burnbright's review against another edition
1.0
And by “read,” I mean not finished. Stopped less than halfway through because I just couldn’t anymore.
tiaeli02's review against another edition
4.0
So, went on a reading spree in order to finish this book on the last day of the year....wanted to begin the new year with a new book lol
Honestly, I can't believe it took me this long to read this book....a month and a half? I've got to up my game! This in no way has anything to do with the quality of the book, which was high caliber....I really have no excuse. That's one resolution I will try to make this coming year, DON'T TAKE A MONTH AND A HALF TO READ A BOOK
ANYWAY, Cronin did it once again. Wrote a highly intelligent read, with complex characters and riveting plot. It's hard not to get attached to these people (yes, I see them as people, not characters, that's how well-written they are) and now I find myself in the position once again of needing to go to the bookstore to get book 3 (OH NO!! What a travesty!)
Read this series, you won't regret it
Honestly, I can't believe it took me this long to read this book....a month and a half? I've got to up my game! This in no way has anything to do with the quality of the book, which was high caliber....I really have no excuse. That's one resolution I will try to make this coming year, DON'T TAKE A MONTH AND A HALF TO READ A BOOK
ANYWAY, Cronin did it once again. Wrote a highly intelligent read, with complex characters and riveting plot. It's hard not to get attached to these people (yes, I see them as people, not characters, that's how well-written they are) and now I find myself in the position once again of needing to go to the bookstore to get book 3 (OH NO!! What a travesty!)
Read this series, you won't regret it
dorhastings's review against another edition
5.0
I contemplated giving the book four stars, but to be honest the book kept me so enraptured in the end, in a way that few books can, that the five stars is inevitable for me. Overall a fantastic second novel to the trilogy. I preordered it and had to wait until March of this year to get around to it.
An additional thing that I found sort of annoying was the use of terms without explanation. I know it's hard when all the characters of the scene know the terms and don't need to include explanations. At least "col" was briefly explained. But there was another term (was it ex-murus?) that I didn't catch. That was a very interesting idea, the use of virals and redeyes and cols, with the redeyes in particular. What this novel focuses most on, as you'll find in other works in this genre, is the focus on what the humans do in their daily lives. I think that's so much of the appeal for a show like The Walking Dead, in which the zombies themselves play a necessary but limited role in why people absolutely love the show. (I don't watch; zombies and I do not get along.) I found the emphasis on rape to be less... appealing. I don't think it needed to be done, but at least it wasn't explicit. Just because there were female main characters didn't mean we had to go that way.
Overall there were many things that totally confused me, but I'm not sure if that's me or if that's just the way this book is. I am only vaguely understanding of the Carter/Wolgast/Amy situation. I kind of get it now. I really like Peter, as I think you are supposed to. There isn't a whole lot of emphasis on him, but this is not to say the characters are not well-developed. I think they all are, and the build-up of this novel is fantastic. You can see it all coming together as the main characters are drawn closer to one another, until the battle in the stadium.
Highly, highly recommended. Can't wait until the next book comes out.
Also, every time Wolgast came up, I think I started to cry. I'm such a sap.
Spoiler
Perhaps the thing that I found annoying was the back and forth between a past before (or running currently in) The Passage. Perhaps it's because I'm reading the Kindle edition, so the years mean nothing to me. I understand why it has to be done: you see Lila, Guilder, Vorhees, and other crucial characters who will be brought up as the novel proceeds. My focus was on the major characters in the previous book: Amy, Peter, and Alicia, and we didn't see them in this book for quite some time.An additional thing that I found sort of annoying was the use of terms without explanation. I know it's hard when all the characters of the scene know the terms and don't need to include explanations. At least "col" was briefly explained. But there was another term (was it ex-murus?) that I didn't catch. That was a very interesting idea, the use of virals and redeyes and cols, with the redeyes in particular. What this novel focuses most on, as you'll find in other works in this genre, is the focus on what the humans do in their daily lives. I think that's so much of the appeal for a show like The Walking Dead, in which the zombies themselves play a necessary but limited role in why people absolutely love the show. (I don't watch; zombies and I do not get along.) I found the emphasis on rape to be less... appealing. I don't think it needed to be done, but at least it wasn't explicit. Just because there were female main characters didn't mean we had to go that way.
Overall there were many things that totally confused me, but I'm not sure if that's me or if that's just the way this book is. I am only vaguely understanding of the Carter/Wolgast/Amy situation. I kind of get it now. I really like Peter, as I think you are supposed to. There isn't a whole lot of emphasis on him, but this is not to say the characters are not well-developed. I think they all are, and the build-up of this novel is fantastic. You can see it all coming together as the main characters are drawn closer to one another, until the battle in the stadium.
Highly, highly recommended. Can't wait until the next book comes out.
Also, every time Wolgast came up, I think I started to cry. I'm such a sap.
adarossiwrites's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
jellybean_gene's review against another edition
3.0
Overly long. Intricately told but god it's soooooooo long and doesn't have the same promise of such an epic payoff of the first book
fitzyfitz88's review against another edition
4.0
Wasn't sure where it was going for the first half of the book. It didn't seem like he was going to progress the plot and just follow other characters through the apocalypse. The second half though, holy crap. The story came together in a very satisfying conclusion. Some of what the characters went through got a little brutal, but overall it was intense and a great read. Highly recommend, and I am excited for the next book, City of Mirrors.
tvislife's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
Fantastic sequel to a fantastic book. This book follows some of our heroes from the first, as they attempt to track down and defeat the Twelve.
This book, much like the first, is a sprawling monster, which goes back and forth over a period of 100ish years throughout the book. I absolutely loved the sections that were about the time right after year zero, and fell in love with so many new characters (RIP to half of them though, lmao).
I’m just obsessed with this man’s writing. The paragraphs get to be long at certain points, but for the most part, it works incredibly well. I think he’s brilliant at building up intense action scenes, which are made all the more powerful and moving due to his deep characterization. I mean, I bet I cried five separate times in this book, all for different characters and different situations. The links to religion made everything feel a bit more poignant, although I’m not that religious. Ugh. I love this book and I love this series and I love these characters.
This book, much like the first, is a sprawling monster, which goes back and forth over a period of 100ish years throughout the book. I absolutely loved the sections that were about the time right after year zero, and fell in love with so many new characters (RIP to half of them though, lmao).
I’m just obsessed with this man’s writing. The paragraphs get to be long at certain points, but for the most part, it works incredibly well. I think he’s brilliant at building up intense action scenes, which are made all the more powerful and moving due to his deep characterization. I mean, I bet I cried five separate times in this book, all for different characters and different situations. The links to religion made everything feel a bit more poignant, although I’m not that religious. Ugh. I love this book and I love this series and I love these characters.
ffir's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know what it is about this book that makes me like it so much. On paper it should be confusing and hard to follow, with the multiple "POV's" woven into the narrative. In reality, it spurred me on, desperate to see what happened to my favourite characters. It's such a brilliant take on a topic which would normally see me running in the opposite direction to the book! It didn't quite have the same breakneck speed as 'The Passage' but I think that was probably more my fault, reading it over a staggered period of time. Well worth the read!
pbanditp's review against another edition
4.0
Much more exciting than The Passage. I had a hard time keeping all the characters straight in my head but it was still good.
Small towns have come together to protect themselves from the Flyers. But who are the ones in charge and who should be trusted. Things always seem to be changing and evolving and my main issue was not having a real main character. There are about 8 to keep track of and so many plots i should have been keeping notes. But you can’t while listening to an audiobook in the car
Small towns have come together to protect themselves from the Flyers. But who are the ones in charge and who should be trusted. Things always seem to be changing and evolving and my main issue was not having a real main character. There are about 8 to keep track of and so many plots i should have been keeping notes. But you can’t while listening to an audiobook in the car