Category Archives: Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic

Review: Postscript by Cory McCarthy

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Postscript by Cory McCarthy

Postscript
Cory McCarthy
Dutton Books for Young Readers
Published February 17, 2026

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About Postscript

From Stonewall Honoree Cory McCarthy, a heartbreaking, joyful, read-it-in-one-sitting YA novel about the last of us.

“I’m not sure the how-pocalypse changes anything. I don’t think about it; this is hard enough.”

This is a depopulated archipelago off the coast of Massachusetts, home to a tiny handful of sapiens sifting the remnants of civilization for scraps of comfort and joy. 

There’s no sense in trying to figure out exactly how humans got to this place of endless gray skies and so many mass graves—that’s a very long letter no one has the heart to read again. What matters is this fleeting postscript, a strangely joyous house of bones built by an unlikely quintet of survivors.

My Review

I haven’t read a book by Cory McCarthy in a while, but as I started reading this one, I immediately remembered why I love their work so much. They have this incredible ability to summarize so much in a few cleverly chosen words. I kept having to stop and marvel at the writing.

The book isn’t all that long, and the story feels lean, but in a really good way. It’s almost like the story cuts right to the heart of what’s happening with each character, which feels right in an apocalyptic story.

The characters, like the setting, are a little strange. You can feel the marks the trauma they’ve faced has left behind on them. Despite the grim landscape, the story is filled with these unexpected bursts of joy, from someone meeting a dog to falling in love for the first time. There’s also raw, messy grief and misunderstandings. For a short book, this story captures a lot!

While the unusual topic and tone of this story probably won’t appeal to everyone, I think fans of Before Takeoff by Adi Alsaid or They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran will really enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief descriptions of sex. Reference to sex work.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to human trafficking. Suicide (not shown on page). References to death. Death of a loved one.

Drug Content
One character is an alcoholic.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers

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This is Not a Test: The Definitive Edition with Please Remain Calm
Courtney Summers
Inky Phoenix Press/Bindery
Published January 13, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About This is Not a Test: The Definitive Edition with Please Remain Calm

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High, but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self.

To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed, and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.

But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways, and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside.

When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

My Review

This is Not a Test is one of the only Courtney Summers novels I hadn’t yet read. (The only one I still haven’t gotten to at this point is Fall for Anything.) This version includes both This is Not a Test and Please Remain Calm, a novella from the love interest’s perspective that takes place after This is Not a Test.

This book was so intense that I literally read it in one session. The threat of zombies is everpresent, but that’s not the only threat the characters face. The tension between members of the survivors Sloane hides with just keeps going up. One group blames a person for the deaths of others. The group disagrees on how to treat a new survivor discovered within the compound. Sloane herself begins the story intending to end her life, so she is a danger to herself for quite a stretch of the narrative.

Throughout the story, Sloane thinks about her missing sister and her father, who abused her. I had a theory about where that thread of the story was going, but I was wrong. I do appreciate that the author wraps up the unanswered questions there in a way that allows Sloane to move on. I also like that she finds a connection to Rhys, a boy from the group of survivors she was with in the school.

As you’d expect from a Courtney Summers novel, this story is sharp, smart, and deeply moving. I don’t even know if I blinked through some of the chapters. I didn’t want to miss a single second.

If you’re looking for a zombie story packed with social commentary and exploring the connection between sisters and girl friends, definitely do not miss this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Vague reference to someone walking in on a couple having sex. A couple starts making out, intending to have sex.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Mentions of and brief descriptions of domestic violence and child abuse. Suicidal ideation and a vague attempt. One scene shows a character ending their life. Several scenes show zombies attacking one another and anyone still alive. Some members of the group blame another group member for the deaths of others. One person essentially sends others into a fatal situation, hoping it allows the others to escape.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Forest of a Thousand Eyes by Frances Hardinge and Emily Gravett

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The Forest of a Thousand Eyes
Frances Hardinge
Illustrated by Emily Gravett
Amulet Books
Published August 26, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Forest of a Thousand Eyes

Costa Award-winning Frances Hardinge’s gripping story of a young girl’s daring mission through a natural world intent on her destruction.

With stunning two-colour illustrations by superstar illustrator Emily Gravett on every page, this richly atmospheric book is perfect for fans of David Almond and Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

The hungry Forest is moving forward like an army, a green and constant threat to the humans living in and on an increasingly crumbling Wall. Feather, accompanied only by her scaled ferret, Sleek, must avoid the Forest’s tentacles, and the many dangerous creatures it shelters, to return the community’s precious spyglass to its rightful place. Along the way, she develops her resilience, and meets other people living on the Wall, whose stories and experiences open her mind, and those of her community, to new horizons.

A compelling story filled with adventure, emotional intensity and the rawness of nature.

My Review

This is totally going to date me as a reviewer, but this book reminded me of The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, but plants instead of zombies and make it middle grade. (I tried to link to my review, but apparently I never posted a review of that one! I’m adding the whole series to my list to reread.)

This story is eerie. Feather, the main character makes a mistake that threatens her community’s survival, so she sets out on a quest to fix her error. The whole way, the Forest comes after her. The plants feel sinister as they creep along after her, sending vines to wrap her up and whispering thoughts of betrayal to her scaled ferret.

I love the community aspect of the story. Feather meets people from other settlements on her journey, and they trade ideas and learn from one another. So that she leaves behind her a trail of goodwill leading all the way home.

The story is a little dark, and definitely unusual. I’d say this would bridge upper elementary grades into middle school. It would work well as a story that has an eerie vibe for the Halloween season without being related to the holiday.

The message about caring for others and building community is well-crafted, and the quick pace of the adventure along with the evocative illustrations will make readers want to devour this book in one sitting.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Someone tries to kill another person by pushing them off a wall. Forest elements stalk a character with ill intent. The story contains depictions of and descriptions of spiders.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Away by Megan E. Freeman

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Away
Megan E. Freeman
Simon & Schuster
Published February 11, 2025

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Away

A group of children investigate the threat that prompted large-scale evacuations in this powerful and dramatic companion novel to the New York Times bestselling Alone told in multiple POVs.

After an imminent yet unnamed danger forces people across Colorado to leave their homes, a group of kids, including an aspiring filmmaker and a budding journalist, find themselves in the same evacuation camp. As they cope with the aftermath of having their world upended, they grow curious about the mysterious threat.

And as they begin to investigate, they start to discover that there’s less truth and more cover-up to what they’re being told. Can they get to the root of the conspiracy, expose the bad actors, and bring an end to the upheaval before it’s too late?

My Review

It’s a really weird time to read dystopian fiction set in the US, especially something centered around a possible environmental disaster and government conspiracies. Yet, here we are, and I’m grateful for books like this one and authors like Megan E. Freeman, who break down some of these ideas and questions into stories that make them accessible to middle grade readers. Stories allow us to ask questions and look at life from a perspective other than our own.

Anyway. After reading Alone, a companion novel to this one, I had a hard time imagining a new story set at the same time from multiple points of view. Alone was such a powerful story, though, that I knew I wanted to try this one, and I’m so glad I did.

I think the ensemble cast really worked in this book. Each character’s point of view presents in a slightly different way. Harmony tells her story in newspaper articles and letters to her journalist aunt. Teddy’s perspective comes in transcripts for video footage and storyboard images. Ashanti and Grandin relate their experiences in verse.

Those seem like disparate things, but I love the way that they come together. Each character also has a particular interest or area of expertise that comes in handy. Ashanti often compares things that happen to mythological stories. Teddy pulls comparisons from movies or documentaries. Harmony references famous history or journalists, especially Nelly Bly.

I loved that because that also reinforces the truth that understanding history, both the facts of our history and our culture through art and media helps give us context for the world we experience. Those things also teach us to think critically. And the story perfectly captures that process as this group of young teenagers walks it out.

The book also contains a lot of hope and encouragement, too. It’s about building community and working together and the value and impact of spreading truth. I think Away will find a home with a lot of readers looking for encouragement and hope right now.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Harmony’s mom is a Christian pastor. Reference to an interfaith council that plans an inclusive winter holiday celebration.

Violent Content
References to toxins and dangerous conditions prompting a massive evacuation.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday

I’m sharing this post as a part of a weekly round-up of middle-grade posts called Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday. Check out other blogs with posts about middle-grade books today on Marvelous Middle-Grade Mondays at Always in the Middle with Greg Pattridge.

Review: Aisle Nine by Ian X. Cho

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Aisle Nine
Ian X. Cho
HarperCollins
Published September 24, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Aisle Nine

“It’s Black Friday—and the apocalypse is on sale!

Ever since the world filled with portals to hell and bloodthirsty demons started popping out on the reg, Jasper’s life has gotten worse and worse. A teenage nobody with no friends or family, he is plagued by the life he can’t remember and the person he’s sure he’s supposed to be.

Jasper spends his days working as a checkout clerk at the Here For You discount mart, where a hell portal in aisle nine means danger every shift. But at least here he can be near the girl he’s crushing on—Kyle Kuan, a junior member of the monster-fighting Vanguard—who seems to hate Jasper for reasons he can’t remember or understand.

But when Jasper and Kyle learn they both share a frightening vision of the impending apocalypse, they’re forced to team up and uncover the uncomfortable truth about the hell portals and the demons that haunt the world. Because the true monsters are not always what they seem, the past is not always what we wish, and like it or not, on Black Friday, all hell will break loose in aisle nine.

Perfect for fans of Grasshopper Jungle or The Last of Us comes Aisle Nine, the debut young adult novel from rising YA star lan X. Cho.

My Review

Reading a book about the apocalypse that’s weird and funny was a lot of fun. This isn’t the kind of book I’d normally find myself drawn to. The balance of humor and high-stakes drama of the apocalypse definitely had me intrigued.

Jasper’s amnesia made him an interesting character in that he continued to look for clues about his previous life. His nightmares about the portals, his relationship with Lara, the cat-who-is-not-a-cat, and his awkward connection to Kyle offer a lot of threads for him to unravel as the story progresses.

While some of the moments of tension resolve quickly, the story rockets Jasper into one dangerous situation after another. I found it easy to keep reading from one chapter to another. The book is also on the shorter side of young adult fantasy, at 260 pages.

I think readers who enjoy apocalyptic stories paired with humor, especially in the cast of goofy characters, will love this one. It reminds me of the end-of-the-world movies from the 90s.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Kyle’s parents are from Taiwan.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some f-bombs and profanity used fairly frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Portals from the abyss have opened up at various points worldwide. These are often referred to as portals from hell, and the monsters that emerge are referred to as demons. Four powerful beings are referred to as the horsemen (a reference to the four horsemen of the apocalypse from the Bible.) Beyond the use of those names, there’s no real connection to Christian theology.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Some scenes include graphic violence as monsters attack people and soldiers fight back. The monsters sometimes have an almost comical appearance. At other times, they more closely resemble nightmare material.

Drug Content
In one scene, a mercenary reports that soldiers are often required to take medication meant to combat narcolepsy when they work long shifts. Someone else takes it to stay awake while they work.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

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Gathering Blue (The Giver Quartet #2)
Lois Lowry
HMH Books for Young Readers
Published September 25, 2000

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About Gathering Blue

Lois Lowry’s Gathering Blue continues the quartet beginning with the quintessential dystopian novel, The Giver, followed by Messenger and Son.

Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until she is spared by the all-powerful Council of Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given a task that no other community member can do. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes she is surrounded by many mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world and see what places exist beyond.

My Review

I thought that I’d read this book before, but either I did and have zero memory of it, or I’m mixing this one up with a different book. At any rate, I decided after listening to THE GIVER on audiobook that I would try to read the whole series this year. GATHERING BLUE is the second book in that series, though it doesn’t appear to connect to THE GIVER in any obvious way.

The first few chapters have some intensity to them. Kira has just come from a grief ritual honoring her mother, who has died. Upon her return to her village, she learns a powerful woman named Vandara intends to have Kira put to death so she and the other village women can have the land where Kira and her mother lived. Kira expertly navigates a conflict with Vandara, turning what could have become a violent confrontation into a visit to the elders for counsel.

I liked Kira’s character. In addition to being smart, she’s artistic and kind. Her mind whirs with patterns and ideas for embroidery. She takes care of a young boy named Matt and his little dog. I enjoyed the scenes getting to know her.

The Series So Far

The only issue I have with the book is kind of the same issue I had with THE GIVER. There’s a point in the story in which a minor character reveals something super important to Kira. She’s a passive observer. I wish that she uncovered that knowledge herself somehow, instead of waiting quietly and wondering.

The book kind of ends in a weird place, too. It’s unclear what Kira will do with her new knowledge. The third book in the series, THE MESSENGER, tells the story of the boy Kira cared for, though he is older at the start of that story. I’m hoping that book will address some of my unanswered questions.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Kira was born with a twisted leg and walks with a limp. She has chronic pain from her leg. Disability in Kidlit posted a review about how the story handles her disability..

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Kira carries a small scrap of fabric that she has embroidered in her pocket. The scrap seems to have a kind of magic to it– warning her before something bad happens or reassuring her when things will work out okay.

Violent Content
A group of women surround Kira, several holding stones, in a tense confrontation that teeters on the edge of violence. Kira worries about the woods and field where beasts prowl. Her mother and a village elder told Kira her father was killed by beasts on a hunt with the other men.

Drug Content
Kira wonders if someone was poisoned.

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