I hope that everyone has indulged in some well deserved holiday spirit and is snuggled up at home with their families, wherever you may be. I for one, have thoroughly enjoyed my holiday break so far! I’ve been up to my neck in reading, even taking a break and venturing into some well deserved Fanfiction (which I normally only read in the summer, and even then quite sparingly). Welcome everyone to 2015; may the New Year bring you a bounty of good books to read.
Review:
Title: Vivian Apple At the End of the World (U.S.)
Series: Vivian Apple #1
Author: Katie Coyle
Publishing: January 6, 2015 (U.S.) by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Format: ARC
Source: Local bookstore {In exchange for my honest review}
Genre: YA; Dystopia; Romance
*This book was originally published in the UK on September 5th, 2013 under the name Vivan Versus the Apocolpse
Blurb:
Seventeen-year-old Vivian Apple never believed in the evangelical Church of America, unlike her recently devout parents. But when Vivian returns home the night after the supposed “Rapture,” all that’s left of her parents are two holes in the roof. Suddenly, she doesn’t know who or what to believe. With her best friend Harp and a mysterious ally, Peter, Vivian embarks on a desperate cross-country roadtrip through a paranoid and panic-stricken America to find answers. Because at the end of the world, Vivan Apple isn’t looking for a savior. She’s looking for the truth.
Thoughts:
When I was offered to review this by my local bookstore I jumped at the opportunity based solely on the over alone. I didn’t read the blurb or anything!
When I started reading this book, and realized what the plot was about, I was startled. This book is laced with not so delicate criticism of large scale religion and corporations, along with commentary on cults and the apocalypse. These taboo topics gave the book the essence of being not exactly forbidden, but something along those lines. It felt fresh, current, playing off the tail end of the apocalyptic frenzy that blew up around 2012. Even though this book falls so much far behind the fad, it still felt relevant because of its unique social remarks.
Vivian comes across as a slightly whiny skeptic in the beginning of the story. In every aspect, she is exactly the perfect cookie cutter Believer that her parents want to be, except for the fact that she doesn’t believe. Vivian’s skepticism is never explicitly explained, but it does give her character a certain quirk that makes her more interesting to read about. Vivian has sort of a bizarre story arc throughout the book, and some of her reactions contradict her actions. Not to say that people can’t act different in different circumstances, but sometimes it felt like Vivian acted largely out of character. Some of her decisions also felt disjointed from the plot and served no purpose in the overall story. They were almost page fillers (particularly in the beginning).
Vivian’s grief process felt like it was put on the back burner in the story. It was still there, but it never was a big problem. I take issue with this because when someone actually experiences the level of loss that Vivian experiences, it is the only thing that you can think of. I feel like Vivian’s grief, or maybe disparity in some parts, should have been more prevalent in the book.
Coyle’s secondary characters were, for the most part, a huge disappointment. Harp’s character felt overused and worn out, almost like the drunk that she was made out to be. I was also unhappy with Harp’s character arc; it felt like she didn’t change over the course of the story, and she also lacked a grief period. Harp suffers several serious losses in the book, more than Vivian even, but she sort of bites back the pain and moves on. I feel like Coyle used Harp’s snarky personality as an excuse to not take the time to write in her suffering. It really would have been preferable to just write out the characters that are lost because they did not serve a role in the story.
Peter, described in the blurb as a “mysterious ally” is, from the moment we meet him, the obvious love interest. This just fascinates me! There is no time for romance not the brink of an apocalypse. I would feel different if it was a previously existing relationship, (which could possibly get stronger in the face of trauma). So I already didn’t like Peter because of her purpose, but then he goes and tries to be all ominous. The lack of information not only makes it harder to understand why he is with Harp and Vivian at all, but also makes him hard to read about because the reader is not really sure who he is. Peter redeems himself slightly in the book after denying some romantic advances, but he eventually gives in and I just-ugh. Thee romance felt wrong for this story, very wrong, and made worse by the fact that there wasn’t any real tension leading up to it.
The only secondary character that I actually enjoyed reading about was Edie. She had an compelling character arc that added to the overall story. Edie’s personality was annoying but she was sort of intriguing. Her role in the story actually moved the plot, which was surprising considering the lack of purpose that many of the other characters had. To my disappointment, Edie does not have a lot of “stage time”; I wish that she was included in more of the book.
Final Thoughts:
Despite the discrepancies this book (the rushed ending and secondary character development comes to mind) I would still recommend that you give this one a try. The slightly bizarre commentary gives a twist to this story that some dystopias are lacking. I recommend this for fans of contemporary who want to try something different, or for dystopian fans who are looking for a sort of corporate side of things. Don’t expect this book to be perfect, but it certainly was an interesting read.
Cover Ramblings:
I love the typography on this book, well, at least the title wise. The font used for Katie Coyle’s name does not at all mesh well wight he font for the title. As for the photograph, I enjoy it overall, minus the girl. There is never a point in the book when Vivian has the time to put on a summer sun dress and jump in the middle of the parking lot. It felt like the cover artists were trying to hard.
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