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krissysbooked's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Violence, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Medical content
nadiamasood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Upgrade makes us consider the future of humanity. Do we need an Upgrade?
The novel's strength lies in its moral quandaries. It's a race to improve society, but at what cost? While the writing is strong, I feel like the character development isn't as strong as in the author's other books. The plot centers on a sibling rivalry for the sake of humanity, with a lot of medical terms thrown in. Sometimes, it feels like there's too much technical info, but the balance of science and action keeps things interesting.
Protagonist Logan emerges as a flawed yet compelling figure, and I enjoyed following his internal and external changes as he 'upgrades'. His relationship with his sister Kara adds another layer of tension.
Although I enjoyed Dark Matter and Recursion better than Upgrade, I would still recommend this book if you enjoy a well-written sci-fi novel.
Graphic: Genocide, Suicide, and Gun violence
beckyyreadss'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
oddpilot97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
However, here's the thing. Maybe it's because the mystery gets solved a little too early, but the middle of the book fizzled for me. It felt like the real meat of the story was over halfway through, and I struggled to keep the momentum going.
Overall, if you're looking for a mind-bending sci-fi adventure that'll tickle your ADHD curiosity, this is a good pick. Just be prepared for the possibility of needing a double-shot espresso to power through the second half.
Graphic: Suicide, Death, Violence, Gun violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Cursing, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Torture
Minor: Animal death and Child death
bluejayreads's review
3.0
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic and Terminal illness
Minor: Suicide
hybridhavoc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
With that said, there's not much new ground covered here really. Nothing about this is offensive I don't think.
Moderate: Medical content, Gun violence, Murder, and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident, Confinement, Violence, and Grief
ababytapir's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abandonment, Dementia, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Body horror, Medical content, and Suicide
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, War, and Terminal illness
figsofpeach's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Medical trauma
neurosalmon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Violence, Blood, War, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gun violence, and Murder
luminescify's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love his books because they hurt my brain they’re so well written and researched. This one was no different. I was constantly having to look things up and the field of genetics is so foreign, but was fascinating to read about.
My one request…Blake - can you please stop writing such loving and wholesome families for your characters and then tearing them from said families? My heart can only take so much and these people deserve happy endings.
This one will stay with me for a long time.
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide, and Toxic relationship