ARC Review: Apocalypse 5 by Stacey Rourke

Apocalypse Five
Author: Stacey Rourke
Length: 250 Pages
Published: February 12, 2019 (Black Spot Books)
Rating:  

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Goodreads Synopsis: The end of the world is coming. How or when, scientists can’t agree upon. For decades, Earth’s best line of defense has been a team of young soldiers known as the Apocalypse Five, forced into virtual reality simulations to train for Doom’s Day. But, this is no game. Death on the grid is brutally final and calls up the next in a long line of cadets. Stationed aboard the AT-1-NS Starship, the A5 are celebrities thrust into the limelight by a calling they didn’t choose. All it takes is one unscheduled mission, showing seventeen-year-old team leader Detroit a harsh and unfathomable reality, to shake the A5’s belief in all they thought they knew. After questioning people with the power to destroy them, the team is framed for a crime they didn’t commit and marked for death. Now, the hunt is on. Can the Apocalypse Five expose the truth the starship would kill to keep hidden? Or, will their bravery end in a public execution?

Rourke catapults the reader into action right from the first chapter and maintains a fast pace throughout the book; treating the readers to firefights, betrayal, and heroism. The Apocalypse Five unit is made up of top soldiers that train to aid the home world in the event of an apocalypse. A public blunder by one of the teammates serves as a catalyst for the end. Detroit and her team are forced to flee the ship and discover that everything they thought they knew is a lie and find their enemy has a familiar face.

The characters were enjoyable even if I didn’t feel attached to any of them like some of the other books I read. I enjoy flawed characters that allow growth throughout a story, though I was disappointed by the lack of growth and character depth in this book. Augusta seemed to be the only character with any real growth, though it was limited to his relationship with alcohol. Houston’s reaction to his own crisis confused and frustrated me. When you are in the midst of running for your life from a seemingly all-powerful evil, you don’t get the luxury of not using a weapon. That puts your team-mates lives in danger and is ultimately selfish and cowardly.
The world creation was very well done up on the ship but it felt like it got lost in the action as the storyline progressed. The background regarding the clans and the general status of the planet as a whole needs a more thorough set up. The action scenes took precedence and as a result I, am left wondering about how the division happened. That said, I’m confident that the issues I’ve noticed can, and will be, addressed in the rest of the books in the series.

While I haven’t bonded to any of the characters yet, I’m hopeful that Rourke will be able to incorporate some of the character depth that I was missing in the next book. Ultimately though, I really enjoyed Apocalypse Five and plan on reading the next book.

**I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley at my own request. This does not influence my thoughts or opinions.