Alissa

Gets better, and flows smoothly. I just had to adjust to accept things the way they come without minding the missing details or any far-fetched explanation, like how in a post-apocalyptic scenario you never lack for running water in abandoned houses or how you have a working screen device with you on the move, or how a supposedly-dry-husk of a woman manages to emerge from a collapsed underground room and somesuch. The dream-training part was original though.

I focused on the plot alone and that was the key. The insane mother keeps being a remarkable asset, and both the protagonist and her sister are intriguing characters.

Still grim, still bloody, still quick-paced and less romancey, that's another thing I liked. Or maybe I've just got more comfortable with archangels who say things like "It's dangerous to be with me" and stick their fingers in jars of peanut butter.

Pooky Bear has all my admiration.