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ashleylynne920's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
bee_m's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kathythelibraryteacher's review against another edition
1.0
A no-go.
I didn’t enjoy this book. I found the characters one dimensional and incredibly unlikeable. It is an interesting concept. The execution simply didn’t hold my interest.
I didn’t enjoy this book. I found the characters one dimensional and incredibly unlikeable. It is an interesting concept. The execution simply didn’t hold my interest.
brian9teen's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
2.0
lisawreading's review against another edition
2.0
I've come to realize that the three little words I hate the most when it comes to fiction are "to be continued". It was not until I was three pages from the end of "Hater" that I discovered that this book is the first in a trilogy, and boy, do I feel ripped off. "Hater" has an interesting plot: Seemingly normal people suddenly turn into ruthless killers, and as the wave of violence spreads and becomes unstoppable, society falls apart with no rational explanation. The writing in this book is only fair, peppered with clunky sentences and imprecise grammar. The overall story is intriguing, although the characters are wooden and not terribly appealing. As I read "Haters", I was drawn onward by the promise of finding out the secret behind the violent transformations. Unfortunately, no answers are provided. The book ends with a great big battle scene, and then those three dreaded words. I doubt I'll be back for part two.
suzemo's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book. It has a great premise (as far as zombie-ish horror books go). There are a subset of genetically different people, who one day "snap" and become "Haters." They run amok and strike with an amazing amount of violence and relentlessness. The potential for paranoia and fun with epidemiology of violence were there, but it pretty much falls flat on its face.
The main character (I am loathe to use the term "protagonist") is just a slug of a human being. I can't get how his life has really changed or how he is "losing" anything when he spends the vast majority of the book bitching and moaning about his job/wife/kids/money issues/father-in-law/etc. I can't even bring myself to dislike him, I just don't care and want him to go away (I read on, hoping something bad would happen to him).
The writing was incredibly monotonous (20 or 30 pages swaths of "my life is awful" followed by a couple of pages of random violence, rinse, repeat) and felt very unpolished (and not in a good way).
Beyond that, the book seems to revel in its violence and bloodshed, so if you are looking for violence porn, it's the way to go. Then again, if you want cohesive plot, some kind of development, good characterization, and something better than what a 12 year old bully would like to read about, just skip it.
The main character (I am loathe to use the term "protagonist") is just a slug of a human being. I can't get how his life has really changed or how he is "losing" anything when he spends the vast majority of the book bitching and moaning about his job/wife/kids/money issues/father-in-law/etc. I can't even bring myself to dislike him, I just don't care and want him to go away (I read on, hoping something bad would happen to him).
The writing was incredibly monotonous (20 or 30 pages swaths of "my life is awful" followed by a couple of pages of random violence, rinse, repeat) and felt very unpolished (and not in a good way).
Beyond that, the book seems to revel in its violence and bloodshed, so if you are looking for violence porn, it's the way to go. Then again, if you want cohesive plot, some kind of development, good characterization, and something better than what a 12 year old bully would like to read about, just skip it.
mishareilly's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I love the unique take on zombies if you can even call it that. This is a dystopian novel that starts a 6 book series and I could not recommend it enough! You settle in thinking you may know how it's gonna go then boom! I can't say much more without spoilers. If you want to read a dystopian book that isn't like all the others out there, this is the one for that.
Didn't rate it 5 stars because I save that for books that make me emotional in some sort of way. This is an amazingly addictive read however and I recommend the whole series and honestly all of David Moody's other books.
This was a re read for me. I haven't read it since the first time I picked up it many many years ago.
Didn't rate it 5 stars because I save that for books that make me emotional in some sort of way. This is an amazingly addictive read however and I recommend the whole series and honestly all of David Moody's other books.
This was a re read for me. I haven't read it since the first time I picked up it many many years ago.
ctep's review against another edition
4.0
It was a little slow in some areas, and since I read a ton of "infected" novels I was always waiting for the twist. Interesting how the "others" view the world. I am defiently going to get my hands on part 2 Dog Blood.