Young Adult published by Delacorte Press 15 Mar 22
I think coming off an amazing fantasy streak, this one fell just a tad short for me. This is completely different from any of the books I’ve been reading lately, with some walking dead vibes.
Something that heavily influences the rating for me Is the lack of information in the beginning. I feel like I was just thrown in with zero background information. I would have liked a little more buildup in the beginning to give a better sense of what’s going on. I think with that, this could have been an amazing story.
It is an interesting plot, and I was curious to see where the story would lead. The ending does feel a little quick and cheesy. My only major complaints are needing a little more background and for the ending to be a little less rushed. Okay, maybe a little more character background too, so I could have related to the characters more. That also would have helped.
But, overall, it wasn’t a bad YA and it was definitely a fast-paced read.
Grade: C
Summary:
Wren owes everything she has to her hometown, Hollow’s End, a centuries-old, picture-perfect slice of America. Tourists travel miles to marvel at its miracle crops, including the shimmering, iridescent wheat of Wren’s family’s farm. At least, they did. Until five months ago.
That’s when the Quicksilver blight first surfaced, poisoning the farms of Hollow’s End one by one. It began by consuming the crops, thick silver sludge bleeding from the earth. Next were the animals. Infected livestock and wild creatures staggered off into the woods by day—only to return at night, their eyes fogged white, leering from the trees.
Then the blight came for the neighbors.
Wren is among the last locals standing, and the blight has finally come for her, too. Now the only one she can turn to is her ex, Derek, the last person she wants to call. They haven’t spoken in months, but Wren and Derek still have one thing in common: Hollow’s End means everything to them. Only, there’s much they don’t know about their hometown and its celebrated miracle crops. And they’re about to discover that miracles aren’t free.
Their ancestors have an awful lot to pay for, and Wren and Derek are the only ones left to settle old debts.
No excerpt available.
