Incurable

Book Title: Incurable

Author: John Marsden

Series: The Ellie Chronicles #2

Date Started: January 18th 2024

Date Completed: January 25th 2024

Genres: Action, Adventure

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

These books really are a saga, all the way from Tomorrow When the War Began to where we are now. While the story only takes place over a few years at most, this series has been with me for most of my life thanks to a dear family friend. I wish it got more traction outside of Australia because it really is one of the best book series for young adults out there.

For a story no longer taking place during a war, there sure is a lot of drama and action. If you had to assign a genre I’d probably go for ‘slice of life’ - but the most exciting kind imaginable. I’m finding it incredibly freeing to follow the aftershocks of the war and Ellie and her friends’ experiences. And especially since living through the Covid epidemic, I have a newfound appreciation for epilogues and what comes next.

Reading John Marsden book is always a joy because no one writes action like this. I get through a fair amount of action-intense books across various genres, but none have this clear-headed processing and absolute petrifying chaos in their execution. Ellie and her friends find themselves in life threatening situations chronically frequently, but every time, it’s just as tense and inescapable and hugely satisfying to watch them finding their way through.

And wow, how amazing is it to see a genuinely clever female character kick ass. I love a lot of YA fiction and heroines, but Ellie is just so instinctively intelligent, it never gets old. The witty one liners aren’t her thing, nor are the elaborate gotcha plans running in the background; but adrenaline pumping survival instinct? No one does it better. She’s such a good example of a protagonist being the person who swoops in and saves others, rather than being agency-less and only ever experiencing things as a result of being caught unawares - Ellie really takes charge of situations and feel the strain it of course takes to do it.

I think I would probably read anything by John Marsden after this series, regardless of the genre or even synopsis. I expect I said this in my last review but, who knew farming could be so intrinsic and actually interesting in a war story from a teenager? How could so many ‘will they, won’t they’ relationships just be a small part of a much bigger human story? How could a protagonist who literally never seems to win be so rewarding to follow along? I still don’t really know the answer, but I definitely enjoy the ride.