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readwithriya's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ronjaorsomething's review against another edition
just not the vibe rn (i do wanna come back tho)
cscharfway's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Really unique cross between the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale and pandemic, apocalyptic world. Alongside other great apocalyptic works though, this one is a little flat. I would have liked to go more into the background of the sickness infecting the world and also the reasons behind the “Alien”-esque monsters. Adam as a character is also INFURIATING and makes me think I’m reading from the perspective of young teenagers, not adults in their twenties. The “end of the world” plot is a little played out and predictable for me, but it was still enjoyable to read.
The real beauty and strength of the book is in Red’s narrative which is very intense to read and very sad with its details of loss, distrust in humanity, racial violence, and ableism. I love how self-reliant and smart she is about the dangers in the world and doesn’t let having a prosthetic leg hold her back. Her observations are witty, and I like reading about other characters through her eyes.
The real beauty and strength of the book is in Red’s narrative which is very intense to read and very sad with its details of loss, distrust in humanity, racial violence, and ableism. I love how self-reliant and smart she is about the dangers in the world and doesn’t let having a prosthetic leg hold her back. Her observations are witty, and I like reading about other characters through her eyes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Cursing, Racism, and Vomit
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Ableism
raemarie23's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
jenhurst's review
3.0
I liked red as a character a lot. She was tough and the kind of fiesty character I root for. I thought Christina Henry’s writing was great, it drew me right in. I just felt like not enough of the disease and government was explained.
slark's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
tencutepuppies's review
3.0
(3.5) The irony of this book being released in late 2019 is insane. I really liked the extreme lack of a Chosen One type of main character archetype, and the care she put into not being the typical bumbling horror story protagonist. It was a super fast read that I finished in about an hour and a half. Very easy to get into.
HOWEVER as interesting as the concept was, I can’t help but feel disappointment at how absurdly rushed this story felt, especially toward the second half. Family members are brutally butchered, the MC sees nasty body horror in front of her own eyes several times, women and children are being used as objects by bad men and she just takes it as if she’s watching Cartoon Network or something. To me, her lack of reaction and immediate moving on was far from believable. In my opinion, this book would have benefitted from being a couple hundred pages longer, because what the hell was that ending? The “plot twist” was also very mundane and not at all shocking to me.
HOWEVER as interesting as the concept was, I can’t help but feel disappointment at how absurdly rushed this story felt, especially toward the second half. Family members are brutally butchered, the MC sees nasty body horror in front of her own eyes several times, women and children are being used as objects by bad men and she just takes it as if she’s watching Cartoon Network or something. To me, her lack of reaction and immediate moving on was far from believable. In my opinion, this book would have benefitted from being a couple hundred pages longer, because what the hell was that ending? The “plot twist” was also very mundane and not at all shocking to me.
bella613's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
This book felt very unfinished and not just because of the ending.
Everything from the descriptions of the violence and the behavior and thoughts of the main character were very in-your-face, and didn't feel imaginative or realistically written. I loved the main character so I wish she had been allowed to just be, and not constantly overexplained by the author.
It read like someone decided to write a dystopia-style version of little red riding hood and stopped there, didn't put any more thought into it. I have no problem with open endings in general, or even with unanswered questions about large plot points. But this book doesn't feel like a story that's meant to make you think in the way that open endings usually do. It almost felt more like an unnecessarily long intro into the real story, than a story itself.
Everything from the descriptions of the violence and the behavior and thoughts of the main character were very in-your-face, and didn't feel imaginative or realistically written. I loved the main character so I wish she had been allowed to just be, and not constantly overexplained by the author.
It read like someone decided to write a dystopia-style version of little red riding hood and stopped there, didn't put any more thought into it. I have no problem with open endings in general, or even with unanswered questions about large plot points. But this book doesn't feel like a story that's meant to make you think in the way that open endings usually do. It almost felt more like an unnecessarily long intro into the real story, than a story itself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Child death, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence