The Last Donut Shop of the Apocalypse (Kelly Driscoll #2)

Forgot to download. But ended up buying it. One of the funniest books I've read in awhile.  The story itself is a bit perplexing, but I think that really adds to fun, zany style.

The Last Donut Shop of the ApocalypseNina PostCuriosity Quills Press

DescriptionAfter narrowly preventing the last apocalypse, Kelly Driscoll finds herself with an unlikely day job. She’s the interim manager of Amenity Tower, one of the few buildings still left standing in the rubble of Pothole City. But after answering a mysterious phone call, she signs up for a new mission that’s a perfect match for her skills: locating the missing president of the famed Cluck Snack brand.

As Kelly quickly learns, the missing executive is only the beginning of Pothole City’s problems. The city’s leading donut shops — run by two very different Gorgon monster siblings — are engaged in a bitter territorial dispute. Plus, the residents of Kelly’s building have hatched a new plot to kill the beloved single-purpose angels and set the stage for another apocalypse.

Teaming up again with her allies from the first book — including Af the Angel of Destruction, Stringfellow the ferret, and Tubiel and the other single-purpose angels — Kelly is up for the challenge. But can she rescue the missing president and restore peace between the donut shops before Pothole City is destroyed yet again?

My Review:

This is my first taste of Nina Post and all I can say is can I please have some more?  This is the second book of a series, of which I had not read.  After reading this zany little adventure, I will definitely be going more for another helping.

The cover to this book is a technicolour beauty.  If you can fit another colour in, I would be surprised.  A real eye-catcher and I wish I would see it in paper for the full effect.  Sometimes ebooks just miss out.

There is not much I can say about this book without giving away plot.  Suffice to say that each and every page has craziness written all over it.  The amazing thing is that Nina Post makes it believable.  There is a straight-forward style about her that just adds so much to the book. 

This will have you cackling to yourself very quickly.  There is another one coming it seems.  So I have catch-up and future reading to do with Ms Post.  Looking forward to that.

My Rating:

4 (but soooo close to 5) donuts out of 5

It’s tough to find a good donut in a post-apocalyptic world, ya know?

Kelly Driscoll having a rough time of it lately. Her temporary job as interim manager of Amenity Tower (the only luxury condominium in Pothole City) is pretty stressful. The cute guy she’s got her eye on thinks of her more as a friend. And oh yeah, there’s another pesky apocalypse brewing in her already mostly destroyed city. But Kelly’s not one to take things lying down. If she can stop one apocalypse (and she has, in the previous book), then she can stop another - and do it with style.

When we first meet Kelly, things aren’t looking so good financially. She’s got fifty single purpose angels depending on her to keep them full of Cluck Snack. Since it’s these angels (SP’s) who keep the balance of the world in check, it’s sort of an important job. Plus, they’re her friends, helpers, and roommates, and if they need Cluck Snack, Kelly’s going to get it for them. So when a mysterious phone ringing in her newly acquired (squatted in) home leads her to a job finding the missing president and CEO of Cluck Along Holdings (maker of the aforementioned Cluck Snacks), Kelly jumps at the chance. After all, finding things is her talent, and besides, she’s got a vested interest in keeping Cluck Snack production moving along.

Of course, things are never as easy they seem, and it turns out the missing president (Archie Driscoll) is somehow connected to a plot to strike up a new apocalypse. Plus, he’s a mysterious guy who isn’t easily found, there is a war brewing in Amenity Tower between the new residents and the old that she has to handle, and her feelings for her friend Af are starting to bubble to the surface. Kelly’s going to need all of her talents, and her friends as well, if she wants to get the job done and save the world too.

The Last Donut Shop of the Apocalypse is really a great story. Author Nina Post does a masterful job of taking you inside Kelly’s head, and making you feel like you are living her life right along with her. The environments are well fleshed out; the characters are interesting and engaging; and the story is told with a humor and unpredictability that makes it a joy to read. My one complaint, though, relates to the fact that this is a sequel to Post’s previous book, The Last Condo Board of the Apocalypse. While I don’t expect an author to completely re-tell the first tale, it would have been nice if there was a bit of backstory given for those readers who have not read the previous book. While I did enjoy this book greatly, it would have been a lot easier to get into it if I had at least been introduced to things like how Pothole City was destroyed, why the fallen angels were bound to the building, etc. 

The Last Donut Shop of the Apocalypse is a really good book, and a great read for people looking for a sci fi story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Just a little backstory here and there would have definitely enhanced the experience for newcomers to the series. It’s well worth your time either way, but I would suggest readers go back and read The Last Condo Board of the Apocalypse first, if possible.

If I was weirded out in the first book, I feel the same thing in this second installment. The only difference was that I know what to expect already. I am more prepared for what is in store than the last time but I still got mixed-up with a lot of names and entities to follow. I can’t remember which is which and just give up trying after failing to recall what entity the name is connected to. But this one is easier to follow plot-wise than the first one. That is if you read the first book, then you’ll get the gist of what’s up with the story and it won’t be too confusing.

In this installment, we get to know a lot more about Kelly and the single-purpose angels on her care. We get to follow Af’s story, who’s charming in his cluelessness when it comes to women and relationship, and so are the other fallen angels and their obsession to get out of Amenity Tower. They are fun, as usual. Add the Gorgon sisters, and it is a complete riot. The wit and humor present in the first continued on this one that reading this quirky story is such a breeze.

So, yeah, overall, it is equally entertaining as the first book, with a clearer plot and much more developed characters. A quirky series for urban fantasy lovers that are open to embracing the weirdness and craziness that it’ll offer.

Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy (Comedic)
Reading Level: Adult 
Recommended for: Fans of urban fantasy, fans of the series

Disclosure: I received an e-galley version of this book from Curiosity Quills via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: After narrowly preventing the last apocalypse, Kelly Driscoll finds herself with an unlikely day job. She’s the interim manager of Amenity Tower, one of the few buildings still left standing in the rubble of Pothole City. But after answering a mysterious phone call, she signs up for a new mission that’s a perfect match for her skills: locating the missing president of the famed Cluck Snack brand.

As Kelly quickly learns, the missing executive is only the beginning of Pothole City’s problems. The city’s leading donut shops — run by two very different Gorgon monster siblings — are engaged in a bitter territorial dispute. Plus, the residents of Kelly’s building have hatched a new plot to kill the beloved single-purpose angels and set the stage for another apocalypse.

Teaming up again with her allies from the first book — including Af the Angel of Destruction, Stringfellow the ferret, and Tubiel and the other single-purpose angels — Kelly is up for the challenge. But can she rescue the missing president and restore peace between the donut shops before Pothole City is destroyed yet again? 

My Thoughts: Nina Post is an absolute riot. You may recall I read the first book in this series, Last Condo Board of the Apocalypse in September (link here where formatting allowed), as well as her other book, One Ghost per Serving in August (link here where formatting allowed) and quite enjoyed them, so I was very eager to read this latest from her talented pen.

This book was a bit mellower than the previous book, and actually followed a fairly straightforward plot. There were a few new Cluck Snack names (for a long listing of some of them, check out my review of Last Condo Board of the Apocalypse, but I didn’t notice any titanium sporks! Guess they were all used up? But Kelly’s inner methods of dealing with unwanted thoughts continued to be a source of amusement. We also learn more about the mysterious SSI, in whose building Kelly squats.

If it were allowed, I’d probably give this one a three and a half stars—I liked it, but not quite as much as the first one, despite using the same rating. Still, an enjoyable book and a great way to spend a few hours if you like urban fantasy.

Before I go, I’d like to mention that Nina Post has a couple of new books coming out this next year that I’m really excited about—one of which is her sequel to One Ghost per Serving. I will definitely be requesting these from Curiosity Quills so I can read them as soon as possible.