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A review by lawbooks600
Stung by Bethany Wiggins
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Representation: N/A
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I wanted to read Stung for a while but never got around till now. I picked Stung up from the library, hoping that I would enjoy it. I headed in with high expectations, considering the equally high ratings and reviews. When I finished Stung, it was flawed, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I'll pick up Cured when I have time.
It starts with the first person I see, Fiona, whose last name I forgot, waking up to a horrifying new world, thrown into a post-apocalyptic setting in the aftermath of a pandemic (wait, that sounds familiar) caused by genetically modified bees. Points for originality right there. The beginning is slow since it showed Fiona working out the place she lives in and its surroundings again, meeting new characters in the process. Stung shines in its immersive pacing and engaging writing style, but my most frustrating gripe with it is that it falters in its characters. Though I could root for Fiona, I could never connect to her. Also, the worldbuilding is a stretch. We have GM plants and animals, but not bees yet. I don't get how one would do that, and how did the scientists make the bees resist pesticides (DNA? Special genes? Who knows?) Conveniently, there's a cure at the end. Really? The concluding 100 pages were dramatic, finishing Stung on a cliffhanger.
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I wanted to read Stung for a while but never got around till now. I picked Stung up from the library, hoping that I would enjoy it. I headed in with high expectations, considering the equally high ratings and reviews. When I finished Stung, it was flawed, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I'll pick up Cured when I have time.
It starts with the first person I see, Fiona, whose last name I forgot, waking up to a horrifying new world, thrown into a post-apocalyptic setting in the aftermath of a pandemic (wait, that sounds familiar) caused by genetically modified bees. Points for originality right there. The beginning is slow since it showed Fiona working out the place she lives in and its surroundings again, meeting new characters in the process. Stung shines in its immersive pacing and engaging writing style, but my most frustrating gripe with it is that it falters in its characters. Though I could root for Fiona, I could never connect to her. Also, the worldbuilding is a stretch. We have GM plants and animals, but not bees yet. I don't get how one would do that, and how did the scientists make the bees resist pesticides (DNA? Special genes? Who knows?) Conveniently, there's a cure at the end. Really? The concluding 100 pages were dramatic, finishing Stung on a cliffhanger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Suicide
Full trigger warnings: Suicide, death, hospitalisation of a child and coma mentioned, near-death experience, pandemic, physical injury and assault, blood depiction, gun violence, forced child marriage, explosions, starvation