This was a great novel about discovering yourself and finding your way even when everyone tells you that you're wrong. Agnes lives in Red Creek, a cult based on the Latter Day Saints, and when a virus ravages the entire world and threatens to end society as she knows it, Agnes steps up to the plate.

Anyone who is even remotely religious will love this book. It speaks volumes on believing the truth and was a great dystopian novel.

Although I did find the end lacking with the actual climax only lasting a few pages, it felt like this novel really tried its best to convey all it needed to. I respect that and truly enjoyed this novel.

This novel is one of the best I’ve read this year! The characters are so dynamic yet relatable. I loved the flow of the story. It held my attention the whole time.

I would have called this book a dystopian fiction but part of it felt intimately analogous to our current situation. It was different than I had expected and not in a bad way. I loved Agnes’ courage and unfailing faith. Overall, it was a unique story that had me turning the pages late into the night.

*More detailed review to come!
Thanks to the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I honestly could not stop reading this book. The story was so good with so many strong characters. I loved the different points of view that told the story. Each one had a unique voice and gave so many more layers to the plot. I highly recommend this book!

Agnes at the end of the world is a whole new genre of fantasy that I've had the pleasure of reading. This book overwhelmed me with elements of sci-fi, fantasy, dystopia but most of all it is one such book that is so RELEVANT and IMPORTANT.

Agnes is about taking a stand, of shedding the notion that treats a misogynistic institution as superior and a classic tale of prevalence of good above evil.

I absolutely enjoyed everything about this book be it the author's slant writing, the two sisters duo who even after living under the same roof were guided by different values and were shaped into such contrasting characters.
I at times felt disgusted and to even think that such atrocities still prevail in the world makes my blood boil.

also, before I forget to mention this book has such a brilliantly done DIABETES TYPE 1 representation ahhhhh!!!!

PLEASE READ IT.

I would like to start off this review by saying I am not religious and tend to not read books with religious undertones. With that being said, I enjoyed this book. Agnes’s story was unique and I was captivated from the first chapter. I love how she came to terms with her own religious freedom and also her duty to end the virus. Truly awesome!

Agnes is a young girl living in a sect, she obeys her father and the prophet, she follows the rules and is very religious. However, she breaks the rule once a month to find a stranger who provides her with the medicine to save her younger brother Ezekiel. Beth, her 15-year-old younger sister, is a little more rebellious and will try to find out what Agnes is hiding from her. I won't say any more about the story except that Agnes meeting Danny will change everything.
I was really touched by this story, I'm not particularly religious and it's hard to imagine how women or young girls can accept being treated as objects by the patriarchs, but I know it exists and it's terrifying.
Agnes is adorable, she wants to save her brother, it's not that she loves him more but just that he needs more attention because of his type 1 diabetes. When the disease starts to affect strangers and the prophet thinks about locking everyone up, Agnes on her side thinks about running away.
Beth is eccentric, she doesn't understand why she has to follow the rules, listen to what the men say, don't leave their town Red Creek, don't talk to boys unless it's your father, brother or husband. Beth is in rebellion. I love her very much, it's true that at times those reactions may have been intense and out of proportion, but she's only 15 years old.
Danny, what about that nice young man who wants to be a doctor and who's going to take over from his mother to take Agnes' medicine. He's really cute. His attachment to Agnes and Ezekiel is adorable.
Quite frankly this book deals with the theme of worship, belief and rebellion in a very intelligent way. I really liked everything, I even liked to hate all those patriarchs who think that giving a 15 year old girl in marriage to an old man who already has 6 wives is a good thing. I also loved the destruction not of Agnes' faith because it is not the case, but of her vision of life under anyone's orders.
Kelly McWilliams has written a beautiful story with endearing characters that reads quickly and makes you feel a lot of different things.
Quick word : the story of two Rebels with their own ways.

This book is incredible. The story is told from two different perspectives: Agnes, and Beth. They are both sisters who live in a compound. There's magic, a end of the world virus, and a cult. The story is full of feminist ideas, finding and believing in oneself, and hope. I highly recommend this story to people who loved The Grace Year and After the Fire. I was instantly reminded of both of these stories as I read this one.

Agnes at the End of the World rips the heart from a well-trod genre, resurrecting it as something glittering and serene. What emerges is a complex tapestry of dystopian nightmares, rank idolatry, glowing spirituality, love, hope, and feminist power.

In honesty, end-of-world stories are absolutely where my heart leans, but I've been burned by so many tired testosterone brigades in the genre that I've stepped away from it. But when I saw this book, I knew that I had to take a chance, and I'm really glad I did.

This is exactly the kind of book that I always hope to read. Strong driving plot, compelling, passionate characters, a dark pulse of danger, and something beautiful and magical sparkling in the darkness.

On the surface, it is two stories woven together: the story of a fundamentalist cult and the oppressed girls raised under its thrall, and the strange magic of a pandemic that contorts physical connections into ruby chrysalis. The book manages to hold mundane elements of contemporary humanity alongside new weird paranormal and a timeless biblical undercurrent; in its way it feels absolutely now, and absolutely eternal.

I don't often read books with a strong spiritual center; as a queer reader, I often end up feeling angry and alienated. However, my thesis examined imagery of the Virgin Mary, through research on the bible and apocryphal texts – and on rare occasions, I can really connect with stories that focus not on godliness, but on humanity within the mythos of the scriptures.

I could write a whole thesis on the spiritual elements of this story. For now, I'll just say that I see Agnes as a delicate, powerful Jeanne D'Arc.

As always, I do read for diversity, and I'll say that these elements struck an unusual balance in this book. Because of Agnes' fundamentalist origins, she's raised in a very sexist, racist community. Her entire world is white until the story begins, which feels true to the world, but limits the representation on the page.

When Agnes connects with Outsiders, she connects with several people of color, and there's no moment when she must confront her own prejudices; she never personally held them. The story sidesteps explorations of race-based cultural differences; because all Outsiders are strange to Agnes, the outside world gives the impression of a post-racial society. I liked this element, but the tradeoff is that the racial diversity is more external than cultural.

There's also strong illness rep, as Type 1 Diabetes is a central thread in the story. It's handled with urgency and compassion (and I really appreciated that the author's note acknowledges that this element comes from outside her own experience).

As a queer reader, I found so many elements of the story resonating with my own experience and those in our communities; Agnes' story is about breaking from expectations, discovering her true self, and living a life of integrity and love. My sense is that, though there were no queer characters on the page, if Agnes were to have encountered any queer communities in her journey, she would have embraced them.

All told, get ready for a beautiful, dark story that is rich enough to merit rereads for years to come.