A review by emilyb_chicago
The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future by Veronica Roth

5.0

I found the first four stories in this collection incredibly thought-provoking and emotionally moving. They touch on loss in so many different and powerful ways. Told through the lens of science fiction futures, Roth shows the core human feelings of loss … and pushing forward through (or giving up to) that loss will remain the same no matter the technology.

The last two stories are from the world of Carve the Mark. While I enjoyed that novel, those stories were not as powerful to me as the first four.



1. Inertia - A beautiful story of passionate teenage life, overwhelming big feelings, and how important love and friendship is for everyone. I cried. I loved it.
2. The Spinners - this gave me Host (Stephanie Meyer) vibes. It’s a solid family story.
3. Hearken - such a rich world created in such a short time. I want to learn more about this world and yet this is a beautifully complete story.
4. Vim and Vigor - teen friendships are so encompassing, the healing of your heart after loss is such a hard thing for every age.
5. Armored ones - this story is parallel to Carve the Mark and gives more depth to side characters. While it can be read independently, it will be more powerful if you have read and enjoyed Carve the Mark.
6. The transformers - also from the Carve the Mark world, but this doesn’t connect with any characters in the main story line. There is a child abuse trigger warning for this story. I struggle with that and didn’t love this story.