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I think it's a great book with a great plot and great characters. I love Saff and Maddie and their dynamic and I think they make a good couple. I can relate to both characters and I liked seeing a blind main character. I almost cried when I thought Saff was going to die, I'm glad she was fine in the end.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-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:
Yes
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
“I don’t think I can leave you.”
I didn't want it to end! God, I loved Saff and Maddie and their whole journey together. The pacing was excellent and it had the perfect blend of romance, angst and action.
I'm already looking forward to a re-read.
Thank you Kimmy for the great recommendation!
I didn't want it to end! God, I loved Saff and Maddie and their whole journey together. The pacing was excellent and it had the perfect blend of romance, angst and action.
I'm already looking forward to a re-read.
Thank you Kimmy for the great recommendation!
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have no qualms about this story. In a zombie apocalypse, I don't think excessive world-building is necessary, especially with how much has already been explored in the genre. I loved how the author used the characters' viewpoints to shape the world, creating a more personal and immersive experience. Their journey beautifully illustrates how they can survive independently, yet neither wants to face life alone now that they know one another. It's a beautiful and poignant dynamic that makes the story truly compelling.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Medical content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When someone on Reddit said “sapphic zombie apocalypse book”, I couldn’t run to KU fast enough. I dove into it immediately, and I have no regrets. It might be a slower book, but the complex leads and their incredibly sweet allies to friends to lovers relationship were more than enough to make up for the story’s occasional dragging moment. The truth about the hoodie nearly had me squealing because it was so cute, and I’m pretty sure I’m always going to think of Saff and Maddie now when I see or smell popcorn.
Even at its lower points, the story kept my attention. More than once, I sat down thinking I’d read a couple of chapters, then got sucked in and ended up reading six, seven or more. I would plan to stop at the end of a chapter, and then be too curious about what happened next to actually stop. You know a book is good when.
Additionally, I think this is the first time I’ve read anything featuring a blind character, and it definitely added a new depth to the story for me. The shifts in narration were interesting, going back and forth between one protagonist that could offer physical descriptions and one that had to work around their absence. I feel like I can’t describe it in a way that does it justice, but it was done well. (It also got me thinking about how terrifyingly terrible it would be to be blind in an apocalypse. As if the apocalypse wouldn’t be nightmarish enough on its own. Nine hells.)
But yeah, all in all, I really, really liked this book. I got so much more from it than I expected going in, and that makes me happy. Good job, Nicole Maser.
Representation:
Even at its lower points, the story kept my attention. More than once, I sat down thinking I’d read a couple of chapters, then got sucked in and ended up reading six, seven or more. I would plan to stop at the end of a chapter, and then be too curious about what happened next to actually stop. You know a book is good when.
Additionally, I think this is the first time I’ve read anything featuring a blind character, and it definitely added a new depth to the story for me. The shifts in narration were interesting, going back and forth between one protagonist that could offer physical descriptions and one that had to work around their absence. I feel like I can’t describe it in a way that does it justice, but it was done well. (It also got me thinking about how terrifyingly terrible it would be to be blind in an apocalypse. As if the apocalypse wouldn’t be nightmarish enough on its own. Nine hells.)
But yeah, all in all, I really, really liked this book. I got so much more from it than I expected going in, and that makes me happy. Good job, Nicole Maser.
Representation:
- sapphic protagonist with asthma
- blind sapphic protagonist (uses a cane)
- sapphic (F/F) romance
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual content, Pregnancy
One protagonist lost a parent prior to the story. Various deaths throughout, both human and zombie. Descriptions of a stab wound, a bullet wound and a concussion, at various points. One scene has the protagonists in a burning house, and one of them gets some severe burns on her upper body. There’s a very minor pregnant side character in the second half of the book that’s late in said pregnancy and struggling with it. She’s tentatively diagnosed with preeclampsia, and neither her nor the baby survive the birth. This is not shown on-page.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-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
The characters hold in air like hot air balloons. They hummed and loosed breaths every other sentence. Quite a few typos throughout the book. Plot could be stronger in terms of tying the story together. Saff’s asthma could have played a more significant role in hindering her as it seemed to be merely an annoyance in most instances.
I was thrilled to learn thatMaddie was blind as I wasn’t expecting that. It made the story more interesting and definitely was used brilliantly for her character. She was challenged by it but never completely helpless and was quite capable.
I really loved this book. I couldn’t put it down honestly. The two main characters were well written and interesting and I could really feel for them. The side characters were very underdeveloped, but it wasn’t really that big of a deal overall. The ending climax was very tense and kept me on the edge of my emotional seat.
I wanted more descriptions of the characters as I never learned Saff’s hair color or length or eye color or what Maddie’s family looked like. The zombies were barely described so I just pictured classic zombies from The Walking Dead. I rarely knew what characters were wearing and maybe the author wanted to leave all that up to the imagination, but it felt unfair that Maddie got a hair and eye color when no one else did (except Josh’s hair color). Would not have minded a tiny bit more spice. Those are minor complaints as I really did enjoy the book and would definitely recommend it.
I was thrilled to learn that
I really loved this book. I couldn’t put it down honestly. The two main characters were well written and interesting and I could really feel for them. The side characters were very underdeveloped, but it wasn’t really that big of a deal overall. The ending climax was very tense and kept me on the edge of my emotional seat.
I wanted more descriptions of the characters as I never learned Saff’s hair color or length or eye color or what Maddie’s family looked like. The zombies were barely described so I just pictured classic zombies from The Walking Dead. I rarely knew what characters were wearing and maybe the author wanted to leave all that up to the imagination, but it felt unfair that Maddie got a hair and eye color when no one else did (except Josh’s hair color). Would not have minded a tiny bit more spice. Those are minor complaints as I really did enjoy the book and would definitely recommend it.
I've not read many zombie/dystopian books but I'm sure a shit glad I read this one. Once I started, I didn't want to put it down. It was suspenseful, it was beautiful and it was super intriguing. Can't wait to read more of this author's work