Yes! I love this type of books as I am so curious to see how different authors imagine the end of the world, or at least the end of some part of the world as it is today. Grace Hamilton removes from our day-to-day life electricity and all the modern aspects. So population is forced to return to almost basic activities: hunting, gardening, washing/showing outside and heating water – these are just a few.
Now, our main characters learn to provide and protect their families, each in their own way. Megan has done an amazing job raising her daughter after the EMP has decimated the world. This until little Caitlin falls sick. She finds comfort in the Morris home. They are welcomed with open arms by almost all the people living there and she finds herself settling in pretty fast. Still, she knows she will have to leave as soon as Caitlin gets better. Wyatt Morris however falls for the beautiful stranger and hopes he can convince her to stay. Her skills would come in handy as well. Little did all of them know that someone is out to get Megan and Caitlin.
I loved the writing, I loved the characters (almost all) and I loved the story. It’s so good seeing a bunch of people coming together, putting their knowledge together and trying to make do with what nature can provide or with whatever they come across. I loved their optimism. I believe we all have to open our eyes again to natural treatments or gardening because nature still has a lot to offer.
There are some small items that did not stand well with me. I wanted to know more about how Megan and Caitlin managed to survive 3 months all alone in the cold. Or how the Morris family would replace some of the goods they are not able to have from their surrounding environment (like bandages for example, or soap and shampoo) – this is just my curiosity. But probably the main item why I decreased one star is because the plot didn’t seem so well structured. Without spoiling too much, Kyle chased girl who barely knows the difference between life or death, or game and danger. And Megan and her daughter had already left his campus, who knew if they would return or not?
All in all, “Dark Retreat” is definitely a great story and the audio version is even better. The narrator did an amazing job, especially with voice acting. His warm tone delivered the message loud and clear. I do hope you’ll give it a try. 4 stars from my end.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Grace Hamilton. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.