I am a longtime fan of cast and so I was really excited to see her back with a new duology, and a dystopian at that! I had high expectations going into this one and they were definitely met. Honestly I think cast does a great job on female empowerment in her stories and this one with men being no more just highlighted strong women so well. I can’t wait to see where this duology will go in it’s conclusion!

This is the first book in a new series by P.C. Cast. I am absolutely in love with P.C. Cast's writing style and her imagination to develop such intriguing stories. 'Into the Mist' is the first book in a new series, set in the mountains of Oregon. Spooky, right?

This story got my attention from the beginning when a group of teachers is headed to the airport when a disaster strikes. There are bombs of some type that drop, releasing a green mist that ensues earthquakes to rock the areas. Where does this all come from? No clue. That's the cliffhanger already.

The green mist that was released is a funny thing. It oddly kills men, either quickly or slowly, not sure why, but gives the women extra powers. *eyebrow raise* So the story follows the journey of the teachers as they try and find a safe place and find any other survivors. It gave me Stephen King vibes of "The Mist", where unknown mist drags creatures onto Earth and I'm so excited to see what happens next with P.C. Cast's "Into the Mist".

This is definitely set up to become a series, which is just what we need with this story. There are so many unanswered questions and I'm dying to know what happens next. Why were the bombs dropped and the green mist released? Were the earthquakes human-generated or natural occurrences? I have so many questions after finishing this and will be waiting on the edge of my seat for book two to release.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to reach ahead for my honest review. This book is absolutely stunning in person and it'll definitely be a re-read for me prior to the next book's release.

This book starts off with a bang. Stella, Mercury, Karen and Imani are 40ish teachers at a retreat in Oregon. Bombs are dropped. Those who don't die are affected by a green mist released by the bombs. The mist kills men, but gives women various superhuman abilities. The teachers must find a way to survive and adapt to this post-apocalyptic world and their new abilities. I really enjoyed this, although the not-so-subtle "men are bad" message was a little too much at times. The pacing is nonstop and I raced through the pages to a cliffhanger ending. Can't wait for the sequel.

This book fully embodies and capitalizes on two of my very favorite things: Dystopian stories and the power of strong women! While reading, you had better buckle up, because this is such a wild ride! Packed with adventure and incredible detail that pack quite a plot twisted punch, this book is deliciously crafted so that you are furiously trying to figure it all out and know more...more...more! I enjoyed every minute of this reading experience and recommend it to the fullest extent! You will not go wrong with this book!

If you like dystopian books with some girl power, you are going to highly enjoy this book.

After finishing a teacher conference is the great state of Oregon, Mercury, Stella, and others are faced with a world ending problem - bombs have exploded in all major cities and a green fog has emerged.

This is a fast paced book about how people change in an apocalypse - some rise and well some do not make it.

Buckle up and enjoy the ride Into the Mist.

Into the Mist is the first book in a new series by P.C. Cast.
The action is set in the mountains of Oregon inland from Portland.
A group of teachers are headed back to the Portland airport, and disaster ensues.
Bombs of some type drop, releasing a green mist, followed by intense earthquakes.
It is never clear where these come from or what they are, and I assume that will be developed and explored later in the series.

The green mist kills most men, either quickly or slowly, but gives some women extra powers.
The story follows the journey of a small group of teachers as they try to find a safe haven and a way to start over.
The writing was great, the chapters were just the right length, and there is lots of suspense.
I really enjoyed the book a lot and blazed through it super quickly.
It's obvious there will be more books in this series, and I can't wait to continue on with Mercury, Stella, and the team.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

“You look like something out of Mad Max: Fury Road,” said Ford. “And I mean that as a compliment.”
“Thanks. Charlize Theron is a badass.”

The worst girlboss feminist manifesto. INTO THE MIST is not written for me. That is painfully clear - if only because I was born with a penis and identify as male. That said, I probably laughed harder reading this than I have for a long time.

I really should do more than cursorily glance at blurbs when I request things from NetGalley - if I'd actually read the description of INTO THE MIST, I may have gotten an inkling of what I was in for.

Stella Carver, Mercury Elizabeth Rhodes, Karen Gay and Imani (if we get a ridiculous surname for her, I missed it) are teachers on a retreat at a lodge in Oregon when the United States is attacked. Rather than nuclear weapons, the bombs release a green fog which seems to kill any male that it comes into contact with, whilst leaving females relatively unscathed.

As the story goes on, we discover that rather than not affecting women, the fog seems to give them.. powers!

I think INTO THE MIST actually made me less of a feminist. It is the most plastic, one-dimensional 'feminist' fiction I have ever read in my life. There is nothing inherently bad or wrong about the writing itself (edit: not entirely true: "Imani’s brows lifted like the wings of an onyx butterfly." is pretty bad), but the content - ho boy.

P.C. Cast has a thesis statement on the world and all its ills, and by God is she going to hit you over the head with it.

“They finally did it. They finally destroyed the world.” Stella spoke with no emotion, but she wrapped her arms around her torso while tears dripped from her eyes down her cheeks to soak the long-sleeved shirt she’d layered under her sweater.
Mercury could only manage one word. “They?”
“Men. Politicians. Them. The greedy, corrupt people in charge whose job it was to keep us safe.” Stella’s voice cut like a knife.

I don't have any issue with the concept - I think it could actually be very interesting. But Jesus, it isn't exactly subtle.

“So, do you think whoever engineered this particular biological agent made it to wipe out men?” Janet sounded equal parts pissed and skeptical.
“We can’t know for sure if it was created to be that specific or if it’s just a fortuitous byproduct.” Heads turned as Stella joined them in the foyer.
“Fortuitous?” said one of the other three men as he carefully sat up. His arm was in a sling, and his thigh and head were heavily bandaged. His age was hard to determine as the gauze wrapped around his forehead also covered the side of his face, but Mercury guessed he was somewhere between forty and fifty.
“Well, let’s see.” Stella tapped her chin with exaggerated contemplation. “Who’s been in charge of the world until now?”
“Men,” said Gemma.
“Exactly.” Stella put her fists on her waist and faced the wounded man. “Women saved you. Women bandaged you. Women will continue to be sure you heal. Remember that.”

With very few exceptions, anybody with a penis in this post-apocalypse is suspect; a predator, a misogynist, or an 'asshat' to use the protagonists' oft-repeated term. The exceptions are a big lovable gay trucker, 6 year old twin boys, and of course.. Oxford Xavier Diaz (but everyone calls him Ford). The latter forms the final part of our protagonist crew once he appears, and he is a safe male, because he is
a) dreamy
b) Puerto Rican
c) reads for pleasure?!? (specifically Anne McCaffrey)

Ford grinned. “It’s not man-hating to tell me you haven’t met a lot of grown-up men who read for pleasure. I don’t know many besides the men in my family either.”
“Well, good. Then that’s my answer. What kind of books do you like?”
“I read across genres. The truth is that I hate genre labels. I think they keep people from reading.”
“Oh my Goddess! I’ve been saying that for years! Like, even though there are some awesome romance books that I know my male students would love—because they’re labeled romance, it’s almost impossible to get guys to give them a try.”
Ford nodded. “Exactly. I really enjoy science-fiction and fantasy— especially sci-fi/fantasy written by women.” He grinned at her shocked expression. “Women tend to add more complex character development and — get this — sex to the genre. I enjoy both.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
Mercury studied him with new eyes as they moved together around the dance floor. “What’s one of your fav sci-fi or fantasy books?”
“That’s easy. I love the queen of sci-fi/fantasy, Anne McCaffery.”
Mercury thumped him on his broad chest. “Get out! Pern is my go-to comfort world!”

And yes, Mercury Elizabeth Rhodes did just say 'fav' in conversation. Other hits include 'yaasss', 'BRB', 'truth!', and 'hell yes, sis!'. Not to mention, 'Oh my Goddess!' If I didn't know any better, I'd think that P.C. Cast was an old woman trying to write how she thinks young women talk. wait that's because she is

The powers that our girlboss protagonists get from the fog are varied. The blood of several becomes hyper-fertiliser, one develops super strength, and another gets super intuition. You heard that right.

"My intuition has been pretty clear for the past decade or so, but since yesterday it’s loud."

Something about this sentence just makes me giggle.

Oh, unrelated to the green fog (but still hilarious) is that one of our girlbosses is a neo-pagan - while Karen Gay is a devout Christian! Goodness I wonder if that will cause friction.

“Thanks,” Stella said. “We’d appreciate that. We have come to depend on Ford.”
“I’m not surprised at all. Such a tall, capable man.” Amber gave Ford an appreciative look. “Follow me and let’s get you out of this cold.”
Beside Stella, Mercury whispered, “The misogyny is strong with that one.”
Ford covered his laugh with a cough.

"Hello, random woman, yes I am lying about how much I need this man to pretend that I'm a normie self-hating woman who needs men."
"Yes, I can see that this man is tall and capable."
"WOW WHAT A STUPID MISOGYNIST."

Something worth noting is that INTO THE MIST entirely sidesteps the possibility of trans or nonbinary folk, and how this gender-based attack would effect them. Are trans women not girlboss enough to survive? Would a trans man have enough inherent metaphorical misogyny to be treated as male? Who knows! That sounds like a tricky question to answer, and we aren't here to answer tricky questions, we're just here to talk about how men ruined everything.

INTO THE MIST ends on a mysterious prophetic cliffhanger (while one of our girlboss protagonists dances on a grave with a pitbull named Khaleesi. No, I'm not joking). I unironically cannot wait for the next book. I hope I get an ARC of it as well. I can only imagine it will be hilarious.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I've been reading P.C Cast since I was in high school and I love how reading her books always gives me this odd wave of nostalgia despite them all feeling different from one another. Into the Mist is no exception. This book was really cool and different from what I'd expected going into this. The characters were wonderful. So thought out and well developed. The friendships felt authentic and raw, especially in the kind of world they were in. I think what's keeping me from giving it 5 stars is that it just felt a bit long in some sections. The pacing got a little weird at times and I was getting bored and wanting the main plot to continue. Other than that, really interesting read!

I enjoyed the premise of the story very much and will definitely read the next in the series when it comes out. The goddess piece was a bit heavy handed for me-the archetypes were a little overblown but that's also the point I assume. I like how it pushed back on Christianity though and having group of really powerful and intelligent women is very appreciated.

Into the Mist is a story of teachers at the end of a conference in which they got to see people they like, drink too much and oh, also attend panels and discussions. Now they're on their way home. Until something extraordinary happens that will keep them from getting there.

I enjoyed going into this book without any idea of what it was about. The main characters are three strong women faced with unprecedented challenges. It's a well-crafted story that's mostly sci-fi thriller, with a little romance thrown in (although it looks like the second in the series may be the other way around).

As part one of a new series this book does end on a cliff-hanger, which I find annoying. And I found some parts of it more believable than others. Admittedly, I'm generally a literary fiction fan, but I like to read widely, and I am glad that I got a chance to read Into the Mist.

WOW! Just WOW!! I really loved reading this book and when I flipped the last page I was begging for more. The next one can't come out soon enough!

This book has it all in there. You got adventure, suspense, horror, love and mystery.

I really enjoyed this book. If you enjoyed Walking Dead I am sure you will enjoy this book. I loved the characters in this! All of them are written so well. Gemma the healer? She’s compassionate and no nonsense. Mercury, Imani, and Stella are typical badass teachers. Karen is tough to deal with but definitely grows on you as her character grows in the apocalypse. I highly recommend.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

Really enjoyed this first book in a new series. I am looking forward to the next book. Lots of ways to take the series.📖📖

The overall plot was interesting and made reading easy. But there were too many policitcal or feminist ideologies. I found the characters hypocritical. And some of the writing seemed to be just filler.

I have been a fan of Cast since the House of Night series. Into the Mist is another dark, moody, excellent book! Highly recommend.

I have read all the House of Night novels and to be honest, I was getting kindof bored of it by the last book.
I am SO GLAD they are back on track with this new book series!
First, I love the idea of a green mist coming in that kills almost all the men but gives women super powers and has now created a new world to live in.
Second, not only were most of the main characters women, they were all older women (30s/40s) which as a young 40 something year old I completely LOVED.
Since its not out yet, I don't want to dive too into it, but WOW!!!

Thank you so much to #Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Another author that has moved from YA to adult fiction (Sarah J. Mass, for one) and this book reminds me of several other re3cent books (The Power, The End of Men, Femlandia, etc).

Nevertheless, Cast's YA fans should follow her into the adult fiction realm. For another take on a similar premise, see Chronicles of the One series by Nora Roberts.

Benn a fan of Cast since the House of Night series. Into the Mist doesn't disappoint. Classic, dramatic, twisty Cast is a must read in any genre or as a co-author!

I was sad when I finished this book and I'm looking forward to more - as it seems like the beginning of a series. A group of teachers traveling back a conference when missiles hit urban areas and release a toxic green mist. The mist is ultimately fatal to men and results in some women gaining new super powers. The apocalypse brings out the best in some survivors and the worst in others. I connected with the characters and really enjoyed the locations (especially the Timberline Lodge - the outside side for The Shining).