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Monday, May 11, 2015

Ruin of the World (The World Without End #4) by Nazarea Andrews Review

Hey readers! Happy Monday! I know this is coming at you bright and early, but I've got lots of feels to share! Today is the release day for Ruin of the World, the final novel in the World Without End series by Nazarea Andrews and I couldn't wait one more second to share my thoughts with you all! Before we get to my thoughts, here's a bit about the novel and Nazarea:

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When the zombies rose, we thought the world ended. It didn’t—it just broke, in a way we couldn’t fix. And we found ways to continue, reasons to fight. Faith. Family. Politics. Obsession. The most dangerous of all—hope. But when all of that is stripped away, and nothing remains but rage and betrayal—that is the true end of the world.




Return to the World Without End, for a final battle for hope and survival in the exciting conclusion to Nazarea Andrews’ phenomenal series.





Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog. She is the author of Girl Lost, Edge of the Falls, and The University of Branton Series. 






Find Nazarea Andrews
My Thoughts:

Almost exactly one year ago, I was introduced to The World Without a Future. It sat on my Nook forever. I just kept looking at it saying 'nope', because it was zombies. As you guys have now heard for about 10 books, I hated zombies. While they still aren't my favorite novels, I can say that thanks to Nazarea Andrews, I have a whole new respect for the genre! From the very first page, Andrews has taken us on an adventure that I couldn't stop reading. Page after page of horror and heartbreak, all leading up to an end I never wanted to see come. Sadly, Ren and Finn couldn't go on forever.

The Ruin of the World is the final novel in the series.

Friends, I've caught the feels. I've been telling Andrews for months that I wasn't ready for this to end. How can you say goodbye to the characters and world that changed your life? I'm here to tell ya, it isn't easy!

Book three, The Future Without Hope left us, in true Nazarea Andrews form, with a huge cliffhanger. I can't even begin to say how pumped I was to read this novel! And I was not disappointed, at all!

Like the previous three installments, this novel follows the dual POV story of Finn O'Malley and Nurrin Sanders on their adventures across the post-apocalyptic United States after zombies have taken over. Death has followed them at every turn, yet both Ren and Finn have persevered, against the odds, in their journey to, well... to... what is their journey? After three books of craziness, I believe their one goal is to survive. To find a way they can live a life free of the hordes and without boundaries. Yes.

The characters in the novel were written to perfection! Finn continues to be the most confusing male character I've ever read, while Ren continues to be one of the best female protagonists in literary history. Both characters are strong willed, intelligent, and emotionally handicapped, but I love them anyway. After spending so much time with these characters, is it strange to say they feel like family? Where the first few novels were really Nurrin's time to shine, these last two novels really did an incredible job of showcasing Finn's backstory. It is only in Ruin that we finally begin to see some of the details of Finn's dark past including his family history and his stories of fighting the war in the East. Ethan, my favorite character for obvious reasons, plays a much larger role in this novel and we see the completion of his story arc. I couldn't have been more pleased with his role in the series! Andrew and Omar are back as major players in this final installment as well and I loved how their stories ended as well!

The development we see throughout the series was incredible. Book one starts with Ren being an immature young girl whining to become a Walker in the safety of her Haven. By the final pages of book four, that girl has completely changed; Nurrin has grown into a mature, strong, soldier. A woman with no reservations, nerves of steel, and a healthy respect for her values. I think her character transformation over the course of this series is truly a work of literary perfection and a huge testament to the writing of Nazarea Andrews. Huge kudos to you, Nazarea Andrews, you've made your readers very proud!

The plotline of book four took a big turn from the previous installments in the series. while the hordes were definitely an issue, it's almost as though they were as prominent in Ruin. Maybe it's just because I'm so used to reading them in this series, but it almost seemed as though the biggest enemies were the humans in the story, not the horde. Interesting food for thought, huh?

The plot introduces us to a handful of new and very important characters. I won't spoiler some big events for any readers, but I don't think anyone will be disappointed. I can say that I was absolutely shocked to be introduced to a couple of characters. The entire dynamic of the story changes and the readers learns that there really is hope in the world. Maybe the Haven's had it wrong all along, By the time you finish the final page, you'll be questioning the entire series! It's that mind blowing.

While I will say that the novel didn't end on the note I was hoping it would, I was still very pleased with the ending. It doesn't answer all of the readers questions, but it leaves you with the understanding that sometimes all the questions you have can really bring you down. It's important to just let go of your confusion and go with the story in order for it to make sense. Andrews is a literary genius. Even I didn't quite understand the ending to this series until I had time to sit back and really reflect on it. I am so proud that Andrews did these characters justice.

The setting for this novel was also different than the others. This is the first and only novel in the series that does not take place within ANY Haven. That was a strange situation, but one I think ultimately worked out well for our characters and their story in the end. It all just fits people, you're going to love it!

It is with great sadness that I end this review. This is a very bittersweet moment for me as a blogger. This is really the first series that I have been with since almost the very beginning. It's been an amazing adventure and I am so happy that I have had the honor to take it! Nazarea Andrews, you ma'am are amazing. Please don't ever stop writing. You've turned me into a believer on more than one occasion and I know I'm not the only one! What an incredible end to one of my all-time favorite series!

It should come as absolutely no surprise that I am granting Ruin of the World by Nazarea Andrews an incredibly well-deserved 5-star review. I have given each novel in this series a 5-star rating, making it one of the only series I have granted a perfect review to! Sure there were issues I had at times, but in the end I was left with some of the greatest bookish feels imaginable! I cannot recommend this series any more highly to any fan of paranormal novels, the NA genre, zombies, thrillers, or anyone who is looking for something different to shake up their TBR! You don't want to miss this folks! Add Ruin and the rest of the series to your shelf ASAP!
*****


Alright readers, that is all I have for you on the topic of The Ruin of the World by Nazarea Andrews. Unfortunately it also seems like this is the end of our Zombie adventures with Nazarea for the time being. Reviewing these four novels and following this journey has been a great honor to me. This series changed my bookish life. Prior to last summer, I deplored the very idea of zombies and wanted nothing to do with them. When I was introduced to the writings of Andrews, my world was forever changed. I'd like to think that my views on the zombie subgenre have completely changed for the better because of Andrews and this series. For that, I will be forever grateful. Bless you N and many thanks for the hours of thrills and excitement you have brought to me and readers everywhere! I cannot wait for our next adventure together!

Add this series to your TBR ASAP! You won't be disappointed! Until next time, Happy Reading!

-Ethan

1 comment:

  1. I am just like you - completely skeptical when it comes to zombies and reading about them. There is only one good zombie book that I have read so far, and that has to be Dying for a Living by Kory M. Shrum. I loved that one <3 Maybe I should give this one a shot as well, seeing as it changed your mind...

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