First Impressions

There’s something so impactful about a clean and simple cover. I really appreciated the color scheme, as well. (Green for aliens?)

The Bad

I absolutely love a good twist, and this book certainly had a few twists… but were they good ones? I’m not entirely sure.

I would say that Pohl definitely nailed the surprise factor but the direction in which this book chose to go almost felt a little cheesy to me. It was just kind of like: Oh, that’s where you were going with that.

There was definitely some room for improvement but the important messages within the text made up for the points of weakness.

The good

This is a story of hope.

It is just personal preference but I really don’t like to read dark or unnecessarily sad stories that leave me feeling crushed and pessimistic about my future and the fate of the world. I am an optimist and I love optimistic stories. This was one of those books.

Clover’s ability to overcome the loss of literally everything she had  ever known was incredibly inspiring. She was a real enough character to lose hope, but strong enough as a person to keep going.

Did she falter? Yes. But she never gave into the darkness that was all around her, and that was what I loved about this story.

This book does mention some topics related to mental health (like depression and suicidal thoughts) but, in my opinion, it was done in a meaningful way that focused on finding the light. I felt that it gave the novel an added level of depth that made it so much more than just another apocalypse story.

A warning

Themes of depression and suicidal thoughts are dealt with in this novel. Please be aware of potential triggers.

The last word

I like reading books that make me feel like a better and stronger person. This was one of these books.

In the darkest of nights, we can still find the light…

(even when the night is filled with aliens…)