The Upheaval: Survivor Chronicles Book 1 by Erica Stevens

I had great fun reading this cataclysmic tale as a buddy read with Jonny from Jaunts and Haunts.

Early one morning an earthquake hits the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. As further disasters follow, three groups of survivors set out to find safety. There’s neighbors, Al and Mary Ellen, hoping to find Mary Ellen’s young daughter who is at pony camp. Landscape gardeners, Carl and John, looking for John’s parents. Friends Riley, Carol, Xander, Bobby and Lee, who are just hoping to survive.

When the earth turns against humanity, will anyone be left alive?

The action starts practically from the first page, and I was drawn in immediately to the tale of disaster, wondering how the disparate characters would handle the crisis, and interested to find what would happen next.

I was aware that this was the first in a series when I started reading, so I wasn’t expecting everything to be resolved by the end of this book, but I did think that more would happen than what essentially amounted to a stretched out opening quarter of a novel.

The premise is sound, and the collection of characters, if developed, could have led to some interesting reading. However, I struggled to understand why the narrative jumped each chapter between the three groups when they each experienced the same things and came to the exact same conclusions about what was going on.

For example, only seven hours pass throughout the duration of the book, but despite enduring earthquakes, floods and fire, every single character decides that they are most at danger from other people. I found this conclusion, without supporting evidence, broke my willing suspension of disbelief.

Despite my criticisms, I had a lot of fun reading this book with Jonny. Look out for our buddy read post coming soon!

I award The Upheaval…

The Upheaval: Survivor Chronicles Book 1 is available for free as an ebook and $12.99 print book on Amazon.