Survive offers a good mixture of new adult romance, drama, mystery and humor. It moves along at a steady pace for the most part; however, there are a few pulse-pounding scenes. One of the more intense scenes happens during the last chapter, which ends with quite a cliffhanger, ensuring that I’ll be reading part two in this series.
The three main characters are well-developed and believable. I enjoyed the brother/sister dynamic between Jacob and Veronica, which is where most of the humor creeps in. It also warmed my heart to read about the blossoming romance between Veronica and Luke. I appreciate the way Polk slowly builds their attraction toward one another. Bottom line: No instalove! I really liked all three of these characters, up until the end, that is. Remember that cliffhanger I mentioned? Yeah, that has something to do with it…
The only issue I have with Survive is I wish it had more information about the plague and the state of the world. So I hope part two sheds more light on what things are like for other survivors.
Overall, a solid read that showcases elements of various genres. As I said, I look forward to reading more from Polk!
K. J. Farnham 