Penny Kim is one of the few doctors still living, and she alone holds the key to ensuring the human race continues. Several of her friends are pregnant, and the clock is ticking down on their survival. Her days are filled with experiments and hope, while her nights are consumed with visions and dreams of the hard-bodied and powerful soldier who’s made her safety his one and only mission. She should be wary of him; she should be terrified of him. Yet all she feels is an unreal craving for his touch that gets stronger every day. Life is short, and she’s unwilling to wait, unaware of the danger already hunting them both. Some risks are worth it, even in this new and dangerous world.
Comment: This is the 6th installment in the Scorpius syndrome series, following the events of a pandemic (ha, thankfully ours isn't like this) which affected the population in different ways: some have died, others turned into zombie-like creatures, others have survived and evolved and some have escaped it. The series has followed a group of survivors as they try to survive while fighting against enemies and lack of supplies.
When this story begins, our group is still focused on uncovering more information from the bunkers, so they can try to find a cure for the syndrome but they are also thinking about relocating, since water might end soon. Before this happens, they need to be ready, in particular Marcus Knight, younger brother of Jax (from book #1) after his release from the torture he suffered while in the bunker lab he was rescued from. The only person who was kind to him there was dr Penny, who also participated in the escape, but he knows he has become obsessed with her and wanting to protect her. He believes if things between them change into an even more personal relationship, he might not be able to let her go... and what about Penny's will, could she imagine a life where Marcus wasn't around? She knows her medical expertise is important and her research too, but can she also have a personal heaven with this tortured but loyal man?
From my descriptions above, I believe any new reader might feel confused. As always, edition choices aside, any book in this series can be read as stand alone but it's really best to read in order not only for better enjoyment if one knows what happened, but because some comments, some actions get a different meaning beyond the basics if one has read the previous books.
This said, I have to say, I feel this book was pretty much what I expected until the final 10% or so. I already imagined the end wouldn't be perfectly rosy or filled with unsuitable choices for the kind of story we've followed so far, but I must say things were wrapped up a lot more... swiftly than what I hoped for. I wish more pages have been dedicated to the final battle with the enemy - not in descriptions or tactics but in emotional impact. And the last pages, no matter how hopeful, felt like they weren't enough.
Don't get me wrong, the author did a good job in putting together the loose ends, in coming up with believable actions to fix some issues. I just think that, this being the last book in the series, after following these characters for so many books, with difficult scenes and situations, I kind of hoped we could follow them into their new life with a bit more content, with more details of wat was going on with them, say, a few years later. I didn't want a silly end where their lives were perfect, but a vision of what could be. Sure, I can imagine, but... the end felt rushed.
As for the last protagonist couple, whom we already knew were quite in sync with one another from previous books, everything went as expected. They faced adversity, they were unsure what the other one might feel but after a few attempts, they hit if off. Marcus is a fascinating character, the way his torture and the virus affected him wasn't that original, but it allowed him to have a unique personality. I was rooting for him and for the possibility he might start feeling worthy of the others' affection for him. Penny is a pretty common type of heroine: dedicated, wanting to fix everything, wanting to be useful...unsure about the guy's feelings for her but willing on taking a chance. I liked Marcus better than her, but overall, their HEA made sense.
The interactions between characters and the cute moments they all shared among the hard to imagine scenarios were really my favorite part of this series. It feels good to think that, in similar chaos and demanding sets, anyone could hold on to their humanity by bonding with others and forming a small family/community like these characters have done. I think this was, indeed, the best part of the books, this one included.
I don't know if I'll read other books by the author (too big a TBR) but who knows, her writing style is certainly appealing...
Grade: 8/10
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