sr_toliver's review
5.0
Tasha is a 21-year old Black woman living in Chicago. She works at the mall, loves Prada, and kills zombie-like creatures bent on ending her existence. In this story set in in a futuristic, but not so distant, society, California has seceded from the US, walking sidewalks replace the concrete ones, and people pretty much live in mega malls. A for-profit healthcare system creates a two-tiered hierarchy of citizens - those who can afford it and those who cannot. But, a glitch (I'm still not sure about whether or not this error was intentional) may prove that those who were unable to qualify for the healthcare fared better in the end.
What I liked most about Cole's novel is that the character spoke to me. I've always wondered if I would still worry about certain things if I lived in a dystopian world - Would I care if my armpits stunk? Would I wonder what my appearance was like? Would I risk death to get a hold of some deodorant and toothpaste? I'm not saying that every person would or should think about those things if the world was ending as we knew it, but I also think it's important to show that thinking about them is a possibility. Too often, I think that in trying to show that girls don't have to be princesses, writers create characters that are extremely anti-stereotypically feminine. Why can't a girl like lipstick and kick butt? Why can't she miss her flat iron as she sweats from running away from killers? Seeing female characters living unapologetically, whatever that may be for them in the context of the novel, is refreshing. I feel like if there were ever a zombie apocalypsse, I would be like Tasha, with my Wusthof in hand.
Diversity Elements:
The main character is an African-American woman;
Secondary characters are mostly people of color - women and men;
Nuanced identities for diverse characters
This book is full of women of color literally fighting a system that has marginalized them. Even when a character is present only for a short time, their story is still told. They have names, they have stories, they have dynamic identities.
What I liked most about Cole's novel is that the character spoke to me. I've always wondered if I would still worry about certain things if I lived in a dystopian world - Would I care if my armpits stunk? Would I wonder what my appearance was like? Would I risk death to get a hold of some deodorant and toothpaste? I'm not saying that every person would or should think about those things if the world was ending as we knew it, but I also think it's important to show that thinking about them is a possibility. Too often, I think that in trying to show that girls don't have to be princesses, writers create characters that are extremely anti-stereotypically feminine. Why can't a girl like lipstick and kick butt? Why can't she miss her flat iron as she sweats from running away from killers? Seeing female characters living unapologetically, whatever that may be for them in the context of the novel, is refreshing. I feel like if there were ever a zombie apocalypsse, I would be like Tasha, with my Wusthof in hand.
Diversity Elements:
The main character is an African-American woman;
Secondary characters are mostly people of color - women and men;
Nuanced identities for diverse characters
This book is full of women of color literally fighting a system that has marginalized them. Even when a character is present only for a short time, their story is still told. They have names, they have stories, they have dynamic identities.
taratearex's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed the world building of this book a lot. Oddly, I've never read a zombie book before, so I don't have a lot to compare it to within that genre, but it did remind me of The Hunger Games (YA trilogy, survival story centering a young woman of color). Fun and engaging story, enough that I'm interested in reading the sequels despite the writing being kind of overly quirky (but overall more enjoyable then the flatness of the prose in The Hunger Games).
I did have a hard time reading the parts about the animals in this world. I had to actively not think too much about the animal welfare issues in the story, I'm just sensitive to that in books.
I did have a hard time reading the parts about the animals in this world. I had to actively not think too much about the animal welfare issues in the story, I'm just sensitive to that in books.
ellsea's review
5.0
Fantastic read
I fell in love with Tasha from the first chapter, and watching her genuinely evolve over the course of the book was wonderful. The plot is well constructed, Cole's pacing keeps you turning pages, and her style yanks you into this world and keeps you engrossed. Looking forward to reading more!
I fell in love with Tasha from the first chapter, and watching her genuinely evolve over the course of the book was wonderful. The plot is well constructed, Cole's pacing keeps you turning pages, and her style yanks you into this world and keeps you engrossed. Looking forward to reading more!
ristretto's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.5
glittryvirgo's review
3.0
although i found the book to be a bit slow at times, it is completely worth reading. the way the author writes kept me intrigued and wanting more, even after the book was over!
thebrokedown's review
4.0
I don't know what it says about me that my favorite genre is the post-apocalyptic tale, but there it is. However, I very much dislike the all-too common tales where our hero is military and therefore apparently preternaturally prepared for when the SHTF, or where most of the plot is about men forming militaristic groups of "goodies" and "baddies" (the badness of the baddies inevitably immediately indicated by collecting and raping women), ESPECIALLY when the flavor of disaster is militaristic in the first place. These are legion and a particular sort of masculine wish-fulfillment I have had entirely enough of to last me until the literal end of time.
So for me, the more literary apocalypses of your Dogstars and Station Elevens, please. At the same time, I don't shrink from graphic depictions or utter dispair--The Stand and The Road are both books I admire and re-read.
Panther In The Hive is a new favorite of mine in the PA genre. I enjoyed having a young woman as a hero, with the added bonus that she's a POC. The world-building of the near-future setting is strong, the details of which seem less ridiculous today than they might have even a mere year ago. There is a little too much coincidence driving the plot, but otherwise, this is not a lazy book. It tackles some big issues--race, class, consumerism--and still has snappy action scenes and relatable characters. Panther In The Hive sits comfortably on my virtual post-apocalyptic shelf with the better-known classics of the genre.
So for me, the more literary apocalypses of your Dogstars and Station Elevens, please. At the same time, I don't shrink from graphic depictions or utter dispair--The Stand and The Road are both books I admire and re-read.
Panther In The Hive is a new favorite of mine in the PA genre. I enjoyed having a young woman as a hero, with the added bonus that she's a POC. The world-building of the near-future setting is strong, the details of which seem less ridiculous today than they might have even a mere year ago. There is a little too much coincidence driving the plot, but otherwise, this is not a lazy book. It tackles some big issues--race, class, consumerism--and still has snappy action scenes and relatable characters. Panther In The Hive sits comfortably on my virtual post-apocalyptic shelf with the better-known classics of the genre.
blondegirlrachael's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Love the concept, absolutely hated the execution here.
razz_otter's review
3.0
In a world where a single corporation owns all healthcare, only those who can pay the equivalent of a trip to the moon or who work for the government are able to access even basic care. The health cards read 'The Few' and serve as status symbols that are also able to get you access to a chip implant that keeps your body healthy while 'the many' are left to die. That is, until everyone with a chip becomes a cannibal eating those who weren't "lucky" enough to receive the chip. The story follows Tasha, a 21 year old fashionista struggling to find her place after the death of her parents, through a realistic future Chicago as she struggles to survive.
A bit slow to start, the story picks up about a third of the way in and doesn't slow down. The world building is amazing and realistic - pulling pieces of today's society out to logical and terrifying conclusions. It weaves together technological changes, government/corporate alliances, climate change, and the systemic oppression of communities. I blew through this book in less than 24 hours, and the world building is what grabbed me. The characters were predictable, with attempts to make them multi-faceted and complex falling flat. The concept of becoming a fashionista to find your place in the world after trauma, then discovering that's what you've been doing all along is an interesting and honest storyline... but it's half done and too obvious that's what she's going for.
A bit slow to start, the story picks up about a third of the way in and doesn't slow down. The world building is amazing and realistic - pulling pieces of today's society out to logical and terrifying conclusions. It weaves together technological changes, government/corporate alliances, climate change, and the systemic oppression of communities. I blew through this book in less than 24 hours, and the world building is what grabbed me. The characters were predictable, with attempts to make them multi-faceted and complex falling flat. The concept of becoming a fashionista to find your place in the world after trauma, then discovering that's what you've been doing all along is an interesting and honest storyline... but it's half done and too obvious that's what she's going for.
laurendubs's review
4.0
Oh shoot! A zombie invasion brought on by a lack of healthcare?? Timely as f***. 10 futuristic malls out of 10.