Just WOW, this was my first dive into that kind of horror literature and I do not regret it! I mean, this was a masterpiece. Very disturbing and yet so fascinating. I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started reading and the story kept surprising me as I turned the pages! I am definitely checking this author’s other works!

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stephanieluxton's review

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

This book was a bit of a roller coaster and it makes it so hard to rate. Let's start with what I liked. I went into this book pretty much blind. I didn't read the synopsis and all I knew is that it was about a virus and leans heavily into body horror.

I really enjoyed the first part of the book in which we see the horrors a new virus is inflicting on a normal person and how the world is responding to it. Super interesting concept! I also enjoyed the pacing of the story for the most part - it only dragged in certain areas. I liked the writing itself. I found myself fairly immersed in the first act and also somewhat in the final act.

But there was so much that I didn't like. The characters are all pretty irredeemable with exception to Mareva, maybe. Every single character is so far left wing, politically that I feel like even left wing readers would find them deplorable. I didn't write the book off because of this. Maybe the author wanted us to hate all the characters! Obviously I don't need to fully relate to the characters or after with their views to enjoy a book, but it got super preachy in the second act. White men = bad. Christians = bad. It wasn't subtle at all and was definitely pulling me out of the story. Erin isnt likeable but I could feel empathy for her. Savannah is the absolute worst scum of the earth. Part two was painful to read. Mareva was the best character but I feel like the book ends semi abruptly before we really got to see the consequences of her decisions.

The other thing that pulled me out of the story was that there was a lot of time spent trying to explain the science of the virus but without really answering most of our bigger questions. The book ends just as it's starting to get interesting again.

Overall I think this book had all the potential but it almost was felt like it was trying to do so many things at once instead of just telling one story well.

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literarybitch's review against another edition

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dark

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

Would anyone like to explain to me what, respectfully, the fuck?

Other than that, I would like to make a couple points real quick. This book is split into thirds and each section follows a different woman. The first one was the hardest for me because it deals a lot with medical trauma around female bodies. The second part is what Maeve Fly wishes it was.

???/10
#WhatsKenyaReading

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_meeg's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

4.0

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kaiyakaiyo's review

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

that was. something.

hmm. I would by no means recommend this book to anyone I know BUT the first and last thirds of this book were fascinating. the middle… I could’ve done without it or her perspective; simultaneously deeply depraved yet extremely annoying at the same time.

i really like cosmic, unknown, uncanny horror and that’s exactly what this delivered on, if a bit more gorily than i would have liked.

poor nurse allegra, she was who i was really rooting for

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