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A review by burdasnest
American Rapture by CJ Leede
adventurous
dark
sad
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? Yes
4.5
I thought this was going to be a campy zombie apocalypse story. But actually, I'm devastated, queasy, and feel the need to adopt several dogs, maybe buy a whole farm.
Sophie isn't pious in a comical way, she's religiously traumatized, and spends a mad dash for survival deconstructing. Along the way, she meets real and complicated but good people, gaining a caravan of found family around Wisconsin. The cause of the apocalypse scenario sounded funny- a virus that made you feverish and unspeakably horny. But like everything else in this book, it's actually terrifying. Sex rabies. My biggest critique is that the exposition could have been shorter. It was so unpleasant at the beginning I almost gave up.
At the same time as all the terror, it's so full of heart. The growing pains are relatable, and the Catholic guilt and COVID-19 flashbacks hit close to home.
For fans of Station Eleven (especially the TV show), Rabid: A Cultural History by Wasik and Murphy, The Last of Us, and Fundie Snark.
Sophie isn't pious in a comical way, she's religiously traumatized, and spends a mad dash for survival deconstructing. Along the way, she meets real and complicated but good people, gaining a caravan of found family around Wisconsin. The cause of the apocalypse scenario sounded funny- a virus that made you feverish and unspeakably horny. But like everything else in this book, it's actually terrifying. Sex rabies. My biggest critique is that the exposition could have been shorter. It was so unpleasant at the beginning I almost gave up.
At the same time as all the terror, it's so full of heart. The growing pains are relatable, and the Catholic guilt and COVID-19 flashbacks hit close to home.
For fans of Station Eleven (especially the TV show), Rabid: A Cultural History by Wasik and Murphy, The Last of Us, and Fundie Snark.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic