Pages: 296
Released On: 01/08/2023
The entire human race is wiped out to just a few hundred survivors… will civilization be saved or doomed?
In the wake of a devastating plague, humanity’s fate hangs in the balance, manipulated by a ruthless faction hungry for power. Having been caught right in the middle of the crossfire, Ruby’s life is upheaved by sheer chaos, leading her to flee for life.
But she abandons her most precious thing in a desperate escape, and as the weight of loss settles upon her, she realizes that parting with it might be harder than she thought. With her new ally, Parker, who’s also battling his own dark past, they embark on a quest to retrieve Ruby’s gem. Yet, they might also just kindle something they have no idea they, and the whole novel society, needed.
How much are they willing to sacrifice in their pursuit of this coveted holy grail?
*****
Thanks to Sabina for the advanced copy of her new book in return for an honest review.
I read the first in this series, Less Than Little Time, in 2021 and really enjoyed it. My review stated that I could see the influence in the storyline due to Covid and whatnot, but since then I’ve learnt that this was actually written prior to the pandemic, which is quite creepy when you think about it, but I was looking forward to reading the continuation of the story. I did wonder if it would feel different to read now we were the other side of the pandemic. And whilst more people died in book 1 than in reality – thankfully – there were definitely little elements that felt sadly familiar.
I was slightly worried that I wouldn’t remember what happened in the first book seeing as it’s been about two years since I read it, and I did consider rereading the end of it, but instead I decided just to dive in and see what happened, and it didn’t take me long to get back into it.
A world of just a few hundred people just seems too awful to imagine. Although, at one time or another, a world of 8 billion would be too!
I can’t fully explain it, which is a bit annoying for someone whose sole purpose here is to explain and describe how I feel about something, but there’s definitely an element of Margaret Atwood and The Handmaid’s Tale about this book and I think Sabina has excelled it very well.
As with the first one, it does ask a lot of moral questions. I won’t go into too much detail for fear of spoilers, but it does ask about the rights of unborn children vs mothers, the rights of children in general, the right to choose your own profession, the right to choose if and when to reproduce, the right to explore the world, the right to have your own life. It’s quite intense, and yet at the same time, smooth and pleasant to read. There’s obviously talk about environmentalism, sustainability, war, famine etc. and they’re prominent topics, but they’re not preachy or over the top. They’re there for a reason and in this book they carry the rest of the plot. Yes it’s an entertainment piece and that’s what I read it for overall. But I don’t mind being asked to think every now and again too.
I really like Ruby. She was young in the first book and so whilst well written, didn’t have a huge effect on me. But she’s older now and she’s strong, mentally and physically. She’s a fantastic creation, in my books. She’s had the world thrown at her and she’s had plenty opportunity to cave in, but she’s pushed through and I admire her. I also really enjoy how she carries the book. She’s the only main character for a fair bit of the book and yet it never feels slow or sparse, she holds it all together. But there are other characters dipping in and out and they all work marvellously. You know them and what they like, what they want, what they’ve lost, but there’s not so many that you get confused. There’s this real sense of community here. Which does mean it has its bad sides. No community really survives without a leader, but is that always a good thing? Who decides upon a hierarchy? And do we really need one?
There’s no real chapters as such. It’s more one long section, and then smaller sections depending on whose POV it is. This was a slight negative for me. It doesn’t impact the story itself and I know some people will like this continuous prose, but as someone who favours short chapters, this sort of format felt a bit difficult for me.
Whilst the first book was moving because of the pandemic and illness and deaths etc. this one is moving in other ways. There’s the loneliness and the fear and the love. I definitely had tears in my eyes. It is quite clearly part of the same series as the first book, but it had enough about it to make it its own story.
The first book was very plot heavy, whereas this one, not a huge amount happens. And that’s fine by me. I’ve said in previous reviews that I prefer a character-driven story over action anyway and that’s just this. Yes there’s a plot and there’s flashbacks and whatnot, but this is more about the people involved, the humanity, or what is left of it.
I started and finished it within a matter of hours. It read so well that I just couldn’t put it down.
Given other traditionally published books that came out about the pandemic, I definitely think this and it’s previous book needs more attention. It matches up to them in all ways and I’ve love for me people to get to read these books.
It is nicely ended but I do hope there’s more. It doesn’t say if this is the final book in a duology, a penultimate book in a trilogy, or just the second book in a series, but I am loving it.
Books By Your Bedside 