Review Detail

'Autumn in the City of Angels' by Kirby Howell is an addictive dystopian read that reads so smoothly that it will feel as though you are watching a movie. It doesn't hurt that the writers, Dana Melton and Jessica Alexander, who write under the pen name Kirby Howell, met while in a script writing class at the University of Alabama. Their attention to detail in regards to how the world might look if a disaster occurred is striking.

Lovers of contemporary realistic young adult novels will enjoy venturing into this dystopian world, as it starts out in the present day, when an epidemic is sweeping the Los Angeles and surrounding areas, and maybe even the world. Autumn is thrust into the unknown, navigating how to live her life in the confines of her apartment while her parents, best friend, and anyone else she knows has been killed by the Crimson Fever that has infected them. She lives her life alone for a while, yet soon finds comfort with a teenage boy, Ben, and his younger sister, Rissi, who are also trying to scrape by and find a way for themselves after losing their own father to the Crimson Fever. The novel was made even more realistic by taking the setting of Los Angeles one step further and making Autumn's eventual hideout the area underneath Hollywood High School, a landmark of sorts in the LA area. This made the action seem even more real than how it already came across.

Before meeting Ben and Rissi, Autumn tries to join up with a group called The Front, yet they turn out to be not what they seem, and then she meets a boy named Grey who says he will return for her when it is safe. Despite her waiting, he never comes, but through a series of events, she comes upon him yet again, and is enthralled by him. Her infatuation only grows as she spends more time with him, and she learns that he has secrets that may threaten to tear apart their new and fragile relationship. At first it may seem like the twist that is revealed about Grey does not work so well and is somewhat unbelievable, but it quickly takes shape and seems totally fitting for the storyline.

One might wonder if anyone survived beyond the basic vicinity that the vast majority of the novel takes place in. Even though readers are made to expect that Autumn's parents have been killed by the Crimson Fever that has seemingly swept the globe, there is no real way to know exactly how much of the population was infected beyond the Los Angeles and surrounding area in which the book is set. With sequels of the novel available, it will be interesting to find out if this is touched upon in any further detail.

'Autumn in the City of Angels' will not only satisfy the cravings of readers of both dystopian and contemporary realistic genres, but it ends with a gripping revelation that will leave readers aching for more.