The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
breedawnwriter's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have mixed feelings about this book.Â
The Good:
I loved it because it has some of my favorite themes. Surviving and never giving up are truly at the heart of this novel. Nessaâs persistence in the face of overwhelmingâand fatalâodds inspired me. I love that she somehow always finds a way to keep going, to keep trying, to take one more step even when the very ground beneath her is quaking.
This also extends to Anto and Aoife. These two carry so much of the story on their shoulders, and they handle it with such care. There were many moments with Anto that drove me crazy (and no, I wonât be elaborating because spoilers), but I forgive him for being an idiot because of his heart. He loves with every part of himâjust as I suppose we all did at fourteen. Aoife also shined in this book. She had a bit of a backseat roll in The Call, but here she takes the reigns and comes into her own. She knows why she is fighting, and that reason is so special to me: Not to win, but to simply make a difference to someone.Â
We all want to make a difference. We all want to make a splash and be remembered for doing the right thing. This theme envelops the latter-half of the novel and gently reminds us all about why we have to keep fighting the battle, even if we know we wonât win the war.
The Not-So-Good:
I expected more.
The Call was unputdownable. The Invasion was moreâŚputdownable. I think it was simply too long without enough reason to be so long. The pacing was way too slow for 80% of the book, and then the ending wrapped up way too fast. (I also wish the author had done some sort of epilogue to tell us what happened to a couple of characters.)
Overall, itâs a decent read, if you really liked The Call and wanted more. But, if you were satisfied with the ending of The Call, Iâd recommend treating it as a stand-alone.
Similarly to The Call, there is extreme body horror, gore, and torture. Please read trigger warnings/content warnings before reading if you are at all sensitive to these things!
Content warnings: Ableism, alcohol, blood, body horror, bullying, cannibalism (mentioned/considered), death, fire/fire injury, genocide, gore, grief, gun violence, injury/injury detail, murder, physical abuse, sexual content (two characters have sex, but it isnât shown on-page. It only shows kissing and âripping off clothesâ), suicidal thoughts, torture (a characterâs fingers are broken and the scene is graphic. If you are sensitive to bones breaking/being crushed, proceed with caution. There are other forms of torture, but this was the most disturbing one for me.), violence, vomit, and war.
The Good:
I loved it because it has some of my favorite themes. Surviving and never giving up are truly at the heart of this novel. Nessaâs persistence in the face of overwhelmingâand fatalâodds inspired me. I love that she somehow always finds a way to keep going, to keep trying, to take one more step even when the very ground beneath her is quaking.
This also extends to Anto and Aoife. These two carry so much of the story on their shoulders, and they handle it with such care. There were many moments with Anto that drove me crazy (and no, I wonât be elaborating because spoilers), but I forgive him for being an idiot because of his heart. He loves with every part of himâjust as I suppose we all did at fourteen. Aoife also shined in this book. She had a bit of a backseat roll in The Call, but here she takes the reigns and comes into her own. She knows why she is fighting, and that reason is so special to me: Not to win, but to simply make a difference to someone.Â
We all want to make a difference. We all want to make a splash and be remembered for doing the right thing. This theme envelops the latter-half of the novel and gently reminds us all about why we have to keep fighting the battle, even if we know we wonât win the war.
The Not-So-Good:
I expected more.
The Call was unputdownable. The Invasion was moreâŚputdownable. I think it was simply too long without enough reason to be so long. The pacing was way too slow for 80% of the book, and then the ending wrapped up way too fast. (I also wish the author had done some sort of epilogue to tell us what happened to a couple of characters.)
Overall, itâs a decent read, if you really liked The Call and wanted more. But, if you were satisfied with the ending of The Call, Iâd recommend treating it as a stand-alone.
Similarly to The Call, there is extreme body horror, gore, and torture. Please read trigger warnings/content warnings before reading if you are at all sensitive to these things!
Content warnings: Ableism, alcohol, blood, body horror, bullying, cannibalism (mentioned/considered), death, fire/fire injury, genocide, gore, grief, gun violence, injury/injury detail, murder, physical abuse, sexual content (two characters have sex, but it isnât shown on-page. It only shows kissing and âripping off clothesâ), suicidal thoughts, torture (a characterâs fingers are broken and the scene is graphic. If you are sensitive to bones breaking/being crushed, proceed with caution. There are other forms of torture, but this was the most disturbing one for me.), violence, vomit, and war.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, Grief, War, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Body horror, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Ableism, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Cannibalism, and Vomit
Similarly to The Call, there is extreme body horror, gore, and torture. There are also detailed scenes of bones crunching/breaking. Two characters have sex, but it isnât shown on-page (some kissing and âripping off clothesâ).
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