Vivian Apple at the End of the World (Vivian Apple #1)

Hardcover, 262 pages

Published January 6th 2015 by HMH Books for Young Readers

Imagine this.

You wake up one morning, all alone. There is nothing around you, except for two large holes in the roof ... right above the bed where your parents sleep.

This must be the RAPTURE -- the hottest topic of conversation since the birth of the Church of America. Your parents had recently converted to this Church, obsessed with the new prophet -- who had promised the end of the world, soon. Only the Chosen would escape the wrath and destruction of the Apocalypse.

It's almost the end of the world, and you are Vivian Apple -- a sheltered teenage girl who has no idea what to believe any more. But you know that everything is not as it seems, and you will stop at nothing to uncover the TRUTH -- whatever that may be....

One thing I loved.

...the setting of a pre-apocalyptic world in a state of craziness and disarray against the backdrop of a newly prominent religion with the power to fully alter the course of life for all of its players.

I also enjoyed the character of Wambaugh, a smart and spunky teacher who encouraged her students to think for themselves while being open-minded and respectful of the world around them.

One thing I didn't.

I wasn't really crazy about the truth behind the rapture and the Church of America. I think I went into this story expecting something more dystopian than what I received. This is really, more or less, the story of a teenage girl finding herself and her strength in a world that's seemingly gone a little crazy.

Overall.

...an entertaining coming-of-age story against a backdrop of religious fanaticism gone wrong. This will most likely appeal to fans of YA fiction with a contemporary feel and a hint of apocalyptic madness.