Pestilence by Laura Thalassa was a fantasy romance and the first book in the author’s Four Horsemen series. The power to destroy all of mankind was held in the hands of the four horsemen. The first horseman, Pestilence, came to Sara Burn’s town to spread his disease. As soon as Pestilence entered Burn’s town’s boundaries, Burn shot him off his horse. However, all horsemen  are not able to die. Alive and full of determination to exact revenge upon Burn for stopping his mission to destroy mankind, Pestilence takes Burn as his prisoner . During their journey, they came to know each other and ultimately ended up falling for each other.

The book could be read in one sitting only. It kept me entertained as it also urged me to read without pause. The story was set in an environment that took place years after an apocalypse. This was not something that I would have enjoyed in books. However, Thalassa wrote this in such an incredible manner that while an apocalypse took place just years before this setting, civilization had not been rebuilt, as the world was in such chaos and the apocalypse wasn’t caused by humanity but by the four horsemen who are magical beings.

Burn is a brave and caring person but she is also quite stubborn . In her town Burn had been left all alone since the plague took her parents away from her. However, Burn was a firefighter before her relationship with Pestilence. She had always been there to help those who were in need in her town even those who were never there for her in her times of need . She was very caring and always put other people first which caused lots of insecurities and problems for her. Nevertheless, the more Burn stayed with Pestilence, the more she started developing her own concern and started caring about herself and just putting her needs before others while still having her compassionate side. Burn also starts to see the different sides of humanity, how she strongly believed that the horsemen were at fault for everything but humanity also bears the responsibility from her travels with Pestilence. Pestilence used to be uncaring and heartless; he was cold and only ever spoken when someone needed him too. He became more and more curious about humans and developed feelings of guilt when people were infected by his plague . Pestilence started to worry anytime Burn was upset or hurt and immediately tried to help her with whatever the problem was even if he didn’t understand.

Their relationship was fascinating to read about. They joked around with each other, learned from each other, and helped each other grow as individuals. Most scenes were about Burn explaining things to Pestilence. Despite her efforts to simplify things for him, Pestilence still made mistakes or was confused and had more questions than ever. This was an adorable and hilarious situation in the novel. 

The story highlighted the contrast of a divine creature not familiar with humans and a compassionate, courageous girl often in a fix or a mess. The book would recommend or appeal to readers who enjoy a romance read in an apocalyptic world with a touch of fantasy.