In a world on the brink of collapse, the White, an ominous force of undulating clouds, sweeps across the northern United States, leaving nothing in its wake. As food runs out and supplies become scarce, extremist religious groups seize control, plunging society into chaos and anarchy. In this devastating new reality, Alexander and Sebastian—ex-boyfriends fleeing from their painful past—embark on a perilous journey south, hoping to escape the White's deadly path.
With their only hope of survival tied to reaching the equator, they are pushed to their limits, both physically and emotionally. As they battle against the encroaching end of the world, they must also contend with their fractured relationship. What is the true cost of survival when everything they’ve known is collapsing? With danger lurking at every turn, the pair face a fight for their lives—against not only the White but the demons within themselves.
Overall, this was a highly enjoyable and effective story. The central premise here, regarding the initial exploration of the spreading figure throughout the country and overtaking what’s going on around them, that sets up the type of dystopian, post-apocalyptic universe that starts feeding into the burgeoning relationship that develops between the two leads as they get to safety, gives this a strong starting point. With the majority of the book detailing the struggle to return to normalcy, not just in society but also the return to their past situations on the run from the horrors around them, this is a fantastic exploration of their burgeoning lives together amidst the chaos, which makes for a wholly immersive, fast-paced read. The growth between them that’s developed over their time apart, and how they work at odds with each other, is an incredibly fun touch that adds to the book rather well.
On top of that, the book also carries quite nicely with the added action and intrigue that goes along with this humanistic exploration. The way the main mist-like entity is presented as a cloud or fog sweeping through the countryside until nothing is left works as an overtly ominous source that maintains itself throughout the rest of the book, keeping itself as something they have to work around as a guiding force in their journey. Even with a lack of information about it, this sets up the main setup where the journey to escape this propels them along. The encounters that result as the two work their way to safety, ranging from the strange cult who are trying to instigate ritualistic sacrifices as a means of appeasing the figure, like it’s a sentient entity, or the various interactions that take place involving the roving band of survivors left behind, which brings together everything into a fun whole.
4.5/5
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