Reviews with content warning for Murder - Camp Zero

Dystopian plots fascinate me. Many times they’re prophetic. It’s especially interesting to read one set in the nearish future. Camp Zero has a great premise, but I wish I hadn’t spent most of the book trying to figure out what the focus of the book was.

Set in a future suffering from the results of harsh climate change, Rose agrees to work as a spy to provide housing for her mother. Meanwhile, Grant wants to break away from his family’s past. The two meet at Camp Zero. It becomes a part that this place is harboring secrets.

As I mentioned, I have no idea what the central focus of this plot is. Climate change is the obvious answer, but with minimal world-building and context so much was lost. From page one it felt like I was supposed to already know what was going on as I entered the story. The names (or lack of) were confusing, the POV shifts added to the trouble getting my bearings… I overall felt like I was left out of the loop.

I enjoyed the writing itself. With more world and character building I think I would have loved it. My feelings are mixed.

Content Warnings

kuptsynova's review

Go to review page

adventurous reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Not what I expected at all. The book is written in a strange tone that made me disassociate from every character. I wasn't invested in any of the characters as a result and became bored with them.
The topics raised are very important and I loved reading about that. It was thought provoking and sparked a few conversations.

Content Warnings

bridgetlovesbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious sad medium-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? Yes

2.0

Content Warnings

ains_reads's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

erinpiac's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark medium-paced

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

2.25

I was interested in the plot at first, but it really lost me in the second half. The characters weren't very well developed and the writing wasn't good (especially the dialogue). Many plot points also centered around hating men and the reasoning behind this wasn't believable (except for the Foreman, who made sense to hate). And they mentioned the exploitation of Indigenous people many times, but did not include any representation from those groups, and kept the commentary very surface-level.

Also I didn't like how they kept saying "We only kill when necessary" or whenever when they literally could have robbed people instead of murdering a bunch of men. I feel like they could have acknowledged male priveledge and dealt with it in a way that wasn't just them murdering men nonchalantly.

Content Warnings

mandi_lea's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Content Warnings

More...