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faileskye's review against another edition
1.0
Initially, I was going to give this book two stars since the first third of the book wasn't bad, if a little odd. However, I reserve one star reviews for books that I cannot finish. Now I did in fact finish this book. but only because I was reading it with someone, and they kept pressuring me to finish it, since if he could, I could too. Now let me try to impart upon you why I hated this book.
It is hard to decide where to begin, well I guess I'll start with the drinking game I made up (though thankfully did not play) for it so that I could tolerate it more.
Take one drink if:
The word "coke" is mentioned (Warning, there are at least 49 instances of this in the book)
Any time it is referenced that Georgia is dead
A character gets a blood test and it is described (I do not advise following this rule...you may very well die)
Kelley is abused for no real reason other than the characters a jerks
Take two drinks if:
Mahir is woken up or is half dead exhausted
It is mentioned that Shaun's parents only thought of him and Georgia as a ratings stunt
Buffy is described as being a great technological wiz (SHE'S DEAD!)
Buffy is mentioned as betraying them (she really didn't, not directly anyway)
Take three drinks if:
"Mahir is the head of the newsies"
Any allusion to the [technically not] incestuous relationship Shaun and Georgia had.
You are given the backstory of a dead character.
As you can see from the drinking game, this book is repetitive. It is repetitive in the language and word choice. Not only that, it is also repetitive in the plot. Basically you will have a few chapters of them sitting around talking or doing nothing sensible, then something big will happen, then someone will die, then they have to escape. This happens three times, and that is the book.
As for that repetitiveness, why are half the repetitions about characters that died in the previous book?
On the topic of the characters, they are still kind of flat like the first book, but they at least start out different. By the end of the book however, I couldn't tell what character was talking at any given time because all their personalities melded into one. Needless to say, I stopped caring about any of the characters left alive.
The reason I read books is usually for the story, I love stories, and am VERY tolerant of them. But this book was awful. The plot is driven by asinine decisions, stupid reasoning, or just the random will of the author, not the characters, the author. The characters don't ever seem to have any legitimate reason for doing things, and this leads to plot holes. Big, massive, moon swallowing, plot holes. Please direct yourself to the drinking game, I used square brackets incorrectly in it. The thing is, square brackets are best used in news reporting as a way of adding something to clarify a quote that wasn't actually said. This is kind of news media 101. The funny thing is, that even though all the protagonists in this book are somehow linked to reporting the news, they stop doing it. They probably don't know how to use brackets. My only assumption is that the KA virus makes people stupid, manic, or neurotic. They get some huge Earth shattering news that everyone should know about so they can be saved. Do they report it the first time? nah. How about the second bit of news? Nuh-uh. The third or 4th bit of news, how about the bit that could save MILLIONS. Noooope! Really? It is insinuated that that would put them in more danger with the people trying to kill them. THe people that are spying on them. The people that know where they are and have lots of resources to kill them. I ask you, wouldn't telling the world about why they are trying to murder you actually protect you? I mean they couldn't hide your deaths then, and they'd probably be worried about getting murdered themselves.
Also where are the best buds from book one, you know the ones that are now president and vice president?
The long story short on what my issue with the book is that nothing changed. This is the middle book of a trilogy. The only things that changed from the end of Feed and the end of Deadline is that the reader knows two small bits of information and the cast is a little different. If I had messed up and read book one then book three, I would not have missed out on anything. In the large scheme of things in the world, absolutely jack happened that couldn't be summed up with an en medias res first chapter of the third book. SIGH
PS: And the award for the MOST awkwardly written sex scene ever goes to this book.
It is hard to decide where to begin, well I guess I'll start with the drinking game I made up (though thankfully did not play) for it so that I could tolerate it more.
Spoiler
Take one drink if:
The word "coke" is mentioned (Warning, there are at least 49 instances of this in the book)
Any time it is referenced that Georgia is dead
A character gets a blood test and it is described (I do not advise following this rule...you may very well die)
Kelley is abused for no real reason other than the characters a jerks
Take two drinks if:
Mahir is woken up or is half dead exhausted
It is mentioned that Shaun's parents only thought of him and Georgia as a ratings stunt
Buffy is described as being a great technological wiz (SHE'S DEAD!)
Buffy is mentioned as betraying them (she really didn't, not directly anyway)
Take three drinks if:
"Mahir is the head of the newsies"
Any allusion to the [technically not] incestuous relationship Shaun and Georgia had.
You are given the backstory of a dead character.
As you can see from the drinking game, this book is repetitive. It is repetitive in the language and word choice. Not only that, it is also repetitive in the plot. Basically you will have a few chapters of them sitting around talking or doing nothing sensible, then something big will happen, then someone will die, then they have to escape. This happens three times, and that is the book.
As for that repetitiveness, why are half the repetitions about characters that died in the previous book?
On the topic of the characters, they are still kind of flat like the first book, but they at least start out different. By the end of the book however, I couldn't tell what character was talking at any given time because all their personalities melded into one. Needless to say, I stopped caring about any of the characters left alive.
The reason I read books is usually for the story, I love stories, and am VERY tolerant of them. But this book was awful. The plot is driven by asinine decisions, stupid reasoning, or just the random will of the author, not the characters, the author. The characters don't ever seem to have any legitimate reason for doing things, and this leads to plot holes. Big, massive, moon swallowing, plot holes. Please direct yourself to the drinking game, I used square brackets incorrectly in it. The thing is, square brackets are best used in news reporting as a way of adding something to clarify a quote that wasn't actually said. This is kind of news media 101. The funny thing is, that even though all the protagonists in this book are somehow linked to reporting the news, they stop doing it. They probably don't know how to use brackets. My only assumption is that the KA virus makes people stupid, manic, or neurotic. They get some huge Earth shattering news that everyone should know about so they can be saved. Do they report it the first time? nah. How about the second bit of news? Nuh-uh. The third or 4th bit of news, how about the bit that could save MILLIONS. Noooope! Really? It is insinuated that that would put them in more danger with the people trying to kill them. THe people that are spying on them. The people that know where they are and have lots of resources to kill them. I ask you, wouldn't telling the world about why they are trying to murder you actually protect you? I mean they couldn't hide your deaths then, and they'd probably be worried about getting murdered themselves.
Also where are the best buds from book one, you know the ones that are now president and vice president?
The long story short on what my issue with the book is that nothing changed. This is the middle book of a trilogy. The only things that changed from the end of Feed and the end of Deadline is that the reader knows two small bits of information and the cast is a little different. If I had messed up and read book one then book three, I would not have missed out on anything. In the large scheme of things in the world, absolutely jack happened that couldn't be summed up with an en medias res first chapter of the third book. SIGH
PS: And the award for the MOST awkwardly written sex scene ever goes to this book.
shannan208's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
dagrumpypixi3's review against another edition
5.0
Chapter 16. Poor Becks! But my heart seriously aches for Shaun even more now
audreychamaine's review against another edition
5.0
***Spoiler alert*** I will discuss plot points that happened in the first book. I won't spoil this one, but if you haven't read the first book, you may want to read my review of Feed before going any further. Scroll down for spoiler-free section.
Shaun Mason lives life like he has a death wish. It's what being an Irwin (a daring stunt blogger) is all about. However, he lost his lust for life when he had to shoot his sister, George, after she began amplifying into a zombie. Now, George is a voice in his head that constantly talks to him, and he's determined to ferret out the conspiracy that was behind her death. When a CDC researcher shows up on his team's front door, he knows things are about to get intense. He can't guess how far down the rabbit hole goes, though, and how dangerous and all-encompassing the conspiracy really is. Shaun needs to get his revenge, but he may also need to save humanity to do it.
I loved Feed. It was fast-paced, creative, intelligent, and wildly entertaining. I'm happy to report that Deadline does not disappoint as a followup! This story is told from Shaun's point of view, rather than George's. However, we still get our fair share of George and her dry sarcasm as the voice in Shaun's head. He doesn't just imagine that she's speaking to him, he literally hears her and has arguments with her as his coping mechanism. Shaun's a compelling narrator, even if he doesn't have the same Irwin gusto that he used to have. He's now completely driven--driven to the brink of insanity by his loss, and driven to seek revenge for the death of his sister.
***Spoiler-free***
Deadline introduced new key characters to keep the story moving. Shaun's team really fills out the story with multiple viewpoints and character motivations. We get to enjoy more of Mahir, who figured somewhat in the last book. We also get to know Maggie, the rich girl who doesn't rely on money to keep her safe, Becks, the ultra-cool female Irwin, and Alaric, who has been thrown in over his head.
There's plenty of gore, tense scenarios, and explosions to keep zombie enthusiasts happy. Technically, I'm not sure if this would truly be called a zombie book or an "infected" book in the eyes of zombie purists, but it doesn't matter to me. The dead are hungry, and they're out en mass. Even if zombies aren't your goal, the complex conspiracy plot and scientific explanation of the development of the disease can still give you plenty to chew on.
Don't even try to read Deadline before reading Feed. You will be confused and will lose the nuances of the post-apocalyptic world that Grant's created so well. Solution: read them both! This is one of my top picks for current series, horror, and zombie fiction. You'll be *dying* to read the next one (groan...)
Shaun Mason lives life like he has a death wish. It's what being an Irwin (a daring stunt blogger) is all about. However, he lost his lust for life when he had to shoot his sister, George, after she began amplifying into a zombie. Now, George is a voice in his head that constantly talks to him, and he's determined to ferret out the conspiracy that was behind her death. When a CDC researcher shows up on his team's front door, he knows things are about to get intense. He can't guess how far down the rabbit hole goes, though, and how dangerous and all-encompassing the conspiracy really is. Shaun needs to get his revenge, but he may also need to save humanity to do it.
I loved Feed. It was fast-paced, creative, intelligent, and wildly entertaining. I'm happy to report that Deadline does not disappoint as a followup! This story is told from Shaun's point of view, rather than George's. However, we still get our fair share of George and her dry sarcasm as the voice in Shaun's head. He doesn't just imagine that she's speaking to him, he literally hears her and has arguments with her as his coping mechanism. Shaun's a compelling narrator, even if he doesn't have the same Irwin gusto that he used to have. He's now completely driven--driven to the brink of insanity by his loss, and driven to seek revenge for the death of his sister.
***Spoiler-free***
Deadline introduced new key characters to keep the story moving. Shaun's team really fills out the story with multiple viewpoints and character motivations. We get to enjoy more of Mahir, who figured somewhat in the last book. We also get to know Maggie, the rich girl who doesn't rely on money to keep her safe, Becks, the ultra-cool female Irwin, and Alaric, who has been thrown in over his head.
There's plenty of gore, tense scenarios, and explosions to keep zombie enthusiasts happy. Technically, I'm not sure if this would truly be called a zombie book or an "infected" book in the eyes of zombie purists, but it doesn't matter to me. The dead are hungry, and they're out en mass. Even if zombies aren't your goal, the complex conspiracy plot and scientific explanation of the development of the disease can still give you plenty to chew on.
Don't even try to read Deadline before reading Feed. You will be confused and will lose the nuances of the post-apocalyptic world that Grant's created so well. Solution: read them both! This is one of my top picks for current series, horror, and zombie fiction. You'll be *dying* to read the next one (groan...)
rainweaver13's review against another edition
4.0
The first book in this series, "Feed," was about journalism, politics and zombies. I really enjoyed it. "Deadline" begins a few months after the events of "Feed," and is about high-level conspiracy, (possibly including the Centers for Disease Control), cloning and zombies.
Actually, zombies don't figure as much in this one, but when they show up they're necessary and frightening. "Deadline" is mostly one long chase scene, as the heroes of the story try to stay ahead of some high-level power that is trying to stop them from uncovering a conspiracy.
I like the distinctive characters in this story. I hope they're able to find some kind of happy ending in the third book, which now goes on my reading list.
Actually, zombies don't figure as much in this one, but when they show up they're necessary and frightening. "Deadline" is mostly one long chase scene, as the heroes of the story try to stay ahead of some high-level power that is trying to stop them from uncovering a conspiracy.
I like the distinctive characters in this story. I hope they're able to find some kind of happy ending in the third book, which now goes on my reading list.
booksandroswell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Who asked for the cliffhanger to go that hard
stephanielee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gun violence, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content
ktaylor1164's review against another edition
4.0
The sequel to Feed is just as brutal as the original, and just as emotionally resonant.
loopingtangent's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- 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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Gore, Death, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Cursing, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, War, and Mental illness
Minor: Child death
This is a zombie apocalypse book, so a good chunk of the graphic warnings are due to it being a zombie apocalypse story.