Early Review – American Rapture by CJ Leede (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Apocalyptic/Horror
Length: 372 pages
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Release Date: October 15, 2024
ASIN: B0CQHMBG1Y
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from NetGalley
Rating: 4/5 stars
“A virus is spreading across America, transforming the infected and making them feral with lust.
Sophie, a good Catholic girl, must traverse the hellscape of the midwest to try to find her family while the world around her burns. Along the way she discovers there are far worse fates than dying a virgin…
The end times are coming.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley of this from NetGalley for review.
Thoughts: I really liked this. It is a gory and disturbing apocalyptic read. The story was incredibly engaging and hard to put down. I enjoyed the main character’s journey from mind-washed Catholic teen to a more self-confident and self-thinking woman.
Sophie is raised in a rigid Catholic family. She does not have a phone or exposure to outside news. Her life is very restricted; she is only allowed to read certain books at the library, she goes to a Catholic school with a very strict curriculum, and she lives a small and very sheltered life. However, when people start getting sick, some of them start getting sick in a way that leaves them sexually manic and violently insane. When the sickness spreads to Sophie’s home town, she finds herself not only fighting for survival but questioning the ideals she was raised under in a hardcore way.
This is an uncomfortable and distressing read. There is a lot of violence, including sexual violence and violence against a pet. However, I thought the writing style and content really fit the story well. This story also has a lot of heart and focuses on the bright spots of humanity in the midst of so much pain and darkness.
Sophie grows a lot as a character. She is forced to confront realities outside of the small sphere she’s been living in in a very sudden and shocking way. Humanity has turned into a mess of freakish sexual humans that are literally attacking and eating each other in violent ways. Unfortunately, there are other elements of humanity that are more evil because they are chosen. Sophie has to take an extreme step back to consider the awful things people are doing under the guide of religious righteousness. In the end, Sophie is left re-considering what it means to be family and what it means to be a “good”.
I loved the close and trusting relationship Sophie forms with a dog in this book, and I loved how she builds a sort of new family for herself. There is a lot in here about what it means to be evil, religious brainwashing, and the crazy stuff humans do during a zombie/viral apocalypse.
I also found it strangely endearing that the characters spend part of their time hiding out at House on a Rock, which I have visited a couple of times. Yes, it is as weird of a place as it is described to be and just as creepy too. I have always found House on a Rock to be oddly intriguing and would recommend a visit if you are in the mood for something truly odd and slightly disturbing.
As with many apocalyptic books I read, I found the ending a bit unsatisfying but realistic. The story ends on a somewhat hopeful note.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this is a visceral and vicious read that I found strangely engaging. I enjoyed the characters and their growth throughout the story. I also enjoyed a lot of the irony in here around how Sophie had to reevaluate her whole upbringing in a whole new light. A lot of this story is uncomfortable to read; there is extreme sexual violence and just violence in general. So if that is not your cup of tea, I would skip this. However if you enjoy viscous zombie apocalypse novels with some heart I would recommend it.
