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alivaster's review against another edition
2.0
The book can be quite intense sometimes, so I wouldn't recommend for a younger audience due to violence, killing, and written details that can put you on edge. Think of the movies similar to "The Purge" which is what this really made me think of, except instead of a single day, the world's chaos is caused by a blood sacrifice that break the seal to keep magic at bay. With the seal broken, it spreads through the land killing over 2.5 billion people on the planet (nevermind the ones who die from all the murders and etc). Those who live either have magical abilities (witch, faerie, elf, seer, demons, etc which are all known as the Uncanny) or are immune to The Doom (the name given by laymen to talk about the sickness that really decimated the population).
Essentially you have a chaotic dystopian world filled with magical beings of all sorts, Purists (those who are against the Uncanny and think they should be killed), and the immune (humans who didn't die from The Doom) which showcases the bad side of human nature (which is probably accurate if a sickness like that happened).
The reason the book got two stars was the fact that, while an interesting idea, I found the pacing to be a little odd and chaotic. You can be following one group of characters in one POV and then you can quickly switch to the other, but not all were good or natural breaking points for that shift. It also got two stars because I felt like there were no limits or boundaries. I felt like there was no shortage of different magical beings that could show up and there didn't seem to be rhyme or reason. This is book one, and they are still trying to figure out the world, so I'm hoping this gets built on for the next books in the series - but it wasn't built in this particular book which bothered me.
I will say... that while I didn't really enjoy the beginning of the book, I did like the book better about 200 pages to the end. The pacing was better, it was interesting, and it was more my taste. This helped it land solidly at 2 stars over 1.5 stars.
Wouldn't really recommend and I personally have no plans to read the rest of the series.
Essentially you have a chaotic dystopian world filled with magical beings of all sorts, Purists (those who are against the Uncanny and think they should be killed), and the immune (humans who didn't die from The Doom) which showcases the bad side of human nature (which is probably accurate if a sickness like that happened).
The reason the book got two stars was the fact that, while an interesting idea, I found the pacing to be a little odd and chaotic. You can be following one group of characters in one POV and then you can quickly switch to the other, but not all were good or natural breaking points for that shift. It also got two stars because I felt like there were no limits or boundaries. I felt like there was no shortage of different magical beings that could show up and there didn't seem to be rhyme or reason. This is book one, and they are still trying to figure out the world, so I'm hoping this gets built on for the next books in the series - but it wasn't built in this particular book which bothered me.
I will say... that while I didn't really enjoy the beginning of the book, I did like the book better about 200 pages to the end. The pacing was better, it was interesting, and it was more my taste. This helped it land solidly at 2 stars over 1.5 stars.
Wouldn't really recommend and I personally have no plans to read the rest of the series.
haapalaiida's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kaylisbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
My mom is a huge Nora Roberts fan and suggested this book to me... and it really surprised me!
I liked the multiple point or views, the characters were written well, and the plot was well thought out.
However, some of the book was slow and hard for me to really get into. I think maybe that’s why it took so long for me to read it.
Either way, I’m excited to read the next book!
I liked the multiple point or views, the characters were written well, and the plot was well thought out.
However, some of the book was slow and hard for me to really get into. I think maybe that’s why it took so long for me to read it.
Either way, I’m excited to read the next book!
ranee_samaniego's review against another edition
5.0
Phenomenal. I love post-apocalyptical literature, and this did not disappoint!
I was entranced - Nora Roberts did a wonderful job conveying the devastation, tension, and stress of trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, foreshadowing in a way that made this book a page-turner, and interweaving characters and narratives together.
I do think that, at times, there were too many characters (it did, near the end, get a bit difficult to keep track of everyone), and I wish we had spent a bit more time on the protagonists' journey down to New Hope.
I was entranced - Nora Roberts did a wonderful job conveying the devastation, tension, and stress of trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, foreshadowing in a way that made this book a page-turner, and interweaving characters and narratives together.
I do think that, at times, there were too many characters (it did, near the end, get a bit difficult to keep track of everyone), and I wish we had spent a bit more time on the protagonists' journey down to New Hope.
kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
First in the Chronicles of the One apocalyptic fantasy series and revolving around groups of friends who become family.
In 2018, Year One was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy.
My Take
I hadn't planned on reviewing Year One, as I thought it was simply a Roberts romance. Instead I was surprised to discover this apocalyptic fantasy that grabbed me immediately with that tension-filled beginning of doom and happy families.
The tension continued, increased, culminating in my tears. And the tension continues with a society descending into violence. We're introduced to the core characters, chapter by chapter, as they each escape their situations and find safe havens. Places with their own terrors.
It's all expressed through third person global subjective point-of-view mostly through a few primary characters: Max, Lana, Arlys, and Jonah.
And as terrifying as it was, Roberts leavens it all with cultural references. In fact, it's something of a cozy apocalyptic nightmare that reminded me of S.M. Stirling's harsher Emberverse and Laura Bickle's Young Adult The Hallowed Ones .
I always love the stories where people have to go back to basics, hunting, canning, gardening, surviving with the help of each other. And Year One is a showcase for humanity, its best and its worst. The ones who step up and help each other, and the ones who fear anything, anyone, different.
The Story
It starts with the MacLeods celebrating New Year's Eve and quickly escalates to multiple presidents in almost as many days as half the world dies.
It's a virus, they call it the Doom. It...it changes people, brings out latent abilities, ramps up others. Normal people, people without any abilities who fear anything different call them the Uncanny...and blame them for the world gone wrong.
The Characters
Max Fallon, a wizard and a popular writer, is in love with Lana Bingham, a not-so-serious witch and professional chef.
Eric is Max's brother currently dating Allegra. The nerdy Shaun Iseler is Eric's friend whose parents have a vacation house in the Alleghenies. Kim, a brilliant girl, and Poe, a football star, are fellow college students with Eric.
Flynn is the only one left who's running the store; Lupa is his wolf.
Chuck is a technical and computer genius who lives in a basement with his toys. Arlys Reid is a journalist who ends up as the anchorwoman on The Evening Spotlight. Little Fred is a young colleague along with the real anchor, Bob Barrett; Lorraine Marsh; Jim Clayton; and, Carol. Theo is/was Arlys' brother. Bill Anderson is a neighbor from Arlys' hometown; Will is his missing son.
Dr Rachel Hopman works the ER. Jonah Vorhies is a paramedic, very depressed over current world events and his own psychic abilities; Patti Ann is his partner. Healy is a lab rat. Dr Gerson will be treating Angela. Hannah is the baby whose mother died.
Tony Parsoni is madly in love with his wife, Katie MacLeod, who is pregnant with twins whom she'll name Antonia and Duncan. Her parents are Ross MacLeod, patient zero, and his wife, Angela. Marjorie is Angela's friend. Rob MacLeod is Ross' twin; Jayne is his wife. Hugh is their cousin with the farm at Dunfries, Scotland, where he lives with his wife, Millie.
On the road, we...
...meet Eddie and his dog, Joe, Lloyd Stenson, who likes to build things, and Rainbow, who will teach yoga.
In New Hope, we...
...meet Aaron and Clarice, who had been a beautician. Carly is a nursing student, although there's a Carly Barker who used to be a deputy. Mike Rozer had also been a cop. Ray, Harley, Dave Daily had been a short order cook, Mirium, and the shapeshifting Diane Simmons are more refugees. Yale Trezori, Bryar, Jess, Dennis Reader, Ma Zee, Tara, and Drake Manning yet more. Starr is one of the rescued. The bigots include Karl Rove, Don and Lou Mercer, Denny Wertz, Sharon Beamer, Brad Fitz, and more.
The farm is...
...where Simon Swift lives with his dogs, Harper and Lee. His parents, Ethan and Madeline, died. Soon Fallon Swift will live here too.
The Raiders are vicious gangs who take joy in destroying and torturing. The Reverend Jeremiah White preaches bigotry and hatred to his Purity Warriors, vowing to destroy the Uncanny...even as he employs them as his thugs.
Just like anyone, the Uncanny come in Dark and Light.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a lightly textured pale gray background. Centered is a black crow, its wings dissipating into nothing, hovering over a deeper gray Celtic knot. At the very top is an info blurb in black. The author's name is below this, then the crow, and the title below it with both in red. The series information is just below the author's name in black. The initials NR are stylized in blue to the left of the author's first name.
The title introduces us to Year One of the world that survives.
In 2018, Year One was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy.
My Take
I hadn't planned on reviewing Year One, as I thought it was simply a Roberts romance. Instead I was surprised to discover this apocalyptic fantasy that grabbed me immediately with that tension-filled beginning of doom and happy families.
The tension continued, increased, culminating in my tears. And the tension continues with a society descending into violence. We're introduced to the core characters, chapter by chapter, as they each escape their situations and find safe havens. Places with their own terrors.
It's all expressed through third person global subjective point-of-view mostly through a few primary characters: Max, Lana, Arlys, and Jonah.
And as terrifying as it was, Roberts leavens it all with cultural references. In fact, it's something of a cozy apocalyptic nightmare that reminded me of S.M. Stirling's harsher Emberverse and Laura Bickle's Young Adult The Hallowed Ones .
I always love the stories where people have to go back to basics, hunting, canning, gardening, surviving with the help of each other. And Year One is a showcase for humanity, its best and its worst. The ones who step up and help each other, and the ones who fear anything, anyone, different.
The Story
It starts with the MacLeods celebrating New Year's Eve and quickly escalates to multiple presidents in almost as many days as half the world dies.
It's a virus, they call it the Doom. It...it changes people, brings out latent abilities, ramps up others. Normal people, people without any abilities who fear anything different call them the Uncanny...and blame them for the world gone wrong.
The Characters
Max Fallon, a wizard and a popular writer, is in love with Lana Bingham, a not-so-serious witch and professional chef.
Eric is Max's brother currently dating Allegra. The nerdy Shaun Iseler is Eric's friend whose parents have a vacation house in the Alleghenies. Kim, a brilliant girl, and Poe, a football star, are fellow college students with Eric.
Flynn is the only one left who's running the store; Lupa is his wolf.
Chuck is a technical and computer genius who lives in a basement with his toys. Arlys Reid is a journalist who ends up as the anchorwoman on The Evening Spotlight. Little Fred is a young colleague along with the real anchor, Bob Barrett; Lorraine Marsh; Jim Clayton; and, Carol. Theo is/was Arlys' brother. Bill Anderson is a neighbor from Arlys' hometown; Will is his missing son.
Dr Rachel Hopman works the ER. Jonah Vorhies is a paramedic, very depressed over current world events and his own psychic abilities; Patti Ann is his partner. Healy is a lab rat. Dr Gerson will be treating Angela. Hannah is the baby whose mother died.
Tony Parsoni is madly in love with his wife, Katie MacLeod, who is pregnant with twins whom she'll name Antonia and Duncan. Her parents are Ross MacLeod, patient zero, and his wife, Angela. Marjorie is Angela's friend. Rob MacLeod is Ross' twin; Jayne is his wife. Hugh is their cousin with the farm at Dunfries, Scotland, where he lives with his wife, Millie.
On the road, we...
...meet Eddie and his dog, Joe, Lloyd Stenson, who likes to build things, and Rainbow, who will teach yoga.
In New Hope, we...
...meet Aaron and Clarice, who had been a beautician. Carly is a nursing student, although there's a Carly Barker who used to be a deputy. Mike Rozer had also been a cop. Ray, Harley, Dave Daily had been a short order cook, Mirium, and the shapeshifting Diane Simmons are more refugees. Yale Trezori, Bryar, Jess, Dennis Reader, Ma Zee, Tara, and Drake Manning yet more. Starr is one of the rescued. The bigots include Karl Rove, Don and Lou Mercer, Denny Wertz, Sharon Beamer, Brad Fitz, and more.
The farm is...
...where Simon Swift lives with his dogs, Harper and Lee. His parents, Ethan and Madeline, died. Soon Fallon Swift will live here too.
The Raiders are vicious gangs who take joy in destroying and torturing. The Reverend Jeremiah White preaches bigotry and hatred to his Purity Warriors, vowing to destroy the Uncanny...even as he employs them as his thugs.
Just like anyone, the Uncanny come in Dark and Light.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a lightly textured pale gray background. Centered is a black crow, its wings dissipating into nothing, hovering over a deeper gray Celtic knot. At the very top is an info blurb in black. The author's name is below this, then the crow, and the title below it with both in red. The series information is just below the author's name in black. The initials NR are stylized in blue to the left of the author's first name.
The title introduces us to Year One of the world that survives.
mcrase20's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
maevey0406's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
lostlibraryofalli's review against another edition
4.0
A satisfying read once I realised this was magical realism and not just a pandemic story
bratus913's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
allisoni's review against another edition
It was released in 2017 and about a plague taking over the earth and I just did not want to read that. Love Nora. Definitely my first dnf of hers. But after covid, I wasn't feeling it. I may try again in a few years. I had missed this series when it came out and never saw what it was about.