I dont know if this book was meant to be as much of a comedy as it was but I was laughing all the way through. The internal monologue of the main character, Sara Burns, is one that i would compare to my own. This aspect of the book made me not want to put it down. I loved that this story was in first person. I loved how Pestilence was so obviously unaware of the world even though he had been walking the Earth for thousands. I think the love story is one that is realistic. Split between your own duties versus love. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone. I love a book that doesn't take itself so serious, even if the topic is a great one.

The story had no plot. One of the four horseman of the apocalypse takes a young lady who fails to kill him. They travel across Canada and the west coast of the US spreading the plague to humans behind them. The horseman finally see a different side of humanity, but is it too late? This is a slow-burn, enemies to lovers romance.

Pestilence by Laura Thalassa
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Republication date: August 15, 2023

The Four Horsemen series, book 1

This was first published in 2018 independently by the author, and is being republished by Bloom books in August with updated covers.

This was quite different than my usual reads. I read the Bargainer series by the same author a while back after trying to find a series similar to ACOTAR and enjoyed many parts of her writing style, so I’ve had her backlist on my radar!

I am a fan of post-apocalyptic plots and so I was interested where this would go. I’d describe this one as more of a story of the apocalypse vs. a post-apocalyptic read.

This is a TRUE enemies to lovers story that had me so curious where it would go. I appreciated many of the themes that the story left you with and the interactions they made on their path to destruction were so interesting. A lot of this was HARD to read, but it kept me interested throughout.

Perfect for you if you like:
*it’s the end of the world as we know it*
TRUE enemies to lovers
🌶️🌶️🌶️

🛑 multiple open door scenes and explicit language
⚠️ several hard to read scenes of death and violence

Thank you @netgalley and @read_bloom for the advanced review copy!

It's the year of the horsemen and Pestilence has been spotted. So firefighter Sara and her coworkers pull sticks to determine who will stay and try to thwart him. Sara of course pulls the short stick and lies in wait. But after a failed attempt to stop him, she becomes his prisoner. This was my first spicy four horsemen retelling and I loved it.

The apocalypse is coming and the Four Horsemen have come to bring the end of days to humanity. Sara upon meeting the horseman ends up shooting and then burning him alive.

This is not going to be for everyone. It is an enemies to lovers story and not going to be for everyone with the darkness. Pestilence decides that death is too good for her and he intends for her to suffer. Sara is Pestilence’s prisoner traveling with him as he brings a plague on to the world. Their journey did get repetitive in places as the plague spread but I know this was used to get to know the characters so I could see past it.

This is a SS romance in a dystopian world. Stockholm syndrome in a dystopian world. I did enjoy this novel and the world/Characters that were built into it. I’m curious to see where this will continue and I will be reading more!

3.5 stars

Laura Thalassa's fantastic storytelling and writing style hooked me from the very beginning of the book.

Sara was an interesting and relatable character despite the unrelatable circumstances she finds herself in. How do you fall in love with one of the four horseman of the apocalypse? It was interesting seeing how Sara and Pestilence affected each other in big and little ways and how their relationship developed. I sometimes didn't understand how Sara softened toward Pestilence even knowing he was treating her kindly versus what he was doing to others. That did take me out of the romance a bit, but I still couldn't put the book down as I wanted to see how their story ended.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book. I picked up this series from Arcane Society and getting this copy was the motivation I needed to finally get around to reading these.

Some spoilers ahead!

After reading The Serpent and the Wings of Night, I am definitely in my fantasy romance era and I was hoping that this series would be another winner. While I didn't hate this first book, this definitely didn't live up to all of the hype for me personally.

I think the concept of the story is super cool. I liked the setting and seeing the world in this state. I can fully imagine the fear and what the people are going through and right off the bat, I was hooked. HOWEVER, Sara is a terrible main character. Her humor was. a definite miss for me. She thinks she is so smart and witty and instead I found her completely insufferable. Also, I don't know, but the concept of loving the man you know is literally going to murder your family-HELL ALL OF MANKIND, seems a bit outlandish. Because she knows this isn't like a distant possibility. She legit comes face to face with the pus bubble skin of this man's victims. Also, I found it super weird how she was CONSTANTLY concerned with the appearance of his stomach, and how even during sex, she was just calling him Pestilence yet I was supposed to believe in three hundred pages that this was love. ALSO, he was an actual virgin before her, yet the first time he gives her oral, he's a pro? HOOOWWWW? I just wasn't buying into the love story and the sex truly wasn't that steamy.

I am definitely going to continue on in this series because I want to see what the hype is all about and despite my low rating, I did finish this quickly and enjoy it well enough.

I thought this was absolutely fascinating, I could not put it down! Just an excellent story with page turning plot lines and twists you did not see coming. Read this now!!!

The Apocalypse has come and our female lead has the unforgotten task of killer the horseman Pestilence before he can kill everyone else.

Why I loved this book
-Forced Proximity trope came into play
-thing that is supposed to kill someone falling in love with them trope came into play
-excellent post apocalypse set up
-solid use of dialogue and action to move creating a fast paced reading experience
-very solid intimate scenes
What else I would have liked to see.
I would have loved to see Pestilence struggle a little more with his nature maybe having them respond to the world around them a bit more sans the influence of his love interest.

Who would I recommend this title for

Pestilence is an excellent start to a new series by Laura Thalassa and thus a good read for existing fans as well as an excellent entry point to her work for new readers.

Obviously, this was a quick read since it took me about a day to finish. It was an interesting concept...one of the Four Horsemen meets a human and somehow learns that humanity isn’t as bad as he thinks. Pestilence, as the male “lead,” could have been developed more. It would have been interesting to SEE him struggle with what he is here to do versus what he can be. The “heroine” definitely has a case of Stockholm Syndrome, and that is something else that could have been more developed. I’m not sure how I felt about this book. I read it to the end. Read it quickly. I read the teaser for the next book, but didn’t mark it anywhere so I remember to buy it. For something to read to fill the time, sure I did that. Would I recommend this to friends? Um...probably only if they pick it up for free like I did.

Laura Thalassa is back with her next novel, PESTILENCE, that is sure to be the romance book of Fall 2023. This book had me wanting to curl up beside the fire drinking hot chocolate, it was truly the most perfect fantasy romance. I absolutely loved her other releases, so I was so excited to see we were getting another book by her. This was filled with the most perfect story, characters, and romance that I truly could not put it down. I cannot wait to see what Thalassa writes next!

Pestilence by Laura Thalassa is a post-apocalyptic romance novel that follows the story of Sara Burns and Pestilence, the first horseman of the apocalypse. Set in a world ravaged by a deadly plague, the novel is a gripping tale of survival and love in the face of unimaginable adversity. Thalassa's writing is vivid and engaging, with well-developed characters and a fast-paced plot that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Overall, Pestilence is a solid read for fans of the genre.

What a wonderful addition to the Four Horseman series. Engaging worldbuilding and a hot romance. I enjoyed how it wasn't an insta love relationship, and throughout the book we actually got to see both the characters grow. I love strong female characters with agency!

If I were to describe my feelings about this book, they would fall somewhere in the neutrality zone. I’m typically picky about plot and this one just lagged quite a bit.

I loved the MMC, but struggled to connect with the FMC throughout the story. However, their journey and connection gave the FMC some points.

I would be interested to read the following novels in this series, but I wouldn’t say this one made it a top priority.

An amazing juxtaposition of human compassion and divine purpose. This book follows Sara the firefighter and her love/hate relationship with Pestilence after she attempts to kill him. They travel through Canada and meet every possible type of human; and while Pestilence holds the highest disdain for humanity, Sara's neverending compassion and vibrant human-ness start to sway and confuse him.
It feels like humanity has been put under a microscope and found lacking. Pestilence is just the first horseman to spread divine justice, and it's honestly nerve-wracking to see the plague travel and see how determined Pestilence is to see it through. Love may be his downfall, but it's also the best attribute humans have to offer. I just absolutely adored this book. I loved watching their relationship grow and change, their conversations were existential and enlightening. It was wild to see Pestilence fall first as Sara lives in denial because this... creature is destroying everything she has ever known and loved. A pretty much perfect rendition of enemies to lovers, and I'm so excited to see what War has in store.

I am freaking obsessed!!! OMG I loved this so much. I read Rhapsody and it was just okay for me, I didn’t love it as much as I expected it to, especially since it has more of a fantasy world aspect than this one did. But wow … Pestilence is to die for. I immediately went and got the second book and I can’t wait to read it. You can bet I will be reading this entire series in the next month.

We really get to see both Pestilence’s and Sara’s personal growth throughout the book, how they change each other for the better as they learn and get passed their prejudices. Sara learns to understand things beyond her mortal comprehension and Pestilence learns the good sides of human nature and to not judge so harshly and polarizing.

This all happens against such a dark backdrop of the world in peril. The story world is well-built. Everything they are going through is emotional and heartbreaking. I can’t wait to meet new characters and see what God has in store for the world next.

People can trash this book all they want and call it needless drivel but I truly think it brought to light some interesting concepts for discussion. And the passion is so freaking HOT. I loved everything about it - the plot, characters, world-building. I'm hooked. Yes, yes, yes, all the stars I need more!

Though this was my second time reading this book, 'Pestilence' was my first introduction to the awesome author that is Laura Thalassa. I promptly went on an expedition to read any and everything I could find by her!

"They came to earth—Pestilence, War, Famine, Death—four horsemen riding their screaming steeds, racing to the corners of the world. Four horsemen with the power to destroy all of humanity. They came to earth, and they came to end us all." This main blurb enlightens people of what is to come - this novel is not one for those faint of heart and with stars in their eyes. A dark read, it begins with us meeting the main heroine, Sara, who has drawn the short straw and now has to commit to a grisly task: killing the horseman dubbed Pestilence. Seeing disease and sickness ravage the world, she does not shy away and thinks she is successful when she seemingly easily dispatches him. Of course, it couldn't be that easy to kill a horseman...right? Sara learns why Pestilence is an entity of the apocalypse. However, their forced proximity soon develops into something they both never saw coming - love. And Sara now has an even more impossible task, getting this harbinger of doom to see why Earth may be worth saving.

I love dark romances; sprinkle in some forced proximity and kidnapping and I will happily dance! This is the main theme of the book, as approximately three-quarters of it focuses almost exclusively on Sara as Pestilence's captive. Some will see this and say, how could this be real? It's obviously called fiction for a reason, people! The relationship between the two protagonists went from hate to love, proving the old adage true - they can change with the flip of a coin.

Upon reading this again, I can see one flaw in the plot - I wish that we had gotten some more backstory at the beginning of the apocalypse. We are dropped into the story years after it has developed and this is not my favorite thing. Fantasy novels need more world-building to fully appeal to me.

All in all, this is a solid 4-star for me. While I do wish there had been a little more world-building, the overall plotline was great and the push and pull between Pestilence and Sara was amazing. This is definitely a great pick if you are into dark reads!

*A great many thanks to Netgalley, Laura Thalassa, and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for this ARC. It is important to note that I was under no commitment to provide a positive review, and all opinions are undoubtedly my own.*

I don't know what it is about Laura Thalassa's writing... but it is straight up CRACK.

Between her super immersive world building and ability to create and bring alive these multi-faceted characters I honestly just absolutely love every single thing that she writes.

Sara was a brave, badass FMC who really gave Pestilence a hard time. I loved her audacity and ability to never give up her fighting spirit.

Pestilence... oofffttt he is one delicious spicy death daddy who has the roughest, brash exterior, and the sweetest most loving heart. He owns my soul.

If you enjoy...
- fast paced action packed plot
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity
- ONLY ONE HORSE (my absolute favourite niche trope)
- 'touch her and I'll kill you' attitude
... definitely pick this one up!

So much to enjoy with this book! The slow descent into feelings is perfect. The struggle of both characters to understand the other is just great! Overall it's paced so well, has good tension and eventually banter. Really enjoyed this book overall!

4/5

This was a great book! It has nice characters that make for an enjoyable story. The plot itself is a bit weak and there is a bit of repetition and the romance is a morally grey one. Overall, it’s not Laura’s best but it is good!