MultipleMom

There's a lot to unpack here ...

Revisado: 03-03-21

I both hated and enjoyed this book... it is, without a doubt, the poster child for the importance of a strong editor (or any editor). It reads like a first draft. Ànd the narration...oh my.

Having said that, there were some unusual premises that held my interest despite my intent to return the title for a refund after the first chapter. I was on a long drive though, and had nothing else to listen to, so I kept going and got drawn in enough that I eventually finished the entire book.

Here's the bad:
- It randomly switches between solid writing and cringy, clumsy scenes dreamed up by a 14 year old boy. This is not hyperbole...it actually feels like parts is this book came from the mind of a horny teen.
- I had no problem with the gay characters or sex scenes as some reviewers complained, except that they mainly felt gratuitous. I wouldn't label it as porn or erotica...just awkward.
-The lack of an editor....really. Why would you devote an ENTIRE chapter to listing random, filler characters (giving each one a brief backstory) that were never integrated into the main narrative? Seriously, an entire chapter.
-The narration really ramped up the cringe factor. The narrator read with all the emotional sincerity and authenticity of a librarian performing sock puppet theater to a group of Kindergartners. Again, this is not hyperbole. I was occasionally able to get past it but I just kept envisioning the puppet theater from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood...not kidding.

The good is that I felt the author had a new, intriguing twist on the pandemic/zombie apocalypse standard that I wanted to learn more about. And I cared enough about the characters that I wanted to see where they were headed and what they'd do next. Of course, what I'd like most is to give these ideas to a better writer and have the story read by a narrator with some depth and investment in the characters. Still, I haven't completely ruled out the possibility of purchasing the next book in the series.

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A Well Written Survival Story

Revisado: 10-01-20

Loved this one...no zombies or magical, just a good story of how a few survivors might find a way to survive and thrive.

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On the good side of average.

Revisado: 07-29-20

If you're searching for some entertainment to keep you occupied during your daily commute, this story isn't bad. The premise is good and the writing is decent.
Two complaints...
1) I'm one novella and two full-length books into this series and feel like I would only be about 2/3 of the way through a typical book... this author really knows how to drag out a scene and pack in a ridiculous amount of detail.
2) The narrator is mildly annoying (though I've listened to enough audiobooks over the years to know that it could be much worse!). Her voice tends toward 'whiny' and her tone frequently seems inappropriate for whatever scene she's reading. And she does a poor job with male voices. But, I've mostly learned to tune out the voice of the narrator when listening to audiobooks so I was able to make it all the way through.
Final thoughts...I've listened to some fabulous books and some real dogs and this one falls somewhere in the middle. There are more books in the series that I plan to purchase so I guess it can't be all that bad (or perhaps I've just lowered my standards).

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Excellent for Hunger Games fans

Revisado: 07-10-20

Despite lackluster narration, this is a really enjoyable read for Hunger Games fans, giving history and insight to the events leading up to the original trilogy.
While I've seen a number of reviews claiming that this narrator is the worst they've ever heard, I'd have to disagree. He's certainly isn't in my top ten but it doesn't completely destroy the experience.
His reading of male characters is fine, which is good since this book follows the life of a young Coriolanus Snow.
It's the ridiculous, high-pitched, whining voice he uses for all the female characters that can distract from the narrative and are quite annoying--sad since there are a number of central female characters. But despite this, I was mostly able to enjoy the story.
I'm curious to see if this remains a stand-alone or becomes the first in a new trilogy. I can see it going either way. I look forward to the movie adaptation.

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Excellent story telling

Revisado: 06-22-20

Well developed story and characters, told through a trilogy of books. Magical characters are not typically my cup of tea but I thoroughly enjoyed this series.

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Very poor choice of narrator

Revisado: 02-25-20

The book itself was...ok. The premise was great but character development and plot were not....not the worst I've read but I didn't find myself really rooting for the main characters or eagerly awaiting the next chapter. There were times the writing was so dry I felt like I was reading a police report. I nearly gave up half way through. It got a little better in the second half but I felt like the book ended abruptly...clearly expecting you to pick up the next book in the series. I haven't yet decided if I care enough to purchase it...which is very unusual for me.
The narrator would have been great for another book...but not this one. Maybe it's just me but since the main character (admittedly, not the only character) is a college-aged woman, it seemed a poor choice to have it read by an older, gravelly-voiced man. Again, might just be me but I found it off-putting.

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Seriously Disappointing

Revisado: 02-16-20

Let me begin by saying, I'm not a terribly demanding audience. I love good writing but I'm pretty easy to get along with...I can be satisfied with even kinda trite story telling in genres I enjoy...and I love post-apocalyptic and/or zombie stories. This book, however, was seriously disappointing.
The writing was so shallow and the characters so cliched that, when one of the main characters hovered near death, I wasn't invested enough in the story to care if she lived or died. It felt like the author never met real people and learned about them by Googling types. Hey Google, what are teenagers like? Hey Google, what are lesbians like? Scratch that, what are bisexuals like? Hey Google, what are battered women like? Hey Google, what are Hispanic men like?
To compound matters, the narrator's breathy style was so annoying, it really prevented me from EVER forgetting that I was being read a story, a really flat story. The narration made bad writing immeasurably worse! So unfortunate as I was really looking forward to a zombie story with two female leads. But this story was, in my opinion, a total bust.

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Decent

Revisado: 02-03-20

The characters were a little flat and the narrator wasn't the best but the premise was interesting enough to keep me through to the end.

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Definitely worthy of a listen

Revisado: 11-06-19

Yes, it is a bit of a chick-flick meets The Walking Dead kind of book but still entertaining. Honestly, my biggest problem with it was the narrator's take on an upstate New York accent since I live in upstate New York (hint:. not much effort required... we sound like just about every person in almost every movie and television program you'll watch). But otherwise the story a narration were pretty good.

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Not a waste of time...

Revisado: 04-20-17

Not a waste of time but not as good as I was hoping. The writing was decent overall but there were a few cringe-worthy passages throughout. It would have been more enjoyable if the narrator had used a dictionary for unfamiliar words. It didn't sound as if she had taken the time to read ahead at all as the pacing was frequently awkward.

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