Edge of Collapse - Book Review
Riveting character-driven drama drives this small-town apocalypse series.
I've read an awful lot of disaster stories, but Edge of Collapse by Kyla Stone has one of the most interesting premises I've seen: What if the end of the world was the best day of your life?
In the dead of winter, an EMP attack destroys the U.S. power grid.
No electricity. No cars or phones. The country is plunged into instant chaos.
But for Hannah Sheridan, it's the best day of her life. For the last five years, she's been the captive of a sadistic psychopath--until the EMP releases the lock of her prison.
Battered but not broken, she emerges from her underground cell into a hostile winter wilderness with nothing but the clothes on her back and her determination to survive.
Reclusive Special Forces soldier Liam Coleman is headed nowhere fast. He believed he was prepared for any disaster. Then everything he cared about was taken from him in a matter of seconds.
Two hundred frozen, perilous miles stand between Hannah and Liam and their destination in rural Michigan.
But the killing cold isn't the only threat, for Hannah's captor isn't about to let her go...
When the country goes dark, ordinary people find themselves facing the end of the world as they know it. With society collapsing before their eyes, they'll have to risk everything to protect their home and the people they love.
For five years, Hannah Sheridan has been held captive in a remote cabin in Michigan. When an EMP takes down the power grid, it also takes down the security system keeping her prisoner. She escapes and begins an arduous journey home. On the way, she encounters Liam Coleman, a loner, badass soldier with a heart of gold who helps her.
In addition to the usual post-apocalyptic dangers of surviving the elements and the collapse of society, Collapse adds the extra threat of Hannah's captor. Gavin Pike is a psycho whose mistreatment of Hannah (described via memories rather than directly depicted) was pretty brutal. This angle gives the first book a unique vibe that felt like woman-in-peril meets apocalypse.
The first book focuses exclusively on Hannah and Liam, then book two introduces two new main characters: Hannah's husband Noah, a deputy of their small town, and their teen neighbor Quinn. The remaining books (seven in all) intertwine everyone's stories in interesting ways, and (without going into spoilers), all four main characters get really awesome character arcs. I really loved how the story was driven by characters more than plot.
As with Stone's Lost Light series, the geography and culture of small-town Michigan features heavily in the story. There's a sprawling cast of supporting characters, but a few stand out as MVPs: Quinn's prepper grandma (any book with a badass grandma deserves props IMHO), Noah's preacher best friend (a perfect depiction of a character with faith who isn't clubbing the reader with it), and Hannah's rescued dog Ghost. While there were challenges aplenty, I appreciated the story offering a more optimistic view of a small town banding together in the face of adversity.
The first book starts off weak in the Princess Power department. Liam rescues Hannah and takes care of her throughout. It was very much the "tough soldier rescues post-apocalyptic damsel" trope, but the characters kept me engaged enough to keep going. I'm glad I did. I can whole-heartedly give both Hannah and Quinn (and grandma Molly) each a five-star Princess Power rating for their development over the course of the series.
I loved all the characters so much, I easily could have read another few books in the series. Book seven wraps things up neatly, though, so I won't complain.
Ratings
These ratings are for the series as a whole. Individual books vary slightly.
- Princess Power:
- Overall:
- Bechdel Test: Pass
Learn about my Ratings System.
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