When the Sky Turned Yellow
About
EARNED A BOOKY AWARD FOR BEST ALTERNATE HISTORY
The sky turned yellow. Before sunset, the world they knew was gone.
Callie is taking her ten-year-old daughter, Lucy, to a concert near San Diego when explosions tear across the horizon.
Sickly yellow clouds spread above the city, carrying chemicals capable of killing anyone caught outside.
Callie’s military training takes over. With Lucy and her retired K-9, Charlie, beside her, she races toward Willow’s Rest, a hidden mountain refuge built for the disaster everyone prayed would never come.
Hundreds of miles away, other lives are shattered.
In Rocky Mountain National Park, retirees Matt and Lizzie become stranded with two young hikers and their dogs. South of Houston, families seal themselves inside a concealed bunker. Alone in Tucson, Ruth survives behind taped windows with only her emergency supplies and determination.
But the bombs are only the beginning.
Enemy troops seize ports, military bases, farmland, and vital supply routes. Cities fall silent. Store shelves empty. Armed gangs prey on the frightened, and desperate survivors become nearly as dangerous as the invading forces.
As isolated groups rescue lost children, shelter strangers, and build new families, American veterans and civilians begin fighting back. Soon, survival will require more than stockpiled food, hidden walls, and weapons.
It will require trust.
It will require courage.
And it will require ordinary people to decide what they are willing to risk for one another.
When the Sky Turned Yellow is a sweeping post-apocalyptic survival thriller filled with hidden communities, K-9 loyalty, military resistance, found family, and the determination to rebuild after everything familiar has been destroyed.
The first novel in the A Poisoned Sky series.
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Praise for this book
"When the Sky Turned Yellow" hooked me from the opening chapters with its chilling premise. The image of the sky turning yellow as deadly chemical clouds spread creates an immediate sense of urgency, and the story never lets up.
Once scene that really stood out was Callie relying on her military training while racing with her daughter Lucy and retired K-9, Charlie, toward Willow's Rest. That sequence captured both the danger of the situation and the determination to protect family, making it easy to become invested in the characters.
I also appreciated how the story follows multiple groups of survivors in different locations, showing how ordinary people respond to extraordinary circumstances. The mix of survival, suspense, and hope makes this an engaging post-apocalyptic thriller. If you enjoy fast-paced disaster fiction with strong characters and plenty of tension, this is definitely worth reading.
I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down. The fast-paced story, multiple perspectives, and constant sense of danger kept me turning the pages. I especially liked how the characters came together, showing courage, resilience, and hope even in the darkest moments. Charlie was one of my favorite characters, and the emotional connections made the story even stronger. This was an exciting start to the series, and I'm already looking forward to reading the second part.
Oh Besties... if you're into post-apocalyptic survival stories that feel a little too believable, this one is definitely worth checking out. The moment the sky turns yellow, the tension kicks in and barely lets up. I really enjoyed following the different groups of survivors because it showed so many perspectives on fear, resilience, and hope. And can we talk about Charlie, the retired K-9? That sweet pup absolutely stole a few scenes for me. While there were moments where I wished the pacing moved a little faster, I was still invested enough to keep turning the pages. It's an interesting, thought-provoking start to a series that left me curious to see what happens next. 🥀 My ratings and review are my own 🖤