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Title: Instructions for the End of the World
Author: Jamie Kain
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Publisher: Macmillan
Release Date: December 8, 2015
Pages: 224

 

Review:

I wish that I could give “Instructions for the End of the World” a better review.  It was a book with so much potential that went flat in the early chapters.  It seems as though the author tried to take on too many plots, and that caused a neglect of the main one.  It tried to be many things and did not succeed in any of them.

There is one good thing that I can say about the book, and that is that the central characters were extremely well-developed.  There is quite a bit of back-story combined with the details of their current circumstances.  Had it been limited to the three of them, the book may have turned out very differently.  Unfortunately, there were way too many minor characters.  Only a few could have been briefly mentioned and it not changed the story at all.  It is told through four alternating points of view, and one of them is completely unnecessary to anything.  It was an annoyance to even waste time with her sections.

The main storyline was a good idea in theory, but there were at least three other subplots that made the flow virtually non-existent.  While I understand that not every story can have a resolution, some of these were completely dropped or finished in a rush.  Some of them contained important and heavy themes, so it seems all the more important to either give them the respect and time they deserve or just leave them out completely.

I can’t recommend “Instructions for the End of the World” to anyone.  It was too frustrating and disjointed to be enjoyable.  The only reason I gave it two stars instead of one is for character development.

This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

Content Warning:

Language, Sexual Situations, Dubious Consent, Drug Abuse, Alcohol Abuse, Child Neglect