Queen B’s Decree: I was a little hesitant to start At The End of Everything. A book about a pneumonic plague pandemic while living through the real world of the past 18 months? As a healthcare provider, that seemed a little too close to home.
And yet, I was sucked in from page one.
Told in multiple viewpoints, At The End of Everything is the story of some teens stuck at a juvenile detention-type boarding school that is located in the forests of Arkansas. When the plague hits, the warden and guards abandon the kids as lockdown ensues. The teens are forced to survive in what feels like a dystopian future, yet feels very real.
At The End of Everything was heartbreaking and sorrowful, yet a thread of hope was interwoven throughout. Despite that, I was entranced by the characters. How they did their best to stick together and help, how others were so self-sacrificing, and how everyone so very human.
My heart was heavy and oh, so captivated.
Book: At The End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp
Series: standalone
Genre: YA
Hotness: no salsa
Plot Devices/Tropes: pandemic