espressoreader's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Car accident, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Vomit, and Xenophobia
mythian's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Car accident
Moderate: Genocide, Medical trauma, and Medical content
jmeyers888's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Enjoyable story, and interesting concept. I really enjoyed the unique development of this zombie apocalypse. I overall enjoyed the main character, but 3/4 into the story it started to drag, and I started getting frustrated with the main character, which was unfortunate. This won’t stop me from reading the next book however.
Pluses for pro LGBTQ, and racially diverse characters.
Pluses for pro LGBTQ, and racially diverse characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Death
Minor: Car accident
yellow_ylugbug's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Confinement
Moderate: Blood, Gun violence, Child death, and Chronic illness
booksandchocaholic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was very excited to be getting into this book and series. I have loved all of Mira Grant's previous works and was excited to continue making my way through her bibliography. This book certainly lived up to my expectations. It has been a while since I've read a whole novel by this author and it did feel very comforting to return to her writing style and storytelling.
I really enjoyed the overall plot of this book. It was such a fascinating concept. I love the way that Grant manages to balance the plot between the action, the goings on in the world and the direct impact this has on the characters.
The characters themselves were so easy to follow. Mira Grant always finds a way to give you a protagonist that is intelligent and strong but also under informed while still placing them believably at the centre of the action.
Sal was a compelling protagonist and her social interactions fascinating, frustrating and very realistic for such unrealistic circumstances.
The secondary characters were also incredible with her family, boyfriend and some lab techs thrown in there as well it was an excellent cast of characters carrying the story.
Mira Grant always does a great job of making complicated theories and plots feel easy to read without talking down to the reader. Her pacing is always on the go while simultaneously always making sure to have time to truly understand what is happening, get to know the characters and become deeply invested in what is occurring.
I loved how much this story managed to develop the science, the characters, their relationships and the plot in a seamless progression throughout the novel.
Grant has possibly one of the most grounded outlooks on the "sciences" she incorporates into her books. I can completely believe them from almost instantly. She does the groundwork swiftly, efficiently and thoroughly so I can then get on with the story and therefore have the same questions the characters do. She writes them SO that you can poke at the holes, because her characters are doing the same!
Pros
* Characters
* Pacing
* Intrigue
* "Sciences"
* Interpersonal relationships
Cons
* IF you're not interested in science (even fake ones) steer clear
* Can be frustrating because it contains a conservatorship of an adult
* Though I love it, the writing style is very straight to the point
Overall this was once again a huge success for me with this author. From where it ended up I'm really looking forward to picking up the sequel ASAP!
I really enjoyed the overall plot of this book. It was such a fascinating concept. I love the way that Grant manages to balance the plot between the action, the goings on in the world and the direct impact this has on the characters.
The characters themselves were so easy to follow. Mira Grant always finds a way to give you a protagonist that is intelligent and strong but also under informed while still placing them believably at the centre of the action.
Sal was a compelling protagonist and her social interactions fascinating, frustrating and very realistic for such unrealistic circumstances.
The secondary characters were also incredible with her family, boyfriend and some lab techs thrown in there as well it was an excellent cast of characters carrying the story.
Mira Grant always does a great job of making complicated theories and plots feel easy to read without talking down to the reader. Her pacing is always on the go while simultaneously always making sure to have time to truly understand what is happening, get to know the characters and become deeply invested in what is occurring.
I loved how much this story managed to develop the science, the characters, their relationships and the plot in a seamless progression throughout the novel.
Grant has possibly one of the most grounded outlooks on the "sciences" she incorporates into her books. I can completely believe them from almost instantly. She does the groundwork swiftly, efficiently and thoroughly so I can then get on with the story and therefore have the same questions the characters do. She writes them SO that you can poke at the holes, because her characters are doing the same!
Pros
* Characters
* Pacing
* Intrigue
* "Sciences"
* Interpersonal relationships
Cons
* IF you're not interested in science (even fake ones) steer clear
* Can be frustrating because it contains a conservatorship of an adult
* Though I love it, the writing style is very straight to the point
Overall this was once again a huge success for me with this author. From where it ended up I'm really looking forward to picking up the sequel ASAP!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Confinement, Car accident, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Chronic illness, Stalking, Violence, Gun violence, and Child death
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, and Vomit
fictionaladventures's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This hooked me right away and held me tight all the way through! What a wild ride! Such a unique and thrilling story, populated with realistic and lovable characters. I DID absolutely feel like the end “twist” was obvious for a while, BUT that didn’t take away from my enjoyment at all—I was just dying to know what Sal’s reaction would be when she fully realized it! I can’t wait to read the sequels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Death
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Sexual content
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.0
“He wanted to heal me and turn me back into a woman I had no memory of being. I wanted him to let me be who I was, no matter how different I had become. Neither of us was getting what we wanted.”
Sal was in a car accident six years ago and no longer remembers her life before the tapeworm which saved her life. Now she has a boyfriend she loves, a family she mostly gets along with, and a lot of medical testing from the company whose engineered parasite made her current existence possible.
I like Sal as a narrator. She's good at communicating things clearly when she's aware of them as factors, and that's very helpful in a story where a lot of the narrative tension at first is from the gaps between what she wants to do, what she can do, and what people expect of her.
Nathan is a great partner for Sal, they work very well together and I'm so glad that their relationship isn't fodder for tension in this already pretty stressful situation. Sal's family is doing their best to connect with her but they fundamentally view her as a replacement for the Sally they lost. Sometimes they view this as an upgrade, and sometimes they seem to resent the changes. Beverly is a very good dog and I like how she's used in the narrative.
Sal is much slower to figure out some things than how quickly it's possible for the reader to put things together from the available information. I happened to know the "twist" beforehand, but this is a book where knowing it ahead of time didn't matter because part of the point is that Sal refuses to connect certain dots. This lets it accompany any pace of reader awareness, since the reveal will make sense no matter when an observer figures it out.
I've read a lot of this author's work, both as Seanan McGuire and as Mira Grant. I like this book's version of the abrasive, hermitic scientist in a secret lab doing experiments that a powerful group doesn't want her to, as well as the overly chipper girl who's extremely comfortable with gun and can murder with a smile. They're appropriate archetypes for this story, with enough to distinguish them in this setting that they're familiar without being copies of characters in her other work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Vomit, Deadnaming, Genocide, Mental illness, Excrement, Blood, Police brutality, and Ableism
Minor: Car accident and Sexual content
bookbunnie's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Read this book if you’re looking for something kind of silly and not that deep, enjoy body horror, and like zombie-types.
Don’t read this book if you get frustrated with a slow-on-the-uptake main character, are looking for a serious/hard medical thriller, and aren’t interested in engaging in some healthy suspension of disbelief.
I enjoyed the main character’s strained relationship with a family she doesn’t remember, as well as the love of dogs in the book (none of them are harmed).
The romantic relationship gets…questionable, but it’s a campy novel and not set up to please a creepy male audience so it isn’t a huge deal to me.
I read this book quickly in a few days because it was so absurd that I was interested in where it was going to go. I enjoyed it for what it was, but I won’t be finishing the series because I feel that I got what I wanted out of it.
Don’t read this book if you get frustrated with a slow-on-the-uptake main character, are looking for a serious/hard medical thriller, and aren’t interested in engaging in some healthy suspension of disbelief.
I enjoyed the main character’s strained relationship with a family she doesn’t remember, as well as the love of dogs in the book (none of them are harmed).
The romantic relationship gets…questionable, but it’s a campy novel and not set up to please a creepy male audience so it isn’t a huge deal to me.
I read this book quickly in a few days because it was so absurd that I was interested in where it was going to go. I enjoyed it for what it was, but I won’t be finishing the series because I feel that I got what I wanted out of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Car accident, Death, Violence, Murder, and Body horror
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, and Gun violence
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, and Slavery
kukushka's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Deadnaming
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Deadnaming, Death, Gaslighting, and Gun violence
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