Laura ThalassaFantasy · Romantasy
Pestilence
Synopsis
The four horsemen of the Apocalypse have arrived on earth, each riding a screaming steed toward a different corner of the world. Their purpose is to wipe out humanity. Pestilence, the first, rides toward the town where Sara Burn lives, and everyone she knows and loves is marked for death.
Sara decides to stop him and shoots him off his horse. She learns too late that Pestilence cannot be killed. He survives, furious, and takes her prisoner, set on making her pay for interfering with his orders.
Sara then travels with him as his plague spreads. The longer he spends near her bravery and compassion, the better he seems to understand her, and humanity along with her. Sara, meanwhile, grows unsure what he truly feels about her, and what she feels about him.
The book is a paranormal romance between a captive and her captor, with the end of the world as the backdrop. The slow shift between the two leads carries the story. Saving humanity is still possible for Sara, but it will cost her heart.
How it reads
Prose complexity 4/10
Content warnings (2)
ViolenceTrauma
- Brandee: I found the premise for Pestilence (and this series) intriguing. I mean, a romance with a horseman of the apocalypse? But I couldn’t have imagined how gripping and thought-provoking it ended up being. I think the most provocative element was that love, although it’s supposed to bring out the best in us, sometimes awakens the worse. But even through that, we’re all capable of change. What did you find most thought-provoking about the book? Nadene: Knowing what the horsemen of the apocalypse signifies, I must admit the premise intrigued me. Having never read the author before, I was curious as to what creative licence she would take with this prophesied biblical event. Never, had I imagined such an engrossing and thought-provoking tale. The thing that stood out most for me is how we has humans tend to be judgmental of things which we have no knowledge of. Sara judged Pestilence unfairly without trying to understand his purpose. She in turn was judged by others because of her association with him. Brandee: We humans really do tend to judge that which is different and we don’t understand. A true human failing. Brandee: One of my favorite elements in the book is the playful banter between Sara and Pestilence. It didn’t start out fun, that’s for sure. But as they got to know each other, their interplay was fun and often had me laughing. Here are a few of my favorite quotes: I run a hand down the steed’s neck. “You know, beneath your hardened exterior is just a woman who wants love and acceptance,” I say to Trixie. ”My steed is a man.” Pestilence says as he enters the room. ”You’re human,” he says. “I don’t like your kind. I’m not supposed to like you.” I don’t breathe for a second. Don’t ask the question, Burns. Don’t— “But you do?” I say. His eyes drop to my mouth. He touches my lower lip with his thumb, rubbing it gently. “God forgive me, I do.” ”I cannot decide if you are a toxin or a tonic,” he says, lifting a hand to my cheek. “Only that you plague my thoughts and fill my veins.” Pestilence would really work on his compliments. Your favorite quotes? Nadene : I too enjoyed their banter. Pestilence is honest to a fault. He speaks exactly what is on his mind. No diplomacy for this horseman. Sara is definitely a riot. She has no filter and each time she speaks or thinks to herself I cannot help but laugh. However, I also enjoyed the moments where Pestilence never failed to let Sara knew exactly how he felt. “What are you speaking of?” Pestilence asks. “I’m quoting ‘The Raven.’ It’s a poem by Edgar Allan Poe.” Pestilence makes a noise at the back of his throat. “I should’ve known that brief flash of eloquence was not your making.” “Do you even have the ability to speak without insulting me?” I say. I swear this bastard is just trying to kill my morning buzz. “Of course.” I can hear the smug smile in his voice. “It is just that there are so very many things about you worth insulting.” “You’re human,” he says. “I don’t like your kind. I’m not supposed to like you.” I don’t breathe for a second. Don’t ask the question, Burns. Don’t— “But you do?” I say. His eyes drop to my mouth. He touches my lower lip with his thumb, rubbing it gently. “God forgive me, I do.” “Amongst my growing list of flaws is cowardice,” Pestilence says in the darkness. “I come to you now like a thief in the night, for I fear you’ll never listen to me under the light of day,” his voice is whisper soft, “and I must confess all the things in my heart.” Allllright. This should be interesting. “I find you beautiful, dear Sara, so beautiful. But it’s such a sharp, scathing beauty—like the edge of my arrowheads—because I remember you are not like me. One day, you will die, and I am growing anxious of that fact.” “And I cannot figure out what this is,” he continues, “only that I feel it when I see you and when I think of you. When we ride together and I hold you, I feel as though all is right. And when you laugh, I think I might truly die. This is an agonizing sort of pleasure, and it’s ever so perplexing. I don’t understand how pain and affection can coexist alongside one another.” “When you ignore me, I burn with restlessness; it feels as though the sun has turned its back on the world. And when you smile at me—when you gaze at me like you can see my soul—I feel … I feel like I am lit on fire, like you have been called by God to raze my world.” Brandee: I did find myself frustrated with Sara’s hesitation in admitting her feelings for Pestilence. I understood it at first because she (and the world) saw him as a monster. But then, once she’d seen he was more than meets the eye – despite his insistence otherwise – it aggravated me that she couldn’t verbalize what she felt. How did you feel about Sara’s hesitancy? Especially after Pestilence admitted his emotions? Nadene: I too understood her reasons for hesitating. After all, how would it look for one to be in love with the person responsible bringing death and sickness to the world. However, after awhile her hesitancy grated on my nerves – even after she saw the goodness within him. I believed that hesitancy was due in part to her fear of what others might think. Brandee: My favorite scenes were probably those with Ruth and Ron. These two were special human beings and definitely helped in getting Sara and Pestilence to see each other’s point of view. Your favorite scene(s)? Nadene : I loved several scenes, including the one with Ruth and Ron. It resonated with me. The scene which also resonated with me was when Sara finally came to terms with her feeling with Pestilence. It was where they came under attack and the lengths, she went through to protect him. Brandee: Overall, Pestilence ticked all my boxes. Nadene : Yup! One of the best books I’ve read since the start of the year. Brandee: My last question for you is WHEN CAN WE BUDDY READ WAR? 😂 Nadene: 😂😂 Whenever you are ready. I am ready and waiting. Narration This is my first time listening Susannah Jones. She did a great job with all the characters and she brought the story to life with her impeccable performance. I would definitely listen to her again.
- <div>I have conflicting feelings about this book. </div><div>I read it almost in one sitting; once I started, I just wanted to keep reading. Although it has very repetitive moments, like the horseback ride and constantly entering houses, I was very interested in Pestilence's development, and occasionally there were very tense moments that kept me reading. I quite liked the main characters, and it was very easy to read. </div><div>It kept me entertained almost the whole book, which I hadn't felt in a while because I was in a book slump. But when I think about it critically, I have to admit it has its flaws, and there were some things I didn't like, like the protagonist's last name "Burns," who is a firefighter, and also the silly reasoning at the beginning: the first thing I wondered was, "Hasn't anyone tried to kill him before? Hasn't the government tried? Why do they think a girl who has never killed anyone will succeed?" There were moments when I was surprised that Sara didn't feel more disgusted by all the death around her and could think romantically about the person who was responsible for it all. </div><div>Still, it would have been a 4-star read for me if it weren't for the ending. The entire development of Pestilence had a setback that was attempted to be resolved in 2 pages, and I wanted more answers about the theological theme of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Also, they didn't explain the consequences of Pestilence's decision and what his future would be. </div><div>Hopefully, there will be more development in the next book, but I'll definitely continue with the series. </div>
- 2023 UPDATE: I am no longer confused over the romance, clearly I had not been exposed to the ins and outs of dark romance yet, I have since been educated :D ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Did I enjoy this book? Yes. Did the romance confuse me? Yes Did this affect my gushing over the ending? Not at all... This book was enjoyable to read - set in a post apocalyptic world. One thing which i thought was cool of the author was the way in which she distanced the horse men from the biblical apocalypse. The characters - I felt like the Sara suffered with a bit of stockholm syndrome to be honest. They both did. Sara shot and burned the horseman alive and Pestilence all but tortured her after the fact. Both treated eachother poorly and yet they end up together. Also the name pestilence chose had me howling with laughter, the big bad horseman is now a Victor - I dont know why it just doesn't seem to suit him... Overall, it was alright and a entertaining read.
- I almost gave up on this book after the first few chapters. The story just seemed unrealistic and boring. However, I kept reading for a bit longer, thinking of giving it a second chance. The result was that it somehow paid off. I didn't love it, but the main characters and the evolution of their relationship from hated enemies to lovers were interesting. But the biggest reason I kept reading was that the heroine was hilariously snarky. In fact, I liked the author's writing so much I've started reading another one of her books ([b:Rhapsodic|25820414|Rhapsodic (The Bargainer, #1)|Laura Thalassa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1466107203l/25820414.SX50SY75_.jpg|45677320]) immediately after finishing this one.