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adventurous
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The sci-fi was HEAVY on the science for sure (namely biology & genetics) which I haven't read in a minute! I enjoyed the fast-paced action of this and the thriller-esque moments, as well as the questions that are posed about what makes us human. This book for me was a "they had us in the first half I'm not gunna lie", the middle to end could drag at points, ultimately culminating in a conclusion that I think really undermined the real power of the book's main antagonist. Great critique on our climate crisis and what different POVs think should be done to address it as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Torture
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ah, I loved the premise. Really, really liked the first half of the book. The ideas, the discussions about humanity and different approaches to prevent its extinction, about actions and consequences and about the possibilities and risks of genetic engineering were super intriguing and fresh.
Sadly, there was more focus on action scenes in the second half of the book, and although I didn't mind all the science dumping in the beginning, it got very annoying the farther the story progressed.
It was still a fun and fast-paced reading experience (especially with the help of the audiobook), I just kind of stopped caring along the way and yes, I see the irony in this. XD
So I liked it for what it was, but there was so much more potential to make this an outstanding story. It lacked emotion and the surprises factor other Blake Crouch books have. It was all very predictable. The epilogue finally delivered what I wished for, just too little too late. I would have loved to see a more nuanced discussion about the topics of the epilogue in the second half of the book alongside the action.
Sadly, there was more focus on action scenes in the second half of the book, and although I didn't mind all the science dumping in the beginning, it got very annoying the farther the story progressed.
It was still a fun and fast-paced reading experience (especially with the help of the audiobook), I just kind of stopped caring along the way and yes, I see the irony in this. XD
So I liked it for what it was, but there was so much more potential to make this an outstanding story. It lacked emotion and the surprises factor other Blake Crouch books have. It was all very predictable. The epilogue finally delivered what I wished for, just too little too late. I would have loved to see a more nuanced discussion about the topics of the epilogue in the second half of the book alongside the action.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So insanely interesting. Am I a sci fi bitch now? I might be. My only critique is that the ending felt rushed, not to mention super depressing but that’s the nature of dystopian fiction I suppose. I could not put this down and it will definitely be living rent free in my brain for a while
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Medical trauma, Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Addiction, Body horror
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The plot was fast-paced and action-packed, but a lot of the science in the sci fi was cringe or exaggerated to the point it wasn’t believable. A lot of the action felt contrived - characters quickly turned to extreme violence (literally within seconds) and moved from family/long-term friends to trying to kill each other in a blink of an eye. I usually like spec sci fi, but this one was a little too stuck on the first year of Covid as its inspiration.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Death of parent