cami19's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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? No
4.0
rochellehickey's review against another edition
4.0
The Down Days takes place in South Africa during a Laughter pandemic where laughter can kill you.
I loved the idea that laughter is contagious but too much causes death. It felt close to what we are dealing with now with COVID-19 with people wearing masks and constant cleaning. I loved the creativity that brought about a black market for real hair extensions and faith based on hair donations.
I found it a little hard to get some characters straight, like I kept getting Piper and Tomorrow mixed up and Sans and Lucky mixed up but it straightened out in the end.
I did enjoy how the pandemic story morphed into a spiritual story where the living and the dead are now set upon the same plain. It brought the book out of the present and made it a more enjoyable read.
I do have to make a comment about the cover design. The dripping laughing hyena is perfect. I always love when a cover matches the story.
The pandemic felt well researched and the fiction was woven in seamlessly. Definitely worth a read.
Thank you to Skyward Books and Gallery Books for an advanced readers copy for my honest and unbiased opinion.
I loved the idea that laughter is contagious but too much causes death. It felt close to what we are dealing with now with COVID-19 with people wearing masks and constant cleaning. I loved the creativity that brought about a black market for real hair extensions and faith based on hair donations.
I found it a little hard to get some characters straight, like I kept getting Piper and Tomorrow mixed up and Sans and Lucky mixed up but it straightened out in the end.
I did enjoy how the pandemic story morphed into a spiritual story where the living and the dead are now set upon the same plain. It brought the book out of the present and made it a more enjoyable read.
I do have to make a comment about the cover design. The dripping laughing hyena is perfect. I always love when a cover matches the story.
The pandemic felt well researched and the fiction was woven in seamlessly. Definitely worth a read.
Thank you to Skyward Books and Gallery Books for an advanced readers copy for my honest and unbiased opinion.
emelynreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
This was my first book set in South Africa so it was interesting learning different slang words and local phrases. The dialog between characters happened too infrequently and was not well developed. I wanted to enjoy this book more because I loved the setting and the premise but the character development and dialog were too lacking in my opinion.
time_travel_tragedy's review against another edition
Leaving in a couple days and I had checked it out of the library, also it stressed me out: the idea of reading a book by an author from a different country whose ancestors colonized the very country she resides. And slavery only ended there in 1994. I'm afraid I would get a racist perspective on South Africa.
leighwilliams's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Addiction, Car accident, Child death, and Vomit
bradurdaynightlive's review against another edition
4.0
Just try to describe her without using the word "kooky".
lllkilli's review against another edition
2.0
Unreliable multiple narrators. At least 5 different POV, but the names are so strange (tomorrow, choose, lawyer) and the chapters so small that I have a hard time keeping everyone straight.
Add into that some kind of psychic time travel and ghost kidnappings, I have no idea what happened. And after all the insanity I slogged through, a very unsatisfying ending.
Add into that some kind of psychic time travel and ghost kidnappings, I have no idea what happened. And after all the insanity I slogged through, a very unsatisfying ending.
grubgabby's review against another edition
2.0
loved the worldbuilding halfway thru.... quickly got so weird, confusing, and truly stupid ending
helloandie's review against another edition
4.0
i honestly don't know what i was expecting this book to be, and i almost skipped it, but i'm glad i didn't. it just kept getting weirder and better.