Tyrell Johnson

Considering the events of the past several years, this story hits close to home. The setting is a post-apocalyptic world after a nuclear war and a deadly virus that kills a large portion of humanity. Those that have survived struggle to live in this new world. In addition, there are those that still think they can control others. The MC is unwittingly thrown into the conflict by a chance encounter with a stranger in the backwoods.

Outstanding story telling that gives a chilling glimpse of a very possible future. Combine the great plot and a well-rounded main character and I was quickly sucked into this book. I flew through it in just a couple of days.… (más)

Fast-paced dystopian story about a young woman and her extended family trying to survive in the Yukon wilderness. When a stranger shows up, their first reaction is fear and distrust. The storyline includes a group of scientists developing a vaccine to fight a spreading virus, the backstory of how the family arrived at their present circumstances, and a harrowing journey. Along the way, we learn how modern civilization had been destroyed.

The writing is atmospheric. The harsh conditions and winter climate are beautifully rendered. The plot is moved forward by mysteries and secrets, which are gradually revealed. It is well-paced. The characters are interesting. Protagonist Lynn, in particular, is striking. She acts in rebellious and impetuous ways and is a strong young female protagonist. It is a bit more action-packed than most of my reads and there are a few plot “holes” (or at least questions that arose in my mind about believability, e.g., is it really as easy as it seems here to survive alone in the snowy wilderness?). But overall, I enjoyed the journey.… (más)

The Lost Kings explores the boundaries of memory, trauma, and family ties. When Jeanie King’s mother died in an accident, she and her brother Jamie were raised by their aunt and uncle until their father came home from the war and took them to live with him in a cabin in the Washington coast range. They ran wild, missing school, and living more or less off-the-grid. Their only company other than their father was Maddox who became very close to Jeanie. They shared their first kiss with such sweet innocence.

But it was not a back-to-nature idyll for them. Their father drank and occasionally was hard on Jamie. It became worse when her father brought a woman home to live with them and she was only more trouble, slapping Jeanie and driving her father to rages. One night her dad came home covered in blood but he disappeared by morning and so did her brother. Jeanie was taken back to her aunt and uncle, losing Maddox, her dad and her brother all at once.

And what about Jamie? Did their father take him and leave her in a cruel choice of one child over another? Or did Jamie run off without telling her or ever reaching out to her again? Or more likely, did her father kill Jamie? These questions haunt her and she is in a destructive cycle of drinking, sleeping with married men, and continuing therapy with a therapist who seems exploitive. But then one day Maddox finds her and tells her that he knows where her father is. Will she finally get her answers?

The Lost Kings is one of those suspense novels that show how ridiculous genre boundaries can be. Sure, it’s a thriller but it’s also a literary novel. Why can’t books be both?

I liked the story and though it was completely fair, I didn’t twig to the answer until the end. Well done. I like it when the mystery element is not obvious. I also thought it did a great job of exploring the dynamics of dysfunction, showing how a parent can be loving and destructive. Sometimes love is not enough. I thought the book slowed down in the middle, though, and wished it would be shorter or faster, just anything to get beyond the somewhat tedious self-destructive cycle on Jeanie’s part. But when it did, when she finally acted for herself, the book was stellar.

I received an e-galley of The Lost Kings from the publisher through NetGalley

The Lost Kings at Anchor | Penguin Random House
Tyrell Johnson author site and on Facebook

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2022/08/16/the-lost-kings-by-tyrell-...… (más)

The Wolves of Winter by Tyrell Johnson is dystopian story of survival. The world has finally pushed itself to the breaking point with nuclear wars that were followed by an epic pandemic. The story is told by Lynn, a feisty 23 year old, who, along with her remaining family have taken refuge in the Canadian Yukon. The family started in Chicago, then moved to Alaska all the while seeming to avoid contact with any government agency. When the flu took her father’s life, her uncle moved them into the Yukon wilderness.

Now living in rustic log cabins and surviving by hunting and fishing, they avoid contact with others until one day a young man and his dog arrive. Jax seems to have many secrets and when more men arrive that are apparently hunting Jax, a life and death struggle occurs with Jax demonstrating almost unbelievable skills. Lynn is attracted to Jax, but secrets within her own family come into play as now both Jax and Lynn become hunted by this shady group who seem to have very dark motives.

I enjoyed The Wolves of Winter as the story moved quickly and the setting was very atmospheric. The author infused the book with a strong sense of family holding together against disaster and overall, this was a fresh and interesting look at an apocalyptic future.… (más)