‘THE END OF THE WORLD,’ BY AMY MATAYO
[The End of the World] is a five-star caliber read. It’s raw. It’s real. It packs a sucker punch.
The End of the World, by Amy Matayo | Book Review
REVIEW: The face of adult fiction has changed by leaps and bounds since I began reading it as a young teen. More specifically this statement caters to the realm of inspirational (or Christian) fiction since, for many years, that was my jam. This is for a variety of reasons not the least of which is authors having more creative control through the implosion of independent publishing. One of these authors is Amy Matayo. Her latest novel is a risk. A risk that so far, is earning rave reviews.
Inside the pages of The End of the World, Amy crafts magic. Not the ordinary kind of magic one might associate with a fairy tale or otherworldly fable, rather it’s a kind of dark magic that finds its blank space of impossibilities and floods it with breathtaking, heartbreaking, and healing possibilities. There are some novels, no matter how hard a reviewer tries, that simply cannot be accurately described in mere words. Or that is a dilemma I find myself in with too great a frequency. This novel is one of those. the end of the world
NOVELLA REVIEW | ‘JUST ONE SUMMER’
‘THE END OF THE WORLD,’ BY AMY MATAYO #bookarchives Share on XRich storytelling is a consistent plug throughout the entire novel rather than just playing to being a one-dimensional plot thread. Amy wrote this as if it were something dear to her heart, which is obvious from the opening paragraphs of the book because it’s a beautifully controversial story with extraordinary results. Whether or not I simply spaced when it came time to reading the book or I didn’t pay close enough attention to the synopsis, the one thing that took me by surprise was how young its male lead is when the story opens.
Damaged in so many ways is this story. But it’s BECAUSE of these shattered pieces that this book (or characters if you like) is strong. Heartbreaking might even feel too common because of all that Shaye has gone through. Her life is messy and complicated, and because of how she was treated, she felt she deserved nothing better. Exquisitely written to page, as a form of redemption (for her), there was a boy who came along who tenderly showed her otherwise.
This is a novel tough to describe. There’s nothing easy about it, which is why this is a five-star caliber read. It’s raw. It’s real. It packs a sucker punch. Just when you think these characters are fully able to heal, their past rears its ugly head again. The writing is brilliant. The characters are memorable, and the book difficult to put down. In short, it’s a keeper that will stay with you long after its final page.
About the Book:
Author: Amy Matayo
Publisher: SYGProductions (Indie Published)
Source: Author Provided (Launch Team)
Publication Date: 2016
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Genre: Fiction; Inspirational, Contemporary (New Adult)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Content: while there is nothing graphic or distasteful in this novel, be aware this is a PG13 book. Conversation deals with child abuse (sexual), a woman engages in unhealthy physical relationships (a child results from one) and abortion is a topic discussed.
Sincere thanks to the author for providing a complimentary e-copy of this book for reviewing purposes.
Beautifully written, Rissi, as always. I'm so glad you loved this story xo
I very much did, Rel. Thank you (and to Amy!) for thinking of me. This is going to be one of those books I'm going to relish re-reading. :)
Hugs.
This review got me. Thank you so much, Rissi. :)
My pleasure, Amy. THANK YOU for writing this story. It's genuinely beautiful in a real and raw kind of way that is rare but so lovely to discover in fiction. :)
Ahhhh, this is such a beautifully perfect review for this book, Rissi! You explained everything that I couldn’t find the words to say in my own. Glad you liked it as much as I did – it's definitely a keeper as you said! :) Oh and by the way, I'm loving all the little changes you made to your blog. It looks fabulous!
I very much doubt that, Bekah (this reminds me, I need to swing by Will Bake for Books again and read YOUR review). I'm sure yours is an amazing review, explanation of this story.
I most certainly did love this story. It's hard because it's not a pleasant story in the same sense of a lighthearted read, but it was so elegant and beautiful. It's 100% a novel I'll read again if only to enjoy the nuances I missed. :)
Thanks! I'm TRYING so hard to find a template that works. I liked the one I had before this but the HTML was coded more like a WordPress blog which quickly grew old (I was constantly having to edit posts in HTML instead of my "compose" regular text tab). But in the meantime I've having fun making some tweaks and small changes – likely there are more to come. ;) All this to say, I appreciate you and readers letting me know when something works – I always strive for easier reader and a pleasant place to visit. :)
This sounds like an interesting direction for Amy to go, but I think she definitely can pull it off. I somehow missed this one and am going to be adding it to my tbr and grabbing a copy soon. Great review, as always!
I definitely think she did indeed pull it off, Tressa. It takes a talented author to accomplish a story like this, and Amy is definitely such a writer. Hope you enjoy this one, and thanks so much for reading. :)
This is such a beautiful story, isn't it? So very different and I confess that I wasn't sure I would like it upon reading the synopsis. But I was seriously blown away by Amy's skill with this story! As you said, it's raw and haunting and sucked me in from the first chapter. I love my happy romance stories to bits, but the hope to found in this one….just wow! :)
I know what you mean, Kara. Some books earn this reaction from me as well. Fortunately, this one was a stunner. I'm thrilled to have read it. (I'll admit one such book was DMK; when I paged through upon receiving it, I was skeptical.)
This one is happy in its own unique way and finding it through the darkness makes it all the more worthwhile. :)