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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I started reading this before the 2024 election and shit just got too real for me…10/10 would continue reading if the dystopian world depicted in the book didn’t remind me so much of the long-term effects of corrupt US politics.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
More depressing than I was expecting. I wouldn't recommend this but it will stick with me. My main critique was that somehow in this future, race was not a factor at ALL (I had to really suspend my disbelief). I'm also grateful there was either only one instance of alluded to rape/sexual violence or none, even though it would've been extremely accurate particularly at Sugarloaf.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, War
Moderate: Child abuse
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very dark and ominous. Scary, given the current state of affairs. But otherwise well-plotted and well-written.
I also think Akkad makes impressive work of humanizing a person who would otherwise be considered a monster by many. When a person grows up surrounded by misery, human suffering, and no way to escape that suffering, it can't be altogether surprising that such a person might resort to horrific acts to comply with some belief system that promises relief. I am no apologist for this behavior, but I think this adds another dimension of understanding to a very dark (but real) part of the human experience.
I also think Akkad makes impressive work of humanizing a person who would otherwise be considered a monster by many. When a person grows up surrounded by misery, human suffering, and no way to escape that suffering, it can't be altogether surprising that such a person might resort to horrific acts to comply with some belief system that promises relief. I am no apologist for this behavior, but I think this adds another dimension of understanding to a very dark (but real) part of the human experience.
I listened to this book on Audible and it took me a really long time to get through.
1) It’s not my usual read. I’m not exactly a fan of dystopian novels nor do I read books about war. This was very far out of my comfort zone
2) It’s so so so so slow. To quote my second grade teacher, “it’s slower than molasses in January” to start. It required a lot of pushing through for me.
3) It’s a really heavy, brutal story from the perspective of someone who might be classified as a terrorist. Again, it took a LOT of work for me to get through
4) In addition to it being dark and slow... much of it aligned too closely with current events and it exhausted me. Specifically, the vast division between red and the blue. Also, I think the family was traveling to Camp Patience for refuge right as news broke that children were being separated from their families at the US/Mexico border when seeking refuge.
Ultimately, I’m not sure I even enjoyed this book but I’m sticking with my 3 star rating. It’s a story of pure devastation and how that turns into fury and revenge. I feel like that was artfully done. The main reason I’ll give it 3 stars when I didn’t even really like it is the respect I have for the author. Omar el Akkad has built this complex dystopian United States, a lot of time is spent building the history behind it to give the reader context over the past 70ish years, and it must’ve been a massive endeavor to create something so robust and complex.
1) It’s not my usual read. I’m not exactly a fan of dystopian novels nor do I read books about war. This was very far out of my comfort zone
2) It’s so so so so slow. To quote my second grade teacher, “it’s slower than molasses in January” to start. It required a lot of pushing through for me.
3) It’s a really heavy, brutal story from the perspective of someone who might be classified as a terrorist. Again, it took a LOT of work for me to get through
4) In addition to it being dark and slow... much of it aligned too closely with current events and it exhausted me. Specifically, the vast division between red and the blue. Also, I think the family was traveling to Camp Patience for refuge right as news broke that children were being separated from their families at the US/Mexico border when seeking refuge.
Ultimately, I’m not sure I even enjoyed this book but I’m sticking with my 3 star rating. It’s a story of pure devastation and how that turns into fury and revenge. I feel like that was artfully done. The main reason I’ll give it 3 stars when I didn’t even really like it is the respect I have for the author. Omar el Akkad has built this complex dystopian United States, a lot of time is spent building the history behind it to give the reader context over the past 70ish years, and it must’ve been a massive endeavor to create something so robust and complex.
Such an interesting premise for a book that I wanted to get invested in the story, but sadly the reading was just a slog and I couldn't finish it after all. Maybe it got better, but over halfway through, I couldn't relate to any character nor was I feeling any tension in the plot to keep me invested.
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A solid dystopian novel about the Second American Civil War set in the not so distant future (interestingly enough war breaks out over fossil fuels) which investigates how terrorists are made. Both entertaining and disturbing we see the main character grow from an innocent child into pretty much a monster. Hadn't had a good read in awhile and was glad to have picked this one up/