Reviews

The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch, Vol. 2: Empire Decayed by Daniel Kraus

nimbushfish's review

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

4.75

h0pesheart's review against another edition

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4.0

I am both pleased and conflicted. The ending wasn't the sweet farewell I wanted, but the brutal bashing of Zebulon's existence. Which is what he wanted, so it seems fitting. But I can't help but feel unsettled. I really loved the last pages before the word vomit of Zebulon's consciousness...

emmabussolotta's review against another edition

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4.0

I'm going to spend the rest of my life thinking about that ending.

I want whatever drugs Daniel Kraus took while writing this.


Seriously:
I think Kraus specializes in Zeb’s emotions. His relationships with the people around him are my favorite part of the book, no matter how frustrating or devastating. The end of part eleven and Merle’s death was so beautiful yet so traumatizing. The entirety of part eight and Zeb’s dynamic with the Whites was gorgeous.

However, the parts between those, like part 7 and 9 were struggles for me. I loved Zeb and Rigby, but I was bored in part 7, which is saying a lot when the goal is to kill Hitler. I found some of these parts to be very textbook like, where they lacked emotion and focused on Kraus showing off his historical knowledge.

cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition

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4.0

A 2016 staff favorite recommended by Mark.

Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sdeath%20and%20life%20of%20zebulon%20finch%20kraus__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold

emdoux's review against another edition

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5.0

took me several months to relisten.

biblio_mom's review against another edition

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3.0

Horrifying but sweet, gruesome but beautiful story of Zebulon Aaaron Finch, a rich 17 years old teenager raised perfectly fine by his mother but chosen a different path of life because in my opinion, he’s just plain ignorant. But he sure did learnt his lessons after he was shot down by the shore of Lake Michigan, got mysteriously resurrected to live the rest of his life as a corpse.

He does not eat & drink, does not sleep, bleed & breath, but he have feelings. He stays 17 years old though he lives a decade. He fell in love, became a thug, does odd jobs, went to a different countries, fight in the World War 1, became a movie extra, got involved up by the most controversional woman in Hollywood, became an astronaut, joined the Nazi, become a cult leader. He does EVERYTHING and that is why it makes it irresistable to continue reading!

It took a lot of patience reading this duology not just because both of them are 1413 pages, but the way he talks, oh boy, there is nothing decent coming out from his mouth. As a mother myself, I feel like stuffing chillis in his mouth 

pleasantbastard's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

baileychadwick's review against another edition

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2.0

Was totally on board with these books until after the 1960's Mercury stuff. Then JESUS did it go downhill. He did not know how to end this damn book. It got weird, it was unnecessary, and I read two giant volumes of a book with the most bullshit ending ever. Very unhappy I spent so much time on these. Do yourself a favor and skip them.

dianacantread's review against another edition

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5.0

How dare this book just hurt my soul like that.

5/5 stars

sirlancelot2021's review

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adventurous challenging dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0