jsanders05's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
New take on the zombie apocalypse. It’s clever and witty, but it’s slow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
rachaelwho's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.5
Good, earnest, interesting, sweet. "Mofo" started out grating and contrived and went right on through being super, super annoying. Major plot elements were very obvious but do you really need a book like this to be unpredictable? I didn't. I would've taken it, but I was fine without it. I'll read her next, too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gore, Grief, Animal death, and Body horror
virtualdragonkitty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
I really loved this story, even if at times the pacing felt weird. It was fun reading a book about a zombi apocalypse from the eyes of the animals
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death, Gore, and Vomit
coatpocketcreature's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Gore
boundlessbookbumblebee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
annaplatypus's review against another edition
Not my sense of humor. I felt like the pacing of the book was way thrown off by inappropriately timed jokes and asides, plus a generally repetitive writing style. The whiplash between dumb potty jokes and overwrought emotional ponderings was sometimes jarring or genuinely upsetting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Animal death, and Gore
Moderate: Excrement, Grief, and Blood
Minor: Sexual assault and Drug abuse
re: sexual assault, there's basically a scene of impliedSpoiler
dog gang rape, which the main character actually compares to porn. Lovely.sfenstermacher's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Animal death
melethwi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, and Blood
kwalker314's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Animal death and Death
Minor: Cursing
starrysteph's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
We’ve all read zombie apocalypse stories focused on the survivors - the hardy group of humans fighting for a better new world.
But what if nobody made it out?
What if every human was infected?
What if the only survivors - were other animals?
That’s what goes down in the opening scenes of Hollow Kingdom, and we’re left to follow human-adoring crow S.T. and his bloodhound sidekick Dennis as they navigate the wake of tragedy, try to figure out what happened, and rescue other domestic animals.
This book had the curious ability to make me laugh out lou and roll my eyes at the raunchy absurdity, but also weep in a ball on the couch.
We do mostly follow S.T., but we also get beautifully-crafted chapters between his narratives from all sorts of different animals. Though sometimes a little cheesy and -and often romanticizing animal interactions - these interludes were some of my favorite parts of the novel.
At times the plot became too repetitive without seeming to move forward. It felt like large sections of the novel could have been chopped without a loss, and that made my reading experience a little antsy. The humor also occasionally rubbed me the wrong way. I also didn’t love the measly background we got around the cause of the zombie infection. It’s a trope that bothers me.
Overall though, I enjoyed this journey. Be prepared for some heartbreak, folks. Especially if you are an animal lover like me.
CW: animal death, human death (all ages), gore, body horror, violence, animal cruelty, cannibalism, confinement, vomit, drug use, suicide, ableism, sexism, fatphobia, war, Harry Potter references
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Gore, Fatphobia, Drug use, Child death, Confinement, Vomit, Suicide, Ableism, Sexism, War, Cannibalism, Death, and Body horror