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nadiamasood's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
"What do you call a heart that is simultaneously full and breaking? Maybe there's no word for it, but for some reason, it makes me think of rain through sunlight."
Upgrade makes us consider the future of humanity. Do we need an Upgrade?
The novel's strength lies in its moral quandaries. It's a race to improve society, but at what cost? While the writing is strong, I feel like the character development isn't as strong as in the author's other books. The plot centers on a sibling rivalry for the sake of humanity, with a lot of medical terms thrown in. Sometimes, it feels like there's too much technical info, but the balance of science and action keeps things interesting.
Protagonist Logan emerges as a flawed yet compelling figure, and I enjoyed following his internal and external changes as he 'upgrades'. His relationship with his sister Kara adds another layer of tension.
Although I enjoyed Dark Matter and Recursion better than Upgrade, I would still recommend this book if you enjoy a well-written sci-fi novel.
Upgrade makes us consider the future of humanity. Do we need an Upgrade?
The novel's strength lies in its moral quandaries. It's a race to improve society, but at what cost? While the writing is strong, I feel like the character development isn't as strong as in the author's other books. The plot centers on a sibling rivalry for the sake of humanity, with a lot of medical terms thrown in. Sometimes, it feels like there's too much technical info, but the balance of science and action keeps things interesting.
Protagonist Logan emerges as a flawed yet compelling figure, and I enjoyed following his internal and external changes as he 'upgrades'. His relationship with his sister Kara adds another layer of tension.
Although I enjoyed Dark Matter and Recursion better than Upgrade, I would still recommend this book if you enjoy a well-written sci-fi novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Suicide, and Gun violence
bookish_withsky's review
3.0
It's a toss up between a 3.5 and a 4.
The story, like the usual Blake crouch novel, picks up quickly and keeps the intense action going. It is so fast paced and intriguing, I wouldn’t be surprised if people started saying they read it in one sitting. I also happen to already like Crouch’s writing and am therefore used to it, but I will say his novels can be a sort of slap in the face if SciFi isn’t the genre you typically go to. That being said, it’s easy to get used to and isn’t the most difficult I’ve read. One critique I do have is that the writing and dialogue can feel a bit clunky at times. There were moments where it would sort of take me out of the story and make my reading experience not as enjoyable. I felt it could also be predictable at times, which isn’t a huge negative but it is something to keep in mind. All in all, this was a fun and intriguing read and I found myself looking forward to the part of my day that allowed me to continue.
The story, like the usual Blake crouch novel, picks up quickly and keeps the intense action going. It is so fast paced and intriguing, I wouldn’t be surprised if people started saying they read it in one sitting. I also happen to already like Crouch’s writing and am therefore used to it, but I will say his novels can be a sort of slap in the face if SciFi isn’t the genre you typically go to. That being said, it’s easy to get used to and isn’t the most difficult I’ve read. One critique I do have is that the writing and dialogue can feel a bit clunky at times. There were moments where it would sort of take me out of the story and make my reading experience not as enjoyable. I felt it could also be predictable at times, which isn’t a huge negative but it is something to keep in mind. All in all, this was a fun and intriguing read and I found myself looking forward to the part of my day that allowed me to continue.
werdnamich's review
3.0
I’m really surprised that this is the rating I’m giving a Blake Crouch book, but I just could not get into it. It was very underwhelming, I wasn’t remotely invested in the characters. The first 100 pages or so were intriguing but as the story progressed I found myself growing very disinterested. Unfortunate, really.
petersimpson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
azzurro22's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
christineponkey's review
3.0
3.5/5
- As with all Crouch books, there's lots of action and intensity that really keeps you on your toes
- interesting premise
- I personally thought it was not as good as Dark Matter or Recursion
- As with all Crouch books, there's lots of action and intensity that really keeps you on your toes
- interesting premise
- I personally thought it was not as good as Dark Matter or Recursion
suzyliss11's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
thierryrodrigues's review
adventurous
tense
medium-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
2.5
The end of the story was predictable after the main plot.