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tenderbench's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Vomit, Dementia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
querciola's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Abortion, and Death of parent
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Chronic illness and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicide, Dementia, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
wormgirl's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Grief, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Child death
lcg527's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
jkull_10's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
applesodaperson's review
I also just didn’t think Candace was a very compelling character.
The one thing I did like was the virus. The idea was cool, and the beginning of the pandemic was spooky and reminded me of Covid, even though this book was written before.
The reason I decided to dnf this even past the halfway point was that I just realized I did not care about what happened to the characters or how the story ended.
Listened to on Libby.
Graphic: Death and Gore
Minor: Pregnancy
46jjsg's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, and Pregnancy
savshelfinger's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Murder
andeulea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It did take a while for me to get into the book because the narrative kept switching from the present, to the main character, Candace’s past in NY, to the present, to the families past, etc..
I'm curious about the author's decision to introduce Candace's Fujianese background and family's past in a post-apocalyptic setting. Other than maybe identifying her as a person of color? The present and future offer no references to the relevance of this information, but not sure if it even matters. At least I got to learn about my ancestors’ history? I guess?
Overall, I had fun reading about the world falling apart while the apocalypse unfolded. It was a depressing but also thrilling read!
Update: After some reflection, the mention of Candace's background becomes clearer. It seems that the apocalypse served as an allegory for the "severance" of any ties that Candace may have had to her Chinese background. Following her family's arrival to the US, she began losing that part of her identity, a common experience for many immigrant children. However, Ling Ma's writing style made me feel like this comparison was more of a stretch.
Graphic: Death and Gun violence