Autumn in the City of Angels - Kirby Howell

Seventeen year-old Autumn is one of the 1% who survived the Crimson Fever that wiped out most of Los Angeles and the world. Tucked away in the luxury penthouse she had shared with her architect father and famous mother, she is able to survive for months on food rations and water her father had stored in the safety of her secluded and secure hideaway. The need for human contact is met when she finds two other survivors, Ben and Rissi, a socially awkward, seventeen year-old mechanical whiz and his animated seven year-old sister. While out on a scout for more supplies, they run into members of the gang The Front, who are rebuilding a colony under the direction of their leader Kyle, a violent director with dubious motives. Having had a run-in with Kyle previously in which she was saved by the mysterious and personable Grey, she remembers Grey's mention of another colony formed in the underbelly of Hollywood High School, and makes her way there, soon joined by Ben and Rissi. But Grey isn't just a normal eighteen year-old boy, and racing against time, the group must relocate to avoid a war with The Front, while Autumn is forced to confront an uncomfortable truth about the young man she has fallen in love with in a world she no longer understands.

Autumn in the City of Angels is a light, easy read that young teenagers will enjoy. It isn't ground-breaking or singular for the genre of apocalyptic romance, but it is certainly entertaining. The characters are well developed and the story moves at a measured pace. Many may feel that there is a lot that goes unanswered, but I actually appreciated that Kirby Howell was able to write a quality teen novel without the usual information dump many debut novelists tend to cram into a book. Readers are allowed to inject their own visions within the context of a well-written and delightful story. The character Grey will certainly appeal to fans who adored Edward in the Twilight series, whereas Autumn is in a league of her own—a strong, independent teenager, and the every-woman that most teenage girls aspire to be. Recommended for teens who are looking for a taste of romance, nicely enveloped in a bit of fantasy.

FOUR STARS

Amazon Link: Autumn in the City of Angels (Autumn Series) (Volume 1)

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