I received this book via the author, Laura Thalassa. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
Famine by Laura Thalassa Series: The Four Horsemen #3
Published by Lavabrook Publishing Group on 2020-10-01
Length: 404 pages
Reviewing eARC Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2020 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge, 2020 New Release Challenge, COYER All Year 2020
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.
Ana da Silva always assumed she’d die young, she just never expected it to be at the hands of Famine, the haunting immortal who once spared her life so many years ago. But if the horseman remembers her at all, he must not care, for when she comes face to face with him for the second time in her life, she’s stabbed and left for dead.
Only, she doesn’t quite die.
If there’s one thing Famine is good at, it’s cruelty. And how these blighted bastards deserve it. Try as he might, he can’t forget what they once did to him. But when Ana, a ghost from his past, corners him and promises pain for what he so recently did to her, she and her empty threats captivate him, and he decides to keep her around.
In spite of themselves, Ana and Famine are drawn to each other. But at the end of the day, the two are enemies. Nothing changes that. Not one kind act, not two. And definitely not a few steamy nights. But enemies or reluctant lovers, if they don’t stop themselves soon, heaven will.
Oh my heart is in tatters right now! Laura Thalassa delivers one hell of a post-apocalyptic romance in her new release Famine, the third horseman. If I didn’t have to adult, I would have finished this book in one sitting. Would I have pulled an all-nighter to do so? Yes, and I would have happily done so. It would have been worth it! Picking up in the year 24 after the arrival of the horsemen, this story follows a prostitute who is ready to face the horseman for the second time.
Ana is unlike any of the previous two heroines we’ve met in the series, and I absolutely love her! She is a spitfire who has done what she needed to in order to survive and makes no apologies for it. The world fell to the horsemen prior to her birth so she doesn’t know a life with the luxuries we are used to. Ana only understands that life is hard, and it only gets harder. Ana thought herself lucky when her Madam found her and took her in. Did that mean that at the tender age of 17 she became a prostitute? Yes, but as Ana says, there were worse things.
Famine is more unearthly than the previous two horsemen, and y’all that is saying something. War was born of human emotion, and Pestilence’s curiosity about humans drove his actions. However, Famine is connected to the land, the animals and plants, even the weather. He doesn’t understand what motivates a human. He cannot empathize with them. This makes him brutal and ruthless, especially after the years of torture he suffered at the hands of a group of humans. His need for vengeance drives him until Ana comes back into his life.
Despite this being an enemies-to-lovers romance, I found myself falling for Famine almost instantly. Like Ana, I’m not sure what that says about me. He is cruel and bloodthirsty, but that stems from his need for revenge. I didn’t feel sorry for him, but at the same time I could understand the motive behind his actions. This is a man (if you can call a horseman of the apocalypse a man) who was severely beaten to the point of death daily for years. Like Ana, it was easy to see past his defenses to the vulnerability, and y’all I fell just as hard as she does. Ana is determined to show the horseman that not all humans are bad, and yet like him she’s seen the worst humanity has to offer. But sometimes one act of kindness can change everything.
Overall, I loved Famine. It is my favorite of the series to date. The suspense, the terror, and the bloodshed…I loved it all. While each book in this series is technically a standalone, they do all tie together. Unlike the previous two books, this one ends on a slight cliffhanger setting up the fourth and final horseman, Death. If you are a fan of apocalyptic fiction, steamy enemy-to-lovers romance, and don’t mind a little blood, grab a copy of Famine and dive in.
About Laura Thalassa
Found in the forest when she was young, Laura Thalassa was raised by fairies, kidnapped by werewolves, and given over to vampires as repayment for a hundred year debt. She’s been brought back to life twice, and, with a single kiss, she woke her true love from eternal sleep. She now lives happily ever after with her undead prince in a castle in the woods.
… or something like that anyway.
When not writing, Laura can be found scarfing down guacamole, hoarding chocolate for the apocalypse, or curled up on the couch with a good book.
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