A review by jenni28
The Passage by Justin Cronin

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A solid 4 stars for this one. 

I read this when it first came out in 2010 when I was travelling and remembered enjoying it at the time. Whilst browsing in a book shop I found that there were two sequels and so, I thought, since it's been 14 years (!!!) since I read the first installment, I'd give it another go before diving into books 2 & 3.

I'm glad I did because most of the plot hadn't stuck with me at all. 

Don't be put off by "it's a book about vampires" because this is way more Walking Dead than it is Twilight. It's dark, creepy and terrifying, involving a mass government conspiracy that unwittingly unleashed a deadly virus that ends civilisation on the North American continent. The novel follows a series of different central characters, but also introduces some others who exit the scene rather quickly but definitely add to the flavour of the book. 

I did prefer the first half of the book to the second - it got a little bit "samey" and reputative towards the end, but all in all, a good post-apocalyptic thriller/horror that's worth your time if that's your thing.