No Shelter - T.S. Welti

No Shelter - T.S. Welti

There is just something about apocalyptic stories that holds some kind of power over my head. Apocalyptic or dystopian, I think that it's the thought and development that's put into them that make them so interesting. That, and the fact that there are some that seem like they could actually happen. No Shelter was one of those stories. While it was a novella, and a lot of the story and characters weren't developed very well, I feel that it did a fine job in describing the setting of America at that point in time.

America is now ravaged with huge storms and ever-rising sea levels, not to mention how divided its countryside and people are. Our main character Nada had just seemed to settle into life in this apocalyptic world with her small group of people, when a stranger from out of her border zone wanders into her ranks and promises the impossible in exchange for a favor. In order to gain this seemingly impossible thing, Nada and her group must rescue his sister from a fiercely guarded prison, which would obviously put all of their lives in danger. The question being, is this impossible thing worth enough to put her group's life in danger?

I downloaded No Shelter on my kindle for free, and thankfully so, because in my mind it didn't turn out to the be the greatest of novellas. Sure, this is only part one of three, but I don't know if I will pick up the last two. 

I thought that the plot was pretty solid. It was the development and characters that really killed this book in my eyes. I found the entire thing to be quite choppy and hard to follow. For instance, in the very beginning we get a bit of Nada's history and how she met Isaac, but we don't get very much more than that. Then, it jumps forward to her, Isaac and two other girls so quickly that I didn't have very much time to process what had happened in the first chapter. Also, we're made to swallow that Nada has serious hunting talents that we hardly get to read about. If that was pretty much her life then, you'd think that we'd see more of that part of her, only we don't. Which is another aspect that didn't set well with me. There was hardly any character development. Which, sure, in a novella might not be the easiest thing to insert, but I feel like if I knew more about each of the other characters, or just more about the main character, that I might have connected with them more or differently. 

The love aspect of this story was really lacking and awkward. I wouldn't have even been bothered if it hadn't existed altogether. It just felt kind of forced, and well, just awkward.

Also, the ending of this novella, ohmyrowling. It was extremely fast paced, and I thought it was a bit unrealistic. I mean, it ends with three girls basically storming a base, disarming and threatening several large and scary men, and then leaving in one piece. I have nothing against girls (obviously, because I am indeed one), and I understand that two years in the wild could certainly beef you up and give you certain fighting skills and whatnot, but really? Not one scary dude is going to challenge you? 

Also, why didn't you take anything else that you needed? It is survival of the fittest. Speaking of, another thing that stuck in my mind was the fact that for a post-apocalyptic setting, everyone sure had plenty of water and supplies. 

Overall, No Shelter was a decent read. The plot sufficed for a post-apocalyptic story, but the characters and development really fell through. Perhaps we'd see more development in the last two novellas of this trilogy, though I don't know if I'll get around to reading them.

☆☆/5

Recommend?: If you want an easy read to add to your book tally.

If you want a small glimpse of a post-apocalyptic world.