Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World

Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher

8 reviews

booksanna's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

I am really glad that I picked up this book because of this cute concept. I truly enjoyed embarking on this adventure with Griz and his dog.

First of all, Griz’s fresh and naive view of our current world was really interesting. As Griz discovers more of his world, we learn about the past and how humanity will be a full circle.

I loved how the world and nature rebuilt themselves after all the humans died. It just seems so fitting for Earth to heal from us.

I also thought the world building was beautifully written (I could picture so many of these sceneries), yet realistic for a 12 year old child. It felt like a little diary

I will say for how many books Griz read, she couldn’t put dialogue into quotations? But I guess if it’s a diary she didn’t have to

and the wording definitely reflected it. I loved seeing the main character’s personality and curious questions around the world

like how did we sound when we had lots of people? Did we appreciate the wonders of the world as much as he did?

that brought such a different perspective on our real world. I also loved how this feels like a mini coming of age story as we see the main character question their emotions, values, and actions. This main character is very reflective for a 12 year old.

The reflections about appreciating the little things, how she met Joan Dark, and the burning of that church. Also all the roasting Griz does for herself about her questionable actions.

The plot gets better as you get closer towards the end of the story. The tension and intriguing of the story felt like slowly blowing up a ballon and waiting for it to pop. Primarily, we just get Griz exploring the world with Jip for most of the world. But I really liked the mini internal and external conflicts Griz had on this adventure. I was really rooting for the MC on those journeys.
I will say some things were predictable

Joy being alive, Sweethope being burned down, Griz getting sick, John Dark getting angry over the necklace

because of the fitting obliviousness of the main character, yet it was still enjoyable. I also did not predict the multiple plot twists in the book like

Griz being a girl, Jip coming back, Jess beign alive, John Dark falling into a hole, the Cult Breeder Group

. Overall, the scenery, world-building, and the thoughts of the main character are the primary focus of the book. Very enjoyable and interesting. Would recommend!

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cosmicruin's review

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adventurous dark tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

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maulikki's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Well written story about getting your dog back. The imagery of the nature-claimed world is immersive. A good mix of plot and character. And dogs.

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serendipitysbooks's review

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adventurous reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World is a post-apocalyptic hero’s journey. One with a few surprising twists along the way. Fertility woes known as the Gelding have caused the world’s population to plummet and most of the trappings of civilisation we are familiar with have fallen away. Griz and his family live a fairly self-sufficient life on an island off the coast of Scotland. One day they are visited by a trader who steals Griz’s beloved dog Jess. So Griz of course sets off in hot pursuit. It took me a while to get into this book. I put it down twice before hitting the 50 page mark and was fully expecting to DNF it but it turns out third time was a charm. The story was propulsive with Griz encountering a range of heart-pounding dangers and setbacks, plus a couple of interesting characters, along the way. Many chapters ended on a cliffhanger, with a touch of foreshadowing or a bit of a twist which obviously encouraged the reading of one more chapter. Initially the book read rather young and felt suited for a YA if not middle grade audience. But as it progressed it became darker with more adult themes and situations. His encounter with the Cons who aimed to conserve the human population and repopulate the world, and thus kept their “breeders” (ie girls and women) locked up for this purpose is a prime example.

Griz was an admirable hero - likeable, resourceful and realistic - who matured over the course of his quest. I enjoyed the descriptions of the natural world, not to mention Griz’s love of animals and books, especially the way he referred to things he remembered or lessons he’d gleaned from fiction. Like all good speculative fiction it has lessons for us in the current world, things that brought me up short and made me think. This quote about the Cons caught my eye - “These people are dangerous because they think they are doing this because a god wants them to do it. It means they don’t have to think like humans.”

This is an adventurous book, but relatively quiet for a dystopian novel. It comes with a couple of key twists, and although I spotted them both ahead of time that didn’t diminish my enjoyment.

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jo_22's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This started good but got better and better with a few great twists towards the end (and all wholesome even though it is a dark book). There was a lot of anticipation and suspense throughout the book. Times when I was heartbroken and “wanted to look away” or stop listening, since I read this on audiobook.
I liked Griz and the dogs, I liked how things tied together and how there was some breaking of the fourth wall / commentary
The book is emotional and dark yet also hopeful and a refute of nihilistic views towards the end of the world.
Would oddly compare it a bit to Fredrick Backman books even though this has more danger & death. Both write about humanity, morality, purpose & meaning, love/family/relationships, bonds with animals, ethics, religion, imagination/stories.

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