kermit_the_wrong's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Gore, Confinement, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Forced institutionalization, Death, Mental illness, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Child death, and Murder
cheye13's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was already so intrigued by the premise of this, but it surpassed my expectations. I don't think I was ready for how meta the story would get with discussions of "the narrative." Quickly rocketed to one of my favorite books. It's one of those that I think I'll get more out of with each reread.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Xenophobia, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
body horror and gore typical of zombie media; moderate description of implied postpartum depression; repeated reference to instance of mass murder, not in detail; the pandemic/epidemic takes the form of mass hallucination which may be reminiscent of forms of schizophrenia and/or psychosis, but are not literally intended to be depictions of suchaidanactor's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
Absolutely mind blowing. I read it in one sitting and sat in silence for the next 20 minutes wrapping my head around it. It defies every expectation I had going into it, and every genre I could place on it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Alcohol, Gun violence, Confinement, Violence, Self harm, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Child death, and Gaslighting
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Infertility
im_a_toothfairy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I know this book is in, because after listing to it, I was fully sucked in. Questioning if it is real and I am suffering from derealization and don't notice the world around me. Honestly such a good book and made my brain just go . . . .
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gore
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Chronic illness
Minor: Violence
samsearle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, War, and Violence
howlinglibraries's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
My greatest sin and my greatest achievement are the same. I told a story.
And Then I Woke Up feels like a difficult title to rate and review, because it was a difficult title to form a solid opinion on. I am absolutely enthralled by the concept of this story, and loved the narrative voice and the storytelling style, yet something didn't quite click for me throughout the bulk of the novella. I think this story suffers from repetition more than anything else, as it is an extremely character-focused story with very little action (though it has a decent depth of plot). That said, I did enjoy our narrator as a storyteller very much, so I suppose the book's flaws are also its qualities, in a sense (can you see now why I'm struggling to rate and review this?).
And Then I Woke Up is a zombie story of sorts, but told from the perspective of someone who has been "cured" — and these definitely aren't your average zombies. There isn't much to say without running the risk of spoilers, but I was fascinated by the entire premise that Devlin came up with and its social commentary on the way people view and spread information and "truth" in the modern age. The last 20% or so of the novella was phenomenal and I loved watching things unfold, so I'm very happy that I kept going through the more boring elements of the middle.
While And Then I Woke Up didn't fully captivate me, there was something about it that I think will stick with me for a while, and I'm extremely interested in future releases from this author. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic stories with a twist and a healthy (but not overly on-the-nose) commentary on some of the uglier sides of humanity, I highly recommend checking it out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gore, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Child death
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