Audible Book Review: Chaos Rising, Edge of Collapse, Book 0.5, by Kyla Stone

This is a quick intro to a post-apocalyptic series.
Chaos Rising
An Edge of Collapse Prequel
By: Kyla Stone
Narrated by: Stacey Glemboski

Series: Edge of Collapse, Book 0.5
Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins
Release date: 12-31-19
Publisher: Paper Moon Press
Genre: Adventure, Post-Apocalyptic
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
In a heartbeat, everything grinds to a halt. On Christmas Eve, the lights go out. Vehicles stop working. Communications break down. Reclusive former soldier Liam Coleman doesn't want to be anywhere near bustling downtown Chicago the day before Christmas. But his twin brother and his pregnant sister-in-law need him.
But mere minutes after leaving O'Hare, their car crashes, along with hundreds of other vehicles. When Liam's phone stops working, he begins to suspect something more sinister than a local power outage. But before he can react, the first plane falls from the sky.
When a super EMP takes down the nation's power grid, Liam knows it's time to bug out. He's prepared, but he never expected to be caught in the middle of Chicago as chaos erupts. With society collapsing before his very eyes, Liam will have to risk more than he ever thought possible to protect the ones he loves if it's not already too late.
Chaos Rising is a riveting post-apocalyptic EMP survival thriller set in the Edge of Collapse universe, a brand new series from best-selling author Kyla Stone. Perfect for fans of Jack Hunt, T.L. Payne, and Ryan Schow.
©2019 Kyla Stone (P)2019 Kyla Stone

Review:
Liam is a former soldier arriving in Chicago to share Christmas with his twin brother, Lincoln, and his very pregnant sister-in-law, Jessa. It is just a bit difficult due to the history of their meeting. That may be the emotional difficulty, but the real-life problem hits everyone in the form of an unexpected power loss. Not just any loss, but disastrous damage from an EMP strike that sends planes crashing into the city.

Many are injured from the first plane crash and the people in the street panic. Lincoln, also a former soldier, freezes in trauma. As the masses run to get away from the next plummeting plane, Liam has to make unimaginable choices. How can Liam rescue Lincoln if he has to rush Jessa to a hospital? Can he save the ones he loves while struggling to get out of the chaos that surrounds them?

This was a short introduction to the series. The writing is clear if not compelling to me. I liked Liam as a character and felt for the hard decisions he has to make. However, I questioned the actions at the end of the book as not fully taking into account the power loss and that dampened my enthusiasm for the rest of the series.  Fans of Post-Apocalyptic may wish to check this introductory book.

Audio Notes: Stacey Glemboski does a good job with the narration. She provides proper emotion and distinct voices. I enjoyed the audio.

Source: 6/18/2021 $5.95 Audible Purchase. This qualifies for 2022TBR and 2022Audiobook goals.