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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
I was given the opportunity to read this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Seeing how this was a interesting sounding post-apocalyptic story I knew I had to give it a shot. I'm really glad that I did.
The story starts out in England with the siblings of a recently divorced mother starting over in England after growing up in the United States. Leon is not having an easy time fitting in to his new school but he was always somewhat of an outsider. His younger sister Grace, on the other hand has no problems quickly becoming the new popular girl in school.
Leon sees a story about a virus starting in Africa and quickly becomes obsessed with following the story. Quite quickly they find out that this virus is quickly spiraling out of control as it liquefies it's victims in less than an hour. Leon's father calls from New York to tell them that the virus is airborne and they have to get out of the city as quickly as possible. While they flee the city via train they find out that the virus has already gotten onto the train and is quickly killing everyone.
We also find out that the virus is intelligent and is gathering the DNA to try to reproduce the lifeforms it has been killing. You can tell the virus is quickly developing into something that actually functions like regular life forms on Earth.
Without giving away any spoilers I found that the story line was unique and engaging. The way the survivors have survived the plague is quiet surprising and the ending leaves with a huge cliffhanger. I am very much looking forward to the next book.
The story starts out in England with the siblings of a recently divorced mother starting over in England after growing up in the United States. Leon is not having an easy time fitting in to his new school but he was always somewhat of an outsider. His younger sister Grace, on the other hand has no problems quickly becoming the new popular girl in school.
Leon sees a story about a virus starting in Africa and quickly becomes obsessed with following the story. Quite quickly they find out that this virus is quickly spiraling out of control as it liquefies it's victims in less than an hour. Leon's father calls from New York to tell them that the virus is airborne and they have to get out of the city as quickly as possible. While they flee the city via train they find out that the virus has already gotten onto the train and is quickly killing everyone.
We also find out that the virus is intelligent and is gathering the DNA to try to reproduce the lifeforms it has been killing. You can tell the virus is quickly developing into something that actually functions like regular life forms on Earth.
Without giving away any spoilers I found that the story line was unique and engaging. The way the survivors have survived the plague is quiet surprising and the ending leaves with a huge cliffhanger. I am very much looking forward to the next book.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
barely remember anything about this other than i enjoyed it
Should NOT have read this during a pandemic, that's for sure. But I liked it! It's totally creepy and a new take on a virus and didn't go where I thought it was going.
I don't want to be too critical of the book because I've yet. But there was just too much going on in this novel. The reasoning behind the family being back in the UK, after living in America for over a decade was flimsy. The mom was extremely childish in the beginning of the book, a typical incompetent adult. The boy lead was annoying the majority of the book. His burgeoning romance with Freya was unneeded.
If the book had ended with the group burning Megan then the book would have felt better paced. To learn that the plague could recreate humans (as they were before death, minus teeth and hair - shouldn't the camp group have realized that they didn't have fingernails or eyelashes?) and speak, but also had the memories of the humans that it killed seemed a slap-dash way of setting up a sequel. I also got the impression that the author had no idea of how to write teen and pre-teen characters. They seemed too old and then too juvenile at times.
There were moments when the action was actually gripping i.e. when the passengers in other train cars were infected, but Eva and Greg's infection was handled to whimsically for my tastes and undid any urgency created by having such a fast moving infection. If the rate of death was slowed, and each person was infected more like Megan the book would have been better paced. But by the characters being able to see the flakes (choosing not to cover their skin to avoid being touched by them), dying within minutes of contact, and the infection learning the hide from antibiotics the pacing seemed off. For all the explanations given on how the virus was evolving I would have loved to read about their origin and purpose. It was written to seem sentient, and have a hierarchy of sometime, but what was the reason for that?
If the book had ended with the group burning Megan then the book would have felt better paced. To learn that the plague could recreate humans (as they were before death, minus teeth and hair - shouldn't the camp group have realized that they didn't have fingernails or eyelashes?) and speak, but also had the memories of the humans that it killed seemed a slap-dash way of setting up a sequel. I also got the impression that the author had no idea of how to write teen and pre-teen characters. They seemed too old and then too juvenile at times.
There were moments when the action was actually gripping i.e. when the passengers in other train cars were infected, but Eva and Greg's infection was handled to whimsically for my tastes and undid any urgency created by having such a fast moving infection. If the rate of death was slowed, and each person was infected more like Megan the book would have been better paced. But by the characters being able to see the flakes (choosing not to cover their skin to avoid being touched by them), dying within minutes of contact, and the infection learning the hide from antibiotics the pacing seemed off. For all the explanations given on how the virus was evolving I would have loved to read about their origin and purpose. It was written to seem sentient, and have a hierarchy of sometime, but what was the reason for that?
The idea is great at first because I think the world will end with a plague BUT making it an alien was a bit too much. Also for a young adult book having someone being set on fire was a bit violent. The characters that don’t get much depth get killed off pretty quickly so you don’t form attachments to them and after a while all the deaths become boring. I will probably read the others just to see how they develop this
The first book in a trilogy, it certainly owes much of its inspiration to a stylistic blend of Matheson and Ballard. There is a certain underlying confusion, as if at first the author had thought of a re-telling of 'The Mask of the Red Death', then changed his mind, turning to 'I Am Legend' and then concluded his narrative wanderings with 'The Day of the Triffids'. Apart from that, the defensive and power dynamics of closed communities are described quite well - by the book, in short - and in general the writing is good. In other words, despite the many misgivings it raises (perhaps because I am not a teenager and have a scientific, as well as a literary, background), it is a good read.
This book is absolutely shocking. The twist that it takes.. I can not wait to read the next book.
OH. SHOOT.
The first part of this book I have to admit I was a little panicked. Reading it in the middle of Corona, I was convinced I did not want to end up in the apocalypse. The second half just sent me panicking in general. The thought of a virus with its own brain was just a crazy thought!
I almost gave this a 5 star, but a few things got me. There were times the timeliness felt all over the place. The book would mention it had been three months and then turn around and say it was five. Besides Leon's journal, I wasn't sure what time of year we were at. That could have been a little clearer. Also there were times that it was unclear of who we were following. It took me a couple reads the first time to realize I was reading a section in the point of view of the virus.
I'm excited to get ahold of the second book and read it!
The first part of this book I have to admit I was a little panicked. Reading it in the middle of Corona, I was convinced I did not want to end up in the apocalypse. The second half just sent me panicking in general. The thought of a virus with its own brain was just a crazy thought!
I almost gave this a 5 star, but a few things got me. There were times the timeliness felt all over the place. The book would mention it had been three months and then turn around and say it was five. Besides Leon's journal, I wasn't sure what time of year we were at. That could have been a little clearer. Also there were times that it was unclear of who we were following. It took me a couple reads the first time to realize I was reading a section in the point of view of the virus.
I'm excited to get ahold of the second book and read it!
W. T. F. ?!?!?! Yessss!! More please 🤲
I checked my Fitbit more than once while reading and each time I did, I found my heart rate to be elevated because I was so freaked out or pissed off.
That, my friends, makes for a good book.
I checked my Fitbit more than once while reading and each time I did, I found my heart rate to be elevated because I was so freaked out or pissed off.
That, my friends, makes for a good book.