This is a great start to a new series. A strong inclusive cast of female character. I can't wait to see how the story develops!

I have never read a book like this before and I enjoyed it! Long story short, it’s an apocalypse setting where this mysterious green fog appears. If men inhale it, they die. If women inhale it, they gain superhuman abilities.

It doesn’t take long for the action to start and there are actually quite a few creepy moments throughout the book! I loved many of the characters and felt that there was a lot of depth to them, which always helps me to stay invested. There are also drawings of the main characters included and I loved that because it helps me picture them properly as I’m reading.

I’d say my favourite thing about this book was seeing the women discover their new powers. I just thought that was way too cool.

If you’re interested in a book with end of the world vibes and a mystical edge, then you’ll enjoy this one!

I received a gifted copy of this book as part of an Instagram book tour. My review has been posted on Goodreads and Bookstagram!

I LOVED this! Let me say it one more time for those in the back: I LOVED THIS! I knew I would. I adore P.C. Cast, I loved her since I was a teenager and read House of Night and to see her dive back into the world of adult fiction made me so happy. I was especially excited because this book has such a dark and interesting premise. This book was right up my alley and oh boy did it deliver.
I couldn't get enough of these characters. In classic Cast fashion we were given strong female characters that made me want to jump in and be a badass right there with them.
This book also had me laughing so hard in places despite the tough subjects this book deals with there was still plenty of room for levity.
I would say if you like books in the same vain as The Power, Vox, or even The Violence I would definitely check this out. If this is your first dive into Cast writing do yourself a favor and go check out some of her other works.

I was really disappointed in this book. Feminist? No. Thrilling? No. Instead there are some really unprofessional and unrealistic women. I knew from the first few pages and the ridiculous behavior of the educators that this was going to be wrong for me. But I always hope it will get better, so I continue. It did not.

Into the Mist is a gender apocalypse book, and I did some digging after the fact. Unlike other highly criticized books that fall in the same subgenre, this one was supposed to be trans friendly. Supposedly the death of males has to do with their gender identity, but this is never made clear in the book. Most men die horrific deaths. Including the man trying to reach his husband and children. Trans persons really aren’t part of this story.

And this alleged premise raised a troubling question for me, because of a fetus born too early when exposed to the mist. This happens very early in the book, so it really isn’t a spoiler. When disaster strikes, the pregnant teacher goes into labor and she’s very clear about the fact that it’s too soon. And this is one of those things that needs trigger warnings in gigantic letters, bolded, underlined, and highlighted. Most of the deaths in this book are gory, and the early ones are no exception. They’re among the worst.

And I’m still trying to figure out how a fetus that’s too early has determined its gender identity and what the potential subtext there suggests, and it makes me pretty uncomfortable.

This leads to another note I made. The two main teachers (Mercury and Stella) spent a lot of time reminiscing about trysts and getting ready to leave the hotel, and they spent more time talking about and trying to get a group photo than it took for the bombs to drop and the pregnant woman to give birth. It must have been the fastest labor in history, if there is recorded history anymore.

The women who survive all seem to develop supernatural abilities, which is part of the story, but certainly not all of it.

Mercury’s point of view is most prominent but there are times we’re given narration that’s outside Mercury’s scope of knowledge and we bounce around, unanchored. Consequently, it’s hard to feel immersed in the setting or the emotions of any one moment. In fact, emotions are brushed off and downplayed a lot. Yes, there’s a stoic survival reaction, but Mercury never really seems that bothered about what’s happened in the early chapters, it never really feels like there’s someone at home she’d move heaven and earth to see again. And her detachment contributes to a lack of agency, because I don’t know what her goals are or what to root for with her. With others like Imani, it’s clear, but as a peripheral character, we rarely spend time really engaged with her loss. Early on, the thing Mercury seems to feel most strongly about is giving the group’s Christian Karen – named Karen Gay – a piece of her mind. And if you think Karen Gay is on the nose, it’s the tone of the book. Nothing’s subtle. And nothing’s really purposeful. And this book portrays stereotypical awful Christians (I’m sure it was deliberate her name was Karen, and they later go up against a group of God-fearing Christians who aren’t godly at all). I have no problem with not supporting hypocrisy or some views certain groups of people tend to have. But there was no nuance in the portrayal and nothing original was brought to the table. Yes, Karen did grow some throughout the story, but it was directly tied to the awful Christians they encountered.

There is more of an effort to suggest Mercury’s potential grief later, but it misses the mark in terms of establishing stakes and doesn’t help create a bond with the character. She felt duty bound to do the right thing, as a teacher, but never as caring or compassionate as Imani or Gemma.

Speaking of Gemma, she is a teen, and I’m not sure if that’s why I thought this was a YA when I requested it, but it’s definitely not a YA. Teens will have no problem reading it from a reading level perspective. Whether they’d want to is a question I can’t answer.

The book has a quick pace if you’re curious and want to check out this particular version of the apocalypse, but a lot of it reads as tired and cliche. An actual line from the book reads, “Karen gasped and clutched her imaginary pearls.” Honestly, wouldn’t Karen be more likely to clasp a cross hanging around her neck for comfort than … imaginary pearls?

The book could have dropped a few dozen pages just by removing the pop culture references. And on that note, here’s another reason I never felt that invested. Four days after the apocalypse they’re dancing and drinking at a party in one of the few surviving towns. Despite the fact that Stella’s made it clear the town’s not safe and they have reason to believe people are being held there against their will. They were certain it wasn’t a good place, but still went, stayed for two nights, and partied. And Stella’s intuition has been their guiding force the entire way through the story because she seems to just know things sometimes, without explanation, and they all trust in it. Well, except Karen. And really, let’s not blame Karen for that because she’s a Christian. These ladies were teachers, and many of them taught science, and yet they jump to conclusions about some of their abilities with very little evidence. There’s no real evidence Stella’s right about things when they start following her. She says they need to leave, so they go. She says someone’s family is dead, they just take her word for it even if they never see the family (for example, when some set out to find their missing loved ones). There are times later when she’s proven right, but Mercury was very quick to believe 100% in Stella’s apparent ability before there was evidence. In her case, perhaps you can chalk that up to friendship, but it doesn’t mean Karen was wrong to question how she knew what she claimed. They criticized Karen for her faith while blindly following their own convictions. And that really isn’t meant as a defense of the Christians. It’s just hypocritical, and in her own way, Mercury is as self-righteous as the Christians she loathes.

For me, the most interesting and relatable characters were part of the large supporting cast, and that kept me feeling like I was on the fringes of the story and never fully invested in the outcome. There’s also no real clear goal beyond finding a place to stay safe. Overall, I found this book mediocre at best. Plenty of potential, still playing to the gender binary, info dumping political views and man hate throughout. If you’re looking for a gender apocalypse book that treats trans and nonbinary people well, that may have been the author’s intent here, but this falls short of a truly trans-friendly gender apocalypse with anything meaningful to say at all, and I came very close to DNFing this one.

Who made P.C. Cast mad! Please let’s find them and talk with them. I am a huge fan of P.C. Cast and have read most of her books, including those she wrote with her daughter, and this is a huge turn from her normal theme when writing. Is it a bad turn? Kind of. This book has beautiful character development, and the reader is easily swept up into their world. It also still has references to the Goddess which is a theme that P.C. Cast uses throughout many of her books. What is different in this book, well she kills off most men within the first two chapters of her book. For someone who generally writes romance stories this is a huge change in direction. There is a romance that happens eventually within the book, but don’t get to attached. Here is what I did apricate in this book. As stated above I liked the characters. I also enjoyed that she continues with her woman empowerment theme. P.C. Cast always has such strong woman in her books. Now what just seemed off for me the ending is super rushed. You feel like you have made it to the end of book, but it keeps going and then ends super abruptly. On the plus side it leaves you with enough of a cliffhanger that you are going to want to read the second book. Overall, this was a hit and miss book for me. Honestly it was one of my least favorite P.C. Cast books, but I didn’t dislike it enough that I won’t read the second book, nor will it stop me from reading any future books.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

This was not the revolutionary feminist tale I expected. Bombs destroy major US cities, releasing a green mist that gives women mysterious abilities but kills men. This had the potential to be an exciting apocalyptic tale about exploring gender roles and rebuilding a new world order, but instead it was an underwhelming survival story when it wasn’t horrifically gory. One scene in particular featuring a miscarriage

The writing left much to be desired. The dialogue was unnatural, forced, and repetitive. For example: using slang like “jelly” instead of jealous in a conversation with adults during the apocalypse, and having the same conversations with different characters as they try to figure out what is going on.

This is a plot driven story, but the characters had no depth beyond surface-level traits that made up their entire personalities. The story tried to address hot-button issues like misogyny, racism, and Christian morality, but once again, it was all very surface-level and forced.

I wish I had not finished this, and I definitely will not be reading the sequel.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted eARC.

This was such a fun and exciting read. I think it's a hit and miss for some because it doesn't have a lot of depth to the characters and the whole feminist aspect of it can be exaggerated, but with everything going on, is it really too crazy to think of women having all the control?

On a more serious note, I enjoyed this book so much, it was not perfect but it was thrilling, I was on the edge of my seat on every page. The characters although rough around the edges were still lovable, I really got to care for them and I even got emotional at the various situations that came up. It was fast-paced and I would have liked to know more about the reasoning behind their powers and the attack that started it all but since this is the first in the series, I'm guessing it will all be explained in the next book. I'm looking absolutely looking forward to it.

i have been a fan of pc cast for years and this one lives up to her reputation. This is book 1 to a new fantasy series where there is a mist that is deadley to men but not all and empowers women for the better. It starts with a few unexplained deaths and then they find a chain events and connect the dots. A group of teachers go to find a safe area and pick up more people as they continue. some of the women gain powers while all don't. they are trying to remake the new world in the events that have happened.

I love the story building for this story and all the people you meet along the way. some of the women gain powers while all don't.

this story is ya and would recommend to others.

I have loved PC Casts House of Night series. It was one of the series that got me into fantasy.

I don't know what it is. But this one just wasn't for me. I tried reading it. But I just couldn't get through.

Men are killed as a green mist envelops the US. some of the final survivors would be a group of teachers who were on a retreat. Superhealing, cooking, and growing things are just a few of the traditionally feminine skills that the women are starting to master. But perhaps it also kills women by the time it's all over.

I had a difficult time getting into and enjoying this book, unfortunately. I won’t be reading rest of the series.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I knew from, I kid you not, the first line that I was not going to enjoy this book. A group of full-grown adults acting like middle schoolers. The dialogue is terribly written and the characters have no personality. Some of the most immature, repetitive, and cringe writing I have ever read. The "feminism" in this book is a joke and surface level at best. This book could have had a nuanced and fascinating discussion of gender roles and identity but it never even attempted to go there. I would not recommend this.

A story that follows a group of teachers on the days right after the end of the world. Some sort of biological toxin was bombed across America that seemed to kill all men but improve the women. The women must follow their instincts to stay alive and rely on each other as the remaining humans alive can’t all be trusted.

This was an odd story for me. Mainly because it creeped me out and gave me some not fun dreams. The book was intense through out and the ending left me with a possible theory as a cliffhanger.

A dystopian novel with lots of suspense is usually a good read. In this case, there were too many little things that prevented my full enjoyment. There is obviously lots of death after bombs strike most of the world but our protagonists show very little sorrow; in fact, they pretty much drink and party their way through the book. They also stress being open and tolerant of others yet convince an older survivor to drink with them despite her wishes not to. It was also very convenient that each of the survivors in their group just happened to have some valuable knowledge to aid in survival: a recent workshop attended, an article read, or degree earned. The concept of using a biological weapon to wipe out most of the male population was intriguing as was imbuing each of the survivors with an extraordinary ability. This novel is the beginning of a series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC to read and review.

I had such high hopes for this book, and ultimately was let down. I've been a fan of PC Cast for a very long time, and this is the first time I've ever DNF'd one of her books. I felt like this just wasn't fleshed out properly and needed some editing and context changes. I was disappointed, and definitely wont be continuing on in this particular Cast series.

A group of teachers is about to head home to Oklahoma from Portland, Oregon when bombs rain down from the sky and cause huge clouds of green fog to billow up. Civilization as they know it is over. Any man who encounters the fog dies, and any woman who encounters it either dies or survives and becomes changed. Mercury, Stella, and Karen find an old truck that still works and make their way back to the conference center they were staying in. They collect wounded people along the way and try to help the people they can. Inevitably, they meet men who want to take advantage of them and steal what the women have. They leave these men behind. Once they reach the safety of the conference center, they start to discover that some women's blood makes things grow. Some women also develop abilities. Stella develops a psychic power of intuition. Mercury becomes super strong. Other's abilities are yet to reveal themselves. The women must decide how to move forward in a world where so many people, including most of their families, have died. What will the world become?

An entry into the ''apocalypse kills all the men and gives women powers'' genre, Into The Mist has issues with plotting, character, and misogyny, while gaining some points having adult women as protagonists, rather than the more common teens. A green mist blankets the US, leaving a group of teachers on a retreat as some of the last people alive. The women begin to develop power associated with traditionally feminine areas, like super healing, cooking, growing things, mothering (yes, really, it's somehow a superpower, don't ask) and intuition. That intuition drives most of the action, as one character tells the others to do things because 'she just knows they have to', which leads to some adventuring. The mist kills men and gives women powers, though by the end maybe it kills women too, and there is no mention of who it would treat trans or non-binary people, as they seem to not exist in this world. The implied sequel seems wholly unneeded, as I can't really see a lot of people wanting to even finish this one.

An interesting take on the post-apocalyptic genre, let's you play "what would I do in this situation." Strays more into fantasy than sci-fi, with a strong cast of female characters. Felt a bit long, but that could be interpreted by some as feeling "epic." Definitely left room for more stories in the series.
3.5 rounded to 4.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I fell in love with PC Cast when the House of Night series came out. This book was everything I wanted it to be.

I’m a huge fan of PC Cast, her solo books and those she’s penned with her daughter, Kristin. I was really excited to start Into the Mist – the premise is amazing and I always love the strong themes of sisterhood and women’s empowerment her books deliver.

But Into the Mist didn’t work for me and I’ll tell you why:

There’s a devasting apocalyptic event that has wiped out most of the male population and the main characters aren’t all that pressed about it. Almost immediately after the event – mind you, there are mass casualties and destruction of the world - the main characters are drinking wine, cracking jokes and patting each other on the back about how great they each are. I felt it was more a slumber party/good ole girls’ atmosphere then a ‘we’re fighting for our lives’ scenario. This is where the story lost me – right here.

And, as I mentioned earlier, I love strong relationships and female empowerment but, dang, you cannot twist female empowerment around to fit your narrative. For example, Karen Gay (insert huge fucking eyeroll here), a religious middle-aged woman was bullied by the other women because she didn’t fit their mold – she is pressured to behave in ways that really bothered me. Men were either ALL good or ALL bad. You can’t empower when tearing others down. Which brings me to my next point.

The whole overwhelming misogynistic undertone of the story, which I was expecting but taken to such an extreme.; it was too much and left a bad taste in my mouth. I felt the story portrayed Stella and Mercury more like cult leaders than strong empowered women leading others into an unknown future. In fact, one of the main characters thinks it was fortuitous that men were the target of this event because they’re basically the root of all evil. Ok, then!

Every other paragraph felt like a set-up for some words of exorbitant wisdom or for a joke – because you know, the end of the world is hilarious. And, sadly, instead of giving me ‘Women are Strong’ vibes, it gave me ‘Women are Hateful’ vibes. This is not what feminism is. Two steps back for the feminism movement, no kidding.

What I can say is that Lorelei King rules as a narrator. If not for her, I don’t think I would’ve finished the book. Well done and bravo, Lorelei!

I love fantasy – especially when combined with a dystopian theme and can suspend my belief for the purpose of pure entertainment but in this case, I found that the characters and their dialogue did more damage to the story than the plotline could save.

I’m so sorry I didn’t like this one but TBH, if I didn’t know better, I’d never believe this was written by one of my favorite writers.

My thanks to Dreamscape Media for the gifted ALC and to Crooked Lane Books for the physical copy.