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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
Quick Plot Summary: A woman and her child are stranded in a local zoo after a group of terrorists starts shooting and taking hostages.
Genre: Drama/Suspense
Pros: (+) The story itself is engaging, the characters are strong and relatable, except for the child (see Cons). (+) The villain is sympathetic if a bit vanilla.
Cons: (-) While the lead character is strong, her son can get whiny at times. You can argue that this would be the reality of having a young child in a hostile situation, but my favorite parts were ones where he stayed silent for long periods of time. (-) The story is not so much about the terrorists and their attack plan, but the relationship between a mother and her child. This could be a turn-off for primarily suspense and thriller readers such as myself. I went in expecting this action-packed sequence of events, but in reality, the pace is slow as it revolves around the protagonist staying hidden for long stretches, and placating her child.
Verdict: Fierce Kingdom is engaging enough to be entertaining and page-turning, but just barely.
Genre: Drama/Suspense
Pros: (+) The story itself is engaging, the characters are strong and relatable, except for the child (see Cons). (+) The villain is sympathetic if a bit vanilla.
Cons: (-) While the lead character is strong, her son can get whiny at times. You can argue that this would be the reality of having a young child in a hostile situation, but my favorite parts were ones where he stayed silent for long periods of time. (-) The story is not so much about the terrorists and their attack plan, but the relationship between a mother and her child. This could be a turn-off for primarily suspense and thriller readers such as myself. I went in expecting this action-packed sequence of events, but in reality, the pace is slow as it revolves around the protagonist staying hidden for long stretches, and placating her child.
Verdict: Fierce Kingdom is engaging enough to be entertaining and page-turning, but just barely.
3.75 ⭐️ for a thrilling premise, it was a little slow at times. Definitely the kind of book where you’re constantly thinking what you would do in the situation. I loved the Zoo setting and was glad that the author didn’t go into too much detail with the animal scenarios. I was actually expecting more animal content, but it was probably better that there wasn’t much
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Joan and her son Lincoln are hanging out at the zoo when on their way out they are met with active shooters who are killing oeiole. They are forced to flee and hide. This story tells of a mother’s love and the connection a mother has with their children. The plot was intense and fast paced for sure. I didn’t understand why the gunmen were doing what they were doing nor did I understand some of the crazy choices Joan made. She literally throws her phone away so nobody can see the blight when she could simply have put it in her purse and used it to tell the police exactly what’s happening. She never even calls the police. The book could have been over way earlier and many lives could have been saved if only…
I wanted to love it, but I just didn't. Maybe I'm not a fan of the short time period in which the book took place or maybe it just wasn't for me. Too many questions left unanswered for my liking.
This book had potential and the plot intrigued me but it did not captivate me. I found the characters to be underdeveloped and lackluster. There is also the horrendous ending, which left me unsatisfied and wishing Phillips had spent more time on it. Overall, it was the worst BOTM picks I have chosen.
This book was so good and kept me hooked, so much that I finished it in one day! There were some parts where I was contemplating the woman's sanity - like throwing her phone away, how incredibly intelligent her 4yo is (he can sing college fight songs and knows all the presidents) - but I was able to look past it because of how strong the book was otherwise.
I liked the semi-ambiguous ending and will definitely read another by her!
I liked the semi-ambiguous ending and will definitely read another by her!
tense
fast-paced
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Honestly I still don't know how to feel about this book properly. It was written by a white woman from Alabama with individualistic, selfish ideals that show through the book quite strongly whether you like it or not once you are educated enough to know what to look for.
I found myself constantly bored, irritated or even shocked by the casual racist bomb in the middle of the book only for it to be completely ignored for the rest of the plot as if we're supposed to see it and think it's normal to think about brown people like that, namely brown men. The main character both infantilizes and over-grows (if that's a term) the main antagonists. While the book itself wants us to see some semblance of humanity in one of them, who is coded to be gay and autistic and be unaware of it.
The book is lauded as fast paced and tense and impossible to put down but I had to force myself to listen to this piece of white literature like one does with a homework because I just couldn't enjoy it. Joann the main character is insufferably impossible to even sympathize with. She thinks of her neglectful and abusive mother, her abusive father, her nice uncle, and you see her genuinely try to be a good mother but she is not a good *person* and those two things are constantly colliding in the story. I understand people act a certain way during extreme stress so I won't touch that. But I honestly genuinely didn't enjoy Joan's sudden racism or her weird as hell approach to a literal child trying to have a conversation when it's herself and her own neglectful actions that lead to their near death.
Incredibly emotional scenes take place between the teacher and Robbie but you never hear of it again after it happens. And it is never addressed again by the end, in fact it's treated as if it never happened. And the teacher is just condemned, discarded. We hear she's "surely okay" but is she, author? Or are we to laud and applaud the fact that the main character threw away a black teenage girl for being "loud and obnoxious" and a disabled old woman who could have saved their lives because she was an inconvenience to her and her child? (By the way, she wasn't. She saved their lives. Twice. She's the only reason they made it to the end of the book.)
I have a lot of thoughts about this book and every single one is uncomfortable, unpleasant and full of negativity. Didn't enjoy. But finished it. Whatever man.
I found myself constantly bored, irritated or even shocked by the casual racist bomb in the middle of the book only for it to be completely ignored for the rest of the plot as if we're supposed to see it and think it's normal to think about brown people like that, namely brown men. The main character both infantilizes and over-grows (if that's a term) the main antagonists. While the book itself wants us to see some semblance of humanity in one of them, who is coded to be gay and autistic and be unaware of it.
The book is lauded as fast paced and tense and impossible to put down but I had to force myself to listen to this piece of white literature like one does with a homework because I just couldn't enjoy it. Joann the main character is insufferably impossible to even sympathize with. She thinks of her neglectful and abusive mother, her abusive father, her nice uncle, and you see her genuinely try to be a good mother but she is not a good *person* and those two things are constantly colliding in the story. I understand people act a certain way during extreme stress so I won't touch that. But I honestly genuinely didn't enjoy Joan's sudden racism or her weird as hell approach to a literal child trying to have a conversation when it's herself and her own neglectful actions that lead to their near death.
Incredibly emotional scenes take place between the teacher and Robbie but you never hear of it again after it happens. And it is never addressed again by the end, in fact it's treated as if it never happened. And the teacher is just condemned, discarded. We hear she's "surely okay" but is she, author? Or are we to laud and applaud the fact that the main character threw away a black teenage girl for being "loud and obnoxious" and a disabled old woman who could have saved their lives because she was an inconvenience to her and her child? (By the way, she wasn't. She saved their lives. Twice. She's the only reason they made it to the end of the book.)
I have a lot of thoughts about this book and every single one is uncomfortable, unpleasant and full of negativity. Didn't enjoy. But finished it. Whatever man.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death
This was neat. I found it on Pinterest, on a list of books you’ll read in one sitting. I didn’t read it in one sitting, but I probably could have. It was fast and it left Joan’s POV at the exact moments and for the exact amounts of time. I’d shy away if you’re a new mama or maybe even massively pregnant- it IS about a life and death battle for a small child and parts were extremely overwhelming to me (the trash can was the most horrifying thing I think I’ve ever read). But all in all, this was a super fun quick read with a nice depth. #engelbrechtreads2020 #engelbrechtreads