A review by teaandtales1
The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson

dark tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

Look - is this the best book ever? No. Does it have some flaws? Yes. Did I still give it 4.5 stars? Heck yea I did.

The Loop is essentially a slasher/apocalyptic book - similar to zombie stories, but not exactly zombies - and it's suuuuper gory. Teenagers in a small town are infected by... something... that makes them incredibly violent. The people that remain uninfected are left to their own devices to evade these horrifying versions of their classmates and try to find a way out of the situation.

Some aspects have a distinct YA feel, but that's mostly due to the main characters being teens. Johnson creates believable teenage characters and a flawed, but interesting main trio.

I started listening to this book on audio, but found I couldn't wait until I was back in the car to finish, so I got it in print to finish. This book has the pacing of fast zombie movies like Train to Busan or World War Z, and I couldn't put it down.

If you liked Clown in a Cornfield , you'll probably like this one too. It's quite a bit bleaker, but a similar vibe. 

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