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dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Somewhere between 3-3.5. Nothing wrong with the writing per se, I think the premise & plot just weren’t my jam. I need to stop automatically reading Ruth ware’s books and only stick to the ones that are my taste, because I have loved most of her books but the last 2 just didn’t hit for me.
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall, I liked Zero Days. I enjoyed the mystery, the descriptive writing. I think I was put off slightly by how limited the cast of characters was; as a reader you are on your own with the protagonist a lot. I would have liked to have checked in with the police a bit more. However, the author chose to focus on the protagonist's personal search for justic and battle with grief which I thought was done very well.
mysterious
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book!
Jacintha “Jack” Cross is a “pen tester”—someone who breaks into agencies security systems to test how vulnerable companies are to attack. She and her husband, Gabe, make the best team: she does the ground work to get into the building, and he is able to hack information once she is there. One night, however, Jack returns home to find that Gabe has been brutally murdered…and she realizes that she is the police’s number 1 suspect.
This was quite the departure of storylines from Ruth Ware’s other novels. Even though other stories of hers have had the psychological thriller element, this is a full action almost spy-type thriller. (Reminiscent of like Jason Bourne, or even the jump start reminded me a little of a Colleen Hoover inciting incident). It is very fast-paced and full of action, but after awhile the action gets quite repetitive (running from the cops, accidentally giving information that comprises her position). I also did not feel particularly connected to the characters in this story as I have been in the past. It felt like there was so much running around that we never got to really know Jack or her true relationship with Gabe & Cole, or even her past with Jeff. I wish there had been more time for character development as I think that would have helped make the mystery (who killed Gabe and why) more compelling. I also felt there was a lot of technical IT hand-waving (which is a little hard as it is also a big part of the plot!). I think fans of Ruth Ware might be surprised by this, as it feels really different from her other books!
Jacintha “Jack” Cross is a “pen tester”—someone who breaks into agencies security systems to test how vulnerable companies are to attack. She and her husband, Gabe, make the best team: she does the ground work to get into the building, and he is able to hack information once she is there. One night, however, Jack returns home to find that Gabe has been brutally murdered…and she realizes that she is the police’s number 1 suspect.
This was quite the departure of storylines from Ruth Ware’s other novels. Even though other stories of hers have had the psychological thriller element, this is a full action almost spy-type thriller. (Reminiscent of like Jason Bourne, or even the jump start reminded me a little of a Colleen Hoover inciting incident). It is very fast-paced and full of action, but after awhile the action gets quite repetitive (running from the cops, accidentally giving information that comprises her position). I also did not feel particularly connected to the characters in this story as I have been in the past. It felt like there was so much running around that we never got to really know Jack or her true relationship with Gabe & Cole, or even her past with Jeff. I wish there had been more time for character development as I think that would have helped make the mystery (who killed Gabe and why) more compelling. I also felt there was a lot of technical IT hand-waving (which is a little hard as it is also a big part of the plot!). I think fans of Ruth Ware might be surprised by this, as it feels really different from her other books!
Jack and Gabe are the best in the business at breaking into buildings and hacking security systems. As top penetration specialists, they get hired by high-profile companies to test their security vulnerabilities. But after a routine assignment goes terribly wrong, Jack returns home to a nightmare—someone brutally murdered Gabe, and the police suspect her of doing it.
Determined to clear her name, Jack goes on the run to find the killer. She uncovers a connection between Gabe’s death and a dangerous zero-day exploit, a vulnerability in a popular app that could be worth millions to the wrong people. Jack must stay one step ahead of the authorities and the killers.
This pulse-pounding, fast-paced novel kept me on the edge of my seat, making me feel Jack’s anxiety, as if I were the one on the run. The storyline is captivating, and it was fascinating to learn about penetration testers—who knew it was an actual job?
However, Ware’s repeated use of certain words, like “stupid,” became annoying, and the book is heavy on clichés. Even though I guessed the ending, I really enjoyed this book. Zero Days is an outstanding choice if you’ve been reading heavier novels and need a break—I can picture myself whipping through this while on vacation. Normally, I don’t read books like these for their literary value; I read them for pure entertainment.
Although not perfect, Zero Days is a high-octane thriller that plunges readers into a whirlwind of danger, suspense, and intrigue. I enjoyed it! 4 stars.
** I voluntarily reviewed a comp of this title. The opinions are my own.
Determined to clear her name, Jack goes on the run to find the killer. She uncovers a connection between Gabe’s death and a dangerous zero-day exploit, a vulnerability in a popular app that could be worth millions to the wrong people. Jack must stay one step ahead of the authorities and the killers.
This pulse-pounding, fast-paced novel kept me on the edge of my seat, making me feel Jack’s anxiety, as if I were the one on the run. The storyline is captivating, and it was fascinating to learn about penetration testers—who knew it was an actual job?
However, Ware’s repeated use of certain words, like “stupid,” became annoying, and the book is heavy on clichés. Even though I guessed the ending, I really enjoyed this book. Zero Days is an outstanding choice if you’ve been reading heavier novels and need a break—I can picture myself whipping through this while on vacation. Normally, I don’t read books like these for their literary value; I read them for pure entertainment.
Although not perfect, Zero Days is a high-octane thriller that plunges readers into a whirlwind of danger, suspense, and intrigue. I enjoyed it! 4 stars.
** I voluntarily reviewed a comp of this title. The opinions are my own.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 — the concept of the story was good but it took a little for it to get there and there was too much tech talk for me