This was a BookBub recommendation - being the first of a series it was free on kindle. (yes i read on my phone too). It over 500 5 star reviews on Amazon and 888 4 star & over reviews on Goodreads. From the Publisher:
“Three hundred years after the fall of society, the last fragments of civilization are clinging to life, living in the ruins of the ancient cities in nearly-medieval conditions. Technology has been reduced to legend, monsters roam the forests, and fear reigns supreme. But that is just the beginning...
The wind-borne spores are spreading, disfiguring men and twisting their minds, turning them into creatures that threaten to destroy the townships. Among the townsfolk, political and the religious, dissension is spreading.
Through it all, a mother must protect her son...”
I love dystopian novels, which is of course why I chose this one. It's central idea is refreshingly new, with a little nod to writers like Margaret Atwood and Sherri S Tepper. What kept me reading was the characters with their intertwined story lines. This is a well written book with a lot more depth than one would expect at first glance.
I give it 4 stars and must add that it was so good I bought the rest of the series. I've finished them all now and can't wait for the final novel to come out. What I can saw about the rest of the books in the series is that the story lines don't always go where you'd expect - how refreshing!
