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A review by steph_ramos
Shift by Hugh Howey
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.75
To summarize: I finished “Wool” in 3 days and “Shift” took me 2 months.
I appreciate the world building and backstory — even if it is not the most well thought out in terms of sci-fi backstories — but where this one fell flat for me was the characters. Specifically Donald. He just does not click for me. He was so passive and I just really didn’t care for his perspective or find him interesting in the slightest. This is an immense downgrade from “Wool” with several amazing and interesting characters, obviously headed by Juliette.
The last third or so of the book is much stronger than the first two though. I found Solo’s backstory very engaging and well written, and even the last few of Donald’s chapters had a lot more action and were easier to get through. Overall, I think it sets up the final book nicely and I’m excited to get back to Juliette's story!
I appreciate the world building and backstory — even if it is not the most well thought out in terms of sci-fi backstories — but where this one fell flat for me was the characters. Specifically Donald. He just does not click for me. He was so passive and I just really didn’t care for his perspective or find him interesting in the slightest. This is an immense downgrade from “Wool” with several amazing and interesting characters, obviously headed by Juliette.
The last third or so of the book is much stronger than the first two though. I found Solo’s backstory very engaging and well written, and even the last few of Donald’s chapters had a lot more action and were easier to get through. Overall, I think it sets up the final book nicely and I’m excited to get back to Juliette's story!