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kcbuckman's review
5.0
This was my first book by Danielle Gomes & my first pandemic thriller!
I usually don’t tend to read these types of books, but I took a chance on this one. I was sucked in quicker than I thought I would be. I’m going to say it was because of this authors writing.
I found it hard to be bored by events in the story. I went in with an open mind and didn’t compare it to anything I’ve read before. This may have been pretty different than what I normally read, but I wasn’t unsatisfied. I will definitely be looking at what else Danielle Gomes has put out.
If this is your type of book or you want something different to break up your usual reading, I’d definitely suggest this one!
I usually don’t tend to read these types of books, but I took a chance on this one. I was sucked in quicker than I thought I would be. I’m going to say it was because of this authors writing.
I found it hard to be bored by events in the story. I went in with an open mind and didn’t compare it to anything I’ve read before. This may have been pretty different than what I normally read, but I wasn’t unsatisfied. I will definitely be looking at what else Danielle Gomes has put out.
If this is your type of book or you want something different to break up your usual reading, I’d definitely suggest this one!
ebonwilde's review
2.0
i'm so torn about this. on one hand, it has a genuinely intriguing plot. it takes place in the near future, in a dystopia where the world is riddled with pandemics and humans have stopped evolving (in general, but this focuses on evolution of immunity against illnesses). due to evolution halting, humans will soon become extinct, and you have your average government and hitlerite capitalist goons taking advantage of this to create their perfect eugenicist world. it's a very interesting, original premise; i'm fairly certain i've never read anything like it before. it's action packed and fast paced, and it's set up in a way i'd usually like.
it's quite descriptive and informative. at times the characters unnaturally info dump for world building, but since i was actually invested in the information, i wouldn't say that it was a bad thing.
my one complaint has to do with the characters. every single character was vehemently hateable. now obviously, that's the point if it's the "villain," so let's start with trent. he's the obvious villain who wants to enslave and experiment on uninformed indigenous individuals for his eugenicist future. he, and holton and sabara are in-your-face villainous in the most cartoonish way; obviously they are meant to be disliked. they have no character outside of this, which is a bit irritating, but moving on. what ticks me off here—and this has nothing to do with the author or the book—is that at least two separate reviews claim that he gets a redemption arc [and becomes some form of likable]. he does not. he dies a hitlerite, giving a spiel about how ethnic cleansing will actually be good for humanity. i genuinely don't understand how anyone is sympathizing with this creature. his insidious nature wasn't even a big reveal; he was abusive and controlling from his first appearance. apparently he "loves" gabrielle but i don't see it. i don't know if the author intended this to be a morally grey sort of story, but for me, there's a pretty clear cut good and evil present.
let's talk about gabby. i liked her in the beginning; she seemed educated, competent, and self-assured. and then trent came into the picture. she believes him so unconditionally, it's insane. she only changes her mind due to some witch doctor ayahuasca dream about her parents, which is even more insane. aren't you a doctor? a scientist? even after finding out about what trent's actual experiment is, she continues making excuses for him. she tries preventing his death, all while he's telling her killing the poor is the way to go. honestly, writing it out now, it's quite funny how ridiculous she is. i think her relationship to trent is quite realistic for her character actually. she's been shown to trust him unconditionally, regardless of how condescending he treats her, especially with the whole paulo thing. but even so, i simply can't take this seriously.
if a character is made to be purposefully unlikable, you can tell, and even enjoy the story, depending on author skill. i don't think that's the case here, because it definitely takes away from how good the book could have been. gabby's parts are as character-focused as they are plot-focused, perhaps even more so. making her so unlikable in an absurdly boy-obsessed way (this is a grown woman) just makes the whole thing uncomfortable to read. maybe this is married woman thing i will simply never understand. the premise was fascinating; i just wish it had been handled better.
it's quite descriptive and informative. at times the characters unnaturally info dump for world building, but since i was actually invested in the information, i wouldn't say that it was a bad thing.
my one complaint has to do with the characters. every single character was vehemently hateable. now obviously, that's the point if it's the "villain," so let's start with trent. he's the obvious villain who wants to enslave and experiment on uninformed indigenous individuals for his eugenicist future. he, and holton and sabara are in-your-face villainous in the most cartoonish way; obviously they are meant to be disliked. they have no character outside of this, which is a bit irritating, but moving on. what ticks me off here—and this has nothing to do with the author or the book—is that at least two separate reviews claim that he gets a redemption arc [and becomes some form of likable]. he does not. he dies a hitlerite, giving a spiel about how ethnic cleansing will actually be good for humanity. i genuinely don't understand how anyone is sympathizing with this creature. his insidious nature wasn't even a big reveal; he was abusive and controlling from his first appearance. apparently he "loves" gabrielle but i don't see it. i don't know if the author intended this to be a morally grey sort of story, but for me, there's a pretty clear cut good and evil present.
let's talk about gabby. i liked her in the beginning; she seemed educated, competent, and self-assured. and then trent came into the picture. she believes him so unconditionally, it's insane. she only changes her mind due to some witch doctor ayahuasca dream about her parents, which is even more insane. aren't you a doctor? a scientist? even after finding out about what trent's actual experiment is, she continues making excuses for him. she tries preventing his death, all while he's telling her killing the poor is the way to go. honestly, writing it out now, it's quite funny how ridiculous she is. i think her relationship to trent is quite realistic for her character actually. she's been shown to trust him unconditionally, regardless of how condescending he treats her, especially with the whole paulo thing. but even so, i simply can't take this seriously.
if a character is made to be purposefully unlikable, you can tell, and even enjoy the story, depending on author skill. i don't think that's the case here, because it definitely takes away from how good the book could have been. gabby's parts are as character-focused as they are plot-focused, perhaps even more so. making her so unlikable in an absurdly boy-obsessed way (this is a grown woman) just makes the whole thing uncomfortable to read. maybe this is married woman thing i will simply never understand. the premise was fascinating; i just wish it had been handled better.
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