Search This Blog








2023 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (6)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (2)
- Maryland (2)
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (4)
- North Carolina (3)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia
- Washington (2)
- West Virginia (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (3)
- Canada (6)
- England (12)
- France (1)
- Ireland (2)
- Scotland (1)
- South Korea (1)
- The Netherlands (1)
-Vietnam (1)





2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge







Thursday, November 12, 2020
New YA Virus Novel Original and Enjoyable
6:15 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Ever since her mother sought refuge in the remote religious community of Red Creek, 16-year-old Agnes and her siblings have lived within its protective bounds. Agnes is careful to follow all the rules—she keeps her hair bound, her face unpainted, her eyes on the Lord, and her actions in line with the prophet's teachings. She doesn't question the enigmatic leader, even as his preaching becomes increasingly frenetic. Her one rebellion is going against the prophet's law prohibiting medical intervention. Ezekiel, Agnes' 7-year-old brother, is a Type 1 diabetic. Faith hasn't healed him—he needs frequent doses of insulin or he'll die. Agnes won't let that happen. She secretly barters for his medicine with a woman from the outside, even though it means risking punishment and excommunication.
When Agnes' contact brings disturbing news from the outside about a viral pandemic that's sweeping the nation, Agnes is shocked. The prophet is overjoyed that The End is near; his people will wait the apocalypse out in an underground bunker as planned. Agnes refuses. Desperate to save Ezekiel, she leaves behind everything she's ever known and flees with her brother in tow. As they seek safety anywhere they can find it, Agnes realizes that she has a strange, otherworldly connection to the deadly virus. Is it possible that she, an ordinary young woman with little knowledge of the world, has the power to stop it?
While Agnes at the End of the World, a debut novel by Kelly McWilliams, may sound like just another YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic story, it has a few elements that make it stand out. Most cult stories are brutal in their depictions of religious faith, showing it as something that can only be espoused by the blind and the brainwashed. As Agnes' eyes are opened and she begins to question what she's been taught, she grows into a faith that is meaningful in a more personal way. She comes to understand what she, herself, really believes and knows. To me, her journey feels authentic and I love that a YA book depicts that kind of faith as something that is not just acceptable but also healthy and sustaining. Despite its ruminations on religious devotion, never fear—Agnes at the End of the World is not a Christian novel or even a preachy one. Its religious themes are expertly woven into its larger plot. As a Type 1 diabetic myself, I also appreciate the realistic representation of my disease in this story. It's a condition that isn't addressed a lot in novels and definitely should be. Beyond these unique features, Agnes at the End of the World also offers a cast of likable characters, a fast-paced plot, and a story well told in assured prose. For all these reasons, I very much enjoyed this novel, which kept me burning through the pages eager to find out what was going to happen next.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of The Line Between and A Single Light, a duology by Tosca Lee, and The Outside and The Hallowed Ones, a duology by Laura Bickle)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a handful of F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, and scenes of peril
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)




Reading
Zero Days by Ruth Ware

Listening
Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen



Followin' with Bloglovin'



-
Putting An X Through Anxiety1 hour ago
-
-
113. Strangers in the Night5 hours ago
-
New Instagram Account7 hours ago
-
To Love Is Human7 hours ago
-
Time Travel Thursday9 hours ago
-
#Throwback Thursday. Where the Heart is13 hours ago
-
-
No Ordinary River: A Review of Badwater16 hours ago
-
Review: Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez17 hours ago
-
-
-
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie1 day ago
-
WIP Wrap-up for May 20231 day ago
-
-
-
Murder At The Elms by Alyssa Maxwell1 day ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Audiobook: Big Gay Wedding5 days ago
-
Books read in May1 week ago
-
-
-
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin1 week ago
-
-
cleaning wins!1 week ago
-
-
5/20/20232 weeks ago
-
-
This feed has moved and will be deleted soon. Please update your subscription now.3 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
Dotty Beanie with Ears5 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?7 months ago
-
-
HEARTS OF BRIARWALL by Krista Jensen10 months ago
-
A Final Farewell (+ book recs!)10 months ago
-
-
-

Grab my Button!



Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ▼ 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)