Disclosure: I received this book to review. The post contains affiliate links; opinions shared here are 100% mine.

For years, teaching 6th grade has been my excuse for reading Young Adult fiction.  The truth is that I really like this genre.   In the past it might have been a category of books written specifically for children/teens but things are a’changing in the world.  Now, this gritty genre is all about tough living, questioning the status quo, and standing up for what’s right.  Considering that many young adult novels are now successful movies, it’s easy to surmise that the general public enjoys this genre as well.  In the Christian literary world, dystopian fiction is sometimes hard to find.  There are a few books I’ve enjoyed (Aquifer, Anomaly) and now I can add Thunder to the list.

With a cool sci-fi vibe, this novel introduces the reader to many new concepts in the dystopian world. Following a nuclear disaster, we travel 150 years into the future to a world where people are learning to cope with the radiation.  In addition to the new technology and lifestyle, Thunder incorporates concepts that will be somewhat familiar to teen readers such as slavery, cancer, and romance. There’s a confusing back-and-forth between the science world and the rustic world; I suspect my students would have a hard time understanding the flow of the story.  While I felt compassion for Selah and her tough situation, she was a hard character for me to like.  As an eighteen year old who lived in a tough world, I expected her to be more mature, especially when interacting with her mother and brothers.  She seemed spoiled and rather bratty.  There’s not a defined spiritual message in Thunder; instead, it’s the lack of profanity and generally “clean” writing that make this book perfect for Christian readers.  There are some suggestions of marital infidelity and other adult themes in the book, though.

Be prepared to stay confused even until the Thunder.  Clearly this series contains a lot of mystery; we’ll have to wait until the second installment to find out more details.  I’m not patient with unanswered questions, so it’ll be hard to wait!   The prequel to Thunder, Tremors, is currently free on Amazon.! Get your copy and see if you are into the story. You can also read the first chapter of Thunder FREE at Family Christian.