Atom Bomb Baby Review

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Atom Bomb Baby: A Dystopian Retro-Future Adventure by Brandon Gillespie
Genres: Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic
Format: Paperback
Goodreads

It's been twenty-five years since the Kraal appeared from another dimension out of time and space, sweeping across all the galactic worlds and causing the death of 98% of the populations in a matter of months. The military Corps of the Union of Stars responded with a "cleansing" strategy, raining nuclear devastation on the already ravaged worlds. A teenage girl, Ashe, roams the desolate wasteland left behind, determined to remain solitary a year after her family were exiled from their underground shelter and suffered a horrible tragedy. But when she reluctantly rescues a mysterious child, she is drawn into a perilous journey that uncovers the significance of his abilities and the forces that aim to exploit him. Along the way, despite her determination to avoid ties, she connects with other travelers and renews old friendships. Can Ashe finally face the darkness of her past with their support? Atom Bomb Baby chronicles the survivors of a galactic-wide calamity as they find new friends, fight against unjust oppression, and ultimately uncover the secrets behind the arrival of the Kraal and the fall of civilization. This journey appeals to fans of Science-Fiction, Dystopian, and Urban Fantasy.

https://ridersofthestars.com

 

 Julie’s Review:

Atom Bomb Baby: A Dystopian Retro-Future Adventure is a post-apocalytpic survival journey book. Some post-apocalyptic stories can be enjoyable despite the struggles to survive and escape the monsters, but some are mostly tedious. A lot depends on the characters, the world-building, and the relationships between the survivors.

This story, sorry to say, was more on the tedious side. My readers probably already know how I feel about journey books, and this was most definitely that. We follow our main character from place to place, fight battles with creatures here and there, find friends, lose friends, and keep going until they finally get to somewhere they want to get to. The side quests were somewhat strange, especially the treasure hunt. Just say what you’re actually after. Once they got there, it was a quick memory lane, and off they went again. That part seemed odd where it was laid out as a big plot point.

The creatures in the book were confusing but also interesting. I still don’t understand who the interdimensional monsters are who came and killed everyone and don’t allow gatherings. I don’t understand why the lab had a way to summon them? Why even have that be an option if they only kill? The void storms were fascinating and the creatures that get mutated are interesting as well. I did love all the illustrations that helped show us the creepy creatures.

I would say this book is a mix of Walking Dead (which I stopped watching as it got too tedius and they killed off my favorite character) and Of Love and Monsters (which I really enjoyed). I also liked the nostalgic aspect of the song title chapters, and all the songs and references to pop culture in our early-mid 1900s.

I really liked the dynamic between the special kid and Ashe. I liked Ashe’s character development, with the strange need to protect the child that she didn’t even understand and her inner demons finally coming forward, where she allowed herself to remember what had really happened. I also liked some of the side characters, like Talia and Moonbeam. I’d definitely like to get more behind the scenes with Moonbeam and what his deal is. I understand he’s somewhere on the spectrum, but there’s more to him and his always cheery nature.

I know this will be a series, so there should be more explanations of the labs, hopefully with them finding the other child. But this book left a lot of questions unanswered. However, it did end on a positive note.

 

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