Pestilence by Laura Thalassa Series: The Four Horsemen #1
on March 20, 2018
Genres: Paranormal, Post Apocalyptic, Religion, Romance
Pages: 381 •Format: E-Book •Source: Kindle Unlimited
Goodreads
They came to earth—Pestilence, War, Famine, Death—four horsemen riding their screaming steeds, racing to the corners of the world. Four horsemen with the power to destroy all of humanity. They came to earth, and they came to end us all.
When Pestilence comes for Sara Burn’s town, one thing is certain: everyone she knows and loves is marked for death. Unless, of course, the angelic-looking horseman is stopped, which is exactly what Sara has in mind when she shoots the unholy beast off his steed.
Too bad no one told her Pestilence can’t be killed.
Now the horseman, very much alive and very pissed off, has taken her prisoner, and he’s eager to make her suffer. Only, the longer she’s with him, the more uncertain she is about his true feelings towards her … and hers towards him.
And now, well, Sara might still be able to save the world, but in order to do so, she'll have to sacrifice her heart in the process.
I feel like I should not have enjoyed this book as much as I did, but I legit could not put it down. The former religious studies major in me always has a ~curiosity when I see a plot point that even remotely draws on religious themes, and once I saw that there was a ROMANCE series based on the FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE I was like of course I need to check this out for science.
I am apparently terrible at reading/remembering synopses of books when I add them to my TBR because I didn’t realize that I’d be reading a post apocalyptic series either. It’s been a while since I’ve read one (I think a lot of us got burned out after the Hunger Games craze when EVERYTHING was dystopian/post-apocalyptic there for a while in the 2010s) but it makes sense given the whole four horsemen theme. Of course, we start off with what is probably the one I was most apprehensive to read (as a huge germaphobe), Pestilence.
The book starts by immediately dropping the reader into a post-apocalyptic Canada, where the Horsemen appeared several years ago, basically ended the world and skipped town, and the survivors are trying to carve out a new life when Pestilence reappears. Of course, disease and death follow where ever he goes (and not gonna lie, that was hard to read in a post-COVID world, although it looks like this was originally published in 2018). Sara, a firefighter, sets out to (unsuccessfully) kill Pestilence, who then takes her as a prisoner in retribution (although somehow she doesn’t catch the plague, though he ensures she has to see those who do suffer up close).
It’s gnarly in some parts, I’m not gonna lie. Sara is a natural born helper, and even though she knows the folks who catch the plague are doomed she can’t help but nurse them through their final days and make them as comfortable as she can. Yet the longer she stays with Pestilence as his prisoner and gets to know him, the more conflicted her feelings grow. There’s quite a poignant part of the book with an older couple who are totally like “yeah we are old and accept we’re gonna die, but are fascinated by y’all so please come stay with us so we can talk to you about all things philosophical and we don’t blame you for carrying out God’s will” which is a really fascinating turning point in the story, and starts bringing up themes of free will, religion, blame, acceptance, etc.
Pestilence himself was an intriguing villain/love interest. He basically is like “I am in human form so your puny human brain can comprehend my presence” but talks about how he’s less of a being and more of a concept…which then leads to the whole free-will question if he’s not something with a soul. IDK, I found it all very fascinating and pretty nuanced for a paranormal romance I stumbled across while browsing KU. He also has a touch of the OG Thor movies where he’s like “what the heck are these stupid human customs” which added some much needed levity to a very intense story.
Overall: Addicting story with a very satisfying epilogue that teed us up the the inevitable return of his “brothers.” Also a bit of a thought provoking read. Definitely check the triggers though because the book is graphic and deals with a plague, after all.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Goodreads Challenge 2024
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