time, I was the cause of it. I hated that I’d lacked the courage to leave my aunt’s sooner. I hated that she’d stopped me every time I’d tried to leave. I hated knowing she’d clearly not been looking for other survivors all this time, for whatever reason. I hated my mother for leaving me. I hated Andrew. I hated the apocalypse.
// Plot //
The story revolves around Halley’s goal of finding other survivors, no matter how much risk her endeavors put her at. Her goal succeeds and she finds Nate, the love of her life (and every reader’s.) I thought that this turn of events, though not surprising, was very well written and I loved it.
The only (tiny) complaint I have about the plot is that the story seemed very slow in the beginning, so it took me a little bit to get into the novel. However, after that, I was hooked.
// Overall Review //
I am so excited for the rest of the Cities in Dust series. As the World Falls Down was the perfect start to a timeless post-apocalyptic series that I will be talking about to everyone I know for the rest of my life.
I will actually be reviewing the sequel, The Last Place on Earth, soon, most likely in mid-September (so many books to read and review until then.) So, look out for that!
What would you do if you were a survivor of the apocalypse?
Visit Katy Nicholas’ site here.
ORDER As the World Falls Down here.
Add As the World Falls Down to your Goodreads shelf here.
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