Summary: On New Years Eve, a man unwittingly unleashes a deadly plague when he bleeds upon an ancient circle of power. The world's population is quickly decimated and life as its known rapidly breaks down. But not everyone dies. Many who survive find that they've unlocked magickal powers. Some become seers, some witches and some fairies. Called the Uncanny, the magickal folk come together to find and create safe spaces for themselves and the regular humans...because not everyone left is good. The dark Uncanny use their powers for evil, the Raiders take pleasure in destruction and the Purity Warriors hunt anyone not like them.
"Year One" is the story of a group of survivors who must escape the city and find a way to live their lives in a dangerous new world.
The Good: I think one of NR's best qualities as a writer is her ability to create a sense of place. I haven't been to Scotland (which is a pity) or New York (I know...) but NR's writing makes it easy to believe I have. I found the sense of places well thought out and beautifully described. With her words I could imagine the Scottish farmhouse and picture a decimated New York City.
I also really enjoyed the first few chapters. The beginning started off warm and safe but quickly escalated to all out panic as the plague took hold and began to spread. Characters the reader had just met and liked were killed off to create a sense of panic (which worked for me) and new characters were introduced to allow the reader to transition from the chaos of mass death and the fall of civilization to the tenuous steps of remaking society. Most of the characters were interesting and compelling. I wanted to know how Arlys was going to get out of the city, absolutely had to follow Katie and the babies, and was intrigued by Max and Lana's growing powers. As a reader it seemed inevitable that each little group would meet up, and I eagerly anticipated the encounters. I also couldn't get enough of the rebuilding process. I wanted to read about people learning new skills, living off grid and trying to form a better, more cooperative community.
The Meh: There was so much world building, character introducing and stage setting that at times "Year One" felt choppy and less polished than I was expecting. There was a lot going on and I felt the plot was lost in all the showing.
I also expected the book to be darker or more frightening that it was. There were certainly dark and scary moments, such as Arlys' and Fred's trek through the PATH tunnel, but the scary moments weren't defining moments for the characters. I wanted to see the characters brought to the very bottom of low and then find their inner strength and fight for good. The world is ending people. Let's hit rock bottom like a normal person.
Additionally, I felt that more foreshadowing could have been done in regards to the Dark Uncanny, the Raiders and the Purity Warriors. They were presented as scary, but not scary enough.
Overall I felt there was much more good about this book than meh. There were times I couldn't put it down and it kept my attention the entire time. I'm very curious about books 2 and 3. I look forward to seeing NR catch her stride and take us along on a great story.
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