'Til The World Ends by Julie Kagawa & Ann Aguirre Review

'Til The World Ends by Julie Kagawa, Ann Aguirre & Karen Duvall
Release Date: January 29, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Luna; 368 pages

Dawn of Eden by Julie Kagawa

Before The Immortal Rules, there was the Red Lung, a relentless virus determined to take out all in its path. For Kylie, the miracle of her survival is also her burden-as a doctor at one of the clinics for the infected, she is forced to witness endless suffering. What's worse, strange things are happening to the remains of the dead, and by the time she befriends Ben Archer, she's beginning to wonder if a global pandemic is the least of her problems....

Thistle & Thorne by Ann Aguirre

After a catastrophic spill turns the country into a vast chemical wasteland, those who could afford it retreated to fortresses, self-contained communities run by powerful corporations. But for Mari Thistle, life on the outside-in the Red Zone-is a constant struggle. To protect her family, Mari teams up with the mysterious Thorne Goodman. Together, they'll face an evil plot in both the underworld of the Red Zone and the society inside the fortresses that could destroy those on the outside...for good.

Sun Storm by Karen Duvall

Sarah Daggot has been chasing storms since she was a child. But after the biggest solar flares in history nearly destroy the planet, she becomes a Kinetic, endowed by her exposure to extreme radiation with the power to sense coming storms-in the cosmos and beyond. And she's not the only one. Sarah believes the Kinetics are destined to join forces and halt the final onslaught of the sun. She'll vow to keep trying to convince the one missing link in their chain of defense, the enigmatic Ian Matthews, up until the world ends.

I should start off by saying I only read the stories by Julie & Ann because I've never read any of Karen's books and I'd like to give that a shot before reading this short story. Julie Kagawa and Ann Aguirre were the reasons I wanted to read this book anyway, as I'm big fans of them both!

Julie Kagawa is hugely known YA author of the Iron Fey series and her newest series, Blood of Eden, which this novella co-exists with. Both series, I'm a huge fan of but now Julie has tried her hand a little in the adult world and let me tell you, I am pleasantly surprised. I was expecting to like Dawn of Eden just because I've loved everything she's written and I know she gave the warning of it being adult, stressed the fact, actually but I just was surprised. There is a scene in the novella that is extremely steamy and she did a great job with making it sexy yet classy. (As in, not sleazy)

Obviously, that's not all the novella is about but anyone who reads my reviews or knows me knows I love a good romance aspect to a story. So obviously that is what stood out to me but the entire novella is based around the Red Lung virus and how it mutated to create the Rabids. It's extremely creative, suspenseful and heartbreaking. Everything you really want in a story, even if it's only a novella. We do come across a very important (and my favorite character) from The Immortal Rules. Pay attention or you may not realize who it really is!

The second story in this book was by Ann Aguirre, Thistle & Thorn, and oh my goodness! I'm slightly bummed...in the romance department BUT at the same time, it was there. Just a bit more subtle. Plus, the way it ends oh, I'm beginning, absolutely begging for more. Whether you're already a fan of hers from either her Razorland series or her adult Jax series or never read anything by her before you'll really enjoy this, regardless.

Thistle is the oldest of three orphaned children and she's doing everything she can to protect her younger siblings. Including joining the mafia, if you will. She gets herself in too deep and when she thinks everything is about to end for her, there appears Thorne. Basically the leaders right hand man...but with a rebellious side. Wanting to see a change in leadership he uses Thistle to try and achieve this. Basically, they end up using each other for their own purposes but you start to see how well they work, as a pair. What starts out as a mutual 'I'll deal with you because I have to' gradually turns in to much more though neither ever admits it.

Argh. I need more of that novella. I really REALLY do. Shit, that could've been made in to a prequel book on it's own, I think...sooooo good!

Maybe once I get caught up on my reading I will come back and read the third short story. But alas, this review is just for the first two. I will probably read these again once the actual book comes out. If you're a fan of Julie's or Ann's (or both) you should definitely check these out. If you've not read any of their stuff then this would be the best chance to get a small idea of what they're writing is like and maybe you'll give the whole series a chance. I recommend it.