The Expedition by Chris Babu

Good morning, everyone. Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for Chris Babu's latest, The Expedition.

I've got massive baby brain and am honestly operating on about 2 hours of sleep as I write this, so here's the promotional copy rather than my own synopsis:

They survived the Initiation. Now the real test begins.

Drayden and his friends thought nothing could be harder than the Initiation. Little did they know it had only been a warmup for the challenge that lay ahead.

With New America’s situation dire, Drayden and the pledges venture into the unexplored world beyond the walls, escorted by a team of elite Guardians. The group seeks to contact another civilization in what remains of Boston, but Drayden has secret goals of his own.

Dangers abound in the outside world, including Aeru, the deadly superbug that wiped out humanity. While they battle the elements of a desolate landscape, a power struggle emerges within their ranks. The Guardians seem to be carrying out a covert mission themselves, and the quest turns everything they thought they knew about New America upside down.

I should note this is the follow up to Babu's previous title, The Initiation. The Expedition can be read fairly easily on its own, though there are spoilers for the first title should you dive in with this one. 

Regular followers know I'm a big fan of post apocalyptic books, especially post outbreak ones. As such, I tend to gobble them up. When I read the description of this one, it immediately brought to mind the recent Netflix release of the Danish show The Rain, so I was super stoked to dive into this book as a way to tide myself over in hopes we'll be getting a second season of the show. 

And while comparing it to the rain is somewhat apt - the main characters are teens trying to survive in this post outbreak wasteland - The Expedition also read more than a little bit like the later Maze Runner titles. 

I liked the interplay with the characters. I also liked the mysteries explored throughout the book, not least of which is the truth behind Drayden's mother's exile and the real reason for the Guardians' mission (alluded to in the synopsis, which also captured my attention when I chose to hop onto the tour). 

All in all, of you're a fan of dystopian reads, especially Maze Runner and The Rain (I hear the first one is a bit Hunger Games-ish), you're sure to enjoy Babu's work! 

To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Chris Babu and his work you can visit his website here. You can also like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound