A man with no future...
When Dr. Elliott Drake wakes from a mysterious fifty-year sleep, the world as he knew it is gone. Cities are now desolate, and civilization is controlled by deadly immortals. Stranger still is Elliott's extraordinary new "gift" – he has the power to heal, but it comes with fatal consequences.
A woman with a past. . .
Jade barely escaped the immortals and is now hell-bent on revenge. She trusts no one... until Elliott. His piercing gaze and tempting touch shatter her defenses, but the handsome doctor seems to have dangerous secrets of his own. Is it safe to trust him with her heart?
If they are to survive in this dark new world, Jade and Elliott must work together to fight the forces that takes them beyond danger.
Beyond desire.
Beyond the night.
So thankful to Kristie(J) and Nath for bringing this series to my attention. I've been getting into the post-apocalyptic/dystopian genre for awhile now. However, most of what I've read has been of the YA variety, aside from a few adult titles, like The Road by Cormac McCarthy. So I was uberexcited to hear that this series combined both post-apocalyptic AND romance.
Part Resident Evil, part I Am Legend, throw in a little Atlantis conspiracy theory and add romance and you've got yourself the beginning of a fabulous new series! I really enjoyed this book, not necessarily for the romance but mostly for Ware's world building. As readers we're being introduced to this new version of our world after a catastrophic geological phenomena that remains a mystery. I'm really anxious to learn more about what, or who, caused this catastrophe that basically wiped out the planet. This bit of mystery and intrigue extends to both the Rip Van Winkle clan ( Why were they zonked out for 50 years? Why do they have new-found powers?) and to the Strangers (Who are they? Are they responsible for the apocalypse? What do they have planned next?) So many questions! I can't wait to find out the answers in the following books!
I rarely find the first book in a series to be my favorite (the exception being Outlander by Diana Gabaldon), especially in sci-fi/fantsay/UF mostly because the first book is usually setting up the entire world for the reader. I usually find the romance to be a little lacking in the first of a series. This was the case with Beyond the Night. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the romance between Jade and Elliot but one of the reasons I love reading a series is because authors often give characters a story arc that span several books. Some readers don't like this. I love it. I feel like I'm invested in these characters and usually enjoy their stories the most. Unfortunately, I lacked this connection with Elliot and Jade. The sexy bits are hot but I'm more interested in find the answers to the above mentioned questions and learning more about Elliot's companions.
All in all this book lived up to my expectations. I'm so glad there's a post-apocalyptic romance series! I can't wait to pick up the next book!
The Envy Chronicles in order:
- Beyond the Night
- Embrace the Night Eternal
- Abandon the Night
Rating:
I've been seeing lots of good things about this review but because I haven't read very many sci-fi books, I'm not sure if I'd like it or not so I keep shying away from them. I have a couple of the books in my TBR pile though.
ReplyDeleteThis review has definitely got me curious. Great review by the way.
I've just recently ventured into sci-fi. Although... what I've been reading is "speculative fiction" and "dystopian".
ReplyDeleteOne YA book I read, Life As We Knew it was really good, I saw it at the library though and it had a sci-fi sticker. I would have likely never picked it up b/c of the sticker. But it's an excellent book! I would have been missing out!
I don't do well with like...aliens and super futuristic stuff. I like stories like this...the "what if" situations and it's still easy to imagine this altered world.
You should definitely give this type of book a try though!
LOL, don't thank me Mollie, it's all Kristie :) I still haven't read it yet ^_^; but I'm glad you enjoyed it!!
ReplyDeleteHave you read the Forest of Hands and Teeth? That was one of my favorite reads from last year. It was goooood.
ReplyDeleteI want to read this series, sounds like my cup of tea. Good review sweets!
Haha well you were...there. That's gotta count for something. ;)
ReplyDelete@ames, I have it! Haven't read it yet though! But yes, it's in m TBR pile. Have you read The Hunger Games yet? One of my favs. too!
ReplyDeleteLOL I have it in my tbr pile but haven't read it yet (story of my life). :P I'll try and read it this month for my tbr challenge!
ReplyDeleteThat's the thing with this book - it isn't that great on it's own, but the world building and the potential it shows for the other books in this series is what makes it. And the next two are EXCELLENT!! I can hardly wait to see what you think of them!! I am EAGERLY waiting for the next one as I find this series utterly fascinating.
ReplyDelete@Kristie
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to finding more about Theo and his brother (blanking on his name) too. Wonder if Theo's gonna get a book....? We didn't see much of him, but I like him! :)