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feebbzz's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
imzadi481's review against another edition
4.0
I much preferred The One and The Passengers, but still enjoyed it very much.
justinkhchen's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
**The Book Troop Book Club | March 2021 Selection**
What I mentioned in my review for The One also applies here: The Minders is fast food literature with an intriguing premise, but executed via tired genre cliché and gimmick, without diving into the true potential of its dystopian setup.
Existing in the same universe as The One and The Passengers, it is admittedly delightful re-encountering elements from previous books; but in a less pleasant encore, the plot progression is alarmingly similar to The One: you are once again following 5 individuals (even the same number!) as they navigate their renewed life as government's 'human secret dossier'. It's as if John Marrs threw in the same ingredients into the bowl, and tossed a slightly different looking formulaic salad.
**Minor spoiler ahead**
Out of five, we follow two male characters in The Minders: one lacks empathy, the other craves brutal violence; they are essentially the psychopath serial killer character from The One, splitting into two. Other reappearances include a baby kidnapping subplot, a token character with disability or terminal illness, wife/girlfriend discovering their husband/boyfriend's 'secret', and of course a mainstream thriller is not complete without a mentally unstable female.
The Minders heightens its stake from private corporations dealing with dating app and driver-less cars, to monitoring the security of a nation, but fails to strengthen its plotting and writing to support it. The amount of suspension of disbelief required is eye roll-worthy (the Minders program as described has so many instant-fail loopholes), and characters behave in the most unrealistic way in order to drive conflict and drama (Oh, I thought telling you your daughter was actually a prostitute would help you grief! You don't like attention?—I'll make an art show all about you as a surprise!). The final 'reveal' was so uninspiring I let out a breath I did not know I had been holding... still can't believe I read that line TWICE in this book...
**Minor spoiler ends**
A great Black Mirror episode makes use of it's near future setting as a platform for societal commentary, satire, or deeply emotional character study, while delivering a thrilling tale of 'what if'. The Minders has the appearance of one, but it is actually just a disappointingly non-provocative thriller trope compilation.
**The Book Troop Book Club | March 2021 Selection**
What I mentioned in my review for The One also applies here: The Minders is fast food literature with an intriguing premise, but executed via tired genre cliché and gimmick, without diving into the true potential of its dystopian setup.
Existing in the same universe as The One and The Passengers, it is admittedly delightful re-encountering elements from previous books; but in a less pleasant encore, the plot progression is alarmingly similar to The One: you are once again following 5 individuals (even the same number!) as they navigate their renewed life as government's 'human secret dossier'. It's as if John Marrs threw in the same ingredients into the bowl, and tossed a slightly different looking formulaic salad.
**Minor spoiler ahead**
Out of five, we follow two male characters in The Minders: one lacks empathy, the other craves brutal violence; they are essentially the psychopath serial killer character from The One, splitting into two. Other reappearances include a baby kidnapping subplot, a token character with disability or terminal illness, wife/girlfriend discovering their husband/boyfriend's 'secret', and of course a mainstream thriller is not complete without a mentally unstable female.
The Minders heightens its stake from private corporations dealing with dating app and driver-less cars, to monitoring the security of a nation, but fails to strengthen its plotting and writing to support it. The amount of suspension of disbelief required is eye roll-worthy (the Minders program as described has so many instant-fail loopholes), and characters behave in the most unrealistic way in order to drive conflict and drama (Oh, I thought telling you your daughter was actually a prostitute would help you grief! You don't like attention?—I'll make an art show all about you as a surprise!). The final 'reveal' was so uninspiring I let out a breath I did not know I had been holding... still can't believe I read that line TWICE in this book...
**Minor spoiler ends**
A great Black Mirror episode makes use of it's near future setting as a platform for societal commentary, satire, or deeply emotional character study, while delivering a thrilling tale of 'what if'. The Minders has the appearance of one, but it is actually just a disappointingly non-provocative thriller trope compilation.
katrenia's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
Twisted. A bit gruesome. A good psychological suspense.
nicekweenreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jdanielson's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
512story's review against another edition
2.0
More like a 1.5 - pushed myself to finish this one on 1.5 - 2 speed (listening)
kizzabell's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0