Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
Dull characters and I found the storyline boring even though I really wanted to enjoy it!
dark
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sophie, a catholic schoolgirl, faces all the usual trials and tribulations of someone growing up in a world dominated by sin, lust, and desire. However, her world is about to become far more dangerous as a virus begins to spread across America, threatening everything she knows as her reality changes right before her eyes.
While the novel unfolds at an engaging pace, the content itself is somewhat light and dull. The concept of American Rapture—a virus that drives those infected mad with lust—is intriguing and original, and having the main character portrayed as a sheltered, devout Catholic adds a layer of horror amid the chaos and moral breakdown of a world where everything is laid bare. Unfortunately, I found the protagonist in question to be largely unlikable, often driven by questionable decisions or a lack of action. Actually, I struggled to connect with any of the main characters, seeing them as forgettable ink stains on the page rather than protagonists you root for.
I would also warn prospective readers that this novel includes one of the most traumatic, horrific, and unnecessary dog deaths I have ever read. Given that there are no trigger warnings in American Rapture, I am including one here in my review. Alongside this significant negative, American Rapture just failed to hold my interest. A concept can only be compelling if the execution lives up to the premise, and in the case of American Rapture, the novel falls short, leaving a bittersweet and unsatisfactory taste in its wake.
While the novel unfolds at an engaging pace, the content itself is somewhat light and dull. The concept of American Rapture—a virus that drives those infected mad with lust—is intriguing and original, and having the main character portrayed as a sheltered, devout Catholic adds a layer of horror amid the chaos and moral breakdown of a world where everything is laid bare. Unfortunately, I found the protagonist in question to be largely unlikable, often driven by questionable decisions or a lack of action. Actually, I struggled to connect with any of the main characters, seeing them as forgettable ink stains on the page rather than protagonists you root for.
I would also warn prospective readers that this novel includes one of the most traumatic, horrific, and unnecessary dog deaths I have ever read. Given that there are no trigger warnings in American Rapture, I am including one here in my review. Alongside this significant negative, American Rapture just failed to hold my interest. A concept can only be compelling if the execution lives up to the premise, and in the case of American Rapture, the novel falls short, leaving a bittersweet and unsatisfactory taste in its wake.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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:
No
challenging
dark
sad
fast-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
I enjoy the premise, but definitely take the religious element with a pinch of salt and to be more of a metaphor amongst the backdrop of a changing world. I completely cried within the last few chapters, devastating. Bittersweet ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Grief, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Outing, Alcohol
I really wanted to like this book. It had a lot of elements to pull me in, religious trauma, coming of age, finding your own sexuality after being suppressed for so long. Somehow this book still fell flat for me.
The virus was interesting. I wanted expecting the violence of the sexuality of this book. It was definitely jarring. I felt like the MFC was suproisingly nonjudgmental for her upbringing, but at the same time kept making decisions based on her religious upbringing.
A main plot point of this book was the MFC’s insistence on getting to her twin brother despite the danger. That was incredibly annoying as the reader. But then we get to the end of the book and she still hasn’t been reunited with her brother. The book felt really long at times and repetitive. And then to have the ending seem so open was a disappointment.
This was like a 14 hour listen and I feel like I could describe everything that happened in five minutes. Also I knew the location they were describing in the rock house with the carousel, but only the carousel part. So I got the gist of the place but that was a really confusing location to describe and took way too long to describe it.
Overall the book wasn’t a total flop, but I don't think I’ll be recommending it to anybody.
The virus was interesting. I wanted expecting the violence of the sexuality of this book. It was definitely jarring. I felt like the MFC was suproisingly nonjudgmental for her upbringing, but at the same time kept making decisions based on her religious upbringing.
A main plot point of this book was the MFC’s insistence on getting to her twin brother despite the danger. That was incredibly annoying as the reader. But then we get to the end of the book and she still hasn’t been reunited with her brother. The book felt really long at times and repetitive. And then to have the ending seem so open was a disappointment.
This was like a 14 hour listen and I feel like I could describe everything that happened in five minutes. Also I knew the location they were describing in the rock house with the carousel, but only the carousel part. So I got the gist of the place but that was a really confusing location to describe and took way too long to describe it.
Overall the book wasn’t a total flop, but I don't think I’ll be recommending it to anybody.
not at all like the rapture episode of american dad
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No