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A review by aurigae
The Never-Ending End of the World by Ann Christy
4.0
In this thought-provoking work of post-apocalyptic science fiction, 12-year-old Coco is one of the few survivors of an unknown event that left most of the world's living creatures stuck in short time loops. Coco must battle the elements to find other survivors, and as the years pass she and the other survivors must balance rebuilding the world with living their own lives.
The Never-Ending End of the World did many things well, combining an engrossing survival story with an intriguing science-fiction mystery and, near the end, elements of suspense. I enjoyed reading about the new society that the survivors built, and the author's exploration of the different ideologies in this fictional world was detailed and compelling.
What I did not find compelling was the nature of the apocalypse itself: individual time loops of widely varying durations, which when disturbed result in flashes of irrational violence and then death. This seemed designed purely to horrify both characters and readers, and I almost didn't get past the first handful of pages because of it. The rest of the book is written in a much more thoughtful and subtle way, and I'm very glad I kept reading, but I lowered my rating because this issue nagged at me throughout the book.
[I received a complimentary ARC from NetGalley. Opinions are my own.]
The Never-Ending End of the World did many things well, combining an engrossing survival story with an intriguing science-fiction mystery and, near the end, elements of suspense. I enjoyed reading about the new society that the survivors built, and the author's exploration of the different ideologies in this fictional world was detailed and compelling.
What I did not find compelling was the nature of the apocalypse itself: individual time loops of widely varying durations, which when disturbed result in flashes of irrational violence and then death. This seemed designed purely to horrify both characters and readers, and I almost didn't get past the first handful of pages because of it. The rest of the book is written in a much more thoughtful and subtle way, and I'm very glad I kept reading, but I lowered my rating because this issue nagged at me throughout the book.
[I received a complimentary ARC from NetGalley. Opinions are my own.]