Dystopian Duology Harrowing But Hopeful

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for A Single Light, it may inadvertently spoil plot surprises from its predecessor, The Line Between.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.

After making a desperate trip across the country in the middle of a terrifying pandemic, Wynter Roth is glad to be safely ensconced inside an underground bunker hidden in the Nebraska prairie.  The people she loves most—her boyfriend Chase Miller, her 5-year-old niece Truly, and family friends Julie and Lauren—have been protected with her for the last six months.  As the weeks wear on, however, things in the bunker have started to unravel.  The bunker's inhabitants, including Wynter, can't wait to escape the confines of their underground home, to breathe fresh air, and to return to blessed normality now that the virus has been eradicated.  

As the hours tick down until the bunker's automatic unsealing, Julie becomes desperately ill.  Wynter needs to get outside and procure an antidote for her friend before it's too late.  What she finds outside the bunker, however, shocks her.  The world has not righted itself in the last six months.  In fact, it's more treacherous than ever before.  What happened on the outside while Wynter was sealed inside the bunker?  If the virus is still running rampant, how will she save Julie?  Once again, Wynter finds herself racing against time, traversing a ruined landscape where danger lurks around every corner.  Can she get what she needs in order to save Julie's life?  What about the rest of mankind?  Can the deadly virus be vanquished or will this be the true end of the world?

The Line Between, the first book in Tosca Lee's dystopian duology, kept me so riveted that I knew I had to read its sequel, A Single Light.  While the second book is darker and less original than the first, I still enjoyed it.  It boasts plenty of action, introspection, and romance.  Despite some tension that crops up between Wynter and Chase in this installment, I adore them as a couple!  Reading about them and their plight to save the world definitely kept me engrossed and entertained.  These are the only books I've read by Lee, but they've convinced me to keep a close eye on this intriguing author.  I'll be very interested to see what she does next.

(Readalikes:  The Line Between by Tosca Lee; also reminds me of Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams as well as The Hallowed Ones and its sequel, The Outside, by Laura Bickle)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, blood/gore, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find