I read this book out of curiosity. I’m not super well educated on religious subjects and nor did I have to be to read this despite the fact that that is one thread that plays out here. But this read almost like a historical telling from Les Miserable mixed with Marie Antonette mixed with the Count of Monte Cristo…even though it was set far into the future! Post apocalypse fiction can make for some dire movies, for sure and I must admit that I have done my share of popcorn eating watching such movies! This book (post apocalypse setting) read fast, like a movie, to me! The characters were ones I sided with (the good guys) and I certainly learned quickly who the bad guys were. In my imagination, at the end, I could just see the main two characters as they were depicted in the gorgeous movie The Shape of Water. Sometimes I wanted to reach through the pages and throttle the bad guys. They were terribly cruel! It does end well, though. The words went down smoothly. I am in love with the author using the phrase “velvet rain.” I just cannot get those two words out of my head. So perfect. The author has a good command of language.