Reviews with content warning for Violence - And Then I Woke Up

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

And Then I Woke Up by Malcolm Devlin

34 reviews

literaryliaisons's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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howlinglibraries's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

My greatest sin and my greatest achievement are the same. I told a story.

And Then I Woke Up feels like a difficult title to rate and review, because it was a difficult title to form a solid opinion on. I am absolutely enthralled by the concept of this story, and loved the narrative voice and the storytelling style, yet something didn't quite click for me throughout the bulk of the novella. I think this story suffers from repetition more than anything else, as it is an extremely character-focused story with very little action (though it has a decent depth of plot). That said, I did enjoy our narrator as a storyteller very much, so I suppose the book's flaws are also its qualities, in a sense (can you see now why I'm struggling to rate and review this?).

And Then I Woke Up is a zombie story of sorts, but told from the perspective of someone who has been "cured" — and these definitely aren't your average zombies. There isn't much to say without running the risk of spoilers, but I was fascinated by the entire premise that Devlin came up with and its social commentary on the way people view and spread information and "truth" in the modern age. The last 20% or so of the novella was phenomenal and I loved watching things unfold, so I'm very happy that I kept going through the more boring elements of the middle.

While And Then I Woke Up didn't fully captivate me, there was something about it that I think will stick with me for a while, and I'm extremely interested in future releases from this author. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic stories with a twist and a healthy (but not overly on-the-nose) commentary on some of the uglier sides of humanity, I highly recommend checking it out!

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bandysbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

A zombie plague has spread across the world. Or has it? You need to do things you’ve never imagined to survive. Or do you? These are the concepts explored in And Then I Woke Up. Main character, Spence, has been in a rehab facility for awhile now and has come to realize that the true plague is one the affects human’s perception of reality. That perception is explored further when one of the people in rehab with him asks for his help on seeking out he old group.

Wow. I found this engaging from the get-go. The story picked up instantly and never stopped. Told between flashes to the past and current day, this is the perfect exploration of plague on earth. It is particularly timely and relevant in a world filled with “fake news” and skewed perceptions.

My only real quarrel with the book is that I wished it was longer. I could’ve easily read a full length novel based on this plot.

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grimdark_dad's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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