Runebinder

A dark and sensual fantasy set in a post-apocalyptic world, Runebinder incorporates just about everything I look for in a young-adult novel. It is Avatar: The Last Airbender meets the zombie apocalypse in a new America riddled with new, horrible monsters that are humans and magic gone wrong. Very quickly the reader is sucked into the chaos of blood and pain and the beautiful contrast between love and lust trapped in a world where the future is incredibly dim. And yet Kahler keeps his theme of hope and redemption running throughout his narrative as his characters struggle to protect both the small things and the world. It's been several weeks since I finished Runebinder and even now I still find myself thinking about it. The emotion and the passion and the incredible skill of taking common tropes of magic and the apocalypse and turning it into something so original and creative make it feel brand new