The Alliance

GIVEAWAY

PETERSHEIM, JOLINA
THE ALLIANCE

When Leora Ebersole sees the small plane crash in her Old Order Mennonite community, she has no idea it's a foreshadowing of things to come. Soon after the young pilot, Moses Hughes, regains consciousness, they realize his instrument were destroyed by the same power outage that killed the electricity at the community store, where Englischers are stranded with dead cell phones and cars that won't start.

Moses offers a sobering theory, but no one can know how drastically life is about to change. With the only self-sustaining food supply in the region, the pacifist community is forced to forge an alliance with the handful of stranded Englischers in an effort to protect not only their supplies but their very lives.

In the weeks that follow, Leora, Moses, and the community will be tested as never before, requiring to make decisions they never thought possible. Whom will they help and whom will they turn away? When the community receives news of a new threat, everyone must decide how far they're willing to go to protect their beliefs and way of life.

My review:

Kind of eerie and a little uncomfortable to read but totally compelling. I was riveted from the very first page. Complex characters and an intriguing plot made The Alliance a real page-turner. And my goodness, this story has left me with a lot to think about.

Dystopian fiction can be tricky because it shows so much of what is bad in humanity and that can get depressing. But while Petersheim doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of this new bleak world, she is careful to weave in messages of  faith and hope as well.

The Alliance is told from two points of view -- nineteen year-old Leora, an Old Order Mennonite woman and returned soldier Moses, the pilot who crash lands in her family's field. Such a contrast in views! I found myself alternately siding with both as they strive to find the best way to navigate this new chaotic world.

There are so many layers to their backstories. Both Leora and Moses have suffered difficulties and loss before they become entangled in this dystopian catastrophe. The kind of depth that keeps you up at night so you can read one more chapter and then another and another...Captivating stuff.

The hint of an impossible romance blooms even though Leora has ties to a community man. It seems that everything she understood to be true is challenged in just a few short weeks and that leaves Leora questioning where her allegiance lies.

The ending left me breathless and aching for more because there's a second installment due out in the spring. The Divide. I can't believe I have to wait until then to get full closure but you better believe I'll be first in line to buy the sequel! A stunning and thought-provoking book and well worth the read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

 If you would like an opportunity to win a copy of The Alliance please leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you post a comment and add your email address, please use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in the address to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email please remember to put the title in the subject line so that it's easy for me to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday August 28 2016. Offer open to international readers. Good luck!