Reviews with content warning for Grief - Agnes at the End of the World

Agnes at The End of The World by Kelly McWilliams was far better than I expected. I really am fascinated by cults, so the fact that this story surrounds one was a huge draw for me. Though some moments got a little preachy, I do think that it was an interesting depiction of a religious heroine, which isn’t something you see too often. Though I’m not religious myself, I think that this book handled its ideas well, without being overly about the existence of God, and the implications of that. I liked how characters were given the freedom to choose what they believed or didn’t, and while there weren’t any explicitly atheistic characters, I do think that there was an overall acceptance from the characters that if there had been, that character wouldn’t have felt out of place or I welcomed. I think this is a great depiction of how people can live in harmony with different opinions and not force choices on one another, which I think was one of the main themes of this novel. While again, I lean strictly on the side of science, this book was able to transcend my own belief (or rather lack there of) and provide an entertains and well thought out story. The characters were pretty true to how I would expect them to act if they had been real, and while there were certainly fantastical elements involving miracles, I think that with a little bit of reality suspension, this book really pulled through. I think that it was well written, had strong character development, and allowed the reader to take what they would from it. While I certainly didn’t change how I feel about religion, nor did it suddenly spark a belief in God, this was a fun and exciting novel about the implications of growing up in a cult and why the right to choose your path is incredibly important.

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medium-paced

2.0

I really don’t know how to begin this review. It's weird that I have a lot to say about a book that didn’t have much to offer.

The premise was good, intriguing, and original yet the execution was boring and killed whatever potential Agnes at the End of the World had. The comparisons to Wilder Girls and The Handmaid's Tale will definitely raise expectations but to be honest, this book in my opinion doesn’t fit that at all. The characters go through a lot within this book and yet they still feel flat and underdeveloped.

Also, I don’t know how you take two intriguing and fascinating elements like cults and survival in a post-apocalyptic world and you end up with an anticlimactic, underwhelming, and boring story.

The story revolves around Agnes, a girl taking care of her family, living in peace in her quiet home of Red Creek, far from the outside world with all its danger and wrongness.

What Agnes doesn’t know is that she’s trapped in a cult and has been controlled since forever by a madman who believes himself a prophet. As things get more dangerous for her inside, Agnes starts to think of going outside.

Meeting Danny, an outsider will make it even more obvious for her that she’s been living a lie. But Agnes will soon trade one danger with another in a world dying of a viral pandemic.

The problem with this book is that it took a direction that sucked all of the intrigue and tension from the story and the plot was left dry and pointless at times. I was drawn in at first but slowly lost interest in everything that was happening.

The stakes didn’t feel high enough, the tension wasn’t there at all and the characters felt like complete strangers to me even though they were easy to read like an open book. Honestly, I think this book tried to do a lot of things at the same time but couldn’t find the balance to do it smoothly.

I still enjoyed the dynamic between Agnes and her sister and how fascinating it was to see their journeys flip in unexpected ways. There were some moments that kept me on my toes and I hoped we could focus on those more seeing as how they gave a sense of urgency to the story.

All in all, this was just underwhelming and lacking. It had some great moments that showed how great this book could’ve been but they went away quickly. What a disappointment!

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

CW: religious bigotry, animal death, animal cruelty, chronic illness, grief, misogyny, sexism, violence, and a plague/pandemic

Wow, while this book is on the larger side, I easily could have read it in one day. It was just that good! The story follows Agnes and Beth, sisters who are raised in Red Creek -- which is basically modeled on the FLDS per the author's note. They live a very traditional life and their leader is a prophet. But both sisters have their doubts. Agnes has invited the Outsiders (people who live outside Red Creek) because of her brother, Zeke, who has diabetes and needs care. Beth doubts it because she's in love with a boy and wants to make her own way.

Then there's a plague that hits and the prophet decides this is the end times, and that they need to bunker all together -- the healthy and sick -- to stay safe. Except that Agnes might be a prophet herself, and that's not what she says. And she decides that she has to decide what's best for her and her family.

The story was so good. The plot, the characters, the everything. Just... gorgeous. It really blew me away because I wasn't sure what to expect from the story with so many components going on. Yet everything was handled amazingly. Like, I really just loved this book because it was so much fun. Both sisters were great in their own way and I loved that each of them had their own journeys to face, separate yet combined together.

Honestly, I just can't wait to see what the author writes next!

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