A review by mspilesofpaper
Famine by Laura Thalassa
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
The lack of world building is atrocious. In a half sentence is mentioned which continents have been erased and I had to use Google Maps so often to get a basic idea of where they are in Brazil because the author just mentions city names and that’s it.
Famine is just awful. I get it that he’s different than Pestilence and War as he’s somehow nature itself and that he has trauma from getting abused/tortured/… But what exactly does he expect humans in a post apocalyptic world to do when the Four Horsemen appear? Just accept that they’ve to die in utterly unnecessary cruel ways? It’s not even a quick and painless death that any of the three have dished out. 99% of the time it’s cruel and drags out the actual death.
Ana was annoying. Her sex jokes were funny at the first part but they got quickly rather boring because the majority were repetitions. Sex was the defining character trait for her which is just ugh. Of course, it’s a mask/defense mechanism for her trauma but the author didn’t handle the entire topic of being a sex worker very well.
Entire book was: 60% Famine (and Ana) riding from point A to B, 5% were sexual assault on Ana, 5% were "Famine was tortured to death again and Ana helps him again", 20% were make out/sex scenes and the last 10% was Death's cameo.
Death’s an real asshole although I don’t get why he’s on charging of deciding what his brothers have to give up to gain mortality etc because that should be God's position. Also, why has the fucker wings? That’s so out of place because he’s Death and not some kind of fallen angel aka Lucifer.
Famine is just awful. I get it that he’s different than Pestilence and War as he’s somehow nature itself and that he has trauma from getting abused/tortured/… But what exactly does he expect humans in a post apocalyptic world to do when the Four Horsemen appear? Just accept that they’ve to die in utterly unnecessary cruel ways? It’s not even a quick and painless death that any of the three have dished out. 99% of the time it’s cruel and drags out the actual death.
Ana was annoying. Her sex jokes were funny at the first part but they got quickly rather boring because the majority were repetitions. Sex was the defining character trait for her which is just ugh. Of course, it’s a mask/defense mechanism for her trauma but the author didn’t handle the entire topic of being a sex worker very well.
Entire book was: 60% Famine (and Ana) riding from point A to B, 5% were sexual assault on Ana, 5% were "Famine was tortured to death again and Ana helps him again", 20% were make out/sex scenes and the last 10% was Death's cameo.
Death’s an real asshole although I don’t get why he’s on charging of deciding what his brothers have to give up to gain mortality etc because that should be God's position. Also, why has the fucker wings? That’s so out of place because he’s Death and not some kind of fallen angel aka Lucifer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Gore, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent