Ratings5
Average rating3.8
In this frighteningly believable thriller from New York Times bestselling author and master storyteller Tosca Lee, an extinct disease re-emerges from the melting Alaskan permafrost and causes madness in its victims. For recent apocalyptic cult escapee Wynter Roth, it’s the end she’d always been told was coming. When Wynter Roth finally escapes from New Earth, a self-contained doomsday cult on the American prairie, she emerges into a world poised on the brink of madness as a mysterious outbreak of rapid early onset dementia spreads across the nation. As Wynter struggles to start over in a world she’s been taught to regard as evil, she finds herself face-to-face with the apocalypse she’s feared all her life—until the night her sister shows up at her doorstep with a set of medical samples. That night, Wynter learns there’s something far more sinister at play: that the prophet they once idolized has been toying with the fate of mankind, and that these samples are key to understanding the disease. Now, as the power grid fails and the nation descends into chaos, Wynter must find a way to get the samples to a lab in Colorado. Uncertain who to trust, she takes up with former military man Chase Miller, who has his own reasons for wanting to get close to the samples in her possession, and to Wynter, herself. Filled with action, conspiracy, romance, and questions of whom—and what—to believe, The Line Between is a high-octane story of survival and love in a world on the brink of madness, from “the queen of psychological twists” (New York Times bestselling author Steena Holmes).
Featured Series
2 primary booksThe Line Between is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2019 with contributions by Tosca Lee.
Reviews with the most likes.
3.5 stars out of 5.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Line Between appealed to me because I'm going through a mystery phase and the description drew me in. This is an apocalyptic thriller mixed with a cult escape. Protagonist Wynter escapes from a cult she has been a part of since childhood only to enter a world where a mysterious virus is quickly spreading.
On one hand, I really enjoyed this book because the writing was captivating, I couldn't put it down until I knew what happened. On the other hand, although this book is a work of fiction, it still seemed too much of a stretch. I think we could have enjoyed more character and story development had the author stuck to either a book about a cult or a book about a viral apocalypse. The blending of two detailed stories seemed like too much.
Would I recommend The Line Between? Listen, if you read a lot and you're just looking for a book to hold your attention to read, yes. It's worth a few hours of your time. But if you read 5 books a year, this novel is not worthy of taking one of those sacred spots.
I read this entire book in just under a week. I did not expect that to happen as I tend to be a slow reader. The combination of Lee's flowing prose and a story that would not let me go became a formula to keep me glued. Even when I would read at 1:00 AM to help myself wind back down to go back to sleep, I found myself reading for a couple of hours!
Lee illustrates so well how a person can be hurt and broken when someone uses religion as a weapon. While most of us haven't grown up in a cult, many of us can identify with being on the receiving end of someone's weaponized religion.
One of the main themes of the Bible is love for another they don't deserve or cannot repay. Lee illustrates this nicely, as well. I like that this comes from people who aren't doing these things for the reward.
This isn't to say that religious people are all abusive and non religious people loving. Broad strokes don't represent entire populations. Simply put, religion without a relationship based on love and respect for God and others is simply a lifestyle.