Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publishing Date: February 13, 2024
Synopsis:
A painfully average teen’s life is upended by a magical apocalypse in this darkly atmospheric and sweepingly romantic novel perfect for fans of The Raven Boys , Buffy the Vampire Slayer , and The Rest of Us Just Live Here .
High school is hard enough to survive without an apocalypse to navigate.
Sid Spencer has always been the most normal girl in her abnormal hometown, a tourist trap built over one of the fault lines that seal magic away from the world. Meanwhile, all Sid has to deal with is hair-ruining humidity, painful awkwardness, being one of four Asians in town, and her friends dumping her when they start dating each other—just days after one of the most humiliating romantic rejections faced by anyone, ever, in all of history.
Then someone kills one of the Guardians who protect the seal. The earth rips open and unleashes the magic trapped inside. Monsters crawl from the ground, no one can enter or leave, and the man behind it all is roaming the streets with a gang of violent vigilantes. Suddenly, Sid’s life becomes a lot less ordinary. When she finds out her missing brother is involved, she joins the remaining Guardians, desperate to find him and close the fault line for good.
Fighting through hordes of living corpses and uncontrollable growths of forest, Sid and a ragtag crew of would-be heroes are the only thing standing between their town and the end of the world as they know it. Between magic, murderers, and burgeoning crushes, Sid must survive being a perfectly normal girl caught in a perfectly abnormal apocalypse.
Only—how can someone so ordinary make it in such an extraordinary world?
mY rEVIEW:
“Dead things are closer than they appear” by Robin Wasley is a true roller coaster ride. I got hooked on the story in the second chapter itself. The curiosity about what will happen next starts in that chapter and lasts until the very end of the book.
It’s been so long since I read a relatable chapter. I felt so relatable to Sid (the protagonist) in so many situations. I even guessed correctly what her reaction would be in certain scenes. Her love for her brother, Matty, was so heartwarming. Matty didn’t actually appear much in the book, yet his character was portrayed well through Sid. I loved how Sid’s cat, Chad, traveled throughout the story.
Brian, a male protagonist, was such a sweetheart. Sid and Brian were so cute together. I loved the slow-burn love between them. Next to Sid, Brian is my favorite character. Even though this story has a very strong plot, it can clearly be seen that the author has given equal importance to characters. I love it more when all characters are well-developed in a book, not just the main protagonist. This book definitely does justice to all the characters and the plot.
Coming to the plot, the story revolves around Sid trying to find her brother Matty in the middle of the apocalypse. There is this mega villain who wants all the power so that he can do whatever he wants (i.e., rule the world). Sid and Matty’s friends try to save the world.
This might seem like a usual plot; let me say it is a usual plot, but with a unique magical realism theme, a zombie invasion (I mean, who thought that would happen), and the inclusion of the Guardians theme, this story is marvelous. I just love how every single person in the town possesses magic (few exceptions). Also, every single person has unique powers, just like how unique we individuals are.
Overall, if you love tropes like magical realism, slow burn, found family, and zombie apocalypse with amazing characters, then this book is for you.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me with the arc of this book.
Click here for Tour schedule to see more reviews.
Book links:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
About the author:
Robin Wasley is a YA fantasy writer with a soft spot for orphans, found families, and funny girls with no special skills who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. She grew up in a family of adoptees, never truly seeing herself reflected in the books she devoured. As an adult, when she saw an Asian American girl on the cover of a YA book for the first time, she cried.
Deepireads 
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