jkpiowa's review against another edition
This is literally what the title is - a people's account of a historical event. At 1/3 through it was only political excerpts, interviews, and reports with very little narrative.
shermacy's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
aseel_reads's review
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I liked the first half of the book but I found the ending super dissatisfying, I wanted something more to happen at the end. The one twist was pretty good though
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, Medical content, Rape, Violence, Miscarriage, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Drug use, Excrement, and Pregnancy
livermonster01's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chicagoissotwoyearsago's review
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
callmegoddess618's review
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I love this book. I love how it tells the story through interviews, articles, different characters' POVs, legal journals, and more. It's incredible.
sophia_dawn's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This book was an interconnected web of biases and information about an uprising that never happened and yet I felt as though it did. At first it was hard to distinguish why parts of the book were important and kept being mentioned. The more I read the more I discovered about this unique universe and how all of these people were intertwined. I loved the footnotes which served to help the author include world building without overwhelming the reader and made the book feel as if it were an authentic nonfiction account of a historical event. Up until the very end the author was still creating connections. For a debut novel the writing and pacing were excellent. I was never bored although reading through some of the more legal chapters was rough. I also believe that the review that states the vampires are a stand in for those who have been othered by the state is partially correct. In some cases in the book this review was spot on and in others it wasn’t so much because these vampires did some truly bad things. I really enjoyed reading this though.
taliaissmart's review
1.0
Fewer than a hundred pages remain, and yet...I can’t go on.
This book is so incredibly frustrating. It’s essentially a collective “history” of the events surrounding the emergence of vampires in the world. It begins with a scientist’s discovery of the NOBI virus that creates vampirism and later grows to encompass the worlds of politics, law, and religion as they relate to the growing number of “Gloamings” (vampires). I had high hopes, as I tend to love books that use a speculative framework to examine human cultural practices. But this book did not work for me. Not at all.
Every character perspective (and there are many) sounds the same. Like, the exact same voice. Some of the chapters are written as legal briefs, scientific reports, interviews, etc., but they are otherwise indistinguishable. This means that the characters meld together, becoming unrecognizable as individuals and, consequently, impossible to connect with.
Maybe this lack of distinct characterization would be fine, if the plot was full of thrills, chills, and excitement. But it’s not. There really isn’t a plot. And there are hardly any interactions with the Gloamings themselves- they are spoken of in vague terms. Everyone wants to be one, but beyond the longer lifespan, there seems to be little reason to want that change. The Gloamings are described as narcissistic and unlikeable, constantly killing and maiming. They certainly have no individual personalities on the page. And yet they are so popular! They have a huge following! It doesn’t make any logical sense!
Basically, the chorus of bland characters chase down boring leads and tell boring stories, moving towards...nothing. There is no building tension, no feeling of culmination. I can’t make myself care.
Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this novel! Sorry I couldn’t hype it for ya :(
This book is so incredibly frustrating. It’s essentially a collective “history” of the events surrounding the emergence of vampires in the world. It begins with a scientist’s discovery of the NOBI virus that creates vampirism and later grows to encompass the worlds of politics, law, and religion as they relate to the growing number of “Gloamings” (vampires). I had high hopes, as I tend to love books that use a speculative framework to examine human cultural practices. But this book did not work for me. Not at all.
Every character perspective (and there are many) sounds the same. Like, the exact same voice. Some of the chapters are written as legal briefs, scientific reports, interviews, etc., but they are otherwise indistinguishable. This means that the characters meld together, becoming unrecognizable as individuals and, consequently, impossible to connect with.
Maybe this lack of distinct characterization would be fine, if the plot was full of thrills, chills, and excitement. But it’s not. There really isn’t a plot. And there are hardly any interactions with the Gloamings themselves- they are spoken of in vague terms. Everyone wants to be one, but beyond the longer lifespan, there seems to be little reason to want that change. The Gloamings are described as narcissistic and unlikeable, constantly killing and maiming. They certainly have no individual personalities on the page. And yet they are so popular! They have a huge following! It doesn’t make any logical sense!
Basically, the chorus of bland characters chase down boring leads and tell boring stories, moving towards...nothing. There is no building tension, no feeling of culmination. I can’t make myself care.
Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this novel! Sorry I couldn’t hype it for ya :(
gracielepold's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
2.0