Reviews tagging 'Violence'

After World by Debbie Urbanski

2 reviews

droethler's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book was written by a prolific and excellent short story writer. She did a good job of bringing a novel to the table that played to her strengths, linking vignettes and letters and notes and diary entries in a cohesive narrative. 

Since a main character (the one writing the story) is an AI, it is an awkward yet successful voice that she creates to center the story. While I found it a bit slow in places, I kept coming back to read more. And sometimes I just needed to step away for a day to digest what I'd read. It is a true apocalypse story. 
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thepaperbackplanner's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The marketing for this book really plays up the romance/love story angle, which is what initially led me to choose to request an ARC via the Simon Books Buddy program. What I got instead was an unflinchingly dark and realistic and grim portrait of human extinction via manufactured disease. The descriptions of starvation, abandonment, various methods of suicide, and violence were too much for me. However! I did think the writing was engaging, and the plot was a new take on the apocalypse/end of humanity tale for me. I think lots of folks will like this if they're not in it for the romance.
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