Review of The Horde Without End (The World Without End # 2)

[Barbara Ann RS]

The Horde Without End picks up where the first book ended, with Finn and Ren’s ongoing journey to find Ren’s brother, Collin and her boyfriend, Dustin. The enigmatic Finn is Collin’s best friend and his two main priorities are keeping Collin and Ren alive. After surviving their arduous trek to obtain medication for Dustin, who was injured during their escape from a zombie invasion of their Safe Haven or home in the first book, they must now face the wide open, zombie-infested terrain to find and reunite with Collin and Dustin…unsure whether the two are still even alive. Hope can be a dangerous thing, but it’s all Ren has to keep moving forward with Finn, a man she both loathes and desires.

 If you thought the passion brimming beneath the antagonism between Finn and Ren was intense in the first book, you will find the continued friction and sexual tension between them now has grown so taut that it’s only a matter of time before it all explodes. A central question is whether they trust each other enough to survive the aftermath.  As I discovered in the first book, whereas Ren is fiery, Finn is just as icy, and their characters continue to clash in this second installment even when they try to resist their temptation for each other.

Similar to the first book, the pace of the story picks up quickly and is full of mystery and action and danger as complications continue rise and pose obstacles for the two as they get closer to finding Collin and Dustin and try to warn the other Havens about the increasing zombie hordes. It appears the virus that infected them is continuing to mutate and the zombies are adapting and becoming more successful in their attacks.  

Both Ren and Finn alternately narrate the story in the first person POV using the present tense, which is commonly found in new adult fiction. Using the present tense gives a sense of immediacy and intensity to the situation and is an effective technique for the plot of this series. Also, readers begin to discover more details about Finn’s secretive past and why he is so reluctant for anyone to get close to him.  I also now realize why it is so important for Finn to have Ren’s trust even though he continues to withhold so much information from her.

While I had a good idea of how the first book would conclude, I was shocked by the climactic cliff-hanger of this book.  The ending left me clamoring for more, and I hope Andrews won’t keep her readers waiting too long.  As a fan of post-apocalyptic zombie fiction, I really enjoyed reading these first two books, and they must be read in sequence to understand the storyline. I especially liked the unusual twist to the typical zombie plot that Andrews adds in the first book, which describes how and why a cult-like group called the Order organizes a “celebratory tribute” every year on the anniversary of the initial outbreak that occurred 20 years prior. This story thread continues in the series since the Order continues to pose a threat to Ren. So far, these first two books in the series are riveting and entertaining from start to finish.

Those who plan to start the series should be aware that the books contain graphic violence, sexually explicit scenes, and coarse language. With those caveats in mind, readers who like new adult fiction that juxtaposes the sexy and the dark may like this series as well.

Source: I received an ARC of this book from the author to provide an honest review.

Rating: 4.5 

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