Reviews

This was one of those books that gripped me from the moment I picked it up, until it ended. There were some parts where the medical talk got a bit jargon-filled, but nothing that went on for too long or was too in depth that I couldn't get through it.

The book starts off pretty quickly with ALL of the children under puberty dying within a day. ALL OF THEM, throughout the ENTIRE world. Think about it... other than the utter horror of it- the grieving, the precariousness of the continuation of the human race... Think about the sheer number of it all. They call it Herod's disease. They have no idea what it is.

Then, three days later... all of the children (at least those who weren't dissected or cremated) come back. They are like living dead dolls... emotionless and pretty much motionless, that is until they drink some human blood. Then you get your kid back for a little while. Give it a pint of your blood, get your kid just the way they were, for about an hour.

It was a good representation of how quickly the human race can devolve, especially when it concerns our kids. It was also a very interesting twist on the "vampire" idea.

catra121's review

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4.0

This was another really great book read for the Summerween Readathon. I listened to the audiobook, which was amazing with a fantastic narrator. I think this book will hit harder for parents...but it would be creepy and upsetting for anyone. Only reason it's not 5 stars is I feel like the ending didnt really have much of an impact for me...it just kind of...stopped. But that's ok because honesty this was just a well written, horrifying story that kept me engaged from start to finish.

shawnv77's review

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

skulltann's review

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challenging dark medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

I really enjoyed the first part of the book, but after the resurrection I just kept thinking to myself, “how is that even worth the trouble?” . Especially when it became a back and forth situation, like who would ever go through that constant trauma of losing a child just to spend a few hours to a day with a shell of who they used to be? I obviously couldn’t sympathize with any of the parents, as they all were self centered and out of their minds. By the 70% mark I just wanted the book to end already, it was dragging and I was tired of reading about the parents’ perspectives. Only one parent had enough brain cells to consider letting their kids be dead, but of course their partner ignored them.

rmarieb's review

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

ndegreff's review

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2.0

Hurmph, I really wanted to like this book. I don’t know if it’s because I don’t have children but everything anyone did in this book felt immensely melodramatic. I hated all the characters. I spent most of the book feeling irritable.
Maybe I’m jaded but the horror elements weren’t particularly interesting either. It was well written enough for me to finish but I really got nothing out of it. A solid MEH.

carlys987's review

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

An addicting and disgusting look at how far parents will go to keep their children alive. If you want to be so upset at someone while still understanding why they're doing what they're doing, I would recommend!

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