I thought this book sounded amazing when I started it. The idea is a nice twist on the post-apocalyptic setting that we see so frequently. (What about the people who are left behind when everyone else goes away?) Sadly, the book fails in execution.

The writing it very slow. The author is descriptive, but rather than adding to the world, it makes it feel like the book is going nowhere. There is very little world building beyond what is in the description. We learn a little about why most of humanity converted, but almost nothing about the world as it is now. Characters are poorly developed, and their interactions do not make a lot of sense.



[SPOILER]
It would have made more sense for Maria to shoot Derek, rather than follow him and then travel with him. Also, the whole thing with the bike messenger was made out to be important, but the Believers did not really use the information she died to deliver.
[END SPOILER]


And then there is the end. What could have been a cool plot twist falls flat because the lead-up is poor.

Overall, this is not a bad book, but it is not one I think I would want to read again. Especially since I now know how it ends, which is what kept me reading in the first place.

Interesting premise and a relatively well developed plot and characters. Suffered from a bit of predictability, especially as twists start to show up towards the end, but still an enjoyable read.