I received this book via the author, Laura Thalassa. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Series: The Four Horsemen #1
Published by Self Publish on 2018-03-20
Length: 382 pages
Reviewing eARC Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2018 New Release Challenge



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.
Who knew pestilence could be so hot?! When I started reading Pestilence by Laura Thalassa, I’ll be honest that I was skeptical of whether I’d love this angelic-being who spent his time spreading disease to the four-corners of the world. However I have always had faith in Laura Thalassa as she has not once let me down. Andre, Pluto, Caden, Montes, Desmond, even Jame…each of these have won a place in my heart at one time or another, and now Pestilence joins their ranks. This story is dark, frightening, and at times heartbreaking. Told exclusively from Sara’s point of view, the story of Pestilence unfolds, and I could not read it fast enough!
Sara is a young woman who’s life was turned upside down by the arrival of the horsemen five years prior. Now at 21, she’s a firefighter and EMT, and one of the last people in her town after helping with the evacuations. Drawing the short straw (both figuratively and literally), Sara stays behind to attempt to kill the horsemen when he rides through her town. This starts a chain of events that Sara probably wishes she could undo. Sara is brave, her smart mouth gets her into more trouble than it would if she kept it shut, and she cares deeply for anyone/thing that suffering.
Pestilence himself is an enigma. After being shot from his horse by Sara, he’s pissed and plans to keep her alive just to make her suffer. “Suffering is for the living,” he says, and boy does he keep his promises. Something that was easy to forget while reading is that he isn’t human. He is Pestilence. He is ruthless at times, and at others Sara sees his kindness come out. He’s a puzzle that she wants to figure out and at the same times hates herself for wanting.
This story is not for the faint of heart. It is DARK, darker than anything I’ve read by Thalassa. And y’all that’s saying something! If you’ve read The Queen of All That Dies, you’ll know where I’m coming from 😀 But I digress, Pestilence is a fantastic read. The plot itself is a little slow moving, yet it doesn’t feel that way as you read the horrors from Sara’s POV. And the romance….holy HOTNESS! It’s a mess, and I was a mess reading it. At one point, I wanted to yell at the horseman through my kindle, and the next I wanted to slap Sara for not noticing the little things the horseman did for her. It’s a slow burn for sure!
Overall I really enjoyed Pestilence. I loved Sara and her wit. I like the horseman’s naivete of this world and humans. I liked the dilemma the horseman faces as he begins to fall for a human. As a Christian, I’ve read Revelations and studied the horsemen. Obviously this book is not biblical but does take liberties with the theology. It was gut punch reading what these people faced and wondering at the same time how devastating it would be to face the horsemen as Sara and the other characters do. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good post-apocalyptic read, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy.
*Side note: There’s this sweet old couple that appears a little past the halfway mark of the book. Seriously y’all #relationshipgoals right there!!
Gut punch reading…hard to beat that.
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