Review Detail

There is a lot to unpack with this book. It's advertised as a "next" hunger games and while I can understand the comparison once the end of the novel was reached, I don't think it's fair to compare.

The story does focus on a sister trying to save another from a controlled government but that's where it really ends.

Readers are introduced to Fox and Rabbit trying to infiltrate a healing center to steal necessary medication to take back to their home. As a wanderer living outside of the domes, they are left to fend for themselves against the storms that ravage the Earth and ravengers, who can be just as dangerous.

During their recon mission, Rabbit ends up staying behind while Fox finishes the mission. It's soon discovered that Rabbit is naturally immune to the newest virus that is spreading wildly and can be a future hope for humankind. Fox doesn't like that her sister was taken and now wants to get her back.

So the story goes. Fox and her friends join the storm runners to try and get closer to Rabbit to rescue her. The book is about their trials trying to pass challenges and become full Storm Runners. It really wasn't bad itself and I enjoyed the development of the characters and how they bonded during the trials.

However, Fox to me, wasn't the best main character. I found her exceptionally whiny and a lot of her actions didn't make sense. I did enjoy the representation of someone with a disability getting through the trials but the way the system works - it didn't make sense. Healthy people got sent to the harvest house so it's hard to see how Fox would get through. Although, I'm glad she went against the grain and did. There were just a lot of choices that were just too convenient in order to push the story.

I also wish we got more of how the world got to the way it was. Why are the storms so rampant? How did society get to the way it was?

Overall, Climate of Chaos wasn't a horrible read. I really enjoyed the trials and how everything developed. The characters overall developed in an enjoyable way and I did like reading their story. However, there was a lot to be still desired. I wasn't a huge fan of Fox and I thought the world could use more. I also didn't know this wasn't a standalone. Even though I had some issues with this book, I will mostly likely continue the series when the next book is released.

AUDIO REVIEW
Jesse Vilinsky lends her voice to this story. And I have mixed feelings, again. She does an amazing job bringing such feeling into this story. With the amount of emotion she allows during her narration, the dystopian setting is unsettlingly real. However, it also leads into why I felt Fox was such a whiny character. I also don't listen to my audiobooks on headphones always so the change of Jesse going to a softer voice where I could barely hear, really didn't work for me. I did not enjoy having to continuously change the volume of the audiobook. I would still recommend the audio though as it does add a depth to this story.