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vaughanreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide
phantomgecko's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book did a good job at giving me v mixed feelings about the main character. Like Tom, I mostly found Malorie to be overprotective, paranoid and exhausting. But the end bit challenged that.
Honestly, I though Malorie's preoccupation with Gary to be unreasonable. Like, girl, why would this guy care about you anymore? He killed all your friends and moved on. But dang, I was wrong. Gary was psychotically obsessed with her, and she was right. That guy sucked.
This book lacked the tension of Bird Box, though. Yeah, the creatures are still there and people are still dying. But, idk, maybe it was Tom's attitude; things didn't seem as dire.
And tbh, ending with Malorie looking at a creature worked for me. Though I was beyond exasperated when Olympia admitted she had been looking the whole time. Baby girl. Sweetheart. Things could have been so much more chill.
This book lacked the tension of Bird Box, though. Yeah, the creatures are still there and people are still dying. But, idk, maybe it was Tom's attitude; things didn't seem as dire.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Death, and Suicide
madkatrob's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Suicide
kitten_nuisance's review
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
I heard a lot of middling reviews when this came out, and I'm not very into series in general, so I didn't prioritize this book. I decided I finally wanted to "get it read" and know what the deal was. I'm surprised a lot of people seemed disappointed by it; I was gooped throughout, and honestly I think I may have liked it better than Bird Box. The very-very-very end is maybe slightly weak, but even that, I'm hesitant to say. Josh Malerman writes this universe in an entertaining and evocative style, but he's also grappling with some real human-conditiony topics that feel particularly relevant in this day and age.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Death, and Suicide
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