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karleighreads's review
1.0
Ok started out excellent, who doesn't love a post-apocalyptical book.. but what in the world happened there. It got weird, and not like horror weird but like talking trees taking over bodies weird. I don't even know what I read
schuster_s's review
1.0
Truly one of the worst books I have ever finished. Many of the one-star reviews were DNF, but I think this book deserves a proper 1 star review.
To start, I had the thought before writing this that "maybe this was a book for young adults or children?", but with the amount of random cussing and misplaced adult topics, I think it was written by a middle school student trying to pass as an adult.
But Simone, what could you possibly mean by that? Well dear reader, I have quotes for you:
"As she went back to bed, she found herself worrying over Cami's strange dreams, these cogent conversations. But then she thought, What do dreams mean anyway? She'd once dreamt she had sex with a man she found in a forest of bamboo.
When they all woke up the next day, Cami had diarrhea. And then she threw up."
Ok so
1. why even mention the bamboo sex dream? It literally has nothing to do with her daughter talking in her sleep.
2. I don't think you know what cogent means; I think you just wanted alliteration and threw in a 'c' word. That sentence flows like a clogged river.
3. How can you jump from bamboo sex dreams to your child having diarrhea? Also, it feels like being hit with bricks. And this isn't the only time this happens. This is how the ENTIRE BOOK is written.
Next example: they introduce this inspector named Paz who is supposedly this amazing agent from the capitol that is fantastic. But she is just a weird bitch.
"'On the plus side, the more weak shit like this you pull, the more I'm starting to think you're not the killer.'
'I'm not the killer,' Izabel said.
Paz shrugged."
Like wtf kind of conversation is that? What kind of agent is that nonchalant and rude to someone she thinks is A SUSPECT!?
The last strange quote to share is this:
"Izabel put a little diaper cream around her anus that never stopped being red."
I... I don't even know what to say. It is out of context, but that is how it is in the book; sandwiched between Izabel putting Cami to bed and then her singing a song about chicken in Spanish.
Ok, so now that we know this book is full of terrible language, time to analyze the plot!
The plot take place in the 2030's after an event called the "turning" when the trees turned and produced so much pollen that the earth became uninhabitable. Really good premise. Except I have a degree in environmental science and have read enough Crichton to appreciate some scientific background, which she lacks. There is no explanation, no world building, no nothing. Then there is the fact that there is a serial killer. Someone slashing homes (they are all made of plastic for some reason? I am pretty sure regular homes filter air well enough or could be made to do it easily?) so that the families inside suffocate. Again, pretty good premise, except she never really delves into it. I can’t tell what genre of book this is supposed to be. Thriller, post-apocalyptic, family-issues/found family, like please pick something and stick to it. So much is going on but also nothing at all.
So, who is the killer? Some nurse she interacted with once? Some guy she read the name of off a nametag? No. It’s this random guy names Patrick who she sees outside the privacy pods in the mall twice. And he is caught with the first trap set and confesses easily to the crime. Then Paz offers our main idiot Izabel a job at the capitol. Please tell me how this makes sense.
I truly cannot comprehend how this book got published. I have to rethink all my other ratings for terrible books because this book makes all of them look like 5-star books. Please do yourself a favor and don’t buy this book.
To start, I had the thought before writing this that "maybe this was a book for young adults or children?", but with the amount of random cussing and misplaced adult topics, I think it was written by a middle school student trying to pass as an adult.
But Simone, what could you possibly mean by that? Well dear reader, I have quotes for you:
"As she went back to bed, she found herself worrying over Cami's strange dreams, these cogent conversations. But then she thought, What do dreams mean anyway? She'd once dreamt she had sex with a man she found in a forest of bamboo.
When they all woke up the next day, Cami had diarrhea. And then she threw up."
Ok so
1. why even mention the bamboo sex dream? It literally has nothing to do with her daughter talking in her sleep.
2. I don't think you know what cogent means; I think you just wanted alliteration and threw in a 'c' word. That sentence flows like a clogged river.
3. How can you jump from bamboo sex dreams to your child having diarrhea? Also, it feels like being hit with bricks. And this isn't the only time this happens. This is how the ENTIRE BOOK is written.
Next example: they introduce this inspector named Paz who is supposedly this amazing agent from the capitol that is fantastic. But she is just a weird bitch.
"'On the plus side, the more weak shit like this you pull, the more I'm starting to think you're not the killer.'
'I'm not the killer,' Izabel said.
Paz shrugged."
Like wtf kind of conversation is that? What kind of agent is that nonchalant and rude to someone she thinks is A SUSPECT!?
The last strange quote to share is this:
"Izabel put a little diaper cream around her anus that never stopped being red."
I... I don't even know what to say. It is out of context, but that is how it is in the book; sandwiched between Izabel putting Cami to bed and then her singing a song about chicken in Spanish.
Ok, so now that we know this book is full of terrible language, time to analyze the plot!
The plot take place in the 2030's after an event called the "turning" when the trees turned and produced so much pollen that the earth became uninhabitable. Really good premise. Except I have a degree in environmental science and have read enough Crichton to appreciate some scientific background, which she lacks. There is no explanation, no world building, no nothing. Then there is the fact that there is a serial killer. Someone slashing homes (they are all made of plastic for some reason? I am pretty sure regular homes filter air well enough or could be made to do it easily?) so that the families inside suffocate. Again, pretty good premise, except she never really delves into it. I can’t tell what genre of book this is supposed to be. Thriller, post-apocalyptic, family-issues/found family, like please pick something and stick to it. So much is going on but also nothing at all.
So, who is the killer? Some nurse she interacted with once? Some guy she read the name of off a nametag? No. It’s this random guy names Patrick who she sees outside the privacy pods in the mall twice. And he is caught with the first trap set and confesses easily to the crime. Then Paz offers our main idiot Izabel a job at the capitol. Please tell me how this makes sense.
I truly cannot comprehend how this book got published. I have to rethink all my other ratings for terrible books because this book makes all of them look like 5-star books. Please do yourself a favor and don’t buy this book.
oodlesofbooks's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sheridacon's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
emszob's review
Writing was overly explanatory. Story was disjointed and difficult to follow.
dreamgalaxies's review
3.0
I initially picked this book up because my work is all about reducing air pollution. I was surprised that this was not a core theme of this novel. It was a bit of a bait and switch—the thing that took humanity out was nothing we could’ve seen coming. It worked for me, but I’d still love to find books more related to air quality—so let me know if you come across any.
There were some things I really liked about this book: the creative take on a post-apocalyptic setting, a complex narrator, nuanced portrayal of motherhood, discussion of therapy and mental health, and the incorporation of mythology. There was an interesting focus on our present through the eyes of someone removed from it, which I think mostly worked.
But there were two things I really didn’t like: a) stilted, flat characterization of every other character. I don’t know anything about Kaito, and I don’t really buy the insta-friendship between Izabel and Andy. The adopted child aspect was also not well developed. Cami was not a believable 4 year old child, despite the author’s clear grasp of developmental stages. I’m not sure if the dialogue was part of the issue or if these characters were simply sketches. b) I simply could not with the mystery aspect. It fell completely flat for me and the convenient placement of Izabel’s family at the middle of the whole thing—and the investigation’s reliance on her from start to finish—had my eyes rolling out of my head. Too bad.
I would consider reading another book by this author. Clearly some potential here, but this reads like a first novel with some pretty glaring limitations.
There were some things I really liked about this book: the creative take on a post-apocalyptic setting, a complex narrator, nuanced portrayal of motherhood, discussion of therapy and mental health, and the incorporation of mythology. There was an interesting focus on our present through the eyes of someone removed from it, which I think mostly worked.
But there were two things I really didn’t like: a) stilted, flat characterization of every other character. I don’t know anything about Kaito, and I don’t really buy the insta-friendship between Izabel and Andy. The adopted child aspect was also not well developed. Cami was not a believable 4 year old child, despite the author’s clear grasp of developmental stages. I’m not sure if the dialogue was part of the issue or if these characters were simply sketches. b) I simply could not with the mystery aspect. It fell completely flat for me and the convenient placement of Izabel’s family at the middle of the whole thing—and the investigation’s reliance on her from start to finish—had my eyes rolling out of my head. Too bad.
I would consider reading another book by this author. Clearly some potential here, but this reads like a first novel with some pretty glaring limitations.
literarylover37's review
2.0
For a book that takes place during the post-apocalypse and involves the serial killer, this was very slow and seemed quite long. I'm kind of amazed that they would let the main character get away with not contributing to society as a whole or not doing much considering that half the Earth's population died 10 years earlier. I just find it hard to believe that they would suddenly have this utopia. The premise was interesting but the execution was lacking in my opinion.
kdurham2's review
3.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
We are in a time after the Turning where trees and pollen are at a deadly level and one must where an extensive mask just to go out in public to do the things that one must every day. There are more robots doing tasks while humans can work from home and operate these robots and keep everyone safe.
I don't read a ton in this genre, but I can enjoy a look at our world at a different time with different perimeters and "rules." It felt really odd to read a book about how you must were a mask to survive when we are still debating about if they help with keeping COVID from spreading.
We are in a time after the Turning where trees and pollen are at a deadly level and one must where an extensive mask just to go out in public to do the things that one must every day. There are more robots doing tasks while humans can work from home and operate these robots and keep everyone safe.
I don't read a ton in this genre, but I can enjoy a look at our world at a different time with different perimeters and "rules." It felt really odd to read a book about how you must were a mask to survive when we are still debating about if they help with keeping COVID from spreading.