I absolutely loved this story. The way it was written was captivating from the first sentence. The inspiration from H.G Wells' The War of the Worlds is obvious, but it touches upon it in such a way that here exists something that can stand on its own branching off from that concept that has held such a great impact on science fiction. It's such a fun read too, and Zena Gardner as a protagonist is someone that isn't difficult to relate to really as there's some aspect of her character everyone has experienced

whether it was the loss of a parent or the need to save a loved one even if the odds seemed impossible and insurmountable

. There was also the element there of figuring out her own place in the midst of everything from surviving the war to finding her place the world after it. The detail in this story was amazing as well. When something felt not quite right to the characters, it felt not quite right to me as the reader and that's important. The description writing was truly beautiful. And last, though not least, the method of narration was a fantastic choice. I love a good epistolary format especially when done well as it was here.

I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone that loves sci-fi and/or alternative historical fiction.