Review: Above By: Isla Morley

Above by Isla Morley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

At the age of sixteen Blythe Hallowell is taken. She is put into what once was a missile silo, forced to live underground by a man she knew, a survivalist, the librarian, Dobbs Hordin. Forced to endure the rantings of coming of the end, the belief that she was "chosen" because she was special, as she spends years beneath the surface, years fighting off the madness, with the ember of hope trying never to go out that one day she will be free. Over the years, she has a son, and when the opportunity presents itself (after approximately eighteen years being below) - they can escape to above, but what is there, may not be what she remembered the world being and the true nightmare may have just begun.

I went back and forth with this book on loving it so much to feeling aggravation. Some details may not be for the faint of heart, and the ending doesn't answer the book, rushed a bit, feels like it belonged somewhere else, like it was chopped up - most of the second half was that way. Original, interesting, strong depth of character keeps the theme of hope and the strength of the human spirit throughout. Part thriller part dystopian this one might keep you up to finish, but you will want those hours of rest back.

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