In Strange Worlds is a post-apocalyptic tale that takes place in Australia and follows the main character Meg. Anyone similar with 28 Days Later or the Walking Dead tv show will recognize the beginning of the story, possibly to the work's detriment. Fortunately the story only spends a small amount of time here.
The author is very descriptive of what is taking place in this world, and her intimate knowledge of the locales shows through in the writing. The plot plods along at a good pace. It follows a typical post-apocalyptic story line: Initial shock and confusion over what has happened, wondering around desolate landscapes, settling down, rebuilding.
I had a few problems with character actions, namely inconsistency with how they come to trust or distrust new characters. Meg is also a bit of a mess. The author tries to balance her as a strong or determined individual, while trying to make her seem emotionally vulnerable. There are times the vulnerability of the character seems a bit overplayed or cliche, especially when Meg describes her past romantic relationships. Some of the dialogue comes of as a bit off and hokey as well.
There are a lot of mysteries introduced in the plot that go unsolved and aren't even looked into all that deeply by the characters/plot. Shared dreams, strange men in helicopters, and a bombshell of an ending that completely flips the story on its head and leaves the reader with nothing more than 'To Be Continued...'
There's a strong story here, and one that, given the abrupt change in plot near the end, seems like it could be unique to the post-apocalyptic genre. There is another book in this series which may address a lot of the concerns with the plot. The first entry in the series leaves me with a lot of questions and almost no answers.
Rating 3/5
You can find the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Strange-Worlds-Brenda-Cheers-ebook/dp/B00HVTW80S/
And Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20552804-in-strange-worlds?from_search=true
The author is very descriptive of what is taking place in this world, and her intimate knowledge of the locales shows through in the writing. The plot plods along at a good pace. It follows a typical post-apocalyptic story line: Initial shock and confusion over what has happened, wondering around desolate landscapes, settling down, rebuilding.
I had a few problems with character actions, namely inconsistency with how they come to trust or distrust new characters. Meg is also a bit of a mess. The author tries to balance her as a strong or determined individual, while trying to make her seem emotionally vulnerable. There are times the vulnerability of the character seems a bit overplayed or cliche, especially when Meg describes her past romantic relationships. Some of the dialogue comes of as a bit off and hokey as well.
There are a lot of mysteries introduced in the plot that go unsolved and aren't even looked into all that deeply by the characters/plot. Shared dreams, strange men in helicopters, and a bombshell of an ending that completely flips the story on its head and leaves the reader with nothing more than 'To Be Continued...'
There's a strong story here, and one that, given the abrupt change in plot near the end, seems like it could be unique to the post-apocalyptic genre. There is another book in this series which may address a lot of the concerns with the plot. The first entry in the series leaves me with a lot of questions and almost no answers.
Rating 3/5
You can find the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Strange-Worlds-Brenda-Cheers-ebook/dp/B00HVTW80S/
And Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20552804-in-strange-worlds?from_search=true