Book Review: Nester’s Mistake (The Doomsday Kids Series #2) by Karyn Langhorne Folan

Nester’s Mistake (The Doomsday Kids Series #2)

By Karyn Langhorne Folan

Publisher: K Squared Books

Published: Sept. 8, 2014

ASIN: B00MRG7ZLM

Amazon Synopsis:

The Doomsday Kids series continues with Nester’s Mistake. 

It’s a “shoot first, ask questions later” world after the apocalypse. After a perilous escape from the wreckage of their Washington, DC suburb in book one, Liam’s Promise, the surviving kids reach their destination, a mountain safe house, only to find their troubles have just begun. There are no adults and the kids are still all alone.

Fifteen-year- old Nester, whose good grades and smarts had him on the fast-track to success in the world before the bombs, has no skills for his new life: tending animals, maintaining fires and 

defending their mountain cabin against intruders. Threats bombard them: from the weather, from escaped prisoners from a nearby correctional facility and from their own grief over their losses.

 Inexperienced with firearms and conflicted about killing people, Nester struggles with whether there’s a place for compassion in a world without laws or authority. Then, as nuclear winter sweeps over their mountain home killing crops and animals, a medical emergency threatens one of their number. Nester must make a desperate choice that shatters their little community and irrevocably alters their chances for survival. 

Book Links

Amazon  *  Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Nester’s Mistake starts off exactly where Liam’s Promise left off. The kids have reached the Mountain Place. The thing is, Liam’s dad isn’t there and Lilly is dead. There are also two strangers living in the place. When Liam is wounded by one of them, that leaves Nester as the healthiest and strongest one of the group and it’s up to him to take the place as leader.

But Nester has issues of his own. He keeps seeing his brother. How can he make the life and death decisions that this holocaust situation has left them in when he can’t even deal with his own brother’s death? Throughout this book we really get to see Nester’s character grow. I really enjoyed getting to see his perspective on things and how he handles remedying the errors that he makes.

I liked the pace of the book. Some may find it slow but I thought it gave the readers time to get to know the additional characters in the story and finding more about preparations for a nuclear winter was very interesting as well. I also think that Amaranth’s use of alcohol will play into the next book as part of her character as well.

As for action, yes, there was action. The kids have to decide what kind of world they are living in now. “Shoot first and ask questions later” or “Ask questions first and risk everything”. You’ll have to read the book to see if Nester is up to the task of making the tough decisions.

I thought Nester’s Mistake was well-written and believable. I would highly recommend it for middle-school and teen readers and anyone else who enjoys apocalyptic fiction. I gave this book 4 stars out of 5. I’ll be on the lookout for book 3.

Thank you to the author who provided a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.

About the Author:

Karyn Langhorne Folan graduated from Harvard Law School and, after practicing and teaching law for several years, decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.  She is the author of eighteen books, including three young adult titles, four romance novels, several works of nonfiction. She has also been the ghostwriter for personalities in the entertainment and music industries.

Author Links

Blog  *  Goodreads  *  Facebook