Empty Chaos

by Jessica Cotter

        Bodhi disappeared almost eighteen months ago. Eri has a new house and a new job, but she still can’t accept that he is gone. Her memories grow dim, however, and new friends make her mundane life almost comfortable. Then one day, while working as a food packager, she sees the secret symbol she and Bodhi shared drawn on a muddy delivery truck. He is alive.

        After enlisting the help of Ben, a mysterious deliveryman who also knows Bodhi, Eri sneaks into the darkness of night. Finding Bodhi, though, means learning the truth about the world they live in. To face the truth, Eri must choose who to save and who to hurt. She never wanted to save the world, or start a revolution. But sometimes, to be with the one you love, you have to risk everything, even if it means losing yourself in the process.  

189 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 5, 2017

Reviews

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to author Jessica Cotter.)

“But a piece of her knew something was wrong, that today had not gone completely as planned for any of them, that they had set something in motion that was bigger than they could have anticipated.”

This was a YA dystopian sequel, about a girl trying to survive in a dystopian world.

Eri was once again a strong character, although she once again came across as a little naïve, not realising that her actions could have a much bigger impact than she expected.

The storyline in this was about Eri trying to find Bodhi after being separated from him for nearly 2 years, and then them fighting to be together, and to live in a better world than the one they lived in. I found the pace in this one quite slow, but there did seem to be a little more action than there was in the first book.

The ending to this was pretty good, and the epilogue wrapped things up nicely.



6.5 out of 10

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this follow up to Empty Streets! When I finished book one, I was anxious to know what would happen to Eri and Bodhi. It took me a few chapters to get really hooked, but I flew through the second half of the book.

The characters are well developed, complex people with flaws. It's always more engaging to me when that is the case. This book is extremely relevant today, and I highly recommend it!

[Lisa]

This book takes an interesting look at the complexity of choices and taking sides. It could be called a love story. It could be called a dystopian novel. But I think really it looks at a mindful life in a world that constantly changes. Cotter makes the case neither side in any conflict owns the truth. Eri's thoughts are the thoughts of a complex young, short heroine we watched come of age over this two part series that I would argue warrants another book.

[amy vasilion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Empty Chaos was the perfect ending to this series. This book answers all the questions I had after reading Empty Streets. In Empty Chaos I really connected with Eri's hope for her future as well as the future of humanity. How can we as humans assure equality for all? This is the question I kept thinking over and over as I was reading. I could feel Eri's internal struggles toward the choices she was making and whether they were truly impacting the greater good. Jessica Cotter does a great job of allowing the reader to feel like Eri's struggles are their own. It was easy for me to feel the pain and desperation that Eri felt. This book was a quick and easy read, but left me questioning the choices I make daily and what impact they have on the world around me. I definitely recommend this book!