Ninety-five percent of the world’s population perishes in the worst pandemic since the Black Plague and Valentina’s about to find out that surviving means enduring the wrath of a prophet determined to see her dead.
At the onset of the pandemic, Valentina deals with an absent husband, a self-absorbed mother, and grief over another miscarriage. As the death toll rises, the plague claims the lives of everyone she loves. Alongside a coalition of survivors, she fights for diminishing resources and navigates a society where uterus renting is a guaranteed meal ticket. When she rescues a pregnant woman from an attacker, she unknowingly helps the woman escape from her husband, a prophet who has amassed a legion of followers.
With a price on her head, Valentina’s on the run and grappling with feelings of guilt, isolation, and hopelessness. She’s just about given up all faith in humanity until she happens upon a girl left alone to fend for herself. The girl fulfills Valentina’s yearning to be a mother and she vows to protect her. Before she can live up to that promise, she comes face to face with the prophet who gives her a choice: carry his child, or die.
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My Review:
You know when you read a book and you don't want it to end because it feels as if it's become a part of you? End of Faith by Rena Willemin was definitely one of those books! From page one, I was hooked!
This book is a post-apocalyptic thriller. We mostly hear the story from Valentina's perspective although every now and then, we get to hear what the Prophet is thinking. Valentina is one of the few people to survive a major pandemic. One day she sees a pregnant woman in trouble, so she does what most people do. She helps her. Little does she know how important the woman was and how that action will change her life for the worse. We follow Valentina as she struggles to survive in a fight for her life.
The character of Valentina was amazing! She really felt like someone I (and probably a lot of women) could relate to. She's a very strong character, but not too strong that she doesn't seem real. Val goes from being just a normal loving wife to a hard core woman determined to fight to stay alive. I definitely felt what she was feeling at all stages throughout the book. It didn't take me long to love Val.
I loved the world building in End of Faith. This is another element which made the book seem more real. The description of an post-apocalyptic world seemed to be bang on, well, I've never been in an post-apocalyptic world or even an apocalyptic world for that matter, but the setting in the book is what I'd imagine it to be.
The pacing of End of Faith was done really well as well. It read brilliantly! It definitely held my attention throughout the whole book.
There wasn't one chapter where the pacing was off.
The cover definitely suits the book. A woman (I assume to be Valentina) running through a tunnel of some sort, looking behind her shoulder like she's really afraid. The coloring of the cover also has a post-apocalyptic feel to it as it gives a feeling of despair.
The title definitely suits End of Faith especially as there is a prophet involved and what feels like a religious cult.
End of Faith definitely made me realize just how something like this could happen. It paints a very realistic portrait of what life could possibly be like if a pandemic of epic proportions were to happen. In fact, this book probably will have me thinking about "what if" long after this review.
I'd definitely recommend End of Faith to anyone and everyone regardless of if their a fan of post-apocalyptic fiction or not.
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