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pocketbook's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
I read this in middle or high school the first time around, and I didn’t remember the parts that took place in the “present time.” I remember being so gutted by Father Roche’s death and that I enjoyed this book, but not too many specifics beyond that. I’m so happy I revisited this one. Rerated because this will be staying with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Classism
Minor: Suicide
olivia_piepmeier's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I'm not sure if I would have picked this up right now, knowing it focused on an epidemic and the black death , never the less, I inhaled this. Like, insert gif of bear leaping out of swimming pool with "WHAT YEAR IS IT." Willis is such a compelling writer in terms of action. I really liked Blackout/All Clear and just thinking of that Oxford Time Travel world is what led me to want to read this. The scifi behind how time travel works in this world is fascinating. I do think Willis tends to over-write character's internal thoughts, but I still found it page turning because I just had to know how it worked out. I'll read all of the Oxford Time Travel-related books!
I partially think this was so compelling because all the quarantine/PPE talk was so familiar, which is a bit masochistic of me. It's stunning how little bits of the epidemic life came true, this being written in 1992: there was a pandemic, in this world, in 2014; people immediately came up with conspiracy theories about how it started; some people started calling it "*insert assumed nationality of first person who got it* virus"; people not wearing masks.
I partially think this was so compelling because all the quarantine/PPE talk was so familiar, which is a bit masochistic of me. It's stunning how little bits of the epidemic life came true, this being written in 1992: there was a pandemic, in this world, in 2014; people immediately came up with conspiracy theories about how it started; some people started calling it "*insert assumed nationality of first person who got it* virus"; people not wearing masks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Blood, Vomit, and Medical content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Animal death, Racism, and Alcohol