This was my first Nora Roberts book. I read it as a book club selection and I had some reservations because romance isn't typically my genre. But I also am always open to new authors and I had never read anything by Nora Roberts before and the description looked fabulous! I love fantasy, post apocalyptic books and paranormal YA, so this book should be right up my alley. I flew through the audiobook and the storyline was really fun. In general, I enjoyed it and did like the characters. There were a lot of similarities to The Stand, with the sickness that took most peoples' lives, the ties between characters and the special skills developing in those individuals. The idea of fate pulling them together...
I was disappointed by the amount of disconnected plot lines she tried to pack into the book. There were so many elements of this book that could have been it's own book. The Doom, the magic that started the Doom, the magic that resulted from TEOTWAWKI, the divisions of magical creatures and what skills they each have, the powers of good and evil.
Overall, the book is enjoyable, but not of great quality. I've read some excellent examples of each of the half dozen or so genres she tries to represent. I think this book was a lot of fun and kept my interest, but didn't represent the best of any breed.
**Spoilers**
Then...that ending! Max dies at the hand of his brother who they believed to be dead. Knowing that they were in danger, no one in the town had prepared for the potential attack? And it happens and Lana leaves everyone she knows and loves behind. Isn't there strength in numbers? So a couple months after she loses her love, she replaces him with a new guy. The end felt rushed and improbable.
I'll read the next one, but I winced at the hint that the next book jumps 13 years? What about all the other characters that were introduced?? Argh... I guess we'll see.