gms0407's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
kblincoln's review
5.0
4.5 stars, actually.
Meghan lives in a post-Makanza virus ravaged Midwest United States. She's lost alot along with most of the world to the virus that took out a huge percentage of the population and changed the few survivors to something other than entirely human. Now's a woman with a mission-- get a job at one of the Compounds that studies the survivors--the Kazzies-- and find a vaccine. But what she finds at the Compound may change her view of Makanza, and herself, forever.
So there are two things that Krista Street does really well-- one is the compelling, slightly naive, super-well meaning but anxious narrator voice. Meghan draws you in right away and takes you along with her on her first day at her new job. She's so relatable and so easy to root for.
The other thing is the science. There's nothing better than science fiction with great characters that sneakily teaches you a bit about the world you live in. Here there is some great ideas about how viruses might affect the U.S., infection vectors, government response, vaccine creation, and different virus strains. Very cool stuff.
And then there's the central romantic relationship in the book...which after writing that sentence I realized is actually more of a central emotional relationship between Meghan and the mother of the Kazzie she is involved with just as much as the Kazzie himself. Never read a romance story where the courtship begins with tea and photos with the mom! But it totally works. And there's all that juicy "can't touch him through my bio containment suit" angst that Street milks really well. And the answer to the central scientific problem of how to obtain a dna sample from the Kazzies that didn't degrade totally made me smile. So elegant, so lovely.
There's just a few little nitpicky things that brought it down half a star for me that most likely wouldn't bother other people. There's a couple times where one character says something and then a different character says almost the same thing soon after. I was also a bit-- and this is entirely on me, folks, and not probably reflective of the story, and who am i to say anything anyway because I am whitey white European mutt-- uncomfortable sometimes of the images Meghan associated with her Kazzie because of his partial First Peoples ancestry.
Regardless of the nits I picked, Meghan's got me hooked. I'm going to have to find out what happens to the Kazzies now that there's an actual possibilty of a vaccine.
Meghan lives in a post-Makanza virus ravaged Midwest United States. She's lost alot along with most of the world to the virus that took out a huge percentage of the population and changed the few survivors to something other than entirely human. Now's a woman with a mission-- get a job at one of the Compounds that studies the survivors--the Kazzies-- and find a vaccine. But what she finds at the Compound may change her view of Makanza, and herself, forever.
So there are two things that Krista Street does really well-- one is the compelling, slightly naive, super-well meaning but anxious narrator voice. Meghan draws you in right away and takes you along with her on her first day at her new job. She's so relatable and so easy to root for.
The other thing is the science. There's nothing better than science fiction with great characters that sneakily teaches you a bit about the world you live in. Here there is some great ideas about how viruses might affect the U.S., infection vectors, government response, vaccine creation, and different virus strains. Very cool stuff.
And then there's the central romantic relationship in the book...which after writing that sentence I realized is actually more of a central emotional relationship between Meghan and the mother of the Kazzie she is involved with just as much as the Kazzie himself. Never read a romance story where the courtship begins with tea and photos with the mom! But it totally works. And there's all that juicy "can't touch him through my bio containment suit" angst that Street milks really well. And the answer to the central scientific problem of how to obtain a dna sample from the Kazzies that didn't degrade totally made me smile. So elegant, so lovely.
There's just a few little nitpicky things that brought it down half a star for me that most likely wouldn't bother other people. There's a couple times where one character says something and then a different character says almost the same thing soon after. I was also a bit-- and this is entirely on me, folks, and not probably reflective of the story, and who am i to say anything anyway because I am whitey white European mutt-- uncomfortable sometimes of the images Meghan associated with her Kazzie because of his partial First Peoples ancestry.
Regardless of the nits I picked, Meghan's got me hooked. I'm going to have to find out what happens to the Kazzies now that there's an actual possibilty of a vaccine.
emfish's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
shyone's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mrssoup85's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was different than what I normally read and I’ve never read anything by this author before. It had a good story line, and I’m hoping that it continues in the second book. I’m also hoping to see some romance between the two main characters in book two.
phebsr's review
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? No
4.0
jmeyers888's review
3.0
3.5 stars. The story was an interesting premise, and I liked the uniqueness of the virus. That being said, there was just something missing to make it really good. It needed a big twist or something. Maybe it comes in future books, but this one fell a bit flat. Well written otherwise.
cherrywood's review
5.0
Another great start to a brand new series by Krista Street! Been wanting to read this book for so long but haven't actually gotten a chance till now. But when I finally gotten a chance to get into it, I must say that it definitely surpass my expectation! Super excited to continue the series!
lauren_macauley's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
rachelabowen's review
3.0
I give it two and a half stars. It was a quick read.
The book’s premise intrigued me, and I liked Meghan and Davin’s characters, but the story fell a little flat for me.
There was a lot of info dumping about the science behind the world/makanza virus in the beginning where Meghan basically told the reader everything by reciting what she knew to her fellow lab partner. The rest was filled in by the lab partner. I would have liked the information be revealed slowly and through experiences the main character had with the other kazzie’s (people who survived the makanza virus but were changed kind of like mutants if you’re familiar with X-men). Though I did enjoy learning about the different ways the kazzies has changed.
There’s was a lot of repetition in this book about facts stated in very similar ways so the author could have cut some of the repetition to make if flow better. The pacing seemed off where it was slow in the beginning then rushed at the end. And everything seemed resolved too easy. Meghan never had to struggle at all throughout the book. There was no tension or adversary other than dr. Robert Who was rarely around and seemed to give his researchers free reign.
An example of things being solved too easy is how harsh Davin was being treated and tortured by Dr. Roberts in the beginning and then a bit of new research comes from another compound and all of a sudden it’s enforced that all kazzies must be treated humanely. And how Meghan was the one picked to have contact with Davin. There was no reason given, other than convenience for the plot. Not only was she the newest member of the team (barely a week on the job) but she is also the youngest. It would make more sense if she’d done something to piss Dr. Robert off and he was doing it to punish her, but no. He just picked her for no reason.
On a positive note, I felt like the whole way the compound ran was realistic. And I enjoyed hearing how the world had changed since the virus.
If you’re looking for a romance that isn’t insta love but also happens relatively smoothly and somewhat quickly, with some science thrown in I recommend this book.
But if your looking for a dystopian about a disease ravaged America where there’s a slow burn romance that isn’t the entire focus of the book I would look elsewhere. I would suggest The Death Fields series by Angel Lawson.
The book’s premise intrigued me, and I liked Meghan and Davin’s characters, but the story fell a little flat for me.
There was a lot of info dumping about the science behind the world/makanza virus in the beginning where Meghan basically told the reader everything by reciting what she knew to her fellow lab partner. The rest was filled in by the lab partner. I would have liked the information be revealed slowly and through experiences the main character had with the other kazzie’s (people who survived the makanza virus but were changed kind of like mutants if you’re familiar with X-men). Though I did enjoy learning about the different ways the kazzies has changed.
There’s was a lot of repetition in this book about facts stated in very similar ways so the author could have cut some of the repetition to make if flow better. The pacing seemed off where it was slow in the beginning then rushed at the end. And everything seemed resolved too easy. Meghan never had to struggle at all throughout the book. There was no tension or adversary other than dr. Robert Who was rarely around and seemed to give his researchers free reign.
An example of things being solved too easy is how harsh Davin was being treated and tortured by Dr. Roberts in the beginning and then a bit of new research comes from another compound and all of a sudden it’s enforced that all kazzies must be treated humanely. And how Meghan was the one picked to have contact with Davin. There was no reason given, other than convenience for the plot. Not only was she the newest member of the team (barely a week on the job) but she is also the youngest. It would make more sense if she’d done something to piss Dr. Robert off and he was doing it to punish her, but no. He just picked her for no reason.
On a positive note, I felt like the whole way the compound ran was realistic. And I enjoyed hearing how the world had changed since the virus.
If you’re looking for a romance that isn’t insta love but also happens relatively smoothly and somewhat quickly, with some science thrown in I recommend this book.
But if your looking for a dystopian about a disease ravaged America where there’s a slow burn romance that isn’t the entire focus of the book I would look elsewhere. I would suggest The Death Fields series by Angel Lawson.