With the first book out already and the second coming out next week, allow me to present Gregg Hurwitz's duology of freaky fun sci-fi terror: The Rains and its sequel Last Chance.
Seriously, do yourself a favor and grab both books when Last Chance comes out this fall because it has everything you want in a creepy YA sci-fi horror thriller.
Meet the Rains, Patrick and Chance, brothers who have stuck out for each other through thick and thin. Their quiet lives have been obliterated when their next door neighbors become creatures from some nightmare version of the universe that is now their reality. Every grownup is now the enemy and all the kids are being rounded up for reasons unknown in their tiny little town of Creek’s Cause.
Underneath all the exquisite horror genre bits (will get to that in a bit) is a story about a family. It's specifically centered on two brothers that have such a deep and real bond, that you cannot help but root for them. (Just a quick aside here. About 95% of the story is told from little brother Chance’s POV, but as the beating heart of this family, it only makes sense to tell the story through him.)
Anyway, you rarely find this kind of character (and character relationship) development in horror stories, but you have that here. In fact, the bonds they share help raise the stakes to such deliciously apocalyptic proportions. If I wasn’t on “horror story mode” (which is just me not getting attached to anyone and is also the mode I use when reading Game of Thrones), I would have been yelling and screaming the entire time.
Yes, it is that kind of horror story. Gore. Body count. Horrific and ultra creepy bad guys that will absolutely give you nightmares. And in true form to the sci-fi horror genre… there is a precedent in nature that helps our survivors understand whatever it is that they are up against. No spoilersm but what rocks about the world building in this specific sci-fi horror story is that the author didn’t look for inspiration. Mother Nature is plenty terrifying as it is. We don’t see it for what it is until our spot on the food chain is bumped down a few notches.
These two books in tandem form a high octane, adrenaline pumping, ultra creepy, scary as all heck thrill ride that will make you scream, cry and shout if you’re the type to do that for books.
The Rains / Last Chance by Gregg Hurwitz | Series: The Rains #1-2
Publisher: Tor Teen | Publication Dates: October 18, 2016 / October 17, 2017
Source: Paperback + ARC from the publisher (Thanks!)
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