Crumbling World

Surviving the End, Book 1

By: Grace Hamilton

Narrated by: Chris Monteiro

Family comes first, and he’ll do whatever it takes to protect his from the looming storm.

Even before becoming a husband and father, safety had been Shane McDonald’s priority for most of his 45 years. As a nuclear engineer, it’s his responsibility to keep the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant functioning at optimum levels to avoid what protesters fear most: a meltdown.

But when a coronal mass ejection from the sun wipes out power across the globe, stopping a nuclear chain reaction is no longer his primary concern. Now, Shane must trek across hundreds of miles to ensure the safety of his loved ones in a world rapidly disintegrating into lawlessness. Yet, with few functioning automobiles and a blind teenage daughter to protect, it’ll require careful planning to reach his prepper mother-in-law’s and reunite with his family.

His wife has her hands full, as well. When her brother’s chemo drip suddenly stops working and her son gets stuck in the hospital elevator, all Jodi McDonald wants is the security of her husband’s steady presence. But with a weakened brother and inexperienced son to look after, Jodi must remain strong amid the chaos and help guide them to her mother’s.

However, even the best laid plans go awry as the miles stretch out between them. Supply thefts run rampant. Those who have necessities prey on those who don’t. Minds broken by hardship kill on sight. But the fatal mistake comes when thugs threaten the McDonald’s little girl.

Shane must find the strength to do the unthinkable...or watch his family suffer the consequences.

Warning: This novel contains violence, profanity, substance abuse, and scenes with referenced sexual violence.

©2019 Relay Publishing (P)2020 Relay Publishing

love this series.

love this series. didn't want to put it down. Audio books are great because I can "read" and drive.

A good opening book to the series

I will actually give this one 3 1/2 stars. I really like the idea and the storyline of this book. The characters are very diverse which was also a breath of fresh air. While listening to this book I really had to detach myself as I am a person with a visual impairment and one of the main characters also has a visual impairment and guide dog. At times, I could really relate to this character and some of the things she was feeling when others thought she was helpless, or how she did day-to-day tasks and accomplish them. On the other hand, I did think at times it was very unrealistic with how the guy dog and some of her behaviours were brought to light. That aside, I did enjoy this book. The storyline had a great pace and it almost rotate back-and-forth chapter to chapter with two different converging storylines. There is a cliffhanger ending but it is intended to be a series so I was expecting that. The performance was great and I enjoyed my first listen from this narrator. He even made it sound like he was talking on a telephone or was a recorded message when these came up from time to time during the story. He had different voices for each character no matter gender and you could definitely tell them apart. I will be continuing on with the series. I received a free copy of this audiobook and exchange for an honest review from audiobook boom. This in no way affected my opinion of this work.

Good start

Good solid start to the series! Has a few things other CME stories don't include. Nothing overly graphic to stay away from either. Storyline is well done & flows easily. Narration is well done & easy to listen to.

uuuugh

these types of books just remind me how many people are totally screwed if something like this goes down. Their utter "shock" at how hospitals, stores etc shutdown and how people turn on you in the blink of an eye, should NOT be that friggin shocking!! Come on people! if the world's going to shit, you best be prepared to fight for your life and the lives of those you love and NOT afraid to take the life of a scumb bag if needed and NOT feel bad about it! I just can't understand these people's stupid dilemmas when their families lives are hanging in the balance. "That's not right!" .... no it isn't "right", but when the world is ending, "right" doesn't factor in anymore. black and white turn to gray and you do what you've gotta do. Period.
Other than that nonsense, it was an ok book and I'm continuing the series regardless just to see if they smarten the Fu(k up.

Amazing!

I'm a huge post-apocalyptic fan, and Grace Hamilton always delivers with gripping plots and multi-faceted characters. She takes the readers/listeners on a harrowing and yet exciting journey. Crumbling World is a marvelous start to an exciting new series, Surviving the End. The narrative is descriptive with a premise that is wholly engaging and fascinating. The story is set in a grim world, festered with lawlessness, where survival is paramount. The diversity of the characters and different points of view allowed the readers/listeners to be further immersed in the story.

A stellar performance by Chris Monteiro. He portrayed the nuances of the characters flawlessly while capturing the emotions and intensities in the scenes. This was an utterly charming story with quality writing and narration, one I strongly recommend. I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook, and my unbiased review is voluntarily given.