Review: Apocalypsis (Book 1: Kahayatle)

Rating: 5 Stars
Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic
Author: Elle Casey::Blog::Twitter::Facebook
Series: Apocalypsis
Publication Date/Format: June 25/eBook: Amazon
Blurb: My name's Bryn Mathis. I'm seventeen years old, and I live in a neighborhood outside of Orlando, Florida. I live alone because my dad died almost a year ago, along with all the other adults in the world. I'm almost out of food and the gangs of kids that roam around my town are getting more vicious by the day. 

It's time for me to leave and find another place to live … a place where I can find food and shelter … a place where they won't be able to find me. 

Alone, it might have been possible; but now I've got company. I'm worried that I don't have what it takes to get from here to my final destination. 

And I have no idea what might be waiting for me when I get

there.

What took me so freaking long to read this book?! Apocalypsis: Kahayatle was so very different than what I expected - but just that much better because of it. Elle Casey creates a world ridden with violence and horror and injects the perfect amount of belly-laughing sarcasm, wit, and romance. Her characterization is phenomenal and honest through a setting that is disturbingly realistic. Now lets dig a bit deeper.

Summary

We begin our journey with Bryn, a 17-year-old Krav Maga apprentice who is really freaking tired of eating noodles. And shoot, she's been eating them and beans for about a month now, since her dad went to the hospital to die along with the other adults and pre-pubescent kids. No one knows why kids 11-20 are immune to the wipe-out - but they are simply the only ones left. Before Bryn's dad left, he helped her prep for the end of the world by stocking up on camping equipment and canned food, getting her a gun, and teaching her all he could as a Krav Maga master. 

Now, she's getting restless...and knows that the other kids in the town feel the same. There are more break-ins every day and it's just a matter of time before they ignore the unspoken rule of only ransacking vacant houses. So, before she leaves, she hops over her backyard fence to check for any last minute supplies. 

Quickly she finds herself with not just one but two lost boys and a mangey pup to boot, following her on a journey to make a new home in the middle of chaos. Remaining unseen while traveling south on the highway with a barking dog and three people is extremely difficult and dangerous because, well, kids are eating other kids. Yeah.

Review
I really enjoyed Bryn's personality and POV. She's a complex and different character to fall for - average, not many friends, freaking hilariously awkward, she's just one of the guys and *surprise* is more than a bit of a loner. She adopts Peter, a sweet, smart guy with a love for animals and has some minor OCD tendencies, and Kodo - a huge, glass-is-half-full German with an inhuman ability to make anybody laugh. Oh, and then there's Buster who's awesome and yappy happy - I love my some fur-babies!

Even with the hords of "canners" grouping together and searching for their next meal, our cast of misfits find reason to live in one of the most uninhabitable places in Florida. They meet several people on their journey, both good, evil, and well, just plain unique. 

Great writing, thoughtful editing, heartwarming characters, and a thought-provoking storyline come together in Elle Casey's Apocalypsis. This is definitely a must-buy and one of my favorite summer reads.