Continuing a series is always exciting. By the time you get to the fourth part, you have a pretty good idea of the main character’s motivation, strengths and weaknesses. To continue their adventures and see whether changed circumstances change their behaviour is exciting.
Were your expectations met, did they do what you thought? As for the narrative, there’s the possibility that things might not have turned out how you expected or hoped. The action might have gone off in a different direction. In some cases, there is a period of consolidation in later books in a series, others race ahead with new plot strands coming thick and fast.
So, which one is this?
Chantelle Atkins is an author whose work I’m growing to love.
I read the first part of this series recently and reviewed it here.
And what I thought about part three
Part one was an amazingly strong piece about the collapse of society as we know it and the emergence of a new social order, in which children are the dominant force. The survivors split into groups, all of them are organised in different ways but they all share the same goal. To survive.
Part two followed on and kept the tension levels high. The story developed in a frightening yet completely logical way as the survivors learned more about their world and the new normal. Except that the new normal was consistent only in the fact that it kept changing. Once again, nature took charge of a large part of the action, it almost feels like revenge for the way humanity has abused it over the years.
In part three, nature really shows its claws. It starts snowing, adding to all the problems that the children already face. Hard choices need to be made, loyalties are examined and there are a few shocks in store.
Now, we get to part four.
Here’s the description,
The adults are all dead. Society has collapsed.
As Mother Nature pursues her latest cull, the children of Heron Village are hanging on by a thread.
Traumatised by the reign of David, Gus, Chess and Charlotte enlist the help of a bigger and better-organised group from London – a group who want to rebuild the world the way it was before.
When David is dethroned, it seems fresh hope arrives with the spring – yet they have not found his body. Is he still out there?
Reuben remains suspicious of the London groups intentions and is becoming more animal in nature. Is his the only way forward?
And as spring breaks and the snow thaws, a brand new world lies on the horizon…
The book is available on Amazon, click here for your copy.
My thoughts.
I’ve enjoyed this series right from the start. The idea behind it, that Nature has had enough and is fighting back is a mirror of the way that I and a lot of other people think about the world and the way things are going.
Chantelle Atkins has woven a huge tale, with a cast of totally believable characters reacting to the fact that all the adults are gone and it’s now up to them to sort things out.
Everyone has changed from part one, Reuben is more attuned to nature than ever and it seems like people are coming around to his way of thinking. Gus has grown up, David gets his just deserts and perhaps Lily does too.
The group from London arrive and want to take things back to how they were. But, are they the way forward? Reuben isn’t sure.
It’s hard to review the fourth part of a series without giving anything away.
Time has moved on and a lot of things have changed. It looks like the snow has stopped. All the loose threads get sort of tidied up.
The part that nature plays in this story is brilliant. I can totally empathise with it and Reuben’s realisation of the truth, that we are at its mercy. There’s a powerful message in here and it’s telling how some people get it immediately and others take a while longer.
Just like reality.
If you want a gripping tale, this is the series for you. A set of four stories that have kept me in a vice-like grip as they describe a future that just might be.
One thing I would love to see are more stories, perhaps set in a few years, when the children and nature have had time to consolidate their new symbiosis and work out what it all means.
Highly recommended.
About the Author.
Chantelle Atkins was born and raised in Dorset, England and still resides there now with her husband, four children and multiple pets. She is addicted to reading, writing and music and writes for both the young adult and adult genres. Her fiction is described as gritty, edgy and compelling.
Her debut Young Adult novel The Mess Of Me deals with eating disorders, self-harm, fractured families and first love.
Her second novel, The Boy With The Thorn In His Side follows the musical journey of a young boy attempting to escape his brutal home life and has now been developed into a 5 book series.
She is also the author of This Is Nowhere and award-winning dystopian, The Tree Of Rebels, plus a collection of short stories related to her novels called Bird People and Other Stories.
The award-winning Elliot Pie’s Guide To Human Nature was released in October 2018.
YA novel A Song For Bill Robinson was released in December 2019 and is the first in a trilogy, followed by Emily’s Baby and The Search For Summer in 2021.
In 2022 she released another collection: The Old Friend – A Collection of Tales and Poems and the first in the supernatural YA series, Hangman’s Revenge, which was co-written with Sim Alec Sansford.
Chantelle has had multiple articles about writing published by Author’s Publish magazine and runs her own Community Interest Company – Chasing Driftwood Writing Group.
Links:
Website/blog : https://chantelleatkins.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/chantelleatkinswriter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Chanatkins
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/chantelleatkins/
https://www.instagram.com/chantelleatkinswriter/
Email Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/bVVbGD
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chantelleatkinswriter/
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chantelle-Atkins/e/B00J7ACVCY/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Books;
The Mess Of Me
The Boy With The Thorn In His Side – series
Bird People and Other Stories
This Is Nowhere
The Tree Of Rebels
Elliot Pie’s Guide To Human Nature
A Song For Bill Robinson
Emily’s Baby
The Search For Summer
The Old Friend – A Collection of Tales and Poems
Hangman’s Revenge
Project Pandora
Days End
The Day The Earth Turned – series
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