The world doesn’t end all at once. It breaks apart, piece by piece
When his town collapses from a massive earthquake, Wallace Graves is lucky to survive. When the tsunami follows and he makes it through that, he knows just how fortunate he is. Surviving those events is only the beginning.
In the aftermath, a mandatory emergency evacuation of the entire West Coast is ordered. Wallace has no choice—he has to leave. The world is on the brink of a chain reaction of cataclysmic natural disasters, threatening to thrust the planet into a full-fledged extinction-level event.
Determined to reach his daughter halfway across the country, Wallace sets out, but the road to safety is anything but simple. Not even two hundred miles from home, everything begins to unravel. Along the way, the people he meets—and the lives he touches—will become more important than he could ever imagine.
In a world breaking apart, survival isn’t just about making it out alive. It’s about finding something worth living for.
Winner for most typos and garbled sentences in any novel
Druga’s novels are known for always having a lot of typos, but she is a good storyteller so I have read a lot of them. That may be over. This was a mess. Not just typos, but sentences garbled with missing or extra words, some incomplete. The meaning of some sentences had to be inferred from context. Did she experiment with using AI or something? The result is a mess. I am done giving her money.
I started reading this and thought these characters would be memorable like the ones in Beginnings. I am looking forward to book two. Jackie Drugs get those creative juices boiling, stretch your fingers and get back to writing.
Split By Jacqueline Druga Publisher: Independently Published Publication date: August 28, 2025 ASIN: B0FP3RRGZX Page Count: 215
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Skull Dread Rating: 💀💀💀 (the dread of realizing Mother Earth just rage-quit humanity)
Triggers: Natural disasters, survival peril, family separation, violence, loss
You can never go wrong with Ms. Jacqueline Druga. Seriously, I grab every one of her new releases like snacks before a Netflix binge, and Split proves once again that she’s the reigning queen of disaster fiction.
The premise? The world doesn’t end in one neat mushroom cloud—it falls apart like a Jenga tower during an earthquake, and poor Wallace Graves happens to be standing at the bottom. First an earthquake, then a tsunami, then oh, just the small matter of a chain reaction that could shove the entire planet into extinction-level territory. You know, light reading.
But here’s the thing: Ms. Druga never just writes about disasters. She writes about people clawing their way through them, finding slivers of hope, stubborn friendship, and the occasional laugh in the face of the apocalypse. Wallace’s journey to reach his daughter isn’t just rubble and chaos; it’s full of unexpected connections that remind you survival is more about who you have than what you hoard.
Is it tense? Absolutely. Will it keep you up past bedtime? Yep. And yet somehow Ms. Druga still threads in those moments of heart and humor that make her books feel less like bleak survival manuals and more like campfire stories told at the end of the world.
What Did I Just Walk Into? An end-of-the-world story where tectonic plates have better timing than most villains, and the planet itself is a character with major beef.
Here’s What Slapped: Disaster scenes written so vividly you’ll eye your emergency kit
Characters that feel like neighbors you’d trust to share rations with
Hope and heart stitched into the rubble
What Could’ve Been Better: A few typos scattered here and there, but honestly? When the world is splitting in half, grammar is the least of anyone’s worries.
Perfect for Readers Who Love: Fast-paced apocalyptic fiction that’s people-first, disaster-second Survival stories with grit and warmth Authors you can always one-click without regret
This book came out swinging with natural disasters and chaos galore—fast-paced, cinematic, and full of potential. But then came the POV shuffle. With no chapter title hints, it was like playing literary musical chairs at the end of the world. Add in the grammar apocalypse -spelling errors, missing words, extra word, and it started feeling less like reading and more like solving a word puzzle. I lost count of how many times I had to stop and decode a sentence. I really wanted the story to be so good it made me forget the editing issues… but sadly, it didn’t quite survive the quake.
I read somewhere that Druga’s books consistently have spelling and grammatical errors so I’ve highlighted SOME (not all) so maybe she can go back and fix them because it reeeeeally bugs. I don’t want to feel like a grade school teacher when reading a book.
Earthquakes, tsunami, hoards of rats, the evacuation of the entire East Coast, volcanoes erupting, a guy trying to get to his daughter halfway across the country and a truly massive earthquake makes for a rather thrilling book. If something like that ever really happened then it would probably be quite similar to the events in the book.
It's another good approach to what-happens-if-everything-falls-apart type of book with good characters and lots and lots of action.
I enjoyed the story and the action. I do think the end of the story could have wrapped up a little better. It seemed to fizzle out and then just stop. However, the author did not leave questions - all characters were concluded (I don't like cliffhanger stories). I read this book quickly because there is a lot of action and it was hard to put down. I do recommend this book.
This would be a 5 star read, however, the typos were quite much. Enjoyed this book , great characters and character development. storyline was quick paced and puts all the characters together by happenstance. I am glad too see there is a book 2 , as it need abruptly. My first book by Druga, definitely not my last.
I was drawn in by the title, hoping for an interesting or at least consistently readable story, but I found neither. Part of the issue is the number of sentences that just don’t make sense, partly due to extremely poor proofreading and partly to the lack of clear-headed, objective editing. I will not read any sequel(s).
This was an excellent story very fast paced very interesting to read. It was so good. I couldn’t put it down until I finished the book. I hope the author writes a sequel.
wish I knew this was a Part 1....I would have waited until the series was complete. unlike her other series', I had a hard time keeping some of the characters straight. I will definitely not remember who is who when the 2nd book comes out. I hope she has a recap of who is who in the next one.
An apocalyptic natural disaster with earthquakes, tsunamis, and all the attendent complications strikes worldwide. Many countries simply cease to exist while others struggle to survive....A thought provoking read that begs to become a series.....
Interesting story , the event isn’t that far fetched and it gives us a lot to think about. Get your bug out bag properly packed and updated yes maps will matter ! As usual well written and informative.
I've read a lot of disaster books, but this one grabbed me from the beginning. The characters are interesting, and the action never stops. I can't wait to read the second book.
The story is of interest but an editor is needed to help trim in some places and flesh out other parts. Plus help is needed with wording and grammar in a few places.
I loved this book! It is well written and insightful. The characters are believable and are characters I would like to know better. Looking forward to the next book!
I’m sorry, missing a star for typos. Made some sentences feel like gibberish. I love the storyline. I swear I’ve long felt like this could happen. I say a lot of the time our planet is fighting back and it’ll win. Can’t wait for next one.
Jacqueline Druga brought it again with another phenomenal book! Great characters that are very relatable. I can’t wait for the second book to come out!
I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, Jacqueline is one of the few authors whose books I will buy site unseen, as I always know her books are top-notch
This book went fasttt! Pure suspense all the way through. I was so locked in I didn’t even realise it was 1am. Not a single dull bit, just non-stop thrills. Honestly, I need the next one ASAP.