Let’s Call it A Doomsday
By: Katie Henry
For a good half of this book it employs what may be one of my top three most frustrating tropes. Not telling a main character information that they need for no good reason whatsoever.
I’d call it the Admiral Holdo trope but there’s not even a plot reason she shouldn’t know the information!
Other characters: Ellis I think there’s something important you should know…
Ellis: Okay?
Other characters: Oh look! A butterfly!
So Ellis thinks the world is going to end but she’s ready for it- a fact which has driven her into therapy where she meets Hannah. A girl who has foreseen the end and the fact that Ellis is there with her at the time and due to that wants Ellis help interpreting her visions.
For Ellis this is like a dream come true. But is Hannah on the up and up and what are her real motivations in contacting Ellis in the first place?
Doomsday was an interesting read. I liked Ellis and in a lot of ways I related to her with the anxiety and the preparing for the worst- in Ellis’ case the very worst. Doomsday also has another part I always love mainly a character letting loose and telling everyone the cold hard facts. Ellis’s speech to her classmates was awesome and well-delivered fun!
Ellis is also in the Mormon faith and her experiences causes her to question and at times doubt. I know nothing about that but in general terms as a reader I think it was well-handled. I never felt like people of that faith, or any other, were being insulted. I do know more about mental health issues and for the most part I think the therapy and such was well-handled as well.
It was a little hard to like Hannah because I do feel like she was taking advantage of Ellis and her mental health which is just not a good look period. Then again at the same time she felt believably messed up and human. The ending felt a bit of a stretch as well.
So overall Doomsday is an interesting read with strong characters while also being a bit frustrating at times and not quite sticking the landing. But I’m glad I gave it a go and will definitely read more from this author in the future.
Recommend: Overall yes. Despite my issues its always nice to find a strong new story-teller.
This one sounds interesting! I’m always looking out for new books outside the usual genre I go for. That cover is brilliant, too.
It’s always rare to find a book where a character questioning her faith is handled with respect and without shaming believers as though we’re Neanderthals. Refreshing to see it was done well here!
yay, i’m glad to hear you enjoyed this one despise its issues! i’ve read heretics anonymous by katie henry earlier this year and it was probably one of the most pleasant surprises of the year, as i didn’t know what to expect at all and ended up loving it! i think she has a great way of tackling religion, so i’m excited to see this one talking about mormons. thanks for sharing your review!