Famine by Laura Thalassa
This is the 2nd time I've read this book. I received an ARC from NetGalley for the rerelease.

This is the third horseman book. As I read Famine, I kept thinking back to the previous two horsemen. Pestilence had the least amount of prolonged contact with humans before he captured Sara. War fights with a human army and wages war among humans. Famine was been tortured by humans for years. Each of the horsemen have their task, and each of them have their reasons. Reading Famine a second time, it really struck me how the horsemen have increasingly more contact with humans as the apocalypse goes on.

I also kept thinking about religion. From my own upbringing, the four horsemen of the apocalypse is a Christian bible thing, Revelations. Pestilence says "God isn’t Christian— just as God isn’t Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist or any other denomination. God is God.” Miriam is Jewish and Muslim, and the book begins in Jerusalem, probably the most religiously contested land on Earth. Ana is a sex worker, a profession vilified by so many religions, but a profession that is shown compassion by many prophets. So many themes to think about, sit with, and come back to.

I love that Ana is a sex worker. I love her snark. Famine is cruel. When we read Pestilence, we think he is cruel. War is just made for war really, but he isn't cruel. Famine is cruel. And you need a ball-busting, take no shit heroine for Famine. Ana is that. But she is also kind and empathetic. And that is the key to saving Famine, to saving humanity.

As the series moves on, the situation on Earth, with humanity, gets more and more dire. And so many themes mimic our current situation of climate collapse and late stage capitalism. Will we encounter the four horsemen in our lifetime?

My favorite quote of the book is this: "This land doesn’t belong to humans. It never has and it never will.”

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book in the four horseman series and you can see that the author tried to change major plot points so the story isn’t a direct copy of the previous two.

The first two leading ladies were almost virginal and the experience with the horsemen was enjoyable. In this story the leading lady is a sex worker and can impress our horseman with her skills.

The spice in this story was a slow burn then it was page after page of smut.

Now the love stories in the first two were better than this story. It was still good, but it was my least favorite so far.

All the trauma between our leading lady and the horseman was heart breaking. You can understand the horseman’s thirst to end humanity due to the abuse he has received. But on the other side the trauma Ana had received has still kept her compassionate and kind.

I am so eager for the final book as it seems that the characters from the first three books are returning in the fourth. Finally going to see the epic conclusion of this series!

The Four Horseman series offers mostly dark, sometimes campy, apocalyptic fantasy that revolves around each one of the divine agents of God’s Wrath falling for a human woman.

”𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙖 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚.”

Famine is the Horseman who is the most connected to the earth and the most detached from humanity. He is also the one who has the biggest grudge against us, for horrific reasons which are revealed in the early pages of his book. Hence, the extremes in method and satisfaction to which Famine takes to his duties.

“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚.”

Ana Da Silva is the twenty-two year old prostitute who provided a rare act of kindness to the Horseman when they crossed paths five years ago. Now, their present becomes entangled again and Famine is insistent that Ana becomes his travelling companion, to witness his work, and repay a debt.

Honestly, I really enjoyed both of the main characters. Famine is an intriguing mix of cruelty and innocence. He dispenses horror but has also suffered it firsthand. Towards the end, he still struggles with the concept of Forgiveness. My descriptors for Ana are “spunky, irreverent, and resilient.” She was orphaned, physically abused by her guardian, and then forced to sell her body for survival. Some readers have described her as “crass” but I see her as authentic. Despite her misfortunes, she demonstrates surprising altruism time and again. It’s these actions that give Famine pause and forces him to consider, for a time, postponing his mission.

Laura Thalassa’s writing is so smooth, well paced and original. I kept reading and reading and found Famine hard to put down. At times, Famine and Ana bickered like teenagers. The wit, emotion, and sensuality of Book 3 is on par with its predecessors, and I’m eager and happy to be diving right into the fourth and final book.

My thanks to the author and NetGalley for this opportunity to review a re-release ARC.

I was excited to delve into book three of The Four Horseman series as Pesticlient and War were so good. Famine, from the onset, felt like War but with different characters.

What I did like:
The heroine was brave and kind
There was a lot of action
I couldn't see how this book was end
Seeing an interaction with Death, I cannot wait for his book.

What I didn't like
Because it was book three, the author fell short of building the world for this one.
Famine seemed the cruelest of all the horsemen so far, which doesn't seem fathomable. I would have thought War would have been the most vicious.
I didn't believe their love story. Famine was so unlikeable I didn't see how the heroine could love him.
It was too slow; I skimmed some of the pages in the middle of the book.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I just reviewed Famine by Laura Thalassa. #NetGalley
www.netgalley.com

Just when you thought maybe another story wouldn't get better..
Baaam!! Here comes third book and OMG!! I couldn't put it down ..
Captivating. Dark. Angsty. Thrilling..
With more suspense and action..
The banter between these two was chef's kiss ..
Love the message between the lines .. and the reason why Famine is like that.
A perfect enemies to lovers to read
Cannot wait for book 4 !
.
Special thanks to Authir, Publisher and Netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange of my honest opinion.

"It's suicide," he calls out to my back.
I don't turn around. "It's revenge."
“Can't believe I'm trying to save a fucking horseman of the apocalypse.”
"I'm Famine, the Third Horseman of the Apocalypse, and I'm here to kill you all."
I read Pestilence. I read War. And when I started Famine … I thought there was no way the author could top the first two books. How I love being surprised!!!!!! It seems that the horsemen of the apocalypse can only get better the more gruesome and cruel and vengeful they’r get. This time, in an enemies to lovers romance, with forced proximity, grumpy sunshine trope, constant banter and touch her and die trope, Ana will try and take her own revenge on the monster she once saved, and who tried to unalive her. Their story is not the usual one. He is set in his purpose and she is still compassionate even after everything she has been through and has seen him doing. She has been used and abused repeatedly and still … not all humanity is bad. This is gonna be his undoing because not once in his asp abused experience on earth has a human, has he experienced such kindness and compassion as she the one is showing him. This book was cruel, painful, tough and very spicy. But underneath it all … it was a book about forgiveness !!!!! I loved it !! I loved it so much !!!! But after those last chapters … I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE LAST EPISODE !!!!
"The moment you touched her," the Reaper continues, "you were a marked man."
"Because around you," he says, "I feel the oddest urge to use my power to create rather than destroy."
“You broke me.
And in the process, I broke you.
And now I fear the only way we will ever be whole again is together, all your jagged edges nestled against mine.
Thate that I want that.
But I do.
I want to be whole with you.”

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for sending me this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I was very excited to continue with this series, because I was already hooked, and to be honest I am not surprised, Laura’s stories tend to capture you from the very beginning. I found this to be the funniest of them all, I enjoyed some of the interactions between Famine and Ana that were simply hilarious and found myself laughing out loud. I also loved Ana’s backstory and how she felt unworthy and how that feeling is what cracks the Reaper’s heart. I devoured it in a day and a half and there’s no shame in it.

1st read Sept 2022

Reread June 2023 from arc from sourcebooks bloom books and NetGalley🥰🥰

When I first read this series, I BINGE READ THE WHOLE BOOK IN THE SERIES WITHIN A WEEK and this will forever have a special place in my heart.

For this book, the 3rd book, we follow Ana, our sex worker heroine, and Famine, our 3 out of 4 horsemen. Famine’s way to destroy is by rotting all kind of crops and he has power connected with earth so he can control trees, crops, weather, etc.

I felt like famine is like the more cruel brother out of 4. But I have another brother that I know is the most cruelest😂 imo

The slowww burnnn iss sloowwwww. Buttt when Ana got hurt and Famine was trembled with fear not wanting Ana to hurt and demand a healer and finallyyyy he realize his feelings to her and kinda redeemed himself ONLY to her was sweet enough to put a smile on my face and lighten up my heart after a full week of oral exam at school🤧

WOW! I think Laura Thalassa is incapable of writing something that is not a masterpiece. Famine once again has blown me away and I am in love with the four horseman series, although they are explicit and gory you can't help but fall in love with the horsemen and their loves. In Famine I loved learning more about Ana's pas and the banter she has with Famine. I also love how unapologetic he is and the trope of 'he hates everyone but her' and we have a strong female character. Overall another amazing book that I literally couldn't put down and I loved reading this from start to finish.

2 stars

This book was War but with two different people and a different setting.
The world building still NONE.
The pacing was too slow.
The only good thing was that we finally meet Death, and l'm happy, so 2 stars for that.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The slow burn in this book!!! I am obsessed with Laura’s writing. I read this book in one sitting and couldn’t put it down because it was that good. The great banter, the characters, and the strong plot = AMAZING! On to the next!

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for the arc of this book.

"Famine" is the third installment of Thalassa's "The Four Horsemen" series. The book's main protagonists are Ana Da Silva, a sex worker living in Brazil, and Famine, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. While I enjoyed this book, as I do all of the Four Horsemen books, I felt conflicted with Famine in that his character's growth arc is a little shallower than the rest of them. Unlike his brothers before him, he never really reaches the point of understanding and co-exisiting comfortably with humanity. It seems like he remains as bitter toward the general populace as he is in the beginning of his story. His is also surprisingly the most gruesome story, since his bitterness toward mankind is not satisfied by simply seeing humanity wither away from starvation. He does, however, harbor believable and intense feelings for Ana. While I am not sure he deserves such an amazingly written and strong female character, she loves him back. In the end, the story is well written, striking, and clearly makes an impact.

🩶💚 Famine Review 💚🩶

Thank you so much to Laura Thalassa and netGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Famine is a dystopian fantasy romance and book 3 in the Four Horsemen series. It’s 24 years after the Horsemen first arrived, and Ana has been surviving in a brothel in small town Brazil. When her town discovers that Famine is on the way, they prepare tributes in hopes they’ll be spared. Ana herself is put up as a tribute from her desperate Madam, but things don’t go as planned and Famine orders their execution. When Ana wakes up, she finds herself all alone…everyone else is dead, and Famine is to blame…

I absolutely loved this book! Ana is such a fun character and I really enjoyed her relationship with Famine. Their sass and banter was absolutely wonderful and this book is such a great addition to this series! This book definitely has some tough triggers, so be sure to check the trigger warnings especially if you’re sensitive to kidnapping, torture and assault

Overall this was a 5 star read for me - while I’ve loved this whole series, this one has been my favorite so far!! I have a thing for slightly feral, unhinged characters so this was a fantastically fun read for me! This book was a little bit of a slow burn with some great tension but once it got there, it was worth the payoff - three flames for spice!

If you’re a fan of enemies to lovers, morally grey, possessive warrior men, and all the “touch her and d*e vibes”, then this series is absolutely for you!! Though each book is a standalone, I’d definitely recommend reading them in order for the best experience!

This may be (probably is) my favorite of the series so far. I absolutely loved their relationship and the slow burn was so good. The ending of this one was so crazy I can not wait for the next. I love that each of these take place in such different places and the stories are so different yet have the same elements. I can’t believe some of you had to wait a year for the last book.

Famine was so brutal you could quickly tell he has the least amount of humanity out of the brothers so far but everything he had been through who could blame him? Ana had been through so much also and just learned how to survive, she’s strong and fierce and a perfect match for him.

The four horsemen [Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death] came to earth to destroy humanity. Famine saves Ana once, then doesn't and leaves her for dead. After that second time, she is determined to deliver him pain...

Okay, let me start of by saying, I gradually like the Four Horsemen series as it continues to go on. Maybe it is because it progressively has that interconnected standalone vibe where you feel more of a connection to the characters as time goes on OR maybe it is because my morals continually get tossed out the window.

"I cannot ignore the way you draw me in, again and again."

The SLOW slow burn, enemies-to-lovers. Here me out: second-chance romance of sorts? I don't know if that is necessarily the correct trope name but it has the same feeling. I do think that you need to be fully on board with 'the villain gets the girl' trope to get behind these books but I am all for a villain love interest. And lets not forget that ending?!?! Insane.

This one was so brutal and raw, and I absolutely loved every minute of it. There's just something about seeing these savage immortals sent to destroy the world breaking for their women.

Ana was by far my favorite of the FMCs so far. She is sassy and fierce and every bit the badass. These stories continue to send you on a rollercoaster of emotions, one more brutal than the next.

Thank you to Bloom, Laura Thalassa, and NetGalley for the eARC for this book.

I love this series so much. It's by no means a literary masterpiece, it's not exquisitely written, but it is sweet. Each book has close to the same formula, but I don't care. I love the protective "touch her and die" trope and that will never change.

Ana is a spitfire. She's spunky and ready to fight for herself if needed. She knows what she wants. The scenes between Famine and Ana were better than the previous ones, though I do wish the spicy scenes incorporated more exploration. More... "demonstrating"... of Ana's profession. The recipe was there and I feel it underdelivered a wee bit.

Regardless, these are fun and I enjoyed the ride!

This may have been my favourite book in the series, purely because the characters are broken and damaged but grow so beautifully into the characters you end up loving by the end of it. Like the other books in the series, the plot, growth, and building of the world continue to get better as you read on. There is something to be said about how Laura writes and created a world for this series to take place in. The story continues to grow and shape the way the reader looks at the horsemen and how as a reader you feel for them.

This was definitely an enjoyable book & one I'll happily read over and over again because it's my favourite of the series!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mais uma vez, a Laura trocou-me as voltas. Enquanto que, nos livros anteriores, vemos as torturas aos cavaleiros no fim dos livros, neste, começamos o livro a testemunhar a barbaridade do ser humano.

A história acompanha Ana, que conhece Famine quando é uma adolescente e o encontra à beira da estrada, torturado e mutilado. Conhecer Famine quando este está neste estado fez-me, imediatamente, sentir compaixão. E é isso que Ana sente por ele.
Famine, no entanto, está cego de ódio e desejo de vingança. A sua missão de destruir a humanidade tornou-se pessoal e este destrói a cidade de Ana.

Os dois voltam a encontrar-se anos depois, quando Famine passa pela nova cidade onde Ana assentou e a Madame da casa onde Ana começou a prostituir-se a oferece ao Horseman.
Este não reconhece Ana e dá ordens para a matarem.
E este ponto, é daqueles que eu mais gostei... Death não a leva..🥺

Ana acorda numa pila de corpos, o seu corpo marcado pelas dezenas de vezes que foi esfaqueada, e decide acabar com Famine.

Aqui, as coisas voltam ao padrão: ele não a mata, mantém-a ao seu lado e mata quem ousar tocar-lhe. (Quem não gosta de uma vide: Touch her and I'll kill you?? 😏)

Os poderes de Famine foram uma surpresa, principalmente, quando ele falou com uma das plantas 🥺

Gostei da determinação da Ana e da ausência de filtros 😅

Famine foi o primeiro cavaleiro a falar sobre todas as torturas que sofreu durante os anos em que esteve preso e... Não tenho palavras para o horror e crueldade. Vê-lo passar pelo desmembramento duas vezes, deu-me a volta ao estômago e não tinha como julgá-lo por odiar os humanos e não acreditar que somos capazes/dignos de redenção. 🥺😢

O momento em que eles confessam o que sentem 🥺❤️
O final do livro é 🤯🤯🤯
Por cinco minutos odiei Death. 😒

Mais uma vez: estes livros são um processo. Leiam com mente aberta. Prometo que valem a pena

Famine is such a tortured soul and has been through so much that it’s so hard to be mad at him when he’s a jerk. The slow burn is sooooo good! I think he might be my favorite out of this series. Definitely another well written book in this series.