Reviews

Survive by Courtney Konstantin

bookswithbailee9's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

triciamaeve's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

p0laris's review

3.0

The latest in my post-apocalyptic streak lately. This FMC is amazing. I loved her. She's so self assured and confident, and a total baddie made for a zombie apocalypse. Sure she has a bit of a hero complex and she struggles with feelings or with how to comfort others after their loss, but she protected herself and daughter and anyone else they came across.

I like the daughter as well. Brave and street smart. So much like her mother, as she had been trained similarly, but also very compassionate and sweet.


‼️ Spoilers

I did not like the MMC, and I feel that's mostly because the story had very little relationship development. When they first find him, he's got a woman hanging off of him, making moves on him that he does nothing to stop, in fact he's openly angry with the FMC anytime she gets annoyed with her. And their relationship is never explained or discussed after the woman conveniently dies.

After which point, the MMC suddenly makes a move on the FMC.

We continue to have no relationship development as things happen and secrets are revealed (it's not a spoiler: he's the girl's father), but they hardly discuss any of it before they just put it aside and move on. 

They don't discuss the fact that he was patronizing towards her for not immediately trusting the military guys when he forced her to surrender to them. Nor do they discuss that he mansplains to her how she needed to calm down and trust the military when they were trying to take their daughter from them to take to a separate facility. He never apologizes for not listening to her when she knew something was wrong, and it resulted in her being tortured for days.

But then he rescues her and he's calling her baby now and one day later they love each other again and the story ends. 

I guess I should be clear that the survival and action aspects of the story are really good. They kept me up late reading. I just really really wanted to see the relationship develop instead of having it happen off page or wherever it happened. He was so supportive of her and confident in her skills that it was almost shocking when he chastised her for the way she reacted at times. They needed more interactions between the two of them to sort it all out.

peppes's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

whatcha_listening_to's review

4.0

We met Alex in the first book this is Max's book. The sister to Alex.
Oh man I have to say the author does a fantastic job of giving us very different female leads. I liked that you can tell both sisters are strong because of how they were raised but Max. Well she loved all the survival stuff and that completely shows. She doesn't second guess she just gets things done.

Jack her daughter is a lot like her, but I see the softer side too and again kids in the middle of the world ending way cool I tell ya. Something you don't think will work but if anyone can its these ladies.

Max really has it rough in this one, she makes the hard choice to go after her ex aka Jack's father.
Who is just as surprised to see her. Then the hard truth comes out. And then torture!! I mean wow. this book has it all.

I can't freaking wait for book 3 I have my fingers crossed its the brothers book.
Again the narration really was top notch.

abibea's review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

reading_rainy's review

4.0

**3.5** This book was slightly better than the first one. Max is quite a badass wielding her tactical tomahawk while keeping her eight-year-old daughter safe behind her. Like her sister in the first book, Max is also making her way to Montana, to the family compound. She decides to make a slight detour to look up her high school sweetheart, Griffin. She last heard from him when he was leaving for boot camp over eight years ago.

Tons of non-stop action, and some really brutal torture of a woman.

Spoiler

Electrocution, waterboarding, grown men beating on her for days while hanging her from a meat hook in a cold room.

There is some slight romance with some kisses. Maybe in book 3 we'll make it to second base. I really shouldn't judge, as these books aren't listed as romantic apocalypse stories. Just your basic survivalist zombie apocalypse stories featuring kickass women...with kids. And honestly is there anything more ferocious than a mother protecting her children?

setaian's review

3.0

Not bad.
Maybe even a little better than book one.
If you like zombie books and hate originality, this is the book for you.

aylaandthebooks's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

sepia_witch's review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0