Review: In The End by Tracey Ward

In The End by Tracey Ward

Genres: Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult, New Adult

The exciting conclusion to the Quarantined Series!

Jordan and Alissa made it south out of Portland, away from ground zero where The Fever still rages on. But they couldn't beat the quarantine. Now barriers are being built and the remaining survivors of the outbreak are trapped. 

And the undead just keep coming.

The wave of infected is building as city after city is devoured. As they head east into the mountains they will be forced to fight both the dead and the living as they search for a safe place to weather the storm. 

But what they believed would be the death of them might actually save them and in this hell on Earth they'll uncover something even more shocking than the risen dead. Hope.

- In The End on Goodreads

First Sentence:
What's a good way to tell a man with a gun that you do not have carnal knowledge of his daughter?

Last Sentence:

And she's crying.

  In the End is the second part of the Quarantined series. It's switched from the PoV of Alissa to Jordan's as they begin their journey towards any semblance of civilization with Alissa's father. With zombies lingering with each step of the way, the trio are thrust into even more impossible situations involving life or death. Can they make it to the safety of society, or are they doomed to the fate that has befallen the zombies?

  At first, I wasn't sure how I'd feel about reading In the End from Jordan's point of view instead of Alissa's. But I have to say, Tracey Ward is excellent at writing a believable male character. Being inside of Jordan's head was just as I imagined it. Tracey kept Alissa and Jordan both true to themselves. The romance between the two was still lurking beneath the surface, but with the constant presence of Alissa's father, it never became overpowering. These characters grew and developed so much during this book. I won't go into details because of spoilers, but I never saw the twist and turns coming. Each character surprised me, and I was so proud of them whenever I finished this book.

  The plot flows so well. Even though it went from the duo on the run to a threesome trying to find safety, the story never loses speed. It hit the ground running without looking back. There are some shocking developments in this book. I was poised on the edge of my seat, resisting the urge to bite my nails, as I devoured each chapter. Tracey handled the situations with ease and has crafted such a wonderful book with In the End.

  This was nothing like most zombie novels. The threat was there, but it was never the focus. Survival in all forms was the theme to me. If you're apprehensive to get into the zombie genre, I recommend this book without a second thought. Until I had read the first book of the sister series (Writing on the Wall), I had never had any interest in zombie fiction. Boy, how that has changed. Set aside an evening or two and pick up both parts of the Quarantined series. You won't be sorry.

Find In The End on: Goodreads | Amazon

Connect with Tracey Ward on: Goodreads | Facebook | Author Website
My review for the first part of this series, Until the End.