Scan barcode
kylieqrada's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This had me for about the first half and then it lost me. The themes are so on-point but I just couldn't get on board with the execution. Womp wompppppp.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Misogyny, Alcohol, and Death
Minor: Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Racism
belava's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Alcohol and Sexual content
Minor: Animal death and Death of parent
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to Atria Books for the free advance copy of this book.
- CAMP ZERO is a near future dystopia, terrifying in that it's not all that different from the path we are currently on.
- I flew through this novel, fully immersed in its world and invested in the characters, all of whom have come north for different reasons, all of whom have done good things and bad things and are simply trying to survive.
- CAMP ZERO mainly explores how gender effects each character's path in this melting world, but it also gets into class, race, education and more. I already want to read more by Sterling.
- CAMP ZERO is a near future dystopia, terrifying in that it's not all that different from the path we are currently on.
- I flew through this novel, fully immersed in its world and invested in the characters, all of whom have come north for different reasons, all of whom have done good things and bad things and are simply trying to survive.
- CAMP ZERO mainly explores how gender effects each character's path in this melting world, but it also gets into class, race, education and more. I already want to read more by Sterling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Colonisation, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual content, Cursing, Violence, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault and Racism
kellysbookverse's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
thank you to the publisher, john murrays, for sending me an advance copy for review!
‘camp zero’ was a slow burner for me, but it really hit its stride around the halfway point. we follow three different perspectives - rose, grant, and the white alice camp - as they contend with a world which has been almost entirely destroyed by climate change and human greed.
all three perspectives were fascinating but i think white alice was my favourite - a nebulous narrator that never really gets named, a camp in the middle of nowhere ostensibly carrying out research, and an entire group of women just fighting to survive.
at first, these three perspectives seem unconnected, though rose and grant are in the same location. as the book continues the three intertwine in surprising ways, and the end feels very satisfying having followed them. i really enjoyed learning about the slow burn of the world in this book, terrifying though it is, and seeing how different people with different privileges experienced.
i particularly enjoyed the focus on strong women and how women specifically have to learn how to survive differently in this kind of apocalyptic landscape. one of my favourite quotes from the novel is along this line: “she knows now that power is never granted but seized. she never should have waited for it to be given to her. she should have taken it with her own hands and made it her own.” the white alice camp’s continued survival is testament to the power of women to overcome and adapt.
i would definitely recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed similar books from emily st john mandel.
‘camp zero’ was a slow burner for me, but it really hit its stride around the halfway point. we follow three different perspectives - rose, grant, and the white alice camp - as they contend with a world which has been almost entirely destroyed by climate change and human greed.
all three perspectives were fascinating but i think white alice was my favourite - a nebulous narrator that never really gets named, a camp in the middle of nowhere ostensibly carrying out research, and an entire group of women just fighting to survive.
at first, these three perspectives seem unconnected, though rose and grant are in the same location. as the book continues the three intertwine in surprising ways, and the end feels very satisfying having followed them. i really enjoyed learning about the slow burn of the world in this book, terrifying though it is, and seeing how different people with different privileges experienced.
i particularly enjoyed the focus on strong women and how women specifically have to learn how to survive differently in this kind of apocalyptic landscape. one of my favourite quotes from the novel is along this line: “she knows now that power is never granted but seized. she never should have waited for it to be given to her. she should have taken it with her own hands and made it her own.” the white alice camp’s continued survival is testament to the power of women to overcome and adapt.
i would definitely recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed similar books from emily st john mandel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Colonisation
Minor: Violence, Death of parent, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Death, and Racism
thevioletfoxbookshop's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Michelle Min Sterling's debut novel, Camp Zero, imagines the world in the year 2050. Climate change has made much of the world uninhabitable, natural disasters are more prevalent and more dangerous, the wealthy are wealthier, the poor are still poor, and white men are still trying to colonize land belonging to indigenous people with the foolish notion that they can make it better by "civilizing" it. Sounds pretty bleak, right? It is, but there are glimmers of hope and beauty too. While some people in the future are still choosing money and power, others are choosing love and community.
The story is told from three alternating perspectives: Rose, a second-generation Korean-American woman who is both a sex worker and a spy. Grant, a young white man with generational wealth and status trying to run away from both. And White Alice, a collective of female scientists at a radar station who are forming a new community. Each of them are struggling to survive, to leave the past behind, and to forge a better future for themselves.
Camp Zero is the kind of dystopian novel that is both terrifying because of how plausible it is and incredibly important because it explores how we might change that future world. It also asks deep questions, like who will survive and what will it take? And will doing what it takes to survive just make us monsters in the end? Amidst the questions, one thing is clear - we must open our eyes. This story is a road sign to our blind spots, whether it be hope blinding us to reality, privilege blinding us to our own malice, or grief and fear blinding us to love.
Camp Zero is a collection of deeply personal stories set in a world on the verge of collapse. If you're hungry for the next piece of dystopian literature, Camp Zero will feed that craving. This book will swallow you whole and spit you back out again with a new perspective.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Colonisation and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Death of parent
More...