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perpetualgloom's review
2.0
Strong, character led story let down by a weak and unsatisfying twist ending. I had high hopes for this one, after being pleasantly surprised by S.L. Grey's first Downside novel, and was consistently pleased with Underground until the last couple of chapters.
It isn't a whodunit so really didn't need the lame unmasking epilogue, and to have the resolution come purely from outside when the characters had been so responsible for their situation was something of a let down.
It isn't a whodunit so really didn't need the lame unmasking epilogue, and to have the resolution come purely from outside when the characters had been so responsible for their situation was something of a let down.
kittyg's review
2.0
*This is a book I was sent for free from the publisher but this does not affect my opinions*
So I actually didn't request this book, it just turned up one day at my house and I thought it looked interesting, but maybe not like my cup of tea. Once I read the accompanying information sheet and found out that this is a duo of writers, Sarah Lotz and Louis Greenberg, I was more interested as I had heard good things about Sarah, but I still didn't know if it would be my thing.
I'm happy to say that although I had my quibbles with this book I read it right through in one sitting which is something I've not been able to do for quite a while and, I think becuase it's a thriller, it really gripped me and made me want to find out what would happen next.
In this book we're following a world where a big virus has broken out and the world seems destined for disaster. People are dying in various parts of the world and when the virus is close to hitting America, a couple of families from all over are prepared. These families have invested a lot of money into a project called The Sanctum, 'a luxurious, self-sustaining survival condominium situated underground.' When each of these (very different) families arrive at the Sanctum they are there in the hopes of it being a safe place for them to hide away from the Virus, but of course, things go wrong...
What I did like about this book is that we play a lot with stereotypes here. The families all have different ethnic origins and different views on how to behave within the confined space. I liked the mystery element too, as the book went on I found myself more pulled in by the story and wanting to know who was behind some of the grisly-goings-on.
When thinking about what I didn't like about the book it's mostly the racism and the ending. I guess the author's wanted to include some very different characters and put them all together in a place trapped away from the outside world and see how they would react, but there is a lot of racism rampant in the book and this is never really solvedunless you count by killing off the racist character which I personally felt was a bit of a cop out. .
The ending of the book also felt a bit unsatisfactory to me becuase whilst I was reading I was on the look out for clues and excitement, but this book never gave them to me and I was left at the end with a giant info-dump and a *rolls-eyes* moment becuase the justification for the events was not (in my opinion) very realistic or well-thought-out.
On the whole if you want a dystopian thriller that will keep you reading then this seems to be one, but beware that you may not get the resolution you seek and that there is a lot of nasty name-calling and 'bullying' happening within this book too. Overall a 2.5*s
So I actually didn't request this book, it just turned up one day at my house and I thought it looked interesting, but maybe not like my cup of tea. Once I read the accompanying information sheet and found out that this is a duo of writers, Sarah Lotz and Louis Greenberg, I was more interested as I had heard good things about Sarah, but I still didn't know if it would be my thing.
I'm happy to say that although I had my quibbles with this book I read it right through in one sitting which is something I've not been able to do for quite a while and, I think becuase it's a thriller, it really gripped me and made me want to find out what would happen next.
In this book we're following a world where a big virus has broken out and the world seems destined for disaster. People are dying in various parts of the world and when the virus is close to hitting America, a couple of families from all over are prepared. These families have invested a lot of money into a project called The Sanctum, 'a luxurious, self-sustaining survival condominium situated underground.' When each of these (very different) families arrive at the Sanctum they are there in the hopes of it being a safe place for them to hide away from the Virus, but of course, things go wrong...
What I did like about this book is that we play a lot with stereotypes here. The families all have different ethnic origins and different views on how to behave within the confined space. I liked the mystery element too, as the book went on I found myself more pulled in by the story and wanting to know who was behind some of the grisly-goings-on.
When thinking about what I didn't like about the book it's mostly the racism and the ending. I guess the author's wanted to include some very different characters and put them all together in a place trapped away from the outside world and see how they would react, but there is a lot of racism rampant in the book and this is never really solved
The ending of the book also felt a bit unsatisfactory to me becuase whilst I was reading I was on the look out for clues and excitement, but this book never gave them to me and I was left at the end with a giant info-dump and a *rolls-eyes* moment becuase the justification for the events was not (in my opinion) very realistic or well-thought-out.
On the whole if you want a dystopian thriller that will keep you reading then this seems to be one, but beware that you may not get the resolution you seek and that there is a lot of nasty name-calling and 'bullying' happening within this book too. Overall a 2.5*s
worldsinink's review
4.0
Under Ground is a fast-paced psychological thriller that will keep you trapped in its claustrophobic grip from the very first page of the spine-chilling prologue until the stunning, open-ended finale. If you are looking for a murder mystery with a post-apocalyptic twist, then look no further. Read full review
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