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DawnofApoc_CVR_LRGWhat: Dawn of the Apocalypse by E.S.P

Who: Mind Candy Medi

When: August 9th 2013

How: A copy of this novel was provided by the author as part of a book tour.

January 1, 2000.
May 21, 2011.
December 21, 2012

These are just a few of the days humans prophesied as bringing catastrophic events that would end the world. We predicted nuclear warfare. Drastic climate change. A call from God.

We were wrong.

Cue the gargoyle invasion—laboratory bred mutants designed to slaughter humans. When the government goes AWOL and gargoyles are swarming by the hundreds, it’s up to the citizens of the United States to regroup and save themselves.

Meet Cliff Matthews, a teenage boy separated from his entire family with the exception of his younger sister, whom he is desperate to keep alive. Along the quest to save their lives, he encounters people who aren’t all that they seem. Everyday’s a battle, but if he can’t trust his own species, where does that leave his family?

And we can’t forget the man who may be willing to sacrifice Cliff’s life, if it means world domination.

In terms of doomsday, no one could’ve seen this coming. The dawn of the apocalypse…

3cats2One minute, the world is as it is today. Perfectly normal. Or about as normal as this world can be, anyway. And then the next minute? Gargoyles. Real life gargoyles, intent on killing every human they see, are taking over America.

Fifteen year old Cliff Matthews is present at the first attack, and is left alone with his baby sister; the fate of his parents and other siblings left unknown. Thrust into the company of strangers, Cliff must find his path in this new world, protect his sister, and face the demons of his past. Before the gargoyles reach him.

I was drawn into the world created by E.S.P. the moment I started Dawn of the Apocalypse. It was written in a truly unique style; one I had not come across before. There were multiple points of view within the pages of this novel, and I only found myself confused once or twice. Since the writing is third person, it was easier to tell the difference between the character voices.

To begin with, I thought I would be confused by the time jumping in this novel. We are thrown back and forth between the past, and the present, and I thought that I would not be able to keep up. Surprisingly, it was relatively easy to distinguish which time period was being written about, and I praise the author for making the distinctions easily detectable.

I loved how this novel followed time accurately. There was literally no skipping ahead to the future, and this allowed such insight into the aftermath of the gargoyle invasions. Almost every hour was documented, and it was particularly interesting to see the sequence of events.

The main character, Cliff, was an enigma. One moment, he was ready to be the hero, and save anyone and everyone that he could get his hands on; and then the next moment he was nonchalant about others’ lives, and wanting to end his own. I have mentioned in previous reviews that I am a huge fan of real characters. And I felt that Cliff was real. He’s a fifteen year old boy, left on his own to take care of his four year old sister in a world that is ending. I think I’d probably be wavering between brave and terrified, as well.

While Cliff played a major ‘hero’ role in this novel, he wasn’t at the forefront of anything, like many YA characters in dystopian novels. It wasn’t unrealistic in the role he played, and I really appreciated that. He followed the directions of the people in charge, instead of being in charge, but he never conceded to do anything that he didn’t want to. And voiced his opinions and ideas when he needed to. I liked Cliff. Quite a bit.

I loved Hunter’s character, and sometimes I just wanted to jump into the pages and give her a big hug. She was so vulnerable, and yet so brave; and I loved that about her. She took care of Cliff’s sister, even at the risk of her own life, and yet suffered from moments of doubt and terror when she did. I feel like there is so much more of her story to be told, and I desperately want to know it.

The only downfall of this novel, in my opinion, was the description. I would have loved to have more visuals given of the gargoyles, because they were such a main aspect of this novel. The descriptions of people were pretty good, and I felt like I had a clear image of characters in my head, but the descriptions of places were lacking a little. But other than that, there is not much to critique on this novel.

When I finished Dawn of the Apocalypse, I immediately wondered if there was going to be a sequel. I really hope there is, as there are quite a few questions that I desperately want answers to. I suppose I will have to wait and see what E.S.P. decides!

© 2013, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.

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Posted on: August 9, 2013 • By: Chiara

6 Responses to Review: Dawn of the Apocalypse by E.S.P.

  1. Good review & quotes. Thank you for participating :)

  2. Alise says:

    I don’t think I have read a book about gargoyles, this one sounds really original! I think if you are going to have something supernatural like gargoyles there needs to be good description too. The characters sound great, though! Awesome review.

    • I hadn’t read a book about gargoyles before this one, so it was pretty original :D
      Yeah, I was a tad disappointed, because I wanted a really clear picture of them in my head, and I didn’t really have that.
      The characters were really unique, which is the main reason I liked this novel!
      Thank you ^.^

  3. Gargoyles are really original, so hooray for that. Great review!

    You can find me here: Jen @ YA Romantics

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