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juliawren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The plot slowed down significantly in the middle and required a bit of powering through, and parts of the ending felt a bit abrupt because of the difference in pacing, but I didn't mind that it wrapped up quickly, and it was satisfying both to have the mystery revealed and to have it fit so cleanly into the characters' arcs.
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Vomit, Violence, Child death, Cannibalism, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Ableism, Blood, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror
Minor: Animal death
simmonsj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is not an action packed book. It is more thoughtful and more literary than any other zombie book I've read. Lots of questions of humanity and science and how they intersect. Lots of pondering what the right thing to do is when confronted with humanity-altering scenarios. The plot starts off amazingly, giving us glimpses of this world mostly through Melanie's POV. We do also get POVs from a few other main/side characters to round out the world building and scope of the plot. Things start to slow down pretty quickly after a major event, and then the plot seems to wander without saying much. Hence the deduction of a star - I felt like not a lot happened in a long time. But again, this book wants to do something more than dole out action scenes. I really couldn't see how this could have a satisfying ending for 90% of the story, but at the very end we get a few scientific revelations that gave the ending a chance to make sense.
The writing feels more like literary fiction than a fantasy novel. Lots of poignant descriptions, metaphors, more flowery language for a dystopian novel than I would expect. Things are told in 3rd person throughout all POVs which took me out of an immersed experience and more like I was floating above watching it all happen. It worked well for this particular story. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator, Finty Williams, had a nice English tone that fit the story rather well.
Overall, a very interesting take on the zombie and dystopian genres. Very literary and introspective. Few action scenes, little bit of science, and an ending that made sense even if it took a while to get there. But if you want a lot of action with your survival and zombies, this may not be the book you are looking for.
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Child death, Violence, and Gore
chriswaldron15's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Blood and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Blood and Body horror
Minor: Cannibalism
leligavi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Medical content, Body horror, Confinement, Cannibalism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Gore
corin_134340's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic
lpogo16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The story could have been edited down. There’s a lot that happens for the shock value or to make comments about other characters.
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Cannibalism, Confinement, Violence, Medical content, and Murder
Minor: Gun violence, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, and Kidnapping
Spores, Mushrooms, Funguscaptainsillypants's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Cannibalism, Child death, Blood, Confinement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, and Gore
blackberryjambaby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Gore, Violence, Abandonment, Child death, Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Ableism, Animal cruelty, and Body horror
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Torture, Stalking, Vomit, Abortion, Terminal illness, and Suicide
petit_lecteur's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Blood
vavocado's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic