Sara A Locke

Lily doesn’t remember her death, or even her reawakening, but she knows this: the sun is to be feared, words are her salvation, and—above all—the bench facing the playground is hers. She is the pin holding the hands of the clock, watching the world move and change around her while she remains fixed, lonely, and unchanged... until a boy takes a seat beside her.

The end of the world? That’s the stuff of Hollywood blockbusters and deep philosophical exercises in school. No need to sweat it. So when 16-year-old Tess’ doomsday-dad builds a bomb shelter in their suburban backyard, everyone thinks he’s gone crazy—until fire rains down from the sky, sinking whole cities into colossal craters and setting much of the world ablaze.