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bookconfessional's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
el_reads17's review
3.0
3.25/5 stars
I love the premise of Parasite but the execution is, sadly, just average. The most disappointing part is that for a thriller, thrills were pretty much non-existent -- the plot twists and reveals were far too predictable! The only thing that surprised me was which is minor in comparison what happens in the ending. The first two-thirds of the novel were hard to get through as well. The pacing was slow and it took a long time to warm to the characters. I found that Sal was really immature and whiny, particularly in the beginning, but it made sense considering her circumstances. On the other hand, It was refreshing to see a diverse cast of characters and aa stable, supportive boyfriend stick through from beginning to end! I also really enjoyed reading the outtakes from the founders of SymboGen. And I found the last 20% of the novel quite satisfying despite it feeling very much like a "beginning".
Overall, I have mixed feelings about Parasite but I love the premise enough to check out book 2.
I love the premise of Parasite but the execution is, sadly, just average. The most disappointing part is that for a thriller, thrills were pretty much non-existent -- the plot twists and reveals were far too predictable! The only thing that surprised me was
Spoiler
Sherman's identityOverall, I have mixed feelings about Parasite but I love the premise enough to check out book 2.
saccharinewoe's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
adam_double_u's review
2.0
Based on my love of Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series (and Into The Drowning Deep also as Mira Grant) I really wanted to like this more. After almost half the book and obviously on the precipice of a plot reveal I can't muster the will to keep going.
Not a poorly written or boring book (quite readable actually) but shockingly not compelling given that it seems to be about giant bioengineered tapeworms that turn people into zombie/zombie adjacent creatures.
Guess I'll be sticking to portal fantasies and killer mermaids.
Not a poorly written or boring book (quite readable actually) but shockingly not compelling given that it seems to be about giant bioengineered tapeworms that turn people into zombie/zombie adjacent creatures.
Guess I'll be sticking to portal fantasies and killer mermaids.
ktaylor1164's review
4.0
A really interesting twist on the zombie trope--I can't say too much without giving it away, but I'm excited to read the next in the series. And yes, I can completely believe someone would market a giant genetically altered tapeworm as an Intestinal Bodyguard. Wow.
danielv64's review
3.0
Good, But I guessed an important plot twist early, otherwise an interesting story on where we are heading.
littletaiko's review
4.0
Imagine a world where people willingly had parasites implanted in their bodies that helped keep them healthy. Now imagine what would happen if the parasites start rebelling. This is the first in a trilogy and it kept me hooked all the way through. Can't wait to read the next two!
jmm_lewis's review
4.0
This author has a very distinctive way of writing. You are going to hate it, or you are going to love it. For me, the rambling of completely inane details got a bit much at times. All but one of the book's twists were seen from miles away. The whole thing could have been CONSIDERABLY shorter.
That being said, the world is a very interesting one. I was intrigued and happy to learn more whenever and wherever I could. Grant excels when it comes to quirky dialogue, and her mastery at building a fully formed world really shows.
I don't want to read this again. I don't know if I will be able to stand reading 2 more books in this never ending stream of consciousness, either. But I have enjoyed my time in 2027, and I hope you will, too.
That being said, the world is a very interesting one. I was intrigued and happy to learn more whenever and wherever I could. Grant excels when it comes to quirky dialogue, and her mastery at building a fully formed world really shows.
I don't want to read this again. I don't know if I will be able to stand reading 2 more books in this never ending stream of consciousness, either. But I have enjoyed my time in 2027, and I hope you will, too.
lisawreading's review
4.0
A creepy good, sci fi medical thriller that's impossible to put down! Maybe not the best choice if you're squeamish about things like tapeworms, but otherwise just a terrific, squirm-inducing, fast-paced read. My biggest disappointments with this book are that a) it's to be continued and b) I don't know when part 2 is coming out!
For more, see my review at http://wp.me/p2B4Be-1yG.
For more, see my review at http://wp.me/p2B4Be-1yG.
suzemo's review
2.0
I received this book from Orbit Books. Thanks Orbit!
While we're at it - another caveat: I'm a sciencey person. A research sciencey person at that. And I worked under a parasitologist. Imagine that.
This book was a complete mixed bag for me, honestly.
Basic plot: Sal(ly) is a young woman who is in a car crash and ends up in a coma. Later on, she wakes up, but with complete amnesia. Though her body was breaking down, to the point where the doctors wanted to yank her on life support, she has a bioengineered tapeworm that brings her back to life (hold on there, I'll get back to that).
She learns to live again (adorably learning new idioms through the book) and learns how to function as an adult (with a boyfriend and everything), but she lives under the thumb of her parents (and her father just happens to be head of AMRIID) and SymboGen, the company who is terribly interested in researching how this came to pass (it's their tapeworm). In the middle of all of this, people start coming down with a "sleeping" sickness where they start wondering around in some sort of sleep-walking state. They don't start out violent, and they aren't out to eat a bunch of brains, so they aren't your typical zombies, just the pre-George Romero, "walking around like a zombie" zombies.
The book ends on a cliff-hanger, which drives me batty. I don't mind trilogies or series as long as the stories have some sort of resolution, this one just ends with a big AHA moment. It lost a star just because of that. I am a fickle reader.
So the foundation of this series is the idea that since we're all living in such sanitized environments (not the same thing as sterile, authors and other people), most of our health issues are due to overactive/bored immune systems, which is not a fictional theory. A company engineers a tapeworm-worm which will 1. keep the immune system busy without causing harm and 2. do some beneficial stuff while we're at it (secreting insulin for diabetics, other drugs or therapies as needed, etc.). This company supposedly plays fast and loose and unleashes (or sells, whichever you prefer) this worm on the public without much testing and things happen. There are hospitals, mega-hella-corporations, the military, secret underground labs and all kinds of other craziness in this book that make it fun.
I give Grant mad props for lots of nice science-y parts (and YAY! worms, because they're cool), but there are some parts that are not-so-realistic (though I'm sure it makes for a better story). I think, as a lay-person, especially if one were a a paranoid conspiracy-theorist lay person, this book probably doesn't even involve a suspension of disbelief. If you have a basic understanding of how research, the FDA or the pharma-complex works (actually works), this book might be a bit much to swallow.
And it is another not-so-common play on the whole zombie phenomenon (without actually being about zombies... really).
I do really like the way the book is structured with laboratory notes, video, personal notes and the first person with Sal (who, for the record, is not someone I'd want to hang out with).
Overall, interesting premise, good story telling, if too unbelievable (for this science person). There was a considerable dash of cheese (overly-contrived plot devices), but it worked out to a decent book. Pacing could have been a bit better, but all in all, I'm mostly disappointed in its thriller un-resolved ending.
While we're at it - another caveat: I'm a sciencey person. A research sciencey person at that. And I worked under a parasitologist. Imagine that.
This book was a complete mixed bag for me, honestly.
Basic plot: Sal(ly) is a young woman who is in a car crash and ends up in a coma. Later on, she wakes up, but with complete amnesia. Though her body was breaking down, to the point where the doctors wanted to yank her on life support, she has a bioengineered tapeworm that brings her back to life (hold on there, I'll get back to that).
She learns to live again (adorably learning new idioms through the book) and learns how to function as an adult (with a boyfriend and everything), but she lives under the thumb of her parents (and her father just happens to be head of AMRIID) and SymboGen, the company who is terribly interested in researching how this came to pass (it's their tapeworm). In the middle of all of this, people start coming down with a "sleeping" sickness where they start wondering around in some sort of sleep-walking state. They don't start out violent, and they aren't out to eat a bunch of brains, so they aren't your typical zombies, just the pre-George Romero, "walking around like a zombie" zombies.
The book ends on a cliff-hanger, which drives me batty. I don't mind trilogies or series as long as the stories have some sort of resolution, this one just ends with a big AHA moment. It lost a star just because of that. I am a fickle reader.
So the foundation of this series is the idea that since we're all living in such sanitized environments (not the same thing as sterile, authors and other people), most of our health issues are due to overactive/bored immune systems, which is not a fictional theory. A company engineers a tapeworm-worm which will 1. keep the immune system busy without causing harm and 2. do some beneficial stuff while we're at it (secreting insulin for diabetics, other drugs or therapies as needed, etc.). This company supposedly plays fast and loose and unleashes (or sells, whichever you prefer) this worm on the public without much testing and things happen. There are hospitals, mega-hella-corporations, the military, secret underground labs and all kinds of other craziness in this book that make it fun.
I give Grant mad props for lots of nice science-y parts (and YAY! worms, because they're cool), but there are some parts that are not-so-realistic (though I'm sure it makes for a better story). I think, as a lay-person, especially if one were a a paranoid conspiracy-theorist lay person, this book probably doesn't even involve a suspension of disbelief. If you have a basic understanding of how research, the FDA or the pharma-complex works (actually works), this book might be a bit much to swallow.
And it is another not-so-common play on the whole zombie phenomenon (without actually being about zombies... really).
I do really like the way the book is structured with laboratory notes, video, personal notes and the first person with Sal (who, for the record, is not someone I'd want to hang out with).
Overall, interesting premise, good story telling, if too unbelievable (for this science person). There was a considerable dash of cheese (overly-contrived plot devices), but it worked out to a decent book. Pacing could have been a bit better, but all in all, I'm mostly disappointed in its thriller un-resolved ending.