Review: Population (Population Series Book 1) by Elizabeth Stephens

Population by Elizabeth Stephens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really Good Dystopian Romance

I’d probably give this book 4.5 ⭐️ if I could.

This is the first book in a continuing series. There is a hideous cliffhanger but the next book is already available.

I really love a good dystopian story and this one is really good. It starts with Abel, Beck and Beck’s daughter Ashlynn running, hiding and scavenging, right on the limit of survival as they hunt for food and shelter whilst avoiding the gangs. Every moment brings danger and the possibility of death. The end of life as we know it happened when aliens came to Earth. The Others brought the end of civilisation and the beginning of war and suffering.

Abel’s sole purpose is to keep Beck and Ashlynn safe, she is the strong and brutal member of their party, Beck is the brains and little Ashlynn is the heart. When Ashlynn is stolen by the victor in a fight between two groups of Others, Abel vows to get her back. The defeated Other, Kane, lies dying so she steals his sword and, in an unusual moment of sympathy, hides him somewhere he can die in peace, never realising that Others don’t die so easily as humans.

This is the start of a strange partnership with Abel and Kane, as she tries to find Ashlynn, even if Abel doesn’t trust Kane as far as she can throw him, she finds that she needs him to survive.

I really liked the world-building in this book. It starts off so confused like the world in which they live. It’s a very slow journey to understanding the state of the world and how it got there, for both us and Abel. The author conveys the sense of hopelessness and fear really well.

Abel is a really interesting character. She came into adulthood after The Others arrived and has learnt that from hope and emotional connections comes nothing but pain and suffering so she tries to stay hard and emotionless, but often fails. She’s lost everyone she’s ever loved and is severely traumatised by her existence. She’s used to living life on a hair-trigger where violence can erupt at any second and nowhere is safe. Despite all of that she has moments of ‘weakness’ where she is kind, even knowing it could be the end of her life.

Kane is an enigma. He is one of The Others and as such is unknowable to Abel. He is a literal alien species and nothing was really told to the outside world before government and media disappeared. Despite his circumstances when Abel meets him, he has a sense of humour and is gentle with her. He is also protective. It is only when we are in the latter stages of the book do we start to really see Kane as he is and not just through Abel’s traumatised eyes. We only see him clearly when she does.

The plot is cleverly built. It starts with the hunt for Ashlynn and slowly evolves in other directions. The romance sneaks up on us as much as it does Abel. The pacing is excellent and kept me reading faster and faster as I worked my way through the chapters.

I really want to read the second book in the series now. I’d better download it immediately so I can find out what happens to them all!

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