vj_thompson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Death, Car accident, Violence, and Infidelity
Moderate: Torture, Child death, Cursing, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Racism, Suicide, Murder, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Vomit, Deportation, Trafficking, Miscarriage, Cancer, and War
ellaticonstellation's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Spoiler
This is an intense story. I love each passenger's stories. Libby and the rest of the jurors had unique personalities, especially Jack. I rarely read futuristic stuff and I'm glad that I picked this up because it was interesting.The "hacker" was so interesting. The dark themes such as pedophilia, suicide, etc. made my skin crawl. I was so mad at Sofia's husband, Patrick. He dared to threaten her about his dark side. Disgusting was an understatement.
Oh, Sofia thinking that she joined a reality TV show was hilarious until it didn't.
Heide blackmailing his cheating husband was awesome in a way that he had a taste of his own medicine. The squirming and mine games made it all worth it.
The ending was interesting as well. And the triple life of Jude. Hey Jude✨
Thank you, John❤️
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Addiction, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Sexual assault, Suicide, and War
madanxiety's review
5.0
Aside from pace, I am also always a huge fan of ensembles, which is part of what initially sustained my attention. I was like damn, how many hostages are there? Lol.
More to the content of the novel, I liked how each character was flawed in a very human way, and yet the protagonist (who, despite all the other characters, I'd say is Libby) was still always someone you could route for. This was a skillful balance to maintain.
I also have a soft spot for anti-establishment narratives lol. As one of the characters states at some point, the real villains turn out to be people, not AI.
Spoiler
Going back to Alex, while I'm under the spoilers cut, I do feel somewhat vindicated for never trusting "Jude" after hearing from his perspective early in the book. I'm impressed with that subtle characterization. There was something stalkerish and frenzied about his way of speaking. I mean, the biggest red flag was def him getting a semi in the middle of a hostage situation lol. I took that as revealing something stunted or disturbed about him, anyway. Still, as the book went on, I started to think I'd been reading too much into it, given that Libby stayed willing to save Jude over the others. Such a hopeless romantic move for an otherwise fairly logical character.My only critique of the book is how characters of color are treated. I will say more under the cut, but ofc it will include major spoilers.
Spoiler
There was one minor detail toward the end that rubbed me the wrong way. When Alex revealed that his company's work had been given to "the Indians," I thought that was a bit... stereotypical? Why could this Indian company not have been given a name? Why must the entire (enormous) population of India be to blame and not just the company that chose to use stolen work and ultimately spark a global privacy & transportation crisis? Again, I recognize that this was an incredible small detail, coming from the antagonist no less, but at the same time, we are meant to sympathize with Alex somewhat, right? Like, we're meant to agree that that initial situation that led to the rise of level 5 vehicles was fucked and unethical. I just take these tiny details as significant considering popular sentiments regarding immigrants in the UK, to say nothing of their unique historical relationship with India.I might've written this off as simply revealing Alex's own biases and flaws, but POC in this book are pretty much all murdered or painted as villains. It seems like the narrative of the book leans sympathetic toward POC, with only unlikeable characters being outright racist, the POC still die unjust deaths. It's like, I get that the novel is meant to be representative of the ugly parts of reality, including the disproportionate victimization of POC, but idk if that's enough justification for using characters of color as mere plot devices or backstory, not when that's the plight of ALL of them.
Anyway, I think the book is an interesting exploration of how AI could be weaponized by both powerful people and vigilantes. It's a cautionary tale about being too trusting of technology with regard to the collection and sharing of private data.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Pedophilia, Car accident, Grief, Murder, Stalking, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, and Infidelity
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer and Infertility
littlelibraryonsunset's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Islamophobia, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Car accident, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Classism, Suicide, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Hate crime, Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, and Violence
mel_s_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Suicide and Racism
relyu39's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Car accident, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Pedophilia and Stalking
Minor: Pregnancy
katiehelen1995's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Infertility, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Car accident, Child death, and Mental illness
emeraldsanto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
While the concept of the book is intriguing and the plot is well-paced, as someone who works in IT I found some of the technical aspects of the story to be a bit tacky or exaggerated. The book is clearly written with a layperson audience in mind, and some of the technological details may not be entirely accurate or plausible.
That being said, Marrs does a good job of keeping the reader engaged with his skillful use of suspense and multiple perspectives. Each passenger's backstory is revealed through a series of flashbacks, which adds depth and complexity to the characters. The ending of the book is surprising and satisfying, wrapping up the story in a neat and unexpected way.
Overall, while The Passengers may not be entirely realistic in its portrayal of technology and cybersecurity, it's still an enjoyable and thrilling read. If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller with plenty of twists and turns, then The Passengers is definitely worth a look.
Moderate: Car accident, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Stalking, Child death, Confinement, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, and Violence
amorales107's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Xenophobia, Murder, Pedophilia, Violence, and Suicide
booksandcoffeewithlexi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts