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A review by kestrel_of_the_pages
American Rapture by CJ Leede
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
OKAY.
Lust crazed sexual assault zombies in Wisconsin. Stay with me.
We follow a 15 year old girl, rife with Catholic guilt, while navigating massive loss and the extreme religious bigotry of her parents, all while trying to survive a zombie outbreak and the Christian fanatics convinced it is the will of God. Descriptive CW at bottom, may give hints to storyline happenings.
This was the first book to give me anxiety and fear since I read Pet Cemetery 20 years ago. After the first infected experience, I was ready to dislike this book. It was so uncomfortable and horrible. But it was VERY WORTH sticking through. The characters are raw and real, the grief is thick, the struggles are earnest, the commentary on evangelical extremism are relevant, and the setting is perfect. As a Minnesotan, this felt very true to rural Wisconsin, and it was so horrifying to KNOW the setting. The House on the Rock is a real place, as are "The Dells", and was one of the pinnacle anxiety moments of the story. A zombie chase through this fever dream of a house was so stressful! Many many instances of person on person brutality that leaves the reader wondering who the real monsters are. Heart wrenching is an understatement.
I was not ready to love this book as much as I did. Damn well job, Leede.
Descriptive content warning, lite spoiler:
There are some animal deaths, and there are very graphic violence scenes, including descriptions of zombies pulling people apart, mass gun violence, arson, and attempted sexual assaults, thankfully no rape happens on screen. There are also graphic sexual content descriptions, from both infected and uninfected people. Vivid descriptions of death of all ages.
Thank you Libro.fm for the opportunity with the ALC, the narrator was fantastic!
Lust crazed sexual assault zombies in Wisconsin. Stay with me.
We follow a 15 year old girl, rife with Catholic guilt, while navigating massive loss and the extreme religious bigotry of her parents, all while trying to survive a zombie outbreak and the Christian fanatics convinced it is the will of God. Descriptive CW at bottom, may give hints to storyline happenings.
This was the first book to give me anxiety and fear since I read Pet Cemetery 20 years ago. After the first infected experience, I was ready to dislike this book. It was so uncomfortable and horrible. But it was VERY WORTH sticking through. The characters are raw and real, the grief is thick, the struggles are earnest, the commentary on evangelical extremism are relevant, and the setting is perfect. As a Minnesotan, this felt very true to rural Wisconsin, and it was so horrifying to KNOW the setting. The House on the Rock is a real place, as are "The Dells", and was one of the pinnacle anxiety moments of the story. A zombie chase through this fever dream of a house was so stressful! Many many instances of person on person brutality that leaves the reader wondering who the real monsters are. Heart wrenching is an understatement.
I was not ready to love this book as much as I did. Damn well job, Leede.
Descriptive content warning, lite spoiler:
Thank you Libro.fm for the opportunity with the ALC, the narrator was fantastic!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Suicide