booksliveforever

When I first read the premise of this I was definitely curious to see how the blend of Amish culture and a vampire apocolypse would work together. My curiosity certainly paid off.This a dystopian, paranormal story, but unlike like most of the ones I have read. A very unique take on a vampire apocolypse close Amish land. We are introduced to the ways of the Amish and their way of life. Their way of life is interrupted with all the turmoil outside the gates. The Elders has closed the gates and are allowing no one in or out.Meaning no Rumspringa for Katie.We meet our protagonist, Katie a few weeks before she is set to go to Rumspringa with her friend Elijah. She couldn’t be more excited about being able to experience what is outside the gate of their land. Simple things that we do most of the time, like going to the movies, drinking sodas and wearing what we call regular clothes like jeans, are something that she is looking forward to. Katie has been raised very well, but she has a little bit of spunk to her. When all the chaos starts she sticks with what she believes is right, which land her in hot water with Elders. But when she comes across an injured boy she just can’t leave in like the Elders have told her to do. She hides him. She has the qualities of a great heroine. Katie never backs down and questions some of the decisions that have been made, and with some of the beliefs that she has been brought up with. We watch her grow from a naive young girl into a more mature young woman who isn’t always going to make the right decisions, but ones that are her decisions. I thought Katie was strong, caring, and very relatable. I really enjoyed her.The two love interests are two totally different boys. You have Elijah, who is a perfect picture of the life she has grown up with, one is she is used to. A life that she would be alright with. And then Nick, who is everything she has dreamed of outside those gates. He is mysterious to her, and extremely handsome. The chemistry between Nick and Katie was sweet, and I did enjoy watching them. There is another character that I found extremely interesting, the Hexenmeister. He lives out on the outskirts and considered odd, and almost magical. There is something about him that made me want to know more.The world building was fantastic. It’s a dark and horrifying story that sucks you in with captivating details that are gory and bloody. Everything needed for a amazing horror story. Add in the Amish element, horrifying vampires and of course a dash of romance you have one incredible book. The ending left us with a cliffhanger and lots of questions. Where we go from here? What happens to Katie, Alex and Elijah? So, I am anxiously waiting for book 2, The Outside that is due out next fall. Laura Bickle has written a scary, and chilling story, one that you’ll still be thinking about days after reading it. I would definitely recommend picking this one up.