Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Upgrade by Blake Crouch

23 reviews

blackcatkai's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

CW: suicide, violence, blood, human experimentation

I don't think I liked this more than Crouch's Wayward Pines trilogy, but I DO think it's my fave of his more recent releases. scifi is not a big go-to overall for me, but I am all here for a scifi eco-thriller in Crouch's capable hands!

a lot of the book does essentially center on things like climate change, classism, environmentalism in general, and the downfall of humanity & humans as a species. SO if ANY of those topics turns you off, maybe skip this, or at least be aware ahead of time.

this book absolutely made me cry in a couple spots, laugh a lot, and I had a hard time putting it down to go to work & such. highly recommend, especially if you dig scifi/eco thrillers or crouch in general.

all the stars!

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whatjasread's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

3.0

- def lower end of 3 stars, i think
- it wasn't bad, conceptually it was actually very interesting, but it definitely needed editing
- lots of introspection and not a lot of plot progression, plus the final 10% felt like a drag that i just wanted to get over with to the point where I skimmed it mostly
- a weird case of it needing to be shorter but also needing to be longer - cut the repetitive waffle, add more insight that isn't introspective
- thought provoking at times, but definitely one that you have to really think about, not really a book you can 'get lost in'
- confusing at times with the enhancements that worked in some scenarios but not in others
- i have only read one blake crouch (dark matter) but this doesn't come close to it, i'm afraid

TWs: vomiting, hospitalisation, explosion, violence, gunshot wounds, gun violence, death of father (past, suicide), death of mother, death of brother (past, leukemia), death of sister (murder), strained family relationships, murder, torture, needles, blood, gore, scarring, drug use, smoking, alcohol consumption, animal abuse/testing

Thank you to bookbreak and the author for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

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marareading's review against another edition

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

5.0

I was thrilled to get this advanced copy from Random House - Ballantine. As always Blake Crouch is keeping us enthralled with his ability to write science fiction in the most thrilling possible way. This is a perfect addition to his already amazing books!

We follow our main character Logan Ramsey in a dystopian future. He works for the GPA (Gene Protection Agency) and lives with guilt every day. The human race has survived, barely, what is called the "Great Starvation", and science has developed to a point where anyone can try to upgrade their DNA. The government of course has put a quick stop to it, whether it be the well meaning families trying to help their children, or large scale bio-weapon labs. Logan's job is to stop them. Even when it means stopping the "good" guys who are making real and meaningful advances for the world. He goes on a raid one night and everything goes wrong... more than anyone could have guessed. 

This story had me on the edge of my seat. I love the way the science is part of the story, but doesn't feel like a barrier or something you feel you need to understand before reading.  

I highly recommend you pick this up in July when it is published! 

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