Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Crossing by Jason Mott. I am going thru my books, and realized that I was behind on providing feedback for some books in 2019 and 2019.
The plot centers on twins, Virginia and Tommy, who are on a journey on their own. Their destination is Florida and in particular they want to see the launch of the space shuttle.
This trip leads them in many directions and meeting many people, but they are in danger so they must be careful - they must keep away from their foster father and others who are determined to see they don't make it to their destination.
Good Book with alot of characters to keep track of and that was confusing at time.
3.stars.

I wanted to like this book because I really did like The Returned, as odd as it was. I thought this one would be rather quirky, but it just fell flat for me. It was very disjointed and the storyline was all over the place. Overall it's not a bad book, just needed help with the pacing and continuity of the narrative. I did like the premise.

Rated 3.5 - The Crossing by Jason Mott is an interesting Dystopian adventure about the possible end of the world. I enjoy this author’s writing style for his creativity in every sentence, painting a story with his words in a way that makes me stop and read the last passage over again. I don’t read his books quickly as I feel they need to be savored to find the silver lining in each sentence.

Twins Virginia and Tommy lose their parents early in life. Bounced from one foster home to another, they always felt they only had each other. Virginia’s gift of remembering everything she ever heard, read, or experienced was a blessing and a curse for them both.

I really enjoyed the adventure part of this novel. The characters were interesting, even when they were exasperating. There are some cool ideas about how people could survive the onset of a terrible situation. A couple of their adventures felt unresolved.

My least favorite part of this book is the end. I was disappointed. After the creativity of the rest of the story, the end felt rushed and incomplete. It leaves room for a sequel, but I can’t imagine how that will draw me in enough to want to continue. My heart was a bit broken and I don’t see how that will mend.

I was surprised by one clever thing Virginia did and Tommy grew, able to exist without her. I just didn’t like the resolutions. Jason Mott creates a fun world with an abundance of interesting characters to interact and move the story forward, making this a more character driven book than anything else.

The Crossing is the second novel I’ve read written by Jason Mott, having thoroughly enjoyed The Returned, another intriguing creative endeavor. Mott’s talent is lyrical with beautiful descriptions that paint odd pictures. I’m fascinated by his storytelling, even when the book isn’t the type I’d normally read. It goes without saying that I’m looking forward to whatever he tries his hand at next.

Review by Dorine, courtesy of TheZestQuest.com.

The Crossing was a noir Sci-fi fantasy that tugged at the heart while dealing with apocalyptic-themed backdrops and did I mention a sister that forgot nothing, and her brother who never remembered? All of the themes interweave and under the telling of Jason Mott, humanity shines in the places least likely, no matter the challenge. This story had more challenges than most with so many undercurrents, but Mott pulls it off in a very fine read.

Tender at times, often bleak, and sometimes surprising, The Crossing by Jason Mott is a journey, both physically and emotionally.

It’s the story of fraternal twins, Virginia and Tommy, as they attempt to travel to Florida to see a space shuttle launch, all while avoiding being captured by their foster father, the draft authorities, or the rest of the world in its devolved and dangerous state.

Over the course of the trip, we meet many characters, all with their own story, though we don’t get to see much more than a glimpse. Some of them were fascinating and I wanted them to stay longer (like the opera singer living on a farm or the man in the suit sleeping in a random field), while others I couldn’t wait for them to make their exit.

Also randomly, we get glimpses into stories of people that are in a completely different locale, and they are characters that we don’t end up meeting. This seemed quite random, and it was kind of off-putting, to be honest. They were interesting enough on their own, but without a direct connection to the main story I found it more difficult to connect with it and care. These stories are tied back in at the very end, but at that point it seems a little late.

The main thing I noticed was the bleakness of the world. With the War and The Disease being what they were, it was really easy to believe the world being exactly the way it was portrayed. It would be hard to to find a glint of hope, though some of the characters were meet were able to do so. The scariest thing about this bleak world was that it wasn’t that far away from the world we live in. A few wrong turns, and an incurable plague, and we’re there!

Overall, I can’t point to anything in this book that I didn’t enjoy. It moved a little slower than I would have liked and I never really felt invested in any of the characters.

Though I’d definitely be up to reading another book written in this world. As bleak as it was, it was kind of fascinating. I want to see how things turn out. I’d like to see a book a little closer to the people trying to fight The Disease.

Title: The Crossing
Author: Jason Mott
Genre: YA/dystopian
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

At first, the disease only took those over age 90, putting them into a sleep they never awoke from. Gradually, the victims grew younger, and the world realized eventually no one of childbearing age would be left awake—or alive. Accusations of blame arose, followed by the war.

Virginia and Tommy have spent most of their lives in the foster care system, fighting to stay together. But now the draft threatens to keep them apart forever. So they run away, headed for Florida and a space shuttle lunch that could be the last hope of mankind.

In a world gone mad, people try desperately to forget the truth, but Virginia remembers everything: ever single detail of everything she’s ever seen or heard. The Memory Gospel brings the past alive for her, but it makes her blind to some things. As Tommy and Virginia flee across the country, they have only themselves to depend on, but can they bear the cost of the truth?

This was an intriguing novel, with a premise unique in the dystopian books I’ve read. The world, filled with war and the Disease, is frankly terrifying. Virginia and Tommy’s history is sad, yet their love for each other remains strong.

I found Virginal pretty unlikable. Her perfect memory makes her think she’s smarter than everyone around her, and, while that may be true in some cases, she only remembers her memories, not necessarily the truth. She’s a selfish person whose intellect makes her push people away. Despite that, this was an engrossing read.

(Galley provided by Harlequin/Park Row in exchange for an honest review.)

The reason I never give up hope is because everything is so basically hopeless. - Anne Lamott

Well, I need to give up reading literary dystopian novels. They are just not my cup of tea. They are usually full of philosophical discourses and this story fit that mold.

Some people will enjoy that but I prefer the dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels that I read to have people battling for a better life and I want them to have hope of a better future.

In this tale, Virginia and Tommy Matthews are 17 year-old twins born on 9/11. Virginia remembers EVERYTHING that has happened in her life while Tommy tends to forget most things. They were orphaned at a young age, went to many foster homes and group homes and are now living with a foster father who is a deputy.

The world has been hit by a DISEASE that makes the elderly fall asleep - without waking. And in the aftermath of that, wars start all over the world and the military draft is started again.

I would say the story is well written but it was boring and depressing to me.

I received this book from Net Galley and Edelweiss in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

The Crossing by Jason Mott is a highly recommended tale about twins struggling to survive in a dying world.

When the Disease first started, it hit only the elderly. Once they got it, they just fell asleep and never woke up. Then the age of those who caught the Disease began to go lower and the recrimination over how or who started the Disease began, turning into a world-wide war. Now the world is in the 10th year of the Disease. Those who lead the war efforts are dying from it, while those who are actually drafted, fighting, and dying in the war are the young.

Tommy and Virginia are seventeen-year-old twins who only have each other. Their parents died when they were five and they have been in the foster system ever since. The twins are opposites. Virginia remembers everything, every word, every detail, in complete clarity - calling it the Memory Gospel - while Tommy doesn't recall much at all. Now Tommy has received a draft letter and the two are making a final desperate trip from Oklahoma to Florida to see the shuttle launch to Jupiter’s moon Europa. Their father was obsessed with Europa and Virginia is sure that the shuttle may be humankind’s last chance for survival. Their foster father, a police officer, is following them, determined to bring Tommy back to go to the military.

This is more a story of sibling relationships and rivalry than a dystopian tale. It is set in a dying world, but the important part of the story is the interaction between Tommy and Virginia and how they relate to each other and the world. Virginia's disaffection for people and the Memory Gospel is an oddly creepy combination. She may remember everything and be the intelligent one, but she's also a bit off putting. She recounts in perfect recall the series of letters their father wrote to them, which, among other things, encouraged them to take care of each other.

The Crossing is an interesting viewpoint for a dystopian story, but perhaps not the best choice. I will readily admit to wanting to hear more about the Disease, more about the world wide war, more about the political ramifications and explanations for the plague that strikes the elderly and slowly works its way down the generations. Virginia is not really a likeable character and while it is compelling to see the struggles in the journey to Florida, her flashbacks and recollection of their father's letters takes away from the edginess and desperation of the odyssey.

The quality of the writing is excellent, as I expected. There was the potential for an even greater story here, but, still, I rather liked some of the revealing disclosures at the end which made the story much better for this reader.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Park Row Books via Netgalley.
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This is a novel of hopelessness. The world is at war, there's some unknown disease that at first attacked only the oldest who would fall asleep and never wake up. Then the Disease affects younger and younger populations. It's also about two twins, Virginia and Tommy, whose parents died when they were five and they have been shuffled between various foster homes. Virginia retains all memories of every minute of every day and everything that happens. She remembers everything she see and everything she reads and everything she feels. Tommy is a normal boy. Viginia is always the special one.

I kept waiting for something interesting to happen in this book or something to make me love or hate or get involved with one of the characters, but for me it never did. I'm sure some people will love the book, but this one wasn't for me. I chose it because I really liked Mott's book The Returned and wanted to read more by him. This wasn't a bad story - it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Jason Mott and HARLEQUIN - Park Row Books through Netgalley for allowing me to read and advance copy.

The Crossing by Janson Mott

2.5/5 stars

Imagine a world like this:
A new disease conquers the world.
People go to sleep and never wake up!
The disease started with the elderly and gradually working its way down to younger people.
With 20% of the population wiped out, there is an ongoing war forever.
The world is short on joy and a space launch to Europa (Jupiter's moon) in search of life might be as close to it as it gets.

Set in this dystopian world, seventeen-year-old twins Tommy and Virginia run away from their foster father. Virginia, to witness the space launch and Tommy as he was drafted for the war. Virginia is gifted with a perfect memory and she remembers every moment of her life. The story is primarily narrated from Virginia’s perspectives with interludes of “Letters written by Virginia’s parents” and “stories of random people”.

The premise was interesting and ambitions but I struggled to finish the book. I didn’t find any of the characters interesting (including Virginia and Tommy) and they lacked depth. The story was flowing all over and it failed to engage me at all.

Throughout the narrative, there were huge paragraphs about war, things happening around the world and interludes with stories of random people. I suppose the author to show the reader what was going on in the world around our characters but it totally slowed down the story.

Overall, the crossing is grand in its ideas but falls short in execution.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin books for ARC.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Ginny—who remembers literally everything—and Tommy—who barely remembers anything—are twins who have been on their own since they were orphaned at the age of five. At the time of the story, they are seventeen, and their relationship is the core of this book.

The world is falling apart. A disease is killing the elderly and working its way younger and younger. Meanwhile, the world’s youth are being sent off to fight in the latest war. When Tommy gets drafted, Ginny convinces him to go on the run from their latest foster home to Florida, so they can watch the launch of a spaceship that will be looking for life on the Jovian moon Europa.

The story is about that journey. In trying to evade their foster father Gannon, they meet other characters, who are dealing with the potential end of the world in a variety of ways. We also get brief vignettes involving characters who are otherwise not in the story. We see most of the book through Ginny’s eyes, her memories, her perfect recollection of letters from her dead father. Slowly, we learn the truth behind their trip, and that truth changes the twins’ understanding of each other and themselves.

It’s a dystopian novel, but one that takes place before things get so bad that the world is unrecognizable when compared to our own. There’s not a great deal of action, but it’s well-written and I found myself absorbed in the story and affected by the ending. Recommended.

A multi-themed book which takes a winding path. Themes such as what is most beneficial over the top smart or average? What does family mean and how do those relationships work? Well -written, if a bit slower than I like at the beginning.

The latest offering from the author of THE RETURNED introduces readers to a set of twins who survived a brutal childhood and are determined to survive as young adults in the wake of catastrophic contagion and global war. A compelling read with high crossover potential.

This is not normally the type of book that I prefer to read. Quite honestly there were many times throughout that I wanted to just give up on this story, not because it wasn’t well written but because it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t find any of the characters to be particularly likable. In fact, the main character, Virginia, is a selfish, whiny girl who uses everyone around her for her own purposes. I also found the alternating chapters (dealing with other people we didn’t know) to be very confusing. I suppose that it was to show the reader what was going on in the world around our characters. I believe this would be an enjoyable read for someone who likes this type of story. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me.

This is an interesting dystopian tale. It has some interesting ideas and plot points, but for me, the language was a bit overly flowery and reading it was a bit tedious at times.

Summary: A brother and sister try to get to Florida to see a probe launch while war and disease rage around them.


What I liked: I like that this was a different type of dystopian novel. The story line wasn't about survival but about relationships. Mott interwove smaller stories throughout the main storyline that I felt set the overall atmosphere in the book. I enjoyed Mott's writing style and the overall pacing of the novel.


What I didn't like: There was plotline dealing with the brother when he got to Florida that I didn't really understand. I felt that it was slightly unnecessary and didn't really help the story along. For me it felt like the story stalled there and picked back up after. But it was a few fair pages. Even though I enjoyed how fleshed out the characters where the Sister character for me was a bit flat toward the end of the book. The last few pages kinda reminded me of the way Alexa or Siri would deliver a monologue, very computerish.


Star Rating: 4.5


My thoughts: I really enjoyed this novel. I liked that this was a dystopian novel that dealt with interpersonal relationships instead of just survival. I felt like the apocalyptic side was not really used as a plot device but rather background to the sister and brother. The Crossing was an overall enjoyable read. I will have to check out more of Mott's books.
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Review Published 02/16/2018

#TheCrossing #NetGalley

Publisher synopsis: Twins Virginia and Tommy Matthews have been on their own since they were orphaned at the age of five, surviving a merciless foster care system by relying on each other. Twelve years later, the world begins to collapse around them as a deadly contagion steadily wipes out entire populations and a devastating world war rages on. When Tommy is drafted for the war, the twins are faced with a choice: stay and accept their fate of almost certain death, or run. Virginia and Tommy flee into the dark night.

Armed with only a pistol and their fierce will to survive, the twins set forth in search of a new beginning. Encountering a colorful cast of characters along the way, Tommy and Virginia must navigate the dangers and wonders of this changed world as they try to outrun the demons of their past.

This book was wonderfully written, given bits of information and different view points by inserting brief stories of others throughout book as well as from the main characters. This one was sad, but it is one that will stay with you.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jason Mott has done it again with another captivating read, The Crossing, set in a dystopian world where a disease has eaten at the human race by rendering those affected forever sleep. That's right. I know we all have had a moment where we wonder if we go to sleep, will we wake again. This title is along the same lines of The Returned in terms of the matters in life and death, except the focus here is the other end of the spectrum where those who are healthy just die in their sleep, never to return.

As the world unfolds into war and terror, Virginia and Tommy embark on a journey to see a space launch headed towards Europa. Europa is a distant moon that could perhaps lead to a new place to inhabit for those not affected with The Disease. By the time they begin this trek, the Disease was already in its tenth year and 20% of the world's population had been affected.

Virginia and Tommy are twins whose parents died before the Disease could take them, but the memory of them is alive and well in Virginia. She's a remarkably bright 17 year old who's unable to forget anything. Her brilliance is a gift and a curse for her. She primarily narrates the story, but as the journey unfolds, and they meet some interesting characters (to say the least), it becomes hard to like her.

Although Virginia's well developed and intriguing, she might be the only thing keeping this novel from a 5-star rating. No that's not fair. I'm just stingy with my 5-stars, is all. But seriously, I just wanted to strangle her at times, yet I can't imagine what hell she's going through as the world crumbles around her.

She uses The Memory Gospel to recount the way life was before the Disease. The only problem with the Memory Gospel is that the memories it contains are hers and hers alone. These memories are her own perspective which seems detached at times. Although she loves her brother Tommy, her ability to disconnect from emotions makes her seem cold and distant. She's knows this yet can't help herself. The curse of her inability to forget anything is that she will remember all the good and the bad and this makes her cynical at times. There are moments I felt genuinely sorry for Virginia as she narrates, but mostly I was hoping she could rise to the occasion and be a better person. For Tommy's sake at least.

As Tommy and Virginia run towards the launch, in the hopes of witnessing what might possibly be the last act of what life was like before the Disease. Preservation is one of the strongest themes in The Crossing. Preserving normalcy, creativity, hope, love, and life. Preserving a future and hoping that the memories of life before the Disease, can be found again.

The Crossing will really resonate with readers. Jason Mott writes well with an uncomplicated story full of emotion with a hint of suspense. To say I enjoyed The Crossing would be an understatement.Yes this novel was a quick read for me, I found myself highlighting, or rereading excerpts I found most moving. What I've taken from this book is that often times is that our memories can be a gift. These memories can help us through tough times but the art of forgetting is a blessing that shouldn't be taken for granted.

Copy provided by Harlequin via Netgalley

I am a sucker for dystopian tales and Mott writes some of the best. Virginia and Tommy Matthews are twins who have been shuffled around in foster care since they were toddlers. Now as young adults, they watch the world fall away as war and disease decimate the population. Tommy is expected to join in the fighting, but the night before he’s to be drafted, he and his sister sun away. They run into a world like they have never encountered, as civilization crumbles and humanity is displayed at its best…and its very worst

Can't believe I'm the first person reviewing this, Mott, after all, has made quite a name for himself. My first introduction to his was via Resurrection the short lived tv show, based on his fiction debut The Returned. So I went and read The Returned and was promptly disappointed. It wasn't a terrible read by any means, but it left a lot to be desired. For those unfamiliar with the plot, The Returned are individuals miraculously resurrected, who come back to places they left behind unchanged while the world around them has moved on. There's a lot to be done with a concept like that and Mott didn't really take advantage of it. But he did return to grand concepts. The Crossing is set in a dying world not of the future, but of an alternate present. Apocalypse comes quietly in disguise of sleep and is plowing through the elder generations. The younger ones, meanwhile, are being eliminated in a more conventional way...war. Between the forever sleep and the war, the candle is burning at both ends, the world is short on joy and a space launch to Europa (Jupiter's moon) might be as close to it as it gets. Therefore seventeen year old twins, one with a perfect memory (eidetic and photographic) set off on a crossing to get to Florida. Again, a good story, though not a great one. Not sure what's preventing Mott from literary greatness, but he is getting closer, this one is an improvement upon earlier work. He's making efforts to reign in his poetic tendencies, though still prone to occasionally overwriting or overemphasizing, Ginny's impeccable memory is given entirely too much play. Yes, it's a great and terrible weight to remember every single thing perfectly, but how many times can it be mentioned. It does create a fascinating relationship dynamic and that Mott has done well. He's also done well to sprinkle these vignettes of lives affected by the ugliness of the world throughout the novel (Morgan's was my favorite). And the writing is good, very easy to read (in a good, not an easy reading all IQ accessible way), has a sort of buttery quality to it. Then again, the man is from the South, the butter is mandatory. There is a beauty here too, a melancholic sort, an ode to moribund world, no misplaced optimism, nothing unduly ridiculous and inappropriate to alter the somber mood. There are still stars above, if one chooses to notice, in all their glorious indifference. It's worth mentioning that despite the protagonist's young age, this doesn't read like a YA novel, though it seems that a relatively intelligent young person should be able to read this, there's nothing objectionable here, except for the general dark ambiance. Enjoyable read, somewhat frustrating with unmet potential, but the lovely ending goes some distance to make up for it. Quick one too. Thanks Netgalley.