I zipped through all three books in the series within 24 hours. I read until the wee hours of the morning, unable to stop. The problem now is the review. It’s hard to separate one book from the others because I read all three without taking a breath (you know what I mean).

Bea had prepared for an event, stashing weapons, tools and seeds. She had planned to be there for her four granchildren, but that was not to be. I love that we follow Bea through all three books. Is she a ghost? A metaphysical manifestation of energy? Because of her planning, the group has a place to start. It’s not long before Keno realizes they will have to leave their haven if they want to survive.

Keno had dreamt of his Nana, Bea, telling him he will know what to do as he sets out to scavenge. He meets Richie, who he quickly realizes could be a font of information.

Keno is haunted by his nightmares and does not want to be the leader he has become, but someone has to take charge. Danger is encroaching on them.

There are numerous characters that rise to the front. One of my favorite is Mazie. She is an adorable eight year old girl, who I quickly grew to love her.

In this first book of the Braving The Light Series, If Darkness Takes Us by Brenda Marie Smith, she quickly lures me into their lives. Circumstances steal the children’s childhood, making them grow up fast, facing danger and learning to take care of themselves, having to working together to survive.

We don’t have any zombies, but we do have The Walking Dead Vibe. The scavenging, the scarcity of food, and all the other complexities of an apocalyptic life, just not as intense. You never really know someone until an apocalypse happens, and is there anything worse than teenage testosterone?

As I delve into book two, If The Light Escapes, the pace picks up, the suspense rises, and conflicts arise amongst the group. ( )

*Recieved an ARC in exchange for a review*

What drew me to the book is that it centers on a grandma and her grandchildren, rather than a group of young adults or kids. And Bea’s fierce devotion to her grandchildren and children rings true - she loves them dearly and is willing to do anything for them.

Unfortunately, the grandkids are SO annoying. Maybe that rings the true for people who have teenagers, but the fact that this serious event occurred and they still remained willful and bratty was incredibly frustrating. A little of that falls on Bea, who wasn’t able to give them as much attention and supervision as they deserved. But it seems like common sense to avoid pregnancy in a post-apocalyptic scenario (and not to argue about it when someone explains this to you [especially when your argument boils down to “our parents did it and you were fine”]).

The writing didn’t quite meet my expectations, either - it seemed a little clunky and overly casual at times.

But the premise is good and fairly unique. ( )