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Thursday, March 16, 2017

The Rains

The Rains (Rains, #1)

This book is one of the better post- apocalyptic reads I've found. It's told in the form of diary entries (but they're just like regular chapters) told by Chance Rain, the younger brother of Patrick, as they struggle to survive along with Patrick's girlfriend Alex. Meteorites fall from the sky and where they land, strange plants begin to grow. When the plants give off spores, it spells trouble for human beings. However it only appears to affect adults- anyone under eighteen is unaffected. 

This is like an Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets The Walking Dead. Although in this case the "zombies" don't shuffle around, they leap over cars and run you down, pushing their bodies to the max. Even injuries barely slow them. This book takes off like a shot and doesn't ever slow down. It's tense and suspenseful and horrifying at times. And I loved it. The most fun I've had reading in a while. Yeah the hard cutoff at eighteen is implausible but if you can overlook that detail the rest is a thrill ride. 

Like I said the action never slows. But it's not all action. There are surprising moments of poignancy, and Chance and Patrick are both likable. So is Alex- in fact, she's quite the badass! Gregg Hurwitz is a well known author and this is his first foray into YA. The writing is polished and frankly I think this would appeal to fans of adult books or YA books. 

It's also not for the faint of heart. There's an atmosphere of dread and what the visitors are really doing is pretty horrific. The book does end on a cliffhanger, and while I'm not fond of those I don't mind here. I just want to keep reading.  

While this is largely plot- driven and careens from one breathtaking sequence to another, there are surprisingly emotional moments, as I mentioned above. The brothers have Rhodesian ridgebacks that they train and the dogs come in handy, as one can imagine. But this comes down to the character moments and I thought this was an excellent (and terrifying) post- apoc read. 

33 comments:

  1. This kind of reminds me of Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts. I love that book! So I'm definitely curious out this one.

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    1. This one's pretty chilling.

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    2. Omgawd! Thanks for mentioning Dark Inside! I had given up expecting a final book in that trilogy a couple of years ago. Your comment made me check Goodreads on a whim and I saw it! I am floored.:D

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  2. I like fast-paced reads. And I love the cover. Might have to add it to the TBR list

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  3. I love these kinds of books.. I will have to check this one out.

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  4. The diary format and love triangle are dealbreakers for me in this case! Nice cover though!

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    1. The love triangle was between the two brothers but the diary format was just basically chapters.

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  5. I like badass females in books, but the whole zombie theme and horrifying things they do is not my kind of thing. I do like post-apocalyptic reads and this one sounds like it has a good mix of action and character-driven moments.

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    1. It was kinda chilling, no question about it. And it did have a good mix, along with some horrifying moments!

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  6. This one is new to me. I haven't read a post- apocalyptic in a long time and I like the sound of the diary format. Glad you enjoyed it!

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    1. It was really good, and I think you might like it. It's very tense though.

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  7. Sounds like an interesting read Greg! And I love that cover. I definitely need to check this one out!
    Great review!

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  8. This sounds like a great read Greg! Its been ages since I read a decent post apocalyptic read, but The rains sounds like something that I would enjoy, I actually don't mind books that end with cliffhangers either. Thank you for putting this book on my radar!

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    1. You are welcome, and I hope you like it if you get a chance to read it. I thought it was interesting to see Hurwitz' take on YA and he delivered a very tense read!

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  9. Sounds intriguing! I'm glad you found it to be a good novel - especially since it's the authors first foray in YA.

    -Lauren

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    1. Yeah I thought he did a great job! Very chilling.

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  10. It's great that you can still find books that surprise you after reading so many apocalyptics! :)

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  11. I'm thinking I might have this one. Even if I don't, I will soon. I like how it's presented and, hey, it has zombies! Great review!

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  12. Oh, I am sold, I definitely must read this book. Though I am almost considering waiting a little, so that if the cliffhanger nearly does me in, I won't have to wait so long for the next book! I love when a post apocalyptic book really pulls you in, BUT still has characters that you care for and moments that you care ABOUT. That is really important for me. Great review!

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    1. It's good, and I hope you get a chance to read it. The cliffhanger's not TOO bad, I have a theory about it, but we'll see. This book is a thrill ride and scary as crap at times!

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  13. Glad to hear you had fun! There were some logical/scientific problems with the zombie origin premise that I just couldn't get on board with, but can't deny the ideas were interesting and unique! :)

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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  14. I thought this sounded pretty plot-driven, but I'm glad to hear it has some poignancy and character moments too! And I suppose an 18-year cut off isn't hard for me to overlook when a book is about zombies lol. I'm looking forward to this one! I'll save for when I'm having too much trouble concentrating on other book and need something with high action to suck me in.

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  15. This is totally right up my alley! Zombies?! YES, PLEASE!

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  16. Wow! This one actually sounds good! I'm not normally for the zombie post apocalyptic kind of book, but you've sold this one well!

    I'm ALSO not a fan of cliffhangers but... if done well I guess they're appropriate and I'm glad this one didn't seem to be a huge downer.

    Great review!

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  17. My sister borrowed this from the library, but never got around to reading it before it had to go back. I guess I should tell her to borrow it again. :)

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  18. The 18 thing sounds so cheesy, oh my god xD

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  19. It has been a while since I've read a post-apocalyptic book but this one sounds really good. Zombies are always fun. Great review!

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  20. Hm, as awesome as this is, I can't deal with zombies *shudders* BUT the author interests me: he does seem action packed adult novels I've wanted to read I think.

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