The Beauty of the End by Lauren Stienstra
The Beauty of the End
by Lauren Stienstra
Science Fiction | Speculative Fiction
312 Pages
Released April 2025
Rating: ★★★ 1/2
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Content Warnings
Thank you to NetGalley and to Little A publishing for an advanced copy of the book.
This has to be one of the most unique books I’ve read this year. It’s the concept that drew me in (abeit I found the cover quite lovely as well). Unfortunately, this book had quite some flaws, in my opinion, as well.
This book follows adopted twin sisters Charlie and Maggie, who’se lives were just irrevocably upended. In this speculative fiction, science has just discovered an extinction date encoded in to every living creature’s DNA. And while some creatures were years away from dying out, humanity only had approximately four generations left. As adults, Charlie and Maggie choose to enlist as “Mandels” - an organization of scientists determined to somehow beat humanity’s ticking clock. While Charlie chose to do this because she could not picture herself becoming a mother, Maggie’s ambition leads her in a more ethically questionable direction.
First of all, I want to applaud Lauren Stienstra’s choice to draw attention to something that is little talked about, certainly not something I was aware of, and that is unethical adoption practices at the expense of immigrants. It’s touched on a little in the book but after reading the author’s intent, I wish more focus was put on it. I also appreciate Stienstra’s education and experience through the more scientific aspects of the book. It leant to believability, which I liked.
While the story was definitely interesting, there were several issues that kept me from rating it higher. I did not enjoy Maggie as a character and in a lot of ways, I found what she did irredeemable (that was not my main issue). What I enjoyed even less, was her sister’s unwavering clinginess and adoration for her. Despite the fact that her sister used her over and over again, Charlie constantly strived to make excuses right her sister’s wrongs - something I found rather grating throughout the course of this novel. I think the pacing also felt a little disjointed and the story flowed a little awkwardly at times.
Overall, I think this was a really unique and imaginative concept but the characters and strange pacing made it difficult to enjoy at times. However, if your a fan of books that explore speculative scientific concepts, and somewhat apocalyptic themes, I think you should check this one out!
This book releases on April 8th 2025.