(Image from Book Depository)

"I don't know who I am now the world is different" (261).

In the last three years, Rick Palmer has gone from a relatively normal father to a paranoid doomsday prepper.  After his wife took off, he poured his energy into educating himself and his three teenage daughters on how to survive the apocalypse he claims is imminent.  He drilled his kids on how to find water in the desert, how to conserve resources, how to set bones and perform emergency first aid, and most of all, how to slip out of their house and into their well-stocked bunker without giving away the secret of its existence.  Despite these frantic exercises, life in the Palmers' tiny Australian town is perfectly peaceful, even boring.  Prudence Palmer and her sisters are convinced their father is mad as the proverbial hatter.  They long for a normal, on-the-grid life full of the luxuries the other teens in town take for granted—smartphones, dates, regular school, parents who aren't off their rockers ...

Then, the lights go out in the Palmers' small village.  Communication with the outside world is cut off.  Confusion and chaos quickly replace order and reason.  With Rick missing—he hasn't returned from the distant mine where he works—it's up to Pru to decide the best way to keep herself and her sisters safe.  She knows she should retreat to the bunker immediately, but a chance meet-up with a handsome boy visiting from America, whose parent is also missing, gives her pause.  As fear and desperation settle over their once-peaceful town, Pru must ask herself some important questions.  Does she do what her father taught her and hoard her resources or defy his wishes and aid her helpless neighbors?  What kind of person is she really, when push comes to shove? 

I don't read as many dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels as I once did, but I still enjoy them when I do.  After the Lights Go Out by Lili Wilkinson was mentioned on some best-of-the-genre list, so I knew I wanted to read it.  It's not an easy book to get a hold of, though; luckily, Book Depository came through for me.  While there's nothing really original about After the Lights Go Out, it's still a tense, engrossing novel.  It's atmospheric, gritty, and compelling.  The plot moves quickly, the characters are intriguing, and the decisions Pru has to make throughout the story makes it a thought-provoking tale.  Like all books of this kind, it made me ask myself, "What would I do in this situation?"  It's an interesting thought.  All in all, then, I enjoyed this one, even if it's nothing I hadn't seen before.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of the Tomorrow, When the War Began series by John Marsden and lots of other dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, violence, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of After the Lights Go Out from Book Depository with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Bossy Mrs. Braithwaite is used to being in charge—of her marriage, her family, the Women's Volunteer Service, and the small town of Ashcombe Village.  When news of her divorce from her philandering husband comes out, the scandal rocks her nice, orderly world.  All of a sudden, the anchor of her ship-shape life has been yanked out from under her, leaving her adrift.  With the threat of a family secret being exposed if she doesn't step aside gracefully, Mrs. Braithwaite flees to London.  There's one last person over which she can assert control—her daughter, Betty.  Anxious to help with the war effort, the 20-year-old has been living in the city for two years now.

When Mrs. Braithwaite arrives on her daughter's doorstep, however, the landlord informs her that he hasn't seen Betty in days.  With the recent bomb droppings, the shocked mother can't help imagining the worst for her only child.  Refusing to accept defeat, she ropes Betty's landlord, the timid Mr. Norris, into helping her scour the city for any sign of her daughter.  What they find is more than either one of them bargained for.  Before they know it, the unlikely duo is embroiled in a dangerous game that will put their lives in peril.  In the midst of all their derring-do, the formidable Mrs. Braithwaite and the reluctant Mr. Norris will both be forced to reevaluate everything they thought they knew about life—and each other.

WWII novels are a dime a dozen and while I love stories from this time period, sometimes it seems they're all the same.  Not so with Jennifer Ryan's sophomore effort, The Spies of Shilling Lane.  With a heroine like Mrs. Braithwaite, you can only expect a funny, delightful read.  Which this book absolutely is.  It's filled with fun characters, exciting adventures, and amusing, upbeat prose.  Because of what our leading lady learns about herself, however, it's also a thought-provoking tale.  True, the plot gets a bit redundant, but all in all, The Spies of Shilling Lane is a pure joy to read.  I adored it.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Spies of Shilling Lane from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (no F-bombs) and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of If Only I Could Tell You from the generous folks at William Morrow (an imprint of HarperCollins) in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of The Bright Unknown from the generous folks at Thomas Nelson via those at Celebrate Lit in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

--

Want other opinions on The Bright Unknown?  Follow along on the book's blog tour, hosted by Celebrate Lit, by clicking the links below: