Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

The Rad Misfits is a young adult adventure novel by Marlina Williams in the post-apocalyptic genre. When only pregnant women and animals survive a worldwide environmental disaster, the next generation of humans on earth are cursed to die when they reach the age of 34. Young adults raise their children early and quickly to continue the species, until one band of teenagers decides to embark on a quest to find a cure for the difficult lives they lead. The rad misfits, so named for their mutated appearance due to massive radiation leaks, discover the true extent of the devastation of their planet, as well as the intriguing fact that more people survived the disaster than they first knew.

Straying away from the hard, explanatory forms of science-fiction that one might expect in the post-apocalyptic genre, The Rad Misfits is a very human story which focuses on the characters' emotions and their journey of discovery instead. Marlina Williams writes of loss and the grief of seeing thirty-something adults die of 'the sickness' with heartfelt realism, and her band of mutant young characters are wily and sure to be liked by her target audience. Whilst I feel that the writing may, in places, be overly complex for young adults at the bottom end of the age range, older readers and adults will relish the lavish descriptions, action, and true adventure that takes place within Williams' devastating new world. Overall, an enjoyable book with great writing and interesting concepts about friendship and family life through adversity.