BLOG TOUR: A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen

I'm really pumped to be a part of the Blog Tour for A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen. As soon as I glimpsed the synopsis, I knew I wanted to read it. I was provided with a free copy for honest review from the publisher. Thanks so much to MIRA Books and Mike Chen for letting me be a part of this fun tour.

Title: A Beginning at the End

Author: Mike Chen

Published by: MIRA Books

Released: January 14, 2020

Source: Review Copy from Publisher

Goodreads   Amazon

Synopsis: "Compelling, realistic, and impossible to put down."—Booklist, Starred Review

"Sci-fi fans will delight in this lovingly rendered tale."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"A brilliant, fragile path through the darkness."—Library Journal, Starred Review
How do you start over after the end of the world? 
Six years after a global pandemic wiped out most of the planet’s population, the survivors are rebuilding the country, split between self-governing cities, hippie communes and wasteland gangs.
In postapocalyptic San Francisco, former pop star Moira has created a new identity to finally escape her past—until her domineering father launches a sweeping public search to track her down. Desperate for a fresh start herself, jaded event planner Krista navigates the world on behalf of those too traumatized to go outside, determined to help everyone move on—even if they don’t want to. Rob survived the catastrophe with his daughter, Sunny, but lost his wife. When strict government rules threaten to separate parent and child, Rob needs to prove himself worthy in the city’s eyes by connecting with people again.
Krista, Moira, Rob and Sunny are brought together by circumstance, and their lives begin to twine together. But when reports of another outbreak throw the fragile society into panic, the friends are forced to finally face everything that came before—and everything they still stand to lose. 

Because sometimes having one person is enough to keep the world going. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

My Thoughts: One of my buzzwords is post-apocalyptic. I love that stuff. There's just something about the world falling apart and survivors having to figure out what to do to keep on living. Anytime a book has that premise, I'm in. So, I read the synopsis for A Beginning at the End, I knew I had to read it.

I definitely enjoyed A Beginning at the End. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but I still really enjoyed it. It's a slightly different take on a post-apocalyptic tale. We are really focused on four lives trying to move past and live in this new world. It's not so much a tale that centers on the disaster and death and mayhem of an apocalyptic event, but more on how survivors move past that and learn to live again. It was definitely an interesting read. I did like it.

It's a slower paced read, which could work for some people and not for others. It's one you have to stick with, but it's definitely worth it.

I liked the setting of San Francisco. It definitely had that sense of place and gave a permanence to the story. It's also kind of unique because in most post-apocalyptic stories, characters leave the city first thing.

I enjoyed following our four characters in this story. Watching them grow and come to terms with their world was nice.

I'm glad I got to experience A Beginning at the End. It was a unique post-apocalyptic tale and it's worth a read.

Thanks so much to MIRA Books for providing me with an early copy for honest review.

Mike Chen is a lifelong writer, from crafting fan fiction as a child to somehow getting paid for words as an adult. He has contributed to major geek culture websites (The Mary Sue, The Portalist), covered the NHL for mainstream media outlets, and ghostwritten corporate articles appearing in Forbes, Buzzfeed, Enterpreneur, and more. A member of SFWA and the Codex Writers group, Mike calls the San Francisco Bay Area home, where he can often be found playing video games and watching Doctor Who with his wife, daughter, and rescue animals.

Thanks for stopping by my Blog Tour Stop for A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen. If the apocalypse is your thing, I'd definitely recommend checking it out.