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BOOKWORM REVIEW: Famine by Laura Thalassa

 

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥.5

The last book is going to be EPIC!

But I am getting ahead of myself, so let's talk about FAMINE. 

Ana da Silva is an orphan left to navigate the streets in Brazil by herself. She ends up working in a brothel until the third of the Four Horsemen comes to wreak havoc in her town.

The thing is, this isn't the first time Ana has faced Famine. You see, she had saved him when she was younger, and in exchange, he wipes out her town and her family, leaving her by herself. He doesn't quite remember her as clearly, however, and she is faced with the same fate as most people in her current town.

Somehow, she survives and promises revenge on the Horseman, but it looks like the third time is the charm, because The Reaper is not quite as enthusiastic to rid of her this time. Held as a captive, Ana quickly realizes that Famine has a vendetta against humanity. It would only be a matter of time when he grows bored of her and turns against her, right? Right?

This was probably the hardest relationship to reconcile to date. I feel like with every subsequent installment in this series, the relationship between the Horseman and humanity grows more adversarial and entangles the Horseman's ability to connect with their respective human. Pestilence was a whole lot simpler as he was only trying to do his job. On top of his own missive from the heavens, War struggled with his own nature. But with Famine..his cruelty toward humans was largely a choice. And I really enjoyed the arc of having to untangle that prejudice as part of Famine's development, especially in light of his connection with Ana.

I also love Ana's character depth. The juxtaposition of her more optimistic view of humanity to her history of misogyny and abuse -- and to hold that in comparison to Famine's more pessimistic view of people -- was so cleverly done. 

AND THE TENSION. They might have hated each other's guts, but Famine and Ana is a great case of the thin line between love (or lust) and hate. Laura Thalassa's intricate details provided readers with hints of what is to come with our main character, and that slow burn was so worth the wait. 

This is the third in the Four Horsemen series, and while it can be read as a standalone, there are some interconnected plots that reading from the beginning would definitely benefit readers. And that cliffhanger for the fourth book? EPIC. I cannot wait for Death's story.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Laura Thalassa, Bloom Books, and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **

ABOUT THE BOOK

They came to earth—Pestilence, War, Famine, Death—four horsemen riding their screaming steeds, racing to the corners of the world. Four horsemen with the power to destroy all of humanity. They came to earth, and they came to end us all.

Ana da Silva always assumed she’d die young, she just never expected it to be at the hands of Famine, the haunting immortal who once spared her life so many years ago. But if the horseman remembers her at all, he must not care, for when she comes face to face with him for the second time in her life, she’s stabbed and left for dead.

Only, she doesn’t quite die.

If there’s one thing Famine is good at, it’s cruelty. And how these blighted bastards deserve it. Try as he might, he can’t forget what they once did to him. But when Ana, a ghost from his past, corners him and promises pain for what he so recently did to her, she and her empty threats captivate him, and he decides to keep her around.

In spite of themselves, Ana and Famine are drawn to each other. But at the end of the day, the two are enemies. Nothing changes that. Not one kind act, not two. And definitely not a few steamy nights. But enemies or reluctant lovers, if they don’t stop themselves soon, heaven will.


   

MEET LAURA THALASSA

Found in the forest when she was young, Laura Thalassa was raised by fairies, kidnapped by werewolves, and given over to vampires as repayment for a hundred year debt. She’s been brought back to life twice, and, with a single kiss, she woke her true love from eternal sleep. She now lives happily ever after with her undead prince in a castle in the woods.

… or something like that anyway.

When not writing, Laura can be found scarfing down guacamole, hoarding chocolate for the apocalypse, or curled up on the couch with a good book.

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