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ufohnooo's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror
meesvsbooks's review
3.0
3,5⭐️
Infested is a YA paranormal horror story about 17 y/o Manny who has to move across the country because his stepfather bought an entire apartment building in the Bronx, New York. Manny is not excited for the move, and as if it couldn’t get any worse, bad things start to happen once they arrive. Nightmares, crawling roaches and people starting to disappear. Maybe the move wasn’t such a great idea..
What I liked most about this book was how well the negative impact of gentrification was explained through horror. This added lots of depth to the story. The horrifying scenes were written so vividly. The roaches crawling everywhere was VERY imaginable. There was also some awesome body horror!
The book also touches on racism, family issues and gives a very nice insight in the Puerto Rican culture. Especially Manny’s neighborhood in the Bronx was packed with authentic Puerto Rican food, Spanish language, etc.
I think the writer did a great job at capturing the frustration, angst and struggles of young teens. Manny wasn’t always likable with all his complaining, anger and sometimes selfish thinking, but that’s exactly why he was a realistic character!
I do wish there was a bit more backstory on some of the bad guys and their drive. The conclusion in the end was a bit too simple or short for me, which disappointed me.
I still enjoyed the story a lot. I actually upped my rating a few days later after I noticed I kept thinking how well the combination of social issues with horror was done!
By the way, I think it’s more fun to start this book without reading the author’s synopsis! in my opinion reading it beforehand made the book a bit more predictable.
Infested is a YA paranormal horror story about 17 y/o Manny who has to move across the country because his stepfather bought an entire apartment building in the Bronx, New York. Manny is not excited for the move, and as if it couldn’t get any worse, bad things start to happen once they arrive. Nightmares, crawling roaches and people starting to disappear. Maybe the move wasn’t such a great idea..
What I liked most about this book was how well the negative impact of gentrification was explained through horror. This added lots of depth to the story. The horrifying scenes were written so vividly. The roaches crawling everywhere was VERY imaginable. There was also some awesome body horror!
The book also touches on racism, family issues and gives a very nice insight in the Puerto Rican culture. Especially Manny’s neighborhood in the Bronx was packed with authentic Puerto Rican food, Spanish language, etc.
I think the writer did a great job at capturing the frustration, angst and struggles of young teens. Manny wasn’t always likable with all his complaining, anger and sometimes selfish thinking, but that’s exactly why he was a realistic character!
I do wish there was a bit more backstory on some of the bad guys and their drive. The conclusion in the end was a bit too simple or short for me, which disappointed me.
I still enjoyed the story a lot. I actually upped my rating a few days later after I noticed I kept thinking how well the combination of social issues with horror was done!
By the way, I think it’s more fun to start this book without reading the author’s synopsis! in my opinion reading it beforehand made the book a bit more predictable.
thenextgenlibrarian's review
The Taking of Jake Livingstone meets Cemetery Boys in this YA horror book by @angel_luis_colon
axel_p's review
challenging
dark
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? Yes
4.0
This book made my skin crawl. Ew, I hate roaches now.
Content Warnings
Minor: Gore, Bullying, Murder, Death, Vomit, Classism, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Sexism, Ableism, Hate crime, Medical content, Gaslighting, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Self harm, Animal death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
annithebookaholic's review against another edition
4.25
An enjoyable YA horror! I really liked how this dealt with the themes of racism and gentrification by the use of horror or thriller elements. The writing was good and I liked the characters a lot!
I don't have many thoughts about this as it was good over-all. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the themes mentioned above or anyone wanting to dip their toes into horror!
I don't have many thoughts about this as it was good over-all. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the themes mentioned above or anyone wanting to dip their toes into horror!
thenextgenlib's review
The Taking of Jake Livingstone meets Cemetery Boys in this YA horror book by @angel_luis_colon
intshadow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
haylethal's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Manny is going into his senior year of highschool and his parents are uprooting him from San Antonio and moving to the Bronx for his stepdads new job.
His stepdad, Al, is the manager of a new high class apartment building that is in the process of being built. However, they run into problem after problem including a huge infestation of cockroaches.
When I say there are a TON of roaches, I’m not kidding. If you’re squeamish about bugs and some gore you might want to pass on this one.
This story is a young adult horror novel that has layers of recognizing subtle and outright racism and gentrification.
It was entertaining enough, however, I did get bored and kind of zoned out in the last 30-45 minutes of the audiobook.
His stepdad, Al, is the manager of a new high class apartment building that is in the process of being built. However, they run into problem after problem including a huge infestation of cockroaches.
When I say there are a TON of roaches, I’m not kidding. If you’re squeamish about bugs and some gore you might want to pass on this one.
This story is a young adult horror novel that has layers of recognizing subtle and outright racism and gentrification.
It was entertaining enough, however, I did get bored and kind of zoned out in the last 30-45 minutes of the audiobook.
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
What a fantastic debut into YA, this was.
Infested reminded me of the netflix show The House, with the the creepy horror surrounding an infestation of roaches at a newly built housing complex.
The horror of creepy crawlies, ghosts and body horror didn't end there.
The conversations on gentrification and racsim in the community of a minority sector of people added to the fantastical horror with the realistic horror of humanity's prejudice and cruelty to those deemed inferior. There were some really well fleshed out conversations on that topic, with youth, elders, minorities and racists against minorities getting help where needed. It was pretty deep. Deeper than I went in expecting it to be.
The gore and body horror was beautifully disgusting, having me flinch and cringe away multiple times. I bet my face looked like I was chomping on a lemon. The descriptions were just so visceral that I felt like the roaches were crawling all over me.
I think Manny was a complex character - he had a lot going on emotionally. I wasn't a fan of his parents but by the end I had a new lease of respect for them.
Infested reminded me of the netflix show The House, with the the creepy horror surrounding an infestation of roaches at a newly built housing complex.
The horror of creepy crawlies, ghosts and body horror didn't end there.
The conversations on gentrification and racsim in the community of a minority sector of people added to the fantastical horror with the realistic horror of humanity's prejudice and cruelty to those deemed inferior. There were some really well fleshed out conversations on that topic, with youth, elders, minorities and racists against minorities getting help where needed. It was pretty deep. Deeper than I went in expecting it to be.
The gore and body horror was beautifully disgusting, having me flinch and cringe away multiple times. I bet my face looked like I was chomping on a lemon. The descriptions were just so visceral that I felt like the roaches were crawling all over me.
I think Manny was a complex character - he had a lot going on emotionally. I wasn't a fan of his parents but by the end I had a new lease of respect for them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Physical abuse, Body horror, Kidnapping, Blood, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, Bullying, Confinement, Hate crime, Murder, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Racial slurs, Stalking, Torture, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism