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insertsthwitty's review against another edition
2.0
Justin Cronin does have talent, or potential, at least, but this book is too long by half (and the first one of a trilogy! Come on, man!).
I would have been peer-pressured into giving it three stars as my friends did, but... the beef I have with the people in The Passage is that their feeling don't evolve, or lack motivations. People fall in and out of love (a love that lasted decades), things end up happening, and the why is never important. Amy is somehow the Chosen One before being turned - which is another thing that's never picked up on, we just have to accept it. And last thing - the characters aren't smart, we're just told they are. It's a bit of a contrast to the other book I'm reading now - Harda - where political manoeuvres and complex heroes are shown as smart (or smarter) through their actions. In The Passage, everyone is a chosen one.
It reads quickly, and the concept is interesting, but this and the fact that Justin Cronin just straight up focused on the US and ignored the rest of the world, makes it a bit of flat read for me.
I would have been peer-pressured into giving it three stars as my friends did, but... the beef I have with the people in The Passage is that their feeling don't evolve, or lack motivations. People fall in and out of love (a love that lasted decades), things end up happening, and the why is never important. Amy is somehow the Chosen One before being turned - which is another thing that's never picked up on, we just have to accept it. And last thing - the characters aren't smart, we're just told they are. It's a bit of a contrast to the other book I'm reading now - Harda - where political manoeuvres and complex heroes are shown as smart (or smarter) through their actions. In The Passage, everyone is a chosen one.
It reads quickly, and the concept is interesting, but this and the fact that Justin Cronin just straight up focused on the US and ignored the rest of the world, makes it a bit of flat read for me.
lifeoflorac's review against another edition
4.0
I was intimidated at the beginning because of the multiple stories and scenes going on but once it all came together it was magical. I instantly liked Brad, but my approval grew more when he was debating taking Amy and leaving Doyle at the carnival. Everything changed once Richards started shooting people. Following the characters along their journeys was a rollercoaster of emotions, but in the end I'm glad there are two more books in this series. Time seemed to fly by in this book! It made me think about the things I take for granted such as light and daytime. Overall, a great read.
kil3yp's review against another edition
2.0
The first part of this book was great. I was excited, interested, and on the edge of my seat.
The transition part is confusing (on audio anyway), but, mercifully short.
The second part is boring me to death. Maybe one day I'll pick it back up, but right now it doesn't feel like it's going anywhere. And so, I give up. Because there are much better things than a book that was poorly edited and thus forces you to sit through hours of mindless drivel.
The transition part is confusing (on audio anyway), but, mercifully short.
The second part is boring me to death. Maybe one day I'll pick it back up, but right now it doesn't feel like it's going anywhere. And so, I give up. Because there are much better things than a book that was poorly edited and thus forces you to sit through hours of mindless drivel.
m3greads's review against another edition
4.0
3.75⭐️ there is one thing I’m certain of which is this is a long ass book.
I attempted reading this once before, didn’t even make it to part 3 I think, then I got distracted and it’s been put in hiatus. Since this is one of my dad’s favorite series, I decided to give it another go. I wasn’t disappointed !
I will say majority of this book is exposition/world-building so takes a bit to get to story moving along. And there are LOTS of characters.
I could totally see this being adapted into a tv series like The Last of Us
I am looking forward to learning more about the virus itself and the history behind that, which I’m told isn’t until book three
I attempted reading this once before, didn’t even make it to part 3 I think, then I got distracted and it’s been put in hiatus. Since this is one of my dad’s favorite series, I decided to give it another go. I wasn’t disappointed !
I will say majority of this book is exposition/world-building so takes a bit to get to story moving along. And there are LOTS of characters.
I could totally see this being adapted into a tv series like The Last of Us
I am looking forward to learning more about the virus itself and the history behind that, which I’m told isn’t until book three
ellabatcheler's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book because I accidentally bought the third book in the series first - The City of Mirrors - without realising it was part of a series. At first I didn’t want to take an interest in it because I had just finished a 12 book series and decided I wanted to read some one-shot, stand alone books. But I am so glad I decided to go ahead and read this book anyway. It has become one of my favourite books of all time. All the characters are amazingly detailed, the various perspectives each incredibly interesting and without confusion. Although it is about 800 pages long I managed to finished it in less the week as each new chapter kept me on my toes. I would recommend this book to anyone and I am so glad it is now being made into a TV show - but even if the show is not as good, it won’t spoil my view of this outstanding book.
bredabear4823's review against another edition
3.5
Way too long. Just my opinion. And those paragraphs, what long paragraphs.
jpwint's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
3.5
buchweiser's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the beginning of the book but when it turned to some time in the future I had difficulties reading through it. It became quite boring. Oh, there happened a lot but at the same time nothing meaningful really happend.
Not my cuppa tea.
Not my cuppa tea.
laura__reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I can't believe I finally read this after it'd been on my shelf for 5 years.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it IS very long without having to be. Some parts were super slow - especially in the beginning, there were some moments that were totally irrelevant (like that guy from prison who talks about how he had to use the bathroom on his way to prison for 3 pages? I don't care!). Some things were explained too much and could have instead been summarized, while I felt like other things were explained a bit too little. Also, I was a bit confused sometimes because there were so many characters and the POV sometimes switched within chapters and there were random time jumps as well.
I liked the second half, even thoug was also a bit slow and I think some things that happened later weren't that relevant - the story could have continued without some of the difficulties the characters faced. I think when you write a book this big, you have to relativize: what really brings the plot forward, and what doesn't?
Personally, I didn't find this book creepy, I would even say that, for the most part, especially in the second half, it is very character-driven, like a literary fiction novel. I didn't mind, I actually liked the literary dystopian vibe of the second half, but sometimes this caused the slow pacing of the story.
I did like the characters for the most part (though I do think they could've been more diverse, considering how many there were).
So, overall, this is a good story that, in my opinion, could have used some cuts.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it IS very long without having to be. Some parts were super slow - especially in the beginning, there were some moments that were totally irrelevant (like that guy from prison who talks about how he had to use the bathroom on his way to prison for 3 pages? I don't care!). Some things were explained too much and could have instead been summarized, while I felt like other things were explained a bit too little. Also, I was a bit confused sometimes because there were so many characters and the POV sometimes switched within chapters and there were random time jumps as well.
I liked the second half, even thoug was also a bit slow and I think some things that happened later weren't that relevant - the story could have continued without some of the difficulties the characters faced. I think when you write a book this big, you have to relativize: what really brings the plot forward, and what doesn't?
Personally, I didn't find this book creepy, I would even say that, for the most part, especially in the second half, it is very character-driven, like a literary fiction novel. I didn't mind, I actually liked the literary dystopian vibe of the second half, but sometimes this caused the slow pacing of the story.
I did like the characters for the most part (though I do think they could've been more diverse, considering how many there were).
So, overall, this is a good story that, in my opinion, could have used some cuts.