Synopsis: Thirty-year-old Zoe leads an ordinary life until the end of the world arrives. She is cleaning cages and floors at Pope Pharmaceuticals when the President of the United States announces that human beings are no longer a viable species. When Zoe realizes that everyone she loves is disappearing, she starts running. Scared and alone in a shockingly changed world, she embarks on a remarkable journey of survival and redemption. Along the way, Zoe comes to see that humans are not defined by their genetic code, but rather by their actions and choices. White Horse offers hope for a broken world, where love can lead to the most unexpected places.

Review: I’m not generally into the whole “zombies taking over the world after a horrific disease wipes out most of the human race”, but White Horse hooks you in with the first paragraph. The writing style is quite abrupt, written in a way that it’s more like short diary entries. It jerks you back and forth between “then” and “now” – aka pre-apocalypse and post, and never lingers too long in one setting, keeping you thoroughly engrossed.

Working as a janitor for a pharmaceutical company to pay off her college debts, 30 year old Zoe is trying to cope with the tragic loss of her husband. Things for Zoe get worse when she returns home from work and unexpectedly discovers a mysterious ancient urn in her living room, that of course, wasn’t there when she left. Feeling as though she’s losing her mind, Zoe has her sister convince her to see a therapist – insert charming doctor love interest here. She tells Nick about the jar, but instead of the truth, she tells him that it’s a recurring dream, and describes the terror it instils in her.

In the “Now” setting, Zoe encounters few humans alive, and even fewer that have not mutated into grotesque beings. Never giving too much away, Adams weaves the origins and consequences of this disease slowly, yet perfectly into the plot. We meet one of Zoe’s few companions, the unlikely and unassuming teenage girl, who has suffered at the hands of her father and uncle. The Swiss is a constant evil presence as well – possibly the most disgusting antagonist I have recently encountered, who has lost all compassion for the human race.

It’s easy to feel empathetic towards Zoe’s mission. The desperation that Adams instils to describes Zoe’s plight is palpable; you need her to succeed. You need her to save herself and her unborn baby. But with so many obstacles to overcome, and having Zoe being hindered at every turn, it’s difficult to imagine her getting out of any of this alive. A bit dramatic, I know. But there really is no other way to describe it.

A page turner until the last, Adams powerfully weaves tiny strands of hope throughout infinite desolation, and has the reader doubting humanity along with our heroine, but always making sure we grasp desperately to that hope. At times, very vivid descriptions were used to describe what was a desolate and terrifying new world, so a good night time read, if like me, you love a good scare. I’ve heard this is going to be part of a trilogy as well, so something to look forward to in the near future!

Rating: 4 out of 5

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