Edge of Collapse: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival Thriller

This book had me hooked right out of the starting gate. Kyla Stone creates believable characters that you love and hate. A story of uncertainty and fear you feel. It is a story within a story about difficult decisions, relationships, determination, and survival that made it feel real. Her tension building had me saying , just one more chapter. If you like thriller, suspense and post apocalyptic stories I highly recommend it.

I'd almost rate this 4.5 stars I enjoyed it that much. I found the story really entertaining and it moved at a good pace. I haven't read anything quite like this before which is probably why it took me by surprise and had me enjoying the ride. While I love apocalyptic reads, I've never read one post-EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse for those not in the know... Which was totally me yesterday lol). The pulse comes from unknown origins but knocks out all electronic devices in what seems to be the most of the U.S.A. As a result, the country is thrown into chaos. I didn't know a lot about this book going in and I think that amped up my enjoyment of the story. If you want to go in blind, too, maybe skip this next bit. When the EMP hits, Hannah escapes the prison she's been kept in for 5 years. She's on the verge of probable death due to the biting cold when she crosses the path of Liam, a former special forces soldier with his own demons. Without spoiling too much, they forge on together as Hannah is desperate to be united with her husband and son in their small town she was taken from. The major problem (I mean, apart from the bitter snow, the EMP and the world going berserk)? They're being hunted by her former captor and Hannah is pregnant. While I probably would have liked a bit more detail on Hannah's captivity, I loved how the author didn't gloss over her PTSD. I thought it was handled well, especially since it was a shorter read. For lovers of romance such as myself, there's none to be found here so far, but it honestly didn't bother me because the story drew me in so much. I'm also going to assume there's a bit more of this further on in the series. Hannah and Liam were both solid characters. The story was told from both of their points of view as well as several chapters from their stalker. I'm not gonna lie, I loved this and thought it added extra depth to the story. The story is set out in days. I thought the week or so was a bit of a short time frame for the world to descend into such madness. I mean, I get it, but it seemed to jump to extremes a bit quickly for the purpose of adding drama. That's a minor thing, however, as I found the story line great and the writing solid. As I said above, it was a quick read but it sure packed a punch. There was a lot of well-executed tension, suspense and drama which is why I finished it in a day or so. Obviously due to the background of the female lead, there's elements of abuse, torture and forced captivity touched on for anyone with triggers. The antagonist is ruthless and brutal, causing a few ickier moments that helped ramp things up a bit. You get a few snippets of the main characters' past but there are plenty of gaps that I assume continue to be filled in in later books. As this is a series, there's only temporary closure with Hannah and Liam's story being far from over. I'll definitely be continuing with this series in the future.

Excellent book - I highly recommend this series!!! A real page turner and kept me interested the whole time.

An amazing story, it gripped me from the first page!! It's a quick read that really has "Last of us" vibes. I gobbled it up in 2 days!

I wanted to love this book. It was fast paced and exciting. The plot was a very cool idea. However, there was no resolution at the end. Every thriller or romantic suspense series that I’ve read at least resolves some of the story, even if it's ending with a cliffhanger. This one does not. Basically, I want a standalone within a series. This is not that. I want to know what happens with the rest of the story, but unfortunately I won’t be continuing the series. If it was just one more book, sure, I’d read it. But there are 7.5 books total and I'm just so disappointed with this ending that I don't want to read the rest.

Interesting approach to this genre. It is different, just wondering if author can avoid predictable like others that others have fallen into such as: Having a super villain in form of Pike as escaping only to reappear through this series. When I have discovered this trend - I have automatically stopped supporting the author by refusing to waste my time and money in purchasing anymore books.

Easy to slip into… Hard as Hell to put down!

Dystopian novels are a departure from what I usually read. I read 4 or 5 books a week but a change was needed. I've read a few of these post- apocalyptic books including "The Lost Lake Series" by Kate Hewitt which I also liked but this series by Kyla Stone really caught me. I was captured from book one. There are 7 in this series. The dog, Ghost was a special treat also. The first book in the series received a 4.14 on Goodreads which is usually a good barometer for me along with the Amazon reviews. So, using my opportunity with Kindle Unlimited to get this book, it led me to read the entire series. I am testifying that these books were captivating. She writes well and the books were well edited too. With the series, I had the added advantage of a long read which I prefer. Being connected to the character development throughout the series and the dog, Ghost was just an incredible reading experience. I have consumed her additional series with relish. I believe Edge of Collapse was my favorite series but that could be due to its unique initial appeal to me. I just checked out her Lost Light series since I am working my way through all of her series. I like historical fiction, modern fiction and even some of the newer genre of westerns (this was also a surprise to me) and now these post-apocalyptic books. Takes my mind off the news today and keeps me distracted. Some of the occurrences in our world today do not seem quite so disturbing.

This author has absolutely nailed it. Her characters ring true, as do the plots and the ambience. One of the best stories I have ever read. The whole series kept me engaged from the first word to the last. In my opinion, Kyla Stone is up there with the best of them. Stephen White, Lee Child (Jim Grant) etc. The only thing she has to avoid to not make the same mistake is never allow Tom Cruise to be cast as Liam when the seties is adapted for Betflix...and it SHOULD be adapted for Netflix because it's a genuinely fantastic, very believable story. Well done, Kyla.

The entire book is an introduction to book 2. The reader is abruptly tossed off a reasonably good storyline without any suitable conclusion. Avoidable

I binged read this. Bought and finished in one day. Excitement, thrilling and fast reading. The story draws your interest from beginning to end can't wait to read book 2 already ordered. Only snag story too short.

Deze post-apocalyptische overlevings thriller is spannend tot de laatste bladzijde. De karakters wordengoed opgebouwd en door de hoofdstukken per karakter te beschrijven komen ze tot helemaal leven. Als je dit boek uit hebt, kun je niet anders dan het volgende boek (Edge of Madness) willen lezen. Tip: Lees ook Chaos Rising. Het verhaal zet je tot nadenken over hoe afhankelijk de moderene mens wel niet is geworden van allerlei electronica en technologie.

I absolutely loved this book and read it in a day. The tensions between the two main characters, Liam and Hannah, are well drawn and the dog, Ghost, I really fell in love with. The story moves along at a fair clip and readers are not left hanging about waiting for the next event. I loved the descriptions of the snowy landscape and the little survival hacks, such as the cotton wool balls soaked in Vaseline. The writing is clear and the author really knows how to tell a story. At times I actually felt as though I was there in the snow and freezing cold. This book is well worth 5 stars. However I have only given it 4 stars because to my utter disappointment, when I tried to buy the next book in the series this morning after I finished this one (that is how much I enjoyed it), I found it is only available in Kindle format. I do not have a Kindle. Neither do I want one. Reading from one hurts my eyes. I am sure I am not the only person to prefer the smell and feel of a paperback book to a Kindle so why can't this series continue in paperback format? As it is I am just left hanging because it is clear from the ending of the first two books that there are a great many questions left that need an answer, including the fate of the two babies and the murderous Gavin Pike. If the author reads these reviews it would be appreciated if she could explain why the series cannot continue in book form because if she had I would have purchased all the books in this series and this review would have been a 5 star and would not have ended with a complaining question. After I submitted this review, complete with its whinging, I was suddenly able to buy a paperback copy of the next book in the series. I don't know if the whinging caused it but since I have been able to read the next book, which is just as good. I can now edit my review and award this book the 5 stars it deserves! Many thanks Ms Stone. Keep going!