Apophis by Eliza Lentzski is an interesting take on the young adult romance. In addition to getting a great story, we see just how important love is when it seems all hope is gone.
In 2004, scientists spotted the asteroid that would plunge the world into the first Ice Age in 12,000 years. They named is 99942 Apophis, and two years after its impact survival is all that matters.
Samantha Poulsen always knew she was different from other girls, an unrequited crush on her best friend notwithstanding. But when Earth’s temperature plummets and your family is trying to survive, finding a girlfriend and being in love become just a few of those beautiful things that becomes sacrificed.
When Sam’s family rescues a man and his beautiful daughter, Nora, a spark is reignited that Sam had previously banished as trivial emotions. As Sam and Nora begin traveling together towards a sanctuary in Idaho, Sam begins to believe that maybe there is a place for beauty in this new and frozen world.
Will Sam and Nora find the sanctuary and live happily ever after? Or will they be consumed by the harsh new realities that Apophis delivered along with its impact?
The Characters
What I love about Sam and Nora is that they are so dramatically different, it literally took a cataclysmic-sized event to bring them together. Honestly, if they met under the normal circumstances they probably would not have had the opportunity to discover their love for each other.
Sara embodies the country girl characteristics. She grew up on her parent’s farm and has a lot of survival skills that ensure her existence will continue. Nora is more of a city girl. She likes to dress nice and considers a hair dryer to be a necessity. Although their differences are very apparent in their first meeting, Lentzski does well to show their evolution and growth into young women who must rely on each other if they want to not only survive but also live. Sam and Nora soon find a mutual respect, which leads to a mutual compassion, and even desire for each other as they continue to fight in this new harsh reality.
The Writing Style
On the surface this story is about two women finding love in a post-apocalyptic world. However it’s also a coming of age story for Sam and Nora. Entering your 20’s and discovering who you are is overwhelming under normal circumstances. Lentzski takes us on that journey here, but she deviates from the typical trope and gives us a new direction by having Sam and Nora deal with these growing pains in the wake of an asteroid-induced Ice Age. It’s actually quite brilliant. You get to see the breakdown of society through the eyes of Sam and Nora as they navigate staying alive among their ever-growing feelings for one another.
The Pros
I really liked how Lentzski set this story shortly after the asteroid hit. It’s a really intelligent choice because it shows how Sam and Nora are still connected to their old lives, which makes the task of adjusting to this world even more daunting when the memories are still fresh in their minds. It truly makes for some interesting dynamics between them and enhances the emotional attachment as the reader watches them grow and evolve into young women.
The Cons
A post-apocalyptic theme automatically tells the reader that it’s not the happiest of stories to read. While this story has great interactions between Sara and Nora, it does highlight the sacrifices that they make in order to secure their continued survival. While these moments maybe tough to read, they are important to the development of Sara and Nora’s relationship.
The Conclusion
I read this book in a single day because it was so enthralling. Even through the difficult moments, I wanted to see what happened with Sara and Nora that I couldn’t put it down. I urge you please pick up this book and give it a chance. If for no other reason, read this story and fall in love with the writing of Eliza Lentzski as I did.
Excerpt from Apophis by Eliza Lentzski
The passenger side door creaked open. The sun was shining right in my eyes, and I had to cup my hand over my face like a visor to get rid of the glare.
“Stay in the car, Nora,” the salt-and-pepper man instructed.
Whoever was in the passenger seat seemed not to hear the man or was ignoring his command. I could just make out the slight curves of a woman’s silhouette, accentuated by the bright sun behind her. She stopped and picked my gloves off the ground where I’d hastily thrown them to better shred some man’s face apart. She walked over to me, her feet making small, careful movements as if she was afraid she might slip on ice even though the road was only covered in snow. Wordlessly, she handed me my gloves. With the sun now at her back and it no longer blinding me, I could finally get a good look at her.
Locks of strawberry-blond hair poked out of from beneath her white knit cap. Her peach skin, dotted with a light spray of freckles, was tinted rose at her cheeks. I couldn’t tell if the blush was from the cold or from unnecessary makeup. Her eyelashes were black and long, framing a pair of aquamarine irises a vibrant shade I’d only ever witnessed in my mother’s flower garden. Her lips looked too soft for this world, and I found myself self-consciously licking my own. My lips felt cracked and dry from extended exposure to the cold. In her winter boots she was an inch or two shorter than me. She was bundled up in snow gear like the rest of us, but similar to the salt-and-pepper man’s clothes, it was newer and nicer than anything I owned. She looked like she was ready to go downhill skiing rather than outlast an apocalypse.
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Bits and Bobs
- ISBN number: 9781494733049
- Publisher: Indie Author
Eliza Lentzski Online
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