Reviews with content warning for Eating disorder - Hunger

4.5 - 4.25 stars for the book 4.75 stars for the tv adaptation i wrote in my head while reading it

this was SOOO FUCKED UP i love it thank you michael grant. a child being devoured by worms in the first chapter? insane. truly inspired. was also taken aback by how often people considered cannibalism. and how many people are HESITATING to kill DRAKE OHHHHH MY GOD

lot of cw for this book but most importantly is probably graphic descriptions of bulimia

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rachel1's review against another edition

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Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

[NOTE. This is a review from when I was 12. I gave it a 5 stars (on Goodreads), but considering that I am now 20 and I haven't read this book since I was 12-14 (I may have reread this book, I'm almost certain I've at least reread the first Gone book, but again, I was 14 at the oldest), I have no idea what star rating I'd give now, especially when you take into account the fact that StoryGraph allows you to give books 1/4 and 1/2 star ratings and Goodreads doesn't. Which is why I've changed this from 5 stars to N/A. I've also added some content warnings based on my review, can't remember exactly how graphic these were so these are based on memory, it's labelled as graphic (the book series definitely was graphic and upsetting at times, that is the thing that's stuck with me the most about it).]

Amazing, easy to get addicted.

This is the sequel to Gone. I've waited a few months after reading Gone to reading this because I've read an extract which was pretty gruesome, but I regret that. It's brilliant. A book where everyone over 15 disappears, and on your 15th birthday, you disappear, or "poof", too. In this, a major conflict in Gone, which is poofing on your 15th birthday, is resolved. Now a new conflict is rising, a conflict that some could argue is even worse than poofing: starvation. People eating cats and dogs, eating grass, 14 year-old alcoholics, people as young as 9 smoking pot and some people thinking of even resorting to cannibalism. But that's not all. Another major conflict in the 1st book is talking coyotes and something called the Darkness, who pretty much is a demon that possesses people. And that's still a problem in this book. The Darkness is revealed to have a name - the Gaiaphage - and is hungry too. It needs radiation. So it makes Caine get radiation from the town's power plant and leaves the FAYZ in total darkness. People are thinking of stepping out, which is pretty much committing suicide. It's where you choose to poof, even though you have the option to live even when you turn 15. Also, more and more people are developing powers and a gang called the Human Crew pretty much tortures people with powers, whom they call freaks. There are giant mutated worms who eat people. It deals with mature topics, some I've already mentioned like prejudice, suicide and torture, but also autism, eating disorders, LGBT+ people, depression, etc. There are a wide set of diverse, lovable and complex characters and instead of sticking to the point of view of just one character, it takes the point of view of a ton of characters, which some might not like, but I love. It helps develop the characters a lot. In Gone it kind of did that a bit, but I don't think they did it as much. The protagonist (though I don't know if I can even call him a protagonist since there's so many point of views from different characters, but whatever) has developed a lot and has become more interesting and more conflicted. It's amazing to see these characters when they first appeared to how they are now, they've developed so much. I think this is better, and darker, than Gone. This is what I wish every sequel could be like. It's amazing.

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nnannanna's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

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

1.5

The characters in this series are not loveable or relatable to me in any level. Maybe it's because I'm older and able to see past the teenage romance.

Every girl in the book is valued only for their looks and they're also written to act accordingly. I didn't find any moment when there would be interesting dialogue with the women in the book. Yet every time some male character meets a new girl she is described as "beautiful" or "pretty". Also the way Mary's eating disorder is handled in a book aimed at teenagers is very cringeworthy and possibly harmful. She is described as "model thin" and how "weight loss made her look good".

I did not enjoy the book, just finished to get it done with.

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thesawyerbean's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

An interesting follow up to the first in the Gone series. I found it to be a bit slower than Gone, but still an enjoyable read. It’s amazing how fleshed out the characters are considering how huge the cast is. I hope Lies continues to be as enjoyable.

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Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Hunger by Michael Grant

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