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A review by r_j_setser
Year One by Nora Roberts
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
If I could give this book the entire Galaxy as a rating, I think I'd still be looking for more stars.
There are so many things I loved about Year One that I don't know if I can even cover it all in a review, but I'm sure as heck going to try.
"I thought I loved you before we left New York. I thought I loved you as much as a man could love, but I was wrong. Every hour, Lana, there's more."
1. The genre: Fantasy and Dystopian merged together in literally the best way. Both of my favorite genres--though I typically lean towards Fantasy more than Dystopian--are showcasing their greatest qualities in Year One. The adrenaline-pumping, end-of-the-world, apocalypse-causing-pandemic setting is sprinkled with the existence of the best (and worst) of Fantasy's fantastical races. Elves, Fairies, Witches & Sorcerers, Seers, and oh my gosh. It's a blend of Fantastical Quest and Apocalyptic America. I didn't know such a genre existed (and maybe it doesn't and Nora Roberts is just in her own world, but I like her world and will be remaining in it if I can help it--but not literally because it's super scary).
" "I screamed like a girl." "You screamed like a man with whiskey poured on a bullet wound!" "
2. The writing: Flawless. The third person is my preferred point of view (POV) to read, so I loved that aspect of Year One. And not only that, but something about the descriptions, the storytelling, and the dialogue made me forget that I was reading. I witnessed every scene, I heard every conversation, smelled every smell, and tasted every glorious thing that Lana cooked (if the apocalypse happens, please, please let me find a chef who wants to cook for me). The last thing I want to mention about the writing is that one of my pet peeves in Third Person storytelling is when writers forget that they're writing in one POV and "head jump" into another character without meaning to, however, Nora Roberts completely changed my opinion of mid-scene head-jumping. If it's done well (and she does it WELL), then I think head-jumping in the third person is a skill that only a master can make read this smoothly.
"People need stories, Max, and the ones who tell them."
3. The characters became so much more than fiction. I cannot even begin to describe how alive they felt and acted. The characters-- Lana, Max, Rachel, Jonah, Arlys, Eddie, and Fred--made this story what it is. They are dealt the worst hand and their personalities and choices are what makes it worth reading. They continually choose light over darkness. They persevere through the world falling apart around them. These characters are truly examples of selfless people coming together during tragedy and horror and their stories were encouraging to read. I loved every one of them and cried with them, rejoiced with them, and gosh, just couldn't stop reading about them.
"You can put your hopes on me, I can handle it."
Overall, I couldn't help but to binge this book and can't wait to read the next book.
Content disclaimers: Would be rated R if it were a movie for language, s3x, and gore. There are some spook scares and disturbing scenes of dark magic. The s3x content is very mild and dry regarding its descriptions, I wouldn't consider it spice (at least by today's standards), but there are two on-page scenes (the first is more shocking than the second because it comes out of nowhere, but the second is more detailed). Language is obscene, pretty much every word is used multiple times and often, especially in high-tension scenes.
There are so many things I loved about Year One that I don't know if I can even cover it all in a review, but I'm sure as heck going to try.
"I thought I loved you before we left New York. I thought I loved you as much as a man could love, but I was wrong. Every hour, Lana, there's more."
1. The genre: Fantasy and Dystopian merged together in literally the best way. Both of my favorite genres--though I typically lean towards Fantasy more than Dystopian--are showcasing their greatest qualities in Year One. The adrenaline-pumping, end-of-the-world, apocalypse-causing-pandemic setting is sprinkled with the existence of the best (and worst) of Fantasy's fantastical races. Elves, Fairies, Witches & Sorcerers, Seers, and oh my gosh. It's a blend of Fantastical Quest and Apocalyptic America. I didn't know such a genre existed (and maybe it doesn't and Nora Roberts is just in her own world, but I like her world and will be remaining in it if I can help it--but not literally because it's super scary).
" "I screamed like a girl." "You screamed like a man with whiskey poured on a bullet wound!" "
2. The writing: Flawless. The third person is my preferred point of view (POV) to read, so I loved that aspect of Year One. And not only that, but something about the descriptions, the storytelling, and the dialogue made me forget that I was reading. I witnessed every scene, I heard every conversation, smelled every smell, and tasted every glorious thing that Lana cooked (if the apocalypse happens, please, please let me find a chef who wants to cook for me). The last thing I want to mention about the writing is that one of my pet peeves in Third Person storytelling is when writers forget that they're writing in one POV and "head jump" into another character without meaning to, however, Nora Roberts completely changed my opinion of mid-scene head-jumping. If it's done well (and she does it WELL), then I think head-jumping in the third person is a skill that only a master can make read this smoothly.
"People need stories, Max, and the ones who tell them."
3. The characters became so much more than fiction. I cannot even begin to describe how alive they felt and acted. The characters-- Lana, Max, Rachel, Jonah, Arlys, Eddie, and Fred--made this story what it is. They are dealt the worst hand and their personalities and choices are what makes it worth reading. They continually choose light over darkness. They persevere through the world falling apart around them. These characters are truly examples of selfless people coming together during tragedy and horror and their stories were encouraging to read. I loved every one of them and cried with them, rejoiced with them, and gosh, just couldn't stop reading about them.
"You can put your hopes on me, I can handle it."
Overall, I couldn't help but to binge this book and can't wait to read the next book.
Content disclaimers: Would be rated R if it were a movie for language, s3x, and gore. There are some spook scares and disturbing scenes of dark magic. The s3x content is very mild and dry regarding its descriptions, I wouldn't consider it spice (at least by today's standards), but there are two on-page scenes (the first is more shocking than the second because it comes out of nowhere, but the second is more detailed). Language is obscene, pretty much every word is used multiple times and often, especially in high-tension scenes.