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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
this book is a sapphic post-apocalyptic story perfect for fans of the last of us (source: me, a fan of this book and TLOU)! truly, hearts still beating did not disappoint!!
mara and rory are the EMBODIMENT of i-hate-you-but-i-love-you. their relationship and feelings for each other are so intense, they seem to leap off the page. after mara becomes infected, she's separated by her almost-more-than-best-friend rory, and by the time a cure is found, there's an irreparable rift between the two. rory can never the ticks for killing her little sister, and to her, mara is a tick— no more and no less. their relationship is full of swallowed feelings and barely-restrained resentment but they're still the couple who would carry the other out of a burning building.
similar to tlou, the infected (called ticks) have infiltrated all the cities. survivors band together in small camps they work together to keep safe. mara, now half-tick and half-human, is not really, truly alive. when mara moves to rory's camp for rehab, everyone living there makes it clear she's not welcome. between political tension and struggling to belong in a community that no longer claims her as human, mara and rory are only forced closer.
this book is bloody and impossible to put down. i loved and understood the characters. i loved seeing how circumstances altered the character's sense of self and decision-making. i also loved that Rory, an angry fighter who only wants to protect her remaining family, has a disability from a past injury. while she's fierce and doesn't know how to back down (much like ellie williams), her experience with pain isn't downplayed. this is by far the best post-apocalyptic book i've ever read!
thank you to penguin teen for a finished copy! all thoughts are my own <3
content warnings: violence, torture, confinement, death (including those of children, friends, and family members), gore, grief, emotional abandonment
mara and rory are the EMBODIMENT of i-hate-you-but-i-love-you. their relationship and feelings for each other are so intense, they seem to leap off the page. after mara becomes infected, she's separated by her almost-more-than-best-friend rory, and by the time a cure is found, there's an irreparable rift between the two. rory can never the ticks for killing her little sister, and to her, mara is a tick— no more and no less. their relationship is full of swallowed feelings and barely-restrained resentment but they're still the couple who would carry the other out of a burning building.
similar to tlou, the infected (called ticks) have infiltrated all the cities. survivors band together in small camps they work together to keep safe. mara, now half-tick and half-human, is not really, truly alive. when mara moves to rory's camp for rehab, everyone living there makes it clear she's not welcome. between political tension and struggling to belong in a community that no longer claims her as human, mara and rory are only forced closer.
this book is bloody and impossible to put down. i loved and understood the characters. i loved seeing how circumstances altered the character's sense of self and decision-making. i also loved that Rory, an angry fighter who only wants to protect her remaining family, has a disability from a past injury. while she's fierce and doesn't know how to back down (much like ellie williams), her experience with pain isn't downplayed. this is by far the best post-apocalyptic book i've ever read!
thank you to penguin teen for a finished copy! all thoughts are my own <3
content warnings: violence, torture, confinement, death (including those of children, friends, and family members), gore, grief, emotional abandonment
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought the concept of this story had a lot of potential, but I wasn't a big fan of the execution. I found a lot of it grating and monotonous, and found myself rolling my eyes a lot. The characters were a bit wishy-washy, and they would change motivations/reactions at the blink of the eye, totally out of character. Much of it was strange and it just didn't hit like I wanted it to hit. And that ending! So convenient!
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fairly mediocre and predictable, the main villain didn't have much development so his reveal wasn't that shocking or upsetting, the whole book felt both too mediocre to keep reading and interesting enough to keep reading.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A bit of a different take on a zombie story, but quite good! Reminded me of Girl With All The Gifts by MR Carey.