by Elizabeth Percer
Publisher: Harper
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Buy the Book: Amazon
Goodreads: This tale follows a group of survivors thrown together in the aftermath of two major earthquakes that strike San Francisco within an hour of each other—an achingly beautiful and lyrical novel about the power of nature, the resilience of the human spirit, and the enduring strength of love.
On Valentine’s Day, two major earthquakes strike San Francisco within the same hour, devastating the city and its primary entry points, sparking fires throughout, and leaving its residents without power, gas, or water.
Among the disparate survivors whose fates will become intertwined are Max, a man who began the day with birthday celebrations tinged with regret; Vashti, a young woman who has already buried three of the people she loved most . . . but cannot forget Max, the one man who got away; and Gene, a Stanford geologist who knows far too much about the terrifying earthquakes that have damaged this beautiful city and irrevocably changed the course of their lives.
As day turns to night and fires burn across the city, Max and Vashti—trapped beneath the rubble of the collapsed Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium—must confront each other and face the truth about their past, while Gene embarks on a frantic search through the realization of his worst nightmares to find his way back to his ailing lover and their home.
Kritters Thoughts: A book with quite the cast of characters and a few of them get the chance to narrate their point of view on this one day in San Francisco. The first about half of the book is the set up of the characters and where they are in the story and in the city. The second half of the book are the earthquakes and the aftermath in this city that should be able to handle earthquakes, but maybe not two in one hour!
The hardest thing, but enjoyable thing is the mass cast of character. I read this slow and steady because I wanted to make sure I had each character and their story straight. In the same respect, the second half read much quicker because I had set a good foundation with knowing the characters and once the earthquakes hit the action really started!
With all of that said above, the first half was slow and didn't have a lot of action, it was all set up. I didn't hate it and once the earthquakes happened I got it, but I was nervous that this book wasn't be good for me. This book taught me patience!
I have read both Elizabeth Percer's books and I have enjoyed both. I will definitely put Percer on my watch list to see what is coming next.
Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
With such a large number of characters I can see how the set up might feel like it takes a long time, so I'm pleased to see that everything came together so well for you in the second half of the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being the part of the tour!