Reviews

Feral by Brian Evenson, James Demonaco

unwantedpyrotechnics's review against another edition

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3.0

This would make a really good movie!

***also I listened to the audiobook on Spotify and towards the end there was a random thirty minute chapter from another book?

ablounger926's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

The jumping between first and third person was irritating, plot holes, crappy love subplot, pregnancy trope, barely anytime for real character development. 

wrathofglasses's review against another edition

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5.0

Yes, it’s a zombie apocalypse / end of the world type of novel. But it’s an interesting and PLAUSIBLE twist that puts women in a position of weakness until they rise up and dominate. Yes, there’s a little bit of a love story subplot but considering Allie watched her father beat her mother to death with a fucking frying pan, you can’t help but root for her. And while I wasn’t super into the choice to have Scarface attack Jacky and not Allie, I thought it was fitting to have Sam kill him. I also appreciate Sam and Jacky’s sacrificing themselves for the survival of the group. It was fitting to have Jacky go down swinging (especially after Emma), Sam to save Allie, and Allie and Kim live to fight another day. I don’t want to say that a zombie book gave me a “feel good” sort of ending…but it kind of did. And I don’t hate it in the least.

ok_karla's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A really novel concept and alternative to zombie fiction. So happy to have a lacrosse-playing character.

cvab's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

maddiequinn's review against another edition

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1.0

This fucking sucked.
*Spoilers*

knockoff Katniss/Prim relationship
unlikable characters
shitty endings
Pregnancy trope(????)

I had high hopes after seeing that the writer worked on the purge because of how highly liked the movie is, but oh my god. The writing style itself was really good and the pacing was alright. in the other reviews, I saw a lot of people kind of upset with the mixed perspectives and point of views throughout the book, but I honestly liked it, what I didn't like, was ever single character.

Allie is your typical not like other girls and it's infuriating. She's the loner that no one gets and she doesn't want to be got. UGH. the only reason she's even with another group of women is because she wants to keep her sister Kim safe. Kim was likable at first, but she's a bitch. like utterly and completely.

I mean, did she have reasons to sell out her sister about being in contact with Sam when everyone else was looking for him? no. Not really, actually. but I know that the author wants me to think that she did. Her loyalty the entire book had been with Allie but they get into one little fight and then she decides to throw away that entire relationship because Allie doesn't want her going out into the wild with a gun and getting killed by Ferals. Some kind of guardian Allie is, right? not wanting her little sister, her only family left, to be ripped to shreds by inhuman beasts.

But does Kim ever apologize? Also no. One might even say that it's Kim's fault for causing all of this or that Allie and so many other women from her camp are taken to the docks. Because maybe if instead of focusing on finding Sam, and instead listening to what Allie had said before, the camp could have prepared and doused themselves in blood or hidden, or gotten the fuck away???? which is what Allie said they needed to do in the beginning?? but did anyone listen to Allie? Lowkey, but it was too late.

Also, the whole plot sucks. like the story starts with Allie seeing her friends sextape? First of all, who sent it out? and why? regardless it was a shitty and weird way to start the story, I thought that it would end up playing a bigger role down the line but it really didn't. The idea came up when Holly and Allie were making out and then Allie decided that she couldn't go all the way with Holly because it reminded her of her past boyfriend and the sextape of her friend she saw that one time, but that same experience had absolutely no affect on her fucking Sam in the abandoned library.

Plus after this all of a sudden Allie is just like totally in love with Sam and can't possibly imagine her life without him and can't stand to be away from him. like girl??? she survived three years protecting herself and her sister and not letting anything get in her way of that and you're telling me some random dude in the woods with a nasty ass beard changed that??? she took not like other girls Allie Hilts, who, albeit, is incredibly Badass, and turned her into a fucking damsel in distress. once again, UHG.

Another thing, why is Sam immune? This is literally never talked about. like everyone keeps going oh its so cool that he's immune this is perfect for science reasons we can figure out why and then save humanity, and then they never fucking do that. what was the point?

AND SCARFACE?? he had this whole role and other played out from it. why was he smarter than the others? why was he able to lead and control armies of Ferals when nothing had ever been done before. why did he have such a liking to Allie, because you can't tell me that there wasn't some sort of strange pull he seemed to have to her, he went after her WAY more times than anyone else. And that mofo was headset on bringing her back to the breeding grounds. why?

AND WHY why why was there a pregnancy. like in all the book was a two teetering on three stars for me because even though the plot was shit, the writing was still pretty good, but then the whole pregnancy thing happened, and it totally tanked the rating. like there was no point for this. sure it gave the story an ending of oh look there's still hope. but that same thing could have fucking happened if you didn't kill of Sam. Jesus, the whole thing was about saving Sam and then saving Allie and how Sam wouldn't go to Allie's camp because he would just die when the feral came and then no medical breakthrough could happen because he'd be dead, but then he died anyway! what was the point???? there was no point.

Also Fuck the pregnancy trope. I hate it. I hate it sooooooooo much. like it was genuinely the most unsatisfactory ending that this godawful book could have had.

mellabella's review against another edition

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3.0

I picked this book up on my latest trip to the bookstore. I LOVE horror. The blurb drew me in.
While I wasn't disappointed, (it was a good read with tense moments) there were a few things I didn't like.
Allie is a typical teenage girl. When the world goes crazy, making all men and boys sick and then bloodthirsty creatures filled with rage (ferals)... She is in school. Some drama with her best friend is the most serious thing she has to contend with. The situation with her friend was weird. In what universe does your boyfriend make a sex tape of you (unbeknownst to you) aaannndd you kind of just have no issue with it?
No.
Allie saves her sister from their dad. She can't save their mom. We then pick up a few years later. They've found a compound. Allie goes out on recon and supply runs. She is capable and smart. Her dad taught her how to do quite a few things. She notices changes in the ferals. She also finds an uninfected young man.
How is it that characters fall in love so quickly? Days? Attraction and love are totally different things. But maybe in the apocalypse you have to get right to it and your feelings are escalated.
The scenes with the ferals (as well as the last chapters) are great. Very fast paced.
I get that in the apocalypse, everyone has to change. But Allie's relationship with the sister she loved so much didn't ring true. Allie was prickly and on guard. She wanted to protect her sister at all costs. But, they have barely any scenes together? No moments? Then her sister commits something of a betrayal out of spite? I could not stand the Jacky character.
One part of the ending was surprising. While the other part wasn't.
I would recommend. 3.5 stars.

liisa_jean218's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

diarrakewley's review against another edition

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2.0

- started so good but a horrible ending
- Allie got on my nerves with her guardedness
- the ferals were pretty scary
- there was no real attachment to any of the characters
- all of the plot twists were foreseeable

greenikat89's review against another edition

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1.0

Started off somewhat interesting but as others have mentioned there was no rhyme or reason for sometimes flashbacks (with italics), switching from first to third for multiple characters and the random romance thrown in.

I’m also not a fan that a) women change to lesbians because no more men and b) “real” lesbian is a man hater/we don’t need men just sperm. It’s a gross and harmful depiction of queer identities that reinforces negative stereotypes and assumptions.

I’d call this book a thriller not horror. I didn’t find it scary and the simplistic writing has no chance of building suspense or atmosphere.