I loved this book so so much that I bought the physical book 60% in. The main character had me laughing so much. It’s a happy sad love story. I will be reading the other books by this author. The story had you feeling conflicting and sad feeling as Sara struggled to represent her people and hate Pestilence since he is killing them all. It’s hard not to fall in love with Pestilence along with Sara. Such a good story.

" 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝓾𝓷𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓾𝓻𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚜."

If that singular line from the book isn’t enough to convince you to read it I don’t know what will 

𝚁𝙴𝚅𝙸𝙴𝚆:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌶️🌶️🌶️

Dystopian fantasy with spice

Sara is a firefighter in the beautiful town of Whistler, BC (yes my girl is Canadian!!) when the four horsemen arrive to cleanse the earth. Starting with Pestilence the Conqueror and his plague. For real, his full name is Pestilence THE CONQUEROR. My guy is 6 ft plus, golden flowing locks and chiseled from marble. His personality is is an adorable mix of mess with me and die a painful, gruesome death and golden retriever. And I know those things go together like chocolate cake and orange juice BUT Laura Thalassa has an incredible way of blending the sh!t out of the black and white to a gorgeous shade of morally grey. I was hooked from page one, I knew before I picked up this book I would love it but it exceeded expectations. I loved the characters and their banter, the world building took a back seat a long with the back story of the characters which I really hope comes to life in the next books because I am so interested to learn about the history of the horsemen. Spice was just 🤌🏼. Loved it loved it loved it. 

I’ll leave you with this last quote:

"𝙴𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚎 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑."

Firstly, I don't know what kind of person it makes me that I liked this so much 😂 I mean, we've got Pestilence whose duty on earth is to spread the plague and kill off mankind (or at least most of them), and then we've got Sara, a human firefighter by trade who volunteers to kill him but ends up by his side (and more). Pestilence should be, by all rights, incredibly hard to like. But I truly did like him by the end, even if I didn't agree with what he was doing. Some parts of the book were truly hard to read (as a parent) and I feel trigger warnings are needed if you're going to be reading. But ultimately, I loved the banter and the growth between Sara and Pestilence and I can't wait to read the next books in this series.

I really enjoyed the Four Horseman books - it is my favorite series by Laura Thalassa. It felt different from many apocalypse plots I’ve read, even though it featured the biblical tale. There was a good balance between survival plot and romance.

To start this book was a roller coaster. I liked how the characters were wrote. However some things in the book were crazy such as the horse coming into buildings. It was a light read. However i felt the plot was inconsistent.

Thoughts

Let me preface this by saying this story definitely will not be for everyone. It is a bully romance. And as what I think is my first bully romance, I am quite puzzled about what I feel about this story.

So here goes nothing...

There are two major parts to this story. On one hand, there is the romance side of things that is fueled by Stockholm syndrome. I don't think (I know) under any other circumstance would the FMC find herself in love with Pestilience. And then there is the dystopian/apocalyptic side of the story. It's definitely not post-apocalyptic the way it is perceived because they are actively riding through town, offing people. It is the former that caught my attention.

It's not that the "riding through town murdering people as you go" doesn't get me (spoiler, it doesn't), but in order for me to be remotely involved in a story and ultimately end up loving it, I have to feel something. You know, the bare minimum, fall in love with the FMC/MMC or both. Love the world that immerses me to the point where I don't want to leave, you know, the basics.

“I am Pestilence the Conqueror, the first of the Four Horsemen come to claim your world. eternal, and my task, unwavering. I do not require anything to sustain me.”

Sara is sassy and witty. Often making me laugh and understand where she is coming from. It is Pestilence that I had an issue with. While I can't expect much for Pestilence, he is a horseman, for goodness' sake. He was often very cringe for me until the book's latter half. At that point, he started softening all his rough, jagged edges. Becoming what I like to think is a little more relatable, less God-like (PAUSE! I love a good God! Hades can turn me every way but loose), but the way Pestilence is written is almost like (I don't know) like you aren't supposed to like him.

“Love is the greatest gift we can give or receive,”

And yes! I hear you; you're not. He is one of the four horsemen, bringing about the end of days. The problem is that I wanted to like him but couldn't until the last 15 chapters of the book, and that's a little too late for me.

I guess this was pretty good for a romance between a woman and one of the four Horsemen of the apocalypse who is spreading disease to wipe out humanity.

Furthermore, I am the last one you should look at for morality. The magnet drawing me is in every direction and forever pointing to the gutter. But even I am aware that their relationship was problematic, to say the least.
Did I enjoy it? Yes.

Will I continue with the series? Yes.

Do I think you should read it? Absolutely yes!

But I have to say I don't know where you jump the pole and pull down the flag like Super Mario is here, signifying the end of the game. Because if they are all like this, I don't know how I will feel about it. Because the hands-down best part of the book was the last 5 chapters and the epilogue.

For now, it gets a 6/10.

I really enjoyed this book and the dynamic between Sara and Pestilence. Two beings put in shitty circumstances who are forced to see the other side of things and how they're both victims in all this. I really loved that Sara began to see that this was hard and that before Ruth passed she really drove that home for her. Of the two I do believe she needed to open her eyes the most about the world and why Pestilence was doing what he does.

However, I think I would have enjoyed it more if there was more of thought about what comes after you stop Pestilence. There are still 3 brothers to go and while I get being focused on the current threat it felt odd to talk about the other horsemen but not see her think much about how stopping Pestilence would just bring them next. Or hell, bring God. That and I can't imagine seeing first hand how people treated each other pre-arrival, post arrival, and while riding with Pestilence and not having a moment where she thought about how humanity refused to change even in the face of death. How that is problematic and how even if she stopped Pestilence and the others didn't come her family in the future could still be under threat because no one is changing.

I recently found out about this author at a book conference. After meeting Laura and speaking to other readers about this series, I decided to put the book in my tbr pile and now thank's to Netgalley.
My honest review, I enjoyed the writing and the characters development, strong FMC.

First things first: Thank you to Netgalley and the wonderful publisher Bloom Books for this ARC. I was provided with this book free for review, all opinions are my own.

Now: the review.

I'm not entirely sure what it says about me that this book about falling for the villain in the apocalypse is one of my favorite reads of the entire year.

I went into this book blind because I judged it purely by the gorgeous cover and to say I was shocked at the premise might be an understatement. The four horsemen of the apocalypse show up to wreak havoc and reap souls. A firefighter with a bleeding heart for humanity says otherwise and not only shoots the horseman at point blank range but LIGHTS. HIM. ON. FIRE.

I probably shouldn’t have laughed, but I totally did. And it only became more confusingly hot (pun intended) from there on out.

My annotations were chaotic (I mean, really- how could they not be) but when I went back to review them I found more poignant prose than anything else. There were some highlights that had me laughing out loud, a few that made me cringe, and a handful of quotes that were shockingly attractive, but the bulk of them were heartbreaking and beautiful.

For instance: “‘That boy out there’-only Ruth would have the wherewithal to call ageless Pestilence a boy- ‘has seen a lot of human nature- the bulk of it ugly. He’s only now seeing the beauty of it, and largely through you.’ She gives my hand another squeeze. ‘Show him what we shine with. Show him humanity is worthy of redemption.’”

Tell me that doesn’t crack your heart wide open.

This is easily one of my favorite enemies-to-lovers crack-ship sorts of situations I have ever read and I’m extremely excited to read the rest of Laura Thalassa’s work as a result.

Five. Freaking. Stars.

a thrilling read, this was fast to read

thank you to the author, netgalley, and the publisher for this advanced copy to review!

Slow burn beginner dark romance. Didn’t know it was a thing and now I’m glad I do. In all honesty I would rate this as a 3.5/5 due to some flow issues and I felt that the ending was too rushed. Was a great book tho love the tension and love these two characters brought whether us was when they try to kill each other or the opposite. Look forward to reading the sequel.

I'm hooked in this world! I can't wait to read the next book. I love paranormal and fantasy romance and this had so much I love in it. The Four Horseman and the apocalypse was such a good plot line and I loved the twists and turns.

I was completely fascinated by the storyline surrounding 'Pestilence'. So fascinated that I decided to take a chance on an author I have never known before just to see how a world invaded by the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse would cope. I'm glad I took a chance on this book.

I liked the heroine, Sara Burns, from the very first chapter. She's a strong and determined firefighter who is desperate to save her town and her family from experiencing the same wave of disease infecting the rest of the country. To do this she must sacrifice herself for the cause and attack one of the most feared Horseman to exist, Pestilence. Yikes! I don't envy her in that mission. There are moments where I was just as squeamish as Sara with the details of her attack on Pestilence. It's just as gritty and disturbing as other scenes in 'Pestilence', but I understood Sara's desperate need to protect the ones she loves.

Yes, there is a strange romance brewing in between the fighting and it is just as dark and angsty as you would expect in a apocalyptic situation.

If there is one downside to this story it deals with Pestilence. I wish I could have experienced his thoughts, at least in a few chapters. I would have liked to see the world (and Sara) through his eyes. It would have been interesting. I still loved this story, though, and I will definitely look into the author's other books in the future.

Oh my goodness gracious! Where to even begin cause this book is CRAZY!! Had me in a tight grasp from beginning to end cause like it has all these insane moments I had to back and reread it cause it just had me gasping! This is very much a dark romance!

"Pestilence" by Laura Thalassa is a total blast! It's the first book I've been totally obsessed with. The characters are awesome, and their journey from enemies to lovers is super exciting. The post-apocalyptic world is wild, and the romance is on fire. If you want a fun and thrilling read, this book gets five stars from me! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Four Horsemen series by Laura Thalassa
Post-Apocalyptic fantasy romance

Pestilence 3.75 stars
War 3 stars
Famine 4.25 stars
Death 4.25 stars

As you can tell by the name of the series these books feature the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (from the Bible, so there is a smattering of religious talk). For those of you seeing the genre as “fantasy romance“, a bit of clarification: the first three books are more fantasy with a romance subplot, whereas the fourth book focuses more on the romance. And these are only fantasy books in the sense that the titular characters are made-up beings with magical powers; otherwise this takes place in our world, and there are no other magical elements.
A word of warning to you all — I read these back to back, but I don’t think that was the best way to go. Spoiler alert: because these are post apocalyptic, they are dark. There’s a lot of death and destruction. A LOT. This makes for heavy reads full of despair. So maybe sprinkle in some fun reads in between, ok?

Pestilence was a great introduction to the world. The books span around 20 years, so this first one is at the beginning of the apocalypse. He also seemed to be one of the more “human” of the Horsemen (in addition to Death).
War didn’t work as much for me. He seemed almost robotic for most of the book. I also had some issues with some of the dialogue – the FMC is from Jerusalem, and we are almost 10 years into the apocalypse, so some of the slang and terminology she uses didn’t seem realistic.
Famine has a great FMC! She was a sex worker, so doesn’t have too much of a filter on her mouth. She was sassy and brash and lots of fun.
Death is where the romance ramped up, and it was a great finale to the series. Out of all of them he seemed the most sad about his duties. He’s got a job to do but he ain’t happy about it.

Overall I really enjoyed this reading experience, and would definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley & SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for this advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This latest edition to the Horsemen series tackles the arrival of Pestilence and the plague carrier's devotion to his task versus the need for humanity to prevent him from succeeding. Initially, I found the idea of a captive falling for her captor disturbing. It brought to mind other real-life instances when similar events (the Patty Hearst captivity, for one) occurred in history...Stockholm syndrome, I believe.

However, Thalassa does address a number of moral issues inherent in the premise, including following blindly a specific path without considering all the consequences. Readers willing to abstain from early judgment will find this an interesting read, although one that requires them to ponder the dilemmas that arise for both Pestilence and Sara. The graphic attempts to murder the immortal horseman are difficult for Sara and the reader, so be warned of that.

Honestly super surprised by how much I loved this book. I've been trying to get back into fantasy and I am really glad I got the opportunity to read this, this book is exactly what I needed. I can see where some people might not have an easy time reading it, but I actually enjoyed the entire thing from start to finish. The FMC trying to kill the MMC immortal, that was golden. He wasn't happy (obviously), and took her prisoner which gave me acotar vibes (i love acotar) and it was everything I needed in a fantasy. Definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in order for me to give my honest review! 3.5/5 stars

I had high expectation going into this book, the premise sounded really interesting with four horsemen coming to earth. However, it missed the mark for me. The focus was definitely on the romance, and even though I usually enjoy romance books, especially mixed with fantasy, I found it hard to connect with our couple. The ending was rushed but overall I still enjoyed the book. And I will be continuing the series!
Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took me about 50% of the book to really get into it. Overall I enjoyed it, but it didn’t really stick out to me. It’s the kind of book that I wouldn’t really recommend, but I also wouldn’t tell people not to read it if that makes sense. I’ll probably look into reading the other books as well, but they won’t be a high priority on my TBR. They follow different characters, so I don’t necessarily feel like I’m missing out on anything if I don’t get around to it.