I will admit, I struggled a little with this one. I want to first start off by thanking NetGalley for giving me a free copy of this book for an honest review. I will preface this by commenting that I read half of this book, as I started to struggle reading it in it's latter parts.

This is a book about how down and bad the world can get, Robert, the main character is struggling through a constantly changing world at the brink of destruction. War on a national and international level, and plague is the backdrop to this sobering story.

First off, this is a post-apocalyptic story, a dystopian world, it is meant to often be a warning for a possible future to come. This book is not for everyone just for that, you have to have a very good headspace to handle this kind of book. There will be death, suffering, and stuff that will remind you of the current day which can be too much for some readers.

The first thing I enjoyed quite a lot about this story was the amount of description given for all the elements within the story, always getting a real clear image what things look like in their world. The harsh winds, dirt lining the windows outside, it brought you deep into the world and left you there to sit on the possibility of that becoming our world.

This book has a very slow start, if you came into the book expecting to be hooked, you might find yourself waiting. The romance between the main characters, Zilv and Robert felt, daydreamish and childish. Much like two teenagers gushing over each other, and while I am sure that many people have a relationship like it, it just felt like we walked into something really private.

There was points where things were redundant and said multiple times, like the story about Robert not seeing flowers since he was eight and Zilv's mother having a flower shop. Which gave a feeling as if maybe this wasn't read very thoroughly by beta-readers, or simply not noticed.

I found myself wishing for a more confident main character or wishing he was a bit more dimensional with his feelings and wants. Often times he just fell into survival mode, which did a genuine disservice to his character even before the book got very far in, I didn't know who he was. What kind of hobbies he had outside the work he was doing for money. This may also be in relation to the amount of timeskips in this book, every chapter being a timeskip in some manner. It made things feel like an episodic tv show rather than a book.

Lastly I want to bring up that there was too much going on, the civil war and international war alongside the plague made this book overwhelming to comprehend everything going on and disconnected the reader.

I am sure that there are a lot of people who would love this book, and can follow it much easier than me. William was a nice breath of fresh air to the more passive Robert and Zilv, pushing them into better or worse situations. I would definitely love to read more about William's adventures.

I love me a good apocalyptic story. All the potentials and possibly of what could happen in a future world. I love to discover how an author is going to spin it and see if it something that I could see happening. To just lose myself in a future world. Sigh. Sadly that did not happen for me with Abandon Us by E.T. Gunnarsson.

The book started out okay and I was able to grasp what was going on. However, there were several things that kept me from losing my self in the story. For starters, I felt some of the situations to be too repetitive. The masks sucks, the air sucks, everything is black, grimy and sucks. The horse it dead and you can quit beating it. I totally get it, everything sucks. Second, the plot has the elements a story needs and the groundwork is laid so you have a understanding of the current situation. The presentation of it felt so…dry. Not dull, just flat and unappealing. What really had me struggling to focus was the characters. I just couldn’t engage or connect with them. I found the conversations between Robert and Zilv to be baby-ish and immature. I knew early on in the book that was going to be something that was going to annoy me and I was hoping it would change. Nope.

Finally conclusion: this book did not work for me. The cover was appealing and the premise of the story had a lot to offer. I just felt, for me, it came off rather flat and meh as I struggled to finish it. I will not be continuing on with the series.

Stars: 2
I received this book from Netgalley. I was not compensated for the book other than the entertainment it provided. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Some time ago, I reviewed a book about a dystopian world that takes place in three stages.  In Forgive Us, we meet three different individuals struggling to survive in different eras of an Earth that has been destroyed through pollution and war.  We eventually discover that the stories of these individuals overlap and effect each other in varying ways.  I, for one, wanted to know more regarding how Earth and its denizens arrived at such a state.  My hope came through with a prequel to Forgive Us, entitled Abandon Us.

               This time around, the story revolves about one person – Robert Ashton.  When we first meet Robert, he is a street thug, stealing from others to support his habit in a world that is already strangling on waste and pollution.  After a robbery gone wrong that lands his best friend, William, in prison, Robert turns his life around, going to tech school and meeting and marrying his partner Zilv.  Together, they have made a decent living for themselves, even as the world around them begins to seriously crumble.  Death, destruction, pollution and poverty are coming together to cause a civil war.  When Robert loses his job, he knows that he and Zilv have no choice by to go underground with recently released William. 

               Things are dangerous underground, but Robert and William’s smuggling operation has kept the trio fed and clothed.  But then the Third World War begins, bringing the battle to the underworld and forcing Robert, Zilv and William to survive in the wastelands of the surface.  Unable to discern which side is safer and fighting disease, mutated monsters and a serious lack of supplies or shelter, Robert wonders how he and his loved ones will survive.  Sometimes it seems as if he is close to abandoning all hope.

               I was so absorbed in E.T. Gunnarsson’s incredibly descriptive and captivating story that I read Abandon Us in only a few days’ time, pausing only for the essentials – eat, work, sleep.  That being said, it has taken me a while to write this review.  That’s because I wasn’t sure I could do the book the justice it deserves.  E.T. Gunnarsson cleverly weaves events of today in his apocalyptic tale – COVID 19, the war in Ukraine, the distrust between the United States, Russia and China, global warming, pollution and more – making the story incredibly realistic and relatable.  There were times when I had to put the book down for a couple of minutes and catch my breath.  That’s how disturbing I found some of its contents. 

               In the end, Abandon Us is a story of survival and what that survival means for different people.  It not only shows how morals and ethics can be compromised in the attempt to survive, but how humans react to apocalyptic situations – the psychology behind survivor's guilt, the greed, the loss of humanity.  Abandon Us leads the reader perfectly into the events of Forgive Us, explaining how the war for survival and territory began after picking up the pieces in the wake of the third World War. 

               E.T. Gunnarsson is an amazing storyteller who writes a relatable and realistic tale with characters you become invested in, situations you can see yourself in and a descriptiveness that places you right in the middle of the action.  I understand that these two books are part of a trilogy.  I can’t wait to read the final chapter!  I am more than certain it will be worth the wait!

NO SPOILERS, don’t worry! Good book. Well written. I have a few notes but I’d recommend others to read it. Solid 4 stars in my opinion.

- I love the futuristic feel and I like how the author relates back to “old times” so we know the changes that have taken place.
- Use of description is used well. However, I feel characters need a little more description and/or backstory to them.
- I didn’t know zilv was male right away, throw some pronouns in there and make it obvious! Love a MM couple and I want to see it off the bat!
- Great twists and turns. Won’t add any spoilers but I feel the author writes really well and can hold the suspense and drama when needed.

So if you want something futuristic, queer and fun, read this!

This book has 3 parts, the first one, reminded me very much of the book “sheep's look up” because the world is trashed, there’s pollution all over the place, people need to use gas masks to be able to breath outside and in some places inside as well… but a plague comes and makes things much harder and some very “zombies”, and then the war and we jump some years in the future, always becoming much dire and grim, we also learn more about this kind of zombies, the lurkers…, the third part takes place almost 20 years after the first one. Of course without spoilers, in this book, we follow Robert, and what life brings to him, he is the kind of character that makes you want to read a little more and know him and his situation better.

I recommend this book for fans of the road, the sheep's look up, and all those dystopian post-apocalyptical books that leave you with a sadness in your heart, because you empathise with the main character.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

A BLOODY CIVIL WAR
A RAPIDLY COLLAPSING ECONOMY
A GLOBAL DEADLY PLAGUE

Abandon Us is the prequel to Forgive Us (which now I definitely need to read)

Abandon Us by E.T. Gunnarsson is a wonderful post-apocalyptic story.
The world building was absolutely incredible
This book is riveting, interesting and kept my attention throughout the entire read.
I felt the characters were developed very well and kept thins very much enjoyable.
I've always been intrigued by Global Plagues and apocalyptic stories.
And I must say E.T. Gunnarsson made this one so fun.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Bragi Press,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.