REVIEW: The Crossing

The Crossing
Author: Jason Mott

Tommy and Virginia are twins. They depend on each other because they are all that's left. Their parents died when the twins were young, forcing them into the foster system. Then The Disease came, killing first the elderly then progressively trickling down to younger and younger victims. The people go to sleep and just never wake up. As the planet ticked down towards destruction, war broke out. Now young people are being drafted to die in senseless violence. The world is burning it's candle at both ends. Young people bleeding to death on battlefields, while older people sleep themselves to death. How long until nobody is left? And the twins are in the middle....running from the horror of a draft notice. The twins run towards a space probe launch, feeling it's the last hope for mankind. Discovering that there is life on distant moon Europa would mean the death of Earth wouldn't leave the universe totally devoid of life.

When I finished this book, I was unsure how I felt about it. I had to think it over for two days before I was ready to write this review.  A few deep breaths, a cup of fresh coffee.....I think I'm ready now.

I found this story very disjointed. Most of the plot is told from the twins' point of view, but portions of chapters jump to other characters they meet on their journey to Cape Canaveral to watch the probe launch. I found the constant jumping around to be a distraction from the main plot, and it slowed down the already too slow progression of the story line. For a dystopian story about a plague and the effects of war....with the main characters running from pursuers.....this book moved too slowly. I almost stopped reading several times. But I kept at it thinking that once they got to Florida, the story would find it's footing and start going somewhere. But it really never did. I think the main problem for me is this:   It's hard to enjoy or want to continue reading a story that has absolutely no sense of hope.

Portions of the story are very well written. Introspection from the main characters about The Disease, the loss of their parents, the destruction of the world, human nature, etc.  At times, it was very interesting. But, all the introspection and inner thoughts overpowered the plot until there really was no plot action to carry the story. And in the end, the feelings of hopelessness and futility just killed any enjoyment of the story for me.

I'm not going to say this is a bad book....the writing isn't bad, and the idea in itself is interesting. But, overall, the story was not for me. I did not enjoy this book. Others might. For me, in the end, the story just had no purpose. I took nothing away from my reading other than a deep feeling of wasted time and lost hope.

Not for me. Too slow....too dark and depressing.

I would definitely try another novel by this author. His writing style is good. But next time, if it goes along this same path, I'm going to DNF and move along.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Harlequin via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. **