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Stung #2
Cured
Now that Fiona Tarsis and her twin brother, Jonah, are no longer beasts, they set out to find their mother, with the help of Bowen and a former neighbor, Jacqui. Heading for a safe settlement rumored to be in Wyoming, they plan to spread the cure along the way--until they are attacked by raiders. Luckily, they find a new ally in Kevin, who saves them and leads them to safety in his underground shelter. But the more they get to know Kevin, the more they suspect he has ties to the raiders. He also seems to know too many details about Jacqui and her family—details that could endanger them all. For the raiders will do anything they can to destroy the cure that would bring an end to their way of life. Bethany Wiggins’s reimagining of our world after an environmental catastrophe won’t fail to stun readers.
336 pages, Paperback
First published March 4, 2014
197 people are currently reading
4707 people want to read
About the author
Bethany Wiggins
7 books761 followersBethany Wiggins has always been an avid reader, but not an avid student. Seriously! She failed ninth grade English because she read novels instead of doing her homework. In high school, she sat alone at lunch and read massive hardback fantasy novels (Tad Williams and Robert Jordan anyone?). It wasn't until the end of her senior year that the other students realized she was reading fiction--not the Bible
Once upon a time, Bethany's sister dared her to start writing an hour a day until she completed a novel. Bethany wrote a seven-hundred page fantasy novel that she wisely let no one read--but it taught her how to write. Since then she has penned SHIFTING (2011), STUNG (2013), and CURED (2014).
Once upon a time, Bethany's sister dared her to start writing an hour a day until she completed a novel. Bethany wrote a seven-hundred page fantasy novel that she wisely let no one read--but it taught her how to write. Since then she has penned SHIFTING (2011), STUNG (2013), and CURED (2014).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 530 reviews
May 18, 2018
Hmm. I almost wish I didn't read this one, because the first book was better on its own.
The first book was about Fiona and Bowen, it was a dystopian with romance in it.
This book is about Jacqui, it is a romance with dystopian in it.
Needless to say, I found myself rolling my eyes a lot.
I actually liked Jacqui better than Fiona, Jacqui was the perfect strong female character. She's tough, but she's still vulnerable deep down, she feels ugly since she is forced to dress and look like a boy in order to survive, but she knows she has no choice. Jacqui is a survivor. I really liked her. I was looking forward to watch her character grow stronger and less superficial, and to realize that inward beauty is better than outward beauty.
Until....
Kevin.
Insta-love alert.
And with that our Jacqui turns into a mess. It also turns out that she's been hot all along and just never realized it, surprise!
The other things I didn't like was that there was a lot of lust in this book, it got old fast.
I liked Stung because while Bowen and Fiona were attracted to each other, they were more preoccupied with trying to survive.
Jacqui and Kevin aren't concerned about surviving at all, Kevin would rather beg Jacqui to kiss him (it was gross, believe me), and Jacqui would rather acknowledge how toned Kevin was (I get it, Jacqui, I get it).
But in the end, it did wrap-up the story well, i was just hoping for something else and this wasn't it.
The first book was about Fiona and Bowen, it was a dystopian with romance in it.
This book is about Jacqui, it is a romance with dystopian in it.
Needless to say, I found myself rolling my eyes a lot.
I actually liked Jacqui better than Fiona, Jacqui was the perfect strong female character. She's tough, but she's still vulnerable deep down, she feels ugly since she is forced to dress and look like a boy in order to survive, but she knows she has no choice. Jacqui is a survivor. I really liked her. I was looking forward to watch her character grow stronger and less superficial, and to realize that inward beauty is better than outward beauty.
Until....
Kevin.
Insta-love alert.
And with that our Jacqui turns into a mess. It also turns out that she's been hot all along and just never realized it, surprise!
The other things I didn't like was that there was a lot of lust in this book, it got old fast.
I liked Stung because while Bowen and Fiona were attracted to each other, they were more preoccupied with trying to survive.
Jacqui and Kevin aren't concerned about surviving at all, Kevin would rather beg Jacqui to kiss him (it was gross, believe me), and Jacqui would rather acknowledge how toned Kevin was (I get it, Jacqui, I get it).
But in the end, it did wrap-up the story well, i was just hoping for something else and this wasn't it.
March 8, 2021
3.5 Stars
CW:
Well that was an excellent sequel!
What a brilliant, but terrifyingly brutal future Bethany has created for our world. I liked that the POV in this novel is from a different character than in book one. We got to see different family dynamics and her personality was quite different from Fo's. The relationships felt more intense in this book which worked because of the incredibly dangerous and tense situations they found themselves in. A really great post apocalyptic duology that will be a good addition to a high school library.
CW:
Well that was an excellent sequel!
What a brilliant, but terrifyingly brutal future Bethany has created for our world. I liked that the POV in this novel is from a different character than in book one. We got to see different family dynamics and her personality was quite different from Fo's. The relationships felt more intense in this book which worked because of the incredibly dangerous and tense situations they found themselves in. A really great post apocalyptic duology that will be a good addition to a high school library.
December 11, 2013
I'm sooo excited I thought the first book was the best book I have ever read I am going to try to find other books like this Bethany Wiggins is a great author! :):):):):)
July 16, 2016
Book: Cured (2#) by Bethany Wiggins
Genre: Romance, Dystopia, Post Apoclopystic, Horror, Science-Fiction.
Creatures: Zombies.
Age: Young Adult, Mature.
Pages: 321 pages.
Format: Ebook (Kindle)
Publication: March 13th 2014 by Bloomsbury Childrens.
Final Rating: 2.5/5
The real me exists only in dreams now. The other me? The one that exists in the real world? That's the Fake me ― Bethany Wiggins, Cured
You know, when I am starting to like something, usually it's either going to get cancelled, or it ends with a sour taste for me. I just find that its sort of an never ending cycle that keeps repeating to me. Which makes me frustrated... And I hate that. I don't want to be feel down by a book. When I read a book I want it to make me excited, emotional, terrified, etc, etc. So what does that have to do with CURED ? To be honest not much. I don't hate it or angry about it. I AM JUST DISAPPOINTED. Why? Simple, when you read the first book to a series you except that the next ones will be as much as engaging and entertaining as your previous read.
But the things is... Cured could have been incredible. Sure the first book, STUNG had its fair shares of flaws as I stated previously on my latest review (which if you haven't read it or the book itself then go and do it now, dummies! Hello, spoilers obviously...) Stung spread the seeds of things to come, of a promising beginning of something fresh and new. But alas, it didn't... Now let's stop moping about it. If I continue beat myself over my feelings to this book, I won't be able to give it a fair review.
STORY & WORLD BUILDING:
Cured picks up exactly a few months after Stung has ended. The cure has finally been found thanks to Fiona's and Doctor Grayson contribution in the end of the previous book. Things seems to finally becoming brighter for the people of Wyoming. Perhaps the entire the human race too! Hack, maybe they can once again rebuilt everything they lost before the bee epidemic. But not everybody is happy about it. The Raiders are still up and running causing riots on the streets and the beasts are still at larger, and who knows what else is lurking out there in the shadows of this chaos?
But non of that matters to Jacqui "Jack" Aislynn Bloom. Jack has been told all her life what to do, from abandoning her old identity for the favor of a so called protection to be ordered around in order to survive this hellish earth. She's sick of everybody telling her what to do. Things are going to change around here, and Jack will be the master of her own fate. And her first act as an adult is to find her missing older brother, Dean. He has been missing for years and her parents lost hope of ever seeing him again since he left. But not to her. No. She's going to find him, but not without of a help from an old friend.
Let me just explain one thing about this book before I go and start explaining one of the many problems of it. Wiggins decided that unlike her previous work in stung, the narration is not told by Fiona but in fact a new character. And who might it be you ask? Well, it's actually somebody we were already introduce before, Jack. Now, changing a character perspective isn't something new in fiction. Done a million times before throughout the years.
Not many folks love changes like this since the author can honestly could securitize the plot and characters. Of course, I am one of with the supporting camp who does enjoy new stuff like this. Getting to know new characters and their feelings, histories and demons while reemitting and catching up with the old characters and what they have been up to since then.
So then, why does it create a problem for this book or for much important reason the world building? Simple. THERE IS NO FREAKING WORLD BUILDING!
Look, stung offered a lot of potential with its bee flu epidemic destroying the world. How it created the beasts, made cities and men crumble and become twisted versions of themselves, and the worst of all of this? People becoming much cruller in order to survive. And with how things ended in Stung, it seems to rise the stakes. Sure, the cure has been found and Governor Sonechen has been dethroned, but he escaped his custody. And with our journey with Fiona we learned so much about Wyoming community becoming so horrible that god knows if it can even been saved despite the governor's influence and corruption of power finally gone.
I mean there's the black market still running around, there's the pit fights, there's the beasts still lurking around, and let's not forgot the freaking raiders. I mean since we have all of this, doesn't it mean Wiggins should have developed more to the world building at this point? Like even if the situation in Wyoming changed it doesn't mean the community have. She should had written a bit more about how it effect the dynamics of the city. For example city riots or the people inside the wall being threaten thinking their good lives are about to be taken away by the Fecs. Or maybe an election of a new governor? If you going to write from a different perspective we should get to introduce to new things. Yes, we do have a few stuff like for example the sirens, people who promising granny tales in order to drag poor innocents souls to god knows where and more new pieces of technology like the water pacifier which I loved.
We do get to finally step outside Wyoming only to be hugely screwed over. There's hardly anything important or memorable about this exploration. The author could have used that to explore what happened to the world outside of Wyoming. Like, how badly where the other cities effected? Did the white house survived? AND WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD? We could have gotten to other communities like Wyoming, reading and experiencing new horizons, meeting new characters and a whole new set of problems. But no. Instead the plot didn't move or did any importance because they were too focusing on the so called rescue mission. I honestly didn't cared at this point since I just wanted to be over with it. It just makes you not to care about the plot.
I mean sure, we do get to see some new stuff in this book. I will acknowledge that. For example the raiders. Yes, we get to encounter them once again despite how they seriously contributed nothing to Stung just as they have now. They were like this rumor that never got reveled or used at all. Like this new toy that as a kid they promote you to buy with promises of grandeurs. So in Cured what do we get?
Not much about the raiders. We do get to see about this so called scary group members and how they are doing things. But once again it's not even making them enough terrifying or remarkable for us to be wary of them. They are hardly even leave an impact on the story. It is so poorly handled here like so many other aspects of this book.
Like there's a bit of an answer about the cure which I loved that. How despite inventing the cure it's limited and even if used it take a lot of time for the former beast to recover back his humanity. But even if they are cured some characteristics of the beast are still remaining. Like their stupendous strength and agility. And speaking of the beasts, we did get some new information about them. For example, their spit (YES THEIR SPIT. I was I am not even joking.) can regenerate their wounds faster, that even cured beasts like Jonah or Fiona can still use. I do have to point that there was one other thing I wasn't expecting. Like something that totally caught me off guard, beasts dogs . Yeah I am such a sucker for zombie animals.
Which is sad since if you are going to feature animal beasts, and by god do you even comprehend how cool is that, only to never be used or mention again? It just makes the plot of spreading the cure just more meaningless in comparison of finding their missing love ones. Which Wiggins could have done both! Their journey could have taken them to new places, encountering numerous new threats, horrifying beasts and dangerous groups. And in the meantime trying to spread the cure, saving people and in the way finding Dean and Jonah and Fiona's mom. But non of that matter because this book is a romance novel and not a real dystopian one like Stung was. 60% of it was all about the romance and little to do with the plot.
I have many questions and non of them got answered in this book. I can continue blabbered on and on and point on more poorly created world building to the camp fire. But no... Non of that is matter... Cause there is no world building in this book. It's simple not about that. This story, and I am trying to say it nicely, is a romance coming of age story. It's not a dystopian fiction if there ain't any struggle in it or a world scared from it. I feel betrayed. I feel... sad. I wanted this book to be better. I wanted it to suppress its predecessor but no. It got bad. Sadly...Let's just go on... Please...
CHARACTERS:
Jacqui "Jack" Aislynn Bloom since the downfall of this world had to endure lots and lots of pain. First having to abandon her old identity as a girl in order to be protective from the raiders and other unsettling parties. She was taught how to be a boy. How to sound, how to walk, everything there is to make it convincible that she was one. She became so adjust to this life she can't even recognize herself anymore. She is lost. But worst of it all, she is lonely without her brother, Dean. Jack then decides to go on a journey to find out where has her brother is and why he never come back.
Jack character is a very interesting one. Her narration is fascinating to me since throughout the book she's cautious and she knows how to survive. However that doesn't mean she doesn't have a weakness. She doesn't value herself enough above others and hate doing nothing while everybody risks themselves for her. I love how we have those moments where she lectures herself about her acting out of her character as it a bit of a personal identity crises. Jack is an all around character that anybody can fall.
Kevin Winston Emerson is a survivor living in a bunker outside of Wyoming. He scavenges for food, water and other resources. But ever since he encounter Jack and her buddies his life gone upside down. Now my problem with his character is that everything we know about him is a total mystery. Sure we get small info such as he has connections to the raiders and that he is an artiest, making sculptures out of metal wirings but beyond that nothing.
Then, when you do learn the truth about him (which in this case its basically about Kevin being in fact a siren. He lures people to his community with the hopes of saving his sister. He also has been masquerading as the vagabond, getting food from Jack's family in exchange for information) the mystery is uplifted making you either love this character, completely feeling sorry for him or just nothing cause everything about him is a total lie.
Now, the relationship itself between the two despite is complicated. Despite it being nice at first, you can't really call this a romantic one. Yes there are some sad and romantic moments between the two, but a relationship that has been built on a lie shouldn't be considered romantic. At least in my honest opinion. If I was the author I would had reduce Kevin as a supporting character, and used Jonah (yes that one) as the main love interest for Jack.
BUT SPIRA, you may ask , WHY ARE YOU EVEN THINKING ABOUT SUCH A THING? Well, let me answer that..
.
Jonah is simply a far better character then Kevin in every aspect. Since the end of Stung, Jonah has been recovering from his former beast status. He still trying to regain back his humanity but he remember every single act he has done. Like for example killing his father thanks to the vaccine shots he got in the early day or trying to gnaw his sister. He blames himself and fears of finding his mom since she was there when it happened. He is damaged but trying to be better, and is also evolving just like Jack is, which could have been far better romance. Plus childhood friends, duh~
Now if I do discuses about the other characters, Fiona and Bowen do make a recurring appearance but in a way I think they shouldn't have return. Jonah should had being only character on Jack's quest since they are hardly doing something for the plot. Which makes me sad cause I love those characters. And if you want to know, even the villain is not that worth mentioning cause, I honestly have no strength or the will to keep discussing this.
WRITING & PACING:
Bethany Wiggins writing isn't flutters here. In fact I think this book has far more better narration then the first one. Which is one of the many redeeming qualities I love about it. Wiggins included tons of humoristic tone to the book, kinda of black humor to bluntly say that I honestly couldn't helped myself then burst into laughter. That plus Jack character viewing the world is enough to progress this story. But despite my sugarcoating this, there is one thing that again ruins this book to me.
THE PACING . My god, is it insane! We can hardly have enough time to breath. It moves so fast to Point A to B I didn't sometimes remember what was going on. The first 4 chapters of the book in plot and pacing were great. It was slow, building up Jack and her world and then what we are getting ourselves into and then, it just went to someplace else. Running from danger, fighting raiders, and then the book stops. It keeps dragging on and on and just goes nowhere until the finale. I just hate when people do that.
I want the pacing to be slow, then build up to higher ground then go back to slow and then ends with a blast. It's not hard to ask for right? Then why is it written so badly here? If you planning on reading this, do try to focus since, trust me on this, you are going to be lost after a few pages...
OVERALL:
I wanted to love this book. I was dreaming it will take Stung to a whole new place in terms of story. But it didn't it just stumbles in its place and it didn't progress. Honestly it feels like an entire different. Something that has nothing tot do with what I had read before. And it pains me to say it, but I feel betrayed. I feel disappointed and I don't want to hate books. I love all the good and bad but this book doesn't cure anything. It just makes the disease still at large...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2015
2.5 stars.
I'm not quite sure where to go with this book. Everything was happening and jumping, but there was no character or world development.
Spoilers down below:
The book was basically: I'm a girl but in this devastating world I must become a boy. Why? Because people want to rape me and all the other women because when times are tough, instead of finding a way to make the world better, men get horny and needy and make the world even worse. Anyway, I'm on the run to find my brother who has disappeared a while ago, but I go get the help of old friends who've become so important that I'm not truly sure why they agreed so easily. Along the way I find a boy. He has everything no one has, what's with an end of the world book without someone saying a parent was paranoid about the world ending? Comes in handy to our main characters. So this boy sees right through me. I'm not sure how it happened but after a day and a half, we kiss. A lot. Then he plans to leave me behind while him and two of my companions go be heroes. I get mad, start a tantrum but my dearest Kevin tells me he can't lose me in not so many words and my legs feel like jelly *swoon*. And then I figure out with all these flash backs that he's the homeless boy who comes by my old house every now and then. Oh my! Then I find Kevin/homeless boy's hiding place and notice he's in danger. But that was all part of the plan the boys thought to little of me to know about. But I don't really mind. So I go save the day alone and find my brother. He's the leader of the bad men who rape women! But then I find out he's really the good guy-(shocker)-and we all make a run for it. We get to the real free land and give out the cure. And that's where everything ends. We live happily ever after. The end. .
Yeah how is this an ending? I don't even know where this all started. So much rushing and random developments. All within a few pages of an unedited second book. For some, they might have loved this, but I see the flaws.
They're not hiding from me and I'm not blind.
I'm not quite sure where to go with this book. Everything was happening and jumping, but there was no character or world development.
Spoilers down below:
The book was basically: I'm a girl but in this devastating world I must become a boy. Why? Because people want to rape me and all the other women because when times are tough, instead of finding a way to make the world better, men get horny and needy and make the world even worse. Anyway, I'm on the run to find my brother who has disappeared a while ago, but I go get the help of old friends who've become so important that I'm not truly sure why they agreed so easily. Along the way I find a boy. He has everything no one has, what's with an end of the world book without someone saying a parent was paranoid about the world ending? Comes in handy to our main characters. So this boy sees right through me. I'm not sure how it happened but after a day and a half, we kiss. A lot. Then he plans to leave me behind while him and two of my companions go be heroes. I get mad, start a tantrum but my dearest Kevin tells me he can't lose me in not so many words and my legs feel like jelly *swoon*. And then I figure out with all these flash backs that he's the homeless boy who comes by my old house every now and then. Oh my! Then I find Kevin/homeless boy's hiding place and notice he's in danger. But that was all part of the plan the boys thought to little of me to know about. But I don't really mind. So I go save the day alone and find my brother. He's the leader of the bad men who rape women! But then I find out he's really the good guy-(shocker)-and we all make a run for it. We get to the real free land and give out the cure. And that's where everything ends. We live happily ever after. The end. .
Yeah how is this an ending? I don't even know where this all started. So much rushing and random developments. All within a few pages of an unedited second book. For some, they might have loved this, but I see the flaws.
They're not hiding from me and I'm not blind.
August 13, 2016
This is the second in the Stung series, and I liked it better than the first...mainly because the protagonist, Jacqui, appealed to me a lot more than Fiona Tarsis from the first book.
Jacqui is now known as Jack; she's forced into cross-dressing by her family who want to keep her safe in a female-exploiting world post-bee plague. Jack has some image issues, thanks to her early years as an obese teen. When her weight is the reason she's denied sanctuary inside the wall, her parents create their own fortress and whip Jack into shape. When her brother disappears while taking care of Fiona's mother, Jack decides to go after him and invites Fiona (and her husband, and damaged, post-plague brother) to go along. The quartet quickly run into trouble with raiders but are seemingly rescued by Kevin, who easily sees through Jack's butch disguise.
Kevin is mysteriously well-off; he's got a decent underground hovel with access to a large cache of food. Jack's doubts are easily smoothed away by her growing attraction to him. When her group risks everything to recapture the cure they lost to the raiders, Jack's faith in Kevin is put to the test.
My only beef with this book is how easily it ends. While the reader part of me enjoyed the escapist read that didn't challenge the characters (or me), I was bracing myself for serious setbacks that would result in character growth, or at least the realization of how precious freedom is. That didn't happen in this story - but that doesn't mean this isn't a decent read.
Jacqui is now known as Jack; she's forced into cross-dressing by her family who want to keep her safe in a female-exploiting world post-bee plague. Jack has some image issues, thanks to her early years as an obese teen. When her weight is the reason she's denied sanctuary inside the wall, her parents create their own fortress and whip Jack into shape. When her brother disappears while taking care of Fiona's mother, Jack decides to go after him and invites Fiona (and her husband, and damaged, post-plague brother) to go along. The quartet quickly run into trouble with raiders but are seemingly rescued by Kevin, who easily sees through Jack's butch disguise.
Kevin is mysteriously well-off; he's got a decent underground hovel with access to a large cache of food. Jack's doubts are easily smoothed away by her growing attraction to him. When her group risks everything to recapture the cure they lost to the raiders, Jack's faith in Kevin is put to the test.
My only beef with this book is how easily it ends. While the reader part of me enjoyed the escapist read that didn't challenge the characters (or me), I was bracing myself for serious setbacks that would result in character growth, or at least the realization of how precious freedom is. That didn't happen in this story - but that doesn't mean this isn't a decent read.
October 4, 2014
This book is beyond amazing. Like beyond beyond. It is WAY better than the first one. I like Jacqui better a a character and the overall storyline is amazing. Plus the fact that Kevin is amazing. He was the best character in the whole book.
So after book one, the cure is found blah blah blah and now Jacqui, Fo, Bowen, and Jonah are going to find Dean and Mrs. Tarsis. Only to enlist the help of Kevin along the way. Kevin is my all time favorite character from this series. His jokes are just the best.
I know I said I would be doing better reviews but the feels!
I spent like a few hours just reading this book to finish it. I am on feels overload. I was like so sad but then the ending was so beautiful and it's all.... crazy. But the book was magnificent. I recommend it to everybody. Like for reals. You all HAVE to read this even if you didn't like the first one, Kevin is worth it.
READ IT!
Until the next perfectly perfect book I read with a character like Kevin, fangirl out
Read
November 3, 2016This book was just as good as the first. Jacqui was the main character rather than Fiona. Jack asked Fo and Bowen and Jonah to help her find her brother. Along the way they meet Kevin. Undercover Siren, faking being a raider. He falls in love with Jack and as the story unfolds you will feel excited, happy, angry and fall in love with the whole thing.
October 5, 2023
4 Stars ✨
YA Dystopian
When I first started reading I was a little confused because I didn’t realize there would be new main characters, but im glad. While I enjoyed Stung, I liked these characters in Cured way more. The old crew was still in this one but not the main focus. Most of my questions were answered in this installment which was also a major plus! Would recommend this series if you’re looking for a semi different take on a dystopian world!
Save the bees 🐝!!
YA Dystopian
When I first started reading I was a little confused because I didn’t realize there would be new main characters, but im glad. While I enjoyed Stung, I liked these characters in Cured way more. The old crew was still in this one but not the main focus. Most of my questions were answered in this installment which was also a major plus! Would recommend this series if you’re looking for a semi different take on a dystopian world!
Save the bees 🐝!!
November 23, 2024
Remember the dystopia and adventure stories of the early 2000s with feisty female protagonists?
If you were a fan of The Hunger Games or Matched trilogies or the Bloody Jack series, you'll want to give this story about another Jack a try.
Can Jack save the world from mutant raiders, find her family and discover a romantic interest? Will she be able to tell the difference between friends and foes?
If you were a fan of The Hunger Games or Matched trilogies or the Bloody Jack series, you'll want to give this story about another Jack a try.
Can Jack save the world from mutant raiders, find her family and discover a romantic interest? Will she be able to tell the difference between friends and foes?
July 17, 2016
I loved Stung. LOVED it. The world was amazing, the idea of it was unique and intriguing, and the beasts were scary. I rated it 4.5 stars. Somewhere between Stung and Cured, the magic was lost.
Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed it. But, there was none of the epic world building that I adored so much in the first book. There was little to no talk about the bees or the virus, and the beasts only made an appearance once or twice. This book was really more of a story about a girl finding her way in the world, coping with living life as a boy (because women are viewed as precious property and their only purpose is procreation, so rape is a high risk), and falling in love. This book is a romance. I’m just going to say that right now. There was much more focus on that than there was the world, or, you know, the cure. (It’s not like the book is titled ‘Cured’ or anything, that would just be silly.)
I did not like the romance. It happened too fast, and was cheesy (Okay, granted, there was kind of a reason , but still – knowing what you know about the world’s views on women, why would you be kissing someone you don’t even know? And talking about living with him for the rest of your life? Seriously?!). There was too much lovey dovey crap (yes, that’s a technical term) for me! I had to skim the kissing scenes because they were too irritating. (Who wants to make out when you’re in a hurry to escape with your life? You’ve got to be kidding me!) I just couldn’t connect with Kevin and Jaqui’s relationship, so I didn’t enjoy the romance one bit.
I also wasn’t too thrilled about the change in MC’s. I liked Fiona in Stung because she was a badass. It’s not that Jaqui was weak, she just…annoyed me. She was kind of childish, and sometimes I felt like she really was the 12-year-old she was pretending to be. I didn’t really connect with her at all.
It was also predictable. When things got dangerous, there was never any feeling of danger. When they were all “OMGSH I’m gonna die! He’s gonna die! We’re all gonna die!!” I was just like:
STFU, you’re fine.
The ending did improve because we finally got some action; but all in all, it just felt the same as every other dystopian book I’ve read in the past.
ASSESSMENT
Plot: 3/5
Premise: 4/5
Writing style: 3.5/5
Originality: 3/5
Characters: 2/5
World-building: 3.5/5
Pace: 3.5/5
Feels: 1/5
Cover: 4.5/5
April 11, 2014
I've forgotten most of Stung. There was bee flu, but the vaccine turned people into "beasts". The population is low now - due to lack of crops (no bee pollination, or there's killer-bee population), bees killing people, or people killing people? This isn't really explained in Cured; it's more "this is how things are now - deal with it".
The author succeeds in creating a genuinely dystopian world. In this rampant rape culture, females are particularly sought after now that a hundred captives of raiders have been mysteriously freed. To be safe, Jacqui lives as a boy: Jack. (Is this before or after she and her mother are denied access to the walled city because they're "obese"? Fat-shaming, y'all.)
Jacqui is presented as a twelve-year-old boy. Thus a particular scene, wherein a raider handles her neck, seems like logic-fail. During puberty, a male's laryngeal prominence (Adam's apple) enlarges considerably. And when does puberty hit? Twelve years old. The age "Jack" is supposed to be. And even though the raider thoroughly feels up her neck, he doesn't seem to notice the lack of laryngeal prominence.
Speaking of nonsense: the romance. In this fictional world, m/m sexuality seems non-existent. Without female captives, the raiders have become less violent due to lack of rape opportunities, and they apparently haven't turned to raping males. (Rape may be about power rather than sexuality in the real world, but in this book it's definitely more about sex.) It would've been interesting had Kevin not known Jack's true gender, so he could question his sexuality, but no. The author shuts the door on that, and instead constructs an eye-rolling, weak story of Kevin having loved Jacqui long before he encounters her.
Another missed opportunity for internal conflict involves Jacqui's brother. Had he actually turned out to be bad (as opposed to just pretending), Jacqui would've had to do some deep soul-searching. Would she have been able to forgive him? Would she still love him, knowing he was such an awful person? But this doesn't happen, and therefore we don't get the serious thinking.
Happy endings in dystopia feel so false, and kind of insulting to the reader. We can handle reading the dark stuff; that's why we read dystopias. But to chicken out, and have the main character remain unscathed, with all her loved ones alive? Go hard or go home, writers - don't just have your story play pretend.
The author succeeds in creating a genuinely dystopian world. In this rampant rape culture, females are particularly sought after now that a hundred captives of raiders have been mysteriously freed. To be safe, Jacqui lives as a boy: Jack. (Is this before or after she and her mother are denied access to the walled city because they're "obese"? Fat-shaming, y'all.)
Jacqui is presented as a twelve-year-old boy. Thus a particular scene, wherein a raider handles her neck, seems like logic-fail. During puberty, a male's laryngeal prominence (Adam's apple) enlarges considerably. And when does puberty hit? Twelve years old. The age "Jack" is supposed to be. And even though the raider thoroughly feels up her neck, he doesn't seem to notice the lack of laryngeal prominence.
Speaking of nonsense: the romance. In this fictional world, m/m sexuality seems non-existent. Without female captives, the raiders have become less violent due to lack of rape opportunities, and they apparently haven't turned to raping males. (Rape may be about power rather than sexuality in the real world, but in this book it's definitely more about sex.) It would've been interesting had Kevin not known Jack's true gender, so he could question his sexuality, but no. The author shuts the door on that, and instead constructs an eye-rolling, weak story of Kevin having loved Jacqui long before he encounters her.
Another missed opportunity for internal conflict involves Jacqui's brother. Had he actually turned out to be bad (as opposed to just pretending), Jacqui would've had to do some deep soul-searching. Would she have been able to forgive him? Would she still love him, knowing he was such an awful person? But this doesn't happen, and therefore we don't get the serious thinking.
Happy endings in dystopia feel so false, and kind of insulting to the reader. We can handle reading the dark stuff; that's why we read dystopias. But to chicken out, and have the main character remain unscathed, with all her loved ones alive? Go hard or go home, writers - don't just have your story play pretend.
May 3, 2014
The thing about Cured is that it's basically Stung with a more likable protagonist. Of course, it also has the same old unlikable characters from the other book, but to a lesser extent (on the upside, we now know that Bowen is incredibly condescending and demeaning to all women, not just ones he's supposedly in love with). If the original problems from Wiggins' first novel--minimal world-building; narrow, sexist classifications of men and women; instalove trying to disguise itself as a quality relationship; convenient plotholes--were deal-breakers for you, then don't pick this up. It's really that simple.
Jacqui is cute, but not cute enough or competent enough to make up for the rest of the issues with the novel itself. And though you could almost feel the connection between her and her love interest, the fact that she falls in love with him after a day and a half (just because it takes 100 pages to write a whole day, doesn't actually make the day more than 24 hours long, Wiggins) kind of taints the relationship. It kept me turning pages, so I'll give it that much, but there are large issues that need to be fixed if this series is going to appeal to me on anything more than a superficial, this-is-a-dystopian-so-I'll-give-it-a-shot level.
Jacqui is cute, but not cute enough or competent enough to make up for the rest of the issues with the novel itself. And though you could almost feel the connection between her and her love interest, the fact that she falls in love with him after a day and a half (just because it takes 100 pages to write a whole day, doesn't actually make the day more than 24 hours long, Wiggins) kind of taints the relationship. It kept me turning pages, so I'll give it that much, but there are large issues that need to be fixed if this series is going to appeal to me on anything more than a superficial, this-is-a-dystopian-so-I'll-give-it-a-shot level.
August 24, 2016
I have read this series twice in one week. I love the series!!!!!!
January 8, 2019
One of my favorite books I have ever read.
February 20, 2019
Somehow I enjoyed this book way more than its prequal.
I think the main reason is Jacqui (or Jack, as she is referred to the entire book). She was the complete opposite of Fiona, the main character from the previous book and the main focus of my ire while reading. Unlike Fiona, Jacqui was motivated, resourceful, fierce, and a force of nature. She refused to be protected, to allow others to risk their lives for her, to be put on the bench. Granted, her family gave her all the skills and abilities she needed to survive, but she was the one who absorbed all the information she was being given. She became who she was because she wanted to, which is in direct contrast to Fiona. Jacqui was a great character on her own, I just like to take any chance I can get to shame Fiona. Jacqui was scared, she had doubts, but she overcame them, and that is what made her such a strong character. The best characters have weaknesses, and the strength it takes to overcome those weaknesses is what is relatable and lovable. I think the reason she was so unwilling to be shoved behind someone and protected when she left her home was because she had spent her entire time since the bee flu broke out being ordered inside. She was never trusted or allowed the leave the house, even though everyone else could go where they pleased. I respect her desire to leave, her desire to move, her desire to live, her desire to do something worthwhile. She left for the same reasons her older brother did, and I really felt their bond and similarities throughout the book. I thought Jacqui was a great character, and I loved seeing her internal struggle between fear and the desire to do what was right. Plus she dreams about food, so I relate to her on a spiritual level.
And I don’t know why, but I loved Dean. I immediately felt this need to protect him, I don’t know why. We got to know him through the flashbacks and I saw him as a really good, caring person. The progression of events that lead to the reveal of his real purpose was so well done. He had this desire to do more, do better, than just surviving. He wanted to make a difference, even if he helped only one person.
I also want to mention Jonah, because I have such a soft spot for that kid. The poor guy is haunted by what he did while under the influence of the vaccine. It isn’t his fault, but he bears the emotional and physical scars of his time as a beast, and it really makes me sad to seem him like that. He shuffles around with his face covered and head down and truly believes people think of him as hidous, that he doesn’t deserve love. That makes me so damn sad. JONAH DESERVES THE WORLD. He did so much to protect his (ungrateful) sister (and by the way, it was never explained how he was even able to suppress the beast long enough to do that) but only focuses on the terrible things. I really liked how Jacqui comforted him and propped him up, even though she went about it in a really weird way, but looking back it makes sense. Honesty, I loved Jacqui’s relationships with Dean and Jonah way more than I liked her relationship with Kevin.
I don’t know where I stand with that dude. My opinion changed every five minutes in accordance with the way the events unfolded, which was Wiggins’ intent. I mean, ok. Now that I’ve finished the book, I’ll buy it. But when I was reading, I was leaning the other way. I just feel like the core of his character was based on his love for Jacqui. I would have liked to see him as more of his own person.
Now, the one thing that Wiggins’ didn’t improve from the last book was the instantaneous romance. And even if we accepted that attempt at development, that does nothing to make up for the fact that Jacqui fell in love with him in literally two days (the same amount of time it took for Fiona to fall in love with Bowen). Any way you look at it, it was a very poorly done romance. And, unlike with Fiona and Bowen, once they were together, it didn’t work for me.
But I really liked how character-driven the book was. The relationships were what made me invested, and two scenes in particular really hit me hard. That scene really hit me hard, and I know it took so much strength for her to come to that conclusion. It showed how selfless and caring she is, and what she is willing to do for the people she cares about. That shit hit me right in the gut.
But there is one small thing that my inner feminist cannot let slide. This book majorly revolves around gender. This is a world where men rule and women are seen as objects, but that’s not the problem I have with the gender dynamics. The whole reason women have to cut their hair, bind their breasts, and try their best to look like men is based on the fact that men are unable to control themselves around a woman. It seems the men’s first priority is to find women and rape them, and are willing to go to extensive lengths to do that. The narrative paints men as mindless animals with no self-control. They are reduced to glorified beasts, only they don't lust for blood, but women. That’s just a very stereotypical and degrading way to paint them. In contrast, women are seen as completely helpless. Every time there is a dangerous situation, all the “good” men immediately throw the women behind them or lock them somewhere for their safety. Women apparently aren’t allowed at the table when the men are making plans. Fiona took that order laying down, but Jacqui fought against it, so clearly that was supposed to be debate within the book. Nevertheless, these sexist undertones—towards both men and women— were really killing me. And I know it’s a different time and I’m probably going to sound like a radical feminist, but I swear I’m not even stretching here. The dynamics are pretty easy to see.
But god, the story was also really damn good. When it first started out I was like “oh come on, the entire plot of this book is going to be centered around finding an old lady?!” I had zero faith in this book, but man was I proven wrong. This book was a rollercoaster. So many twists, so many turns, so much action and suspense. It was a really complicated plot and there really weren’t any holes. Trust me, I was looking for them. And I did find some and was like “AH HA, GOTCHA”, but then later they were explained away. The only thing is, they weren’t directly explained, I had to put two and two together, so someone who couldn’t make the jump probably would have been left in the dark, but it’s fine. It’s fun to connect the dots. The lure of the fabled sanctuary in Wyoming and the fight to survive and the struggle to decide who to trust was so interesting to read about. And God, Wiggins really had me breaking a sweat with those plot twists. Everything was so well done, so well thought out. I saw some things coming, but most of the time I was completely blindsided. I love the way Wiggins’ mind worked when it came to staging and the course of events. I loved this book and this story, I really did.
Listen. I was in a bad mood when I read this book, and after reading the prequel, I was looking for plot holes and reasons to hate this book. But I couldn’t find them. Despite my best efforts, I really enjoyed this book. Yes, there were some things wrong with it, it wasn’t perfect, but the positives largely outnumbered the negatives. That’s all you can ask for, to be honest.
I think the main reason is Jacqui (or Jack, as she is referred to the entire book). She was the complete opposite of Fiona, the main character from the previous book and the main focus of my ire while reading. Unlike Fiona, Jacqui was motivated, resourceful, fierce, and a force of nature. She refused to be protected, to allow others to risk their lives for her, to be put on the bench. Granted, her family gave her all the skills and abilities she needed to survive, but she was the one who absorbed all the information she was being given. She became who she was because she wanted to, which is in direct contrast to Fiona. Jacqui was a great character on her own, I just like to take any chance I can get to shame Fiona. Jacqui was scared, she had doubts, but she overcame them, and that is what made her such a strong character. The best characters have weaknesses, and the strength it takes to overcome those weaknesses is what is relatable and lovable. I think the reason she was so unwilling to be shoved behind someone and protected when she left her home was because she had spent her entire time since the bee flu broke out being ordered inside. She was never trusted or allowed the leave the house, even though everyone else could go where they pleased. I respect her desire to leave, her desire to move, her desire to live, her desire to do something worthwhile. She left for the same reasons her older brother did, and I really felt their bond and similarities throughout the book. I thought Jacqui was a great character, and I loved seeing her internal struggle between fear and the desire to do what was right. Plus she dreams about food, so I relate to her on a spiritual level.
And I don’t know why, but I loved Dean. I immediately felt this need to protect him, I don’t know why. We got to know him through the flashbacks and I saw him as a really good, caring person. The progression of events that lead to the reveal of his real purpose was so well done. He had this desire to do more, do better, than just surviving. He wanted to make a difference, even if he helped only one person.
I also want to mention Jonah, because I have such a soft spot for that kid. The poor guy is haunted by what he did while under the influence of the vaccine. It isn’t his fault, but he bears the emotional and physical scars of his time as a beast, and it really makes me sad to seem him like that. He shuffles around with his face covered and head down and truly believes people think of him as hidous, that he doesn’t deserve love. That makes me so damn sad. JONAH DESERVES THE WORLD. He did so much to protect his (ungrateful) sister (and by the way, it was never explained how he was even able to suppress the beast long enough to do that) but only focuses on the terrible things. I really liked how Jacqui comforted him and propped him up, even though she went about it in a really weird way, but looking back it makes sense. Honesty, I loved Jacqui’s relationships with Dean and Jonah way more than I liked her relationship with Kevin.
I don’t know where I stand with that dude. My opinion changed every five minutes in accordance with the way the events unfolded, which was Wiggins’ intent. I mean, ok. Now that I’ve finished the book, I’ll buy it. But when I was reading, I was leaning the other way. I just feel like the core of his character was based on his love for Jacqui. I would have liked to see him as more of his own person.
Now, the one thing that Wiggins’ didn’t improve from the last book was the instantaneous romance. And even if we accepted that attempt at development, that does nothing to make up for the fact that Jacqui fell in love with him in literally two days (the same amount of time it took for Fiona to fall in love with Bowen). Any way you look at it, it was a very poorly done romance. And, unlike with Fiona and Bowen, once they were together, it didn’t work for me.
But I really liked how character-driven the book was. The relationships were what made me invested, and two scenes in particular really hit me hard. That scene really hit me hard, and I know it took so much strength for her to come to that conclusion. It showed how selfless and caring she is, and what she is willing to do for the people she cares about. That shit hit me right in the gut.
But there is one small thing that my inner feminist cannot let slide. This book majorly revolves around gender. This is a world where men rule and women are seen as objects, but that’s not the problem I have with the gender dynamics. The whole reason women have to cut their hair, bind their breasts, and try their best to look like men is based on the fact that men are unable to control themselves around a woman. It seems the men’s first priority is to find women and rape them, and are willing to go to extensive lengths to do that. The narrative paints men as mindless animals with no self-control. They are reduced to glorified beasts, only they don't lust for blood, but women. That’s just a very stereotypical and degrading way to paint them. In contrast, women are seen as completely helpless. Every time there is a dangerous situation, all the “good” men immediately throw the women behind them or lock them somewhere for their safety. Women apparently aren’t allowed at the table when the men are making plans. Fiona took that order laying down, but Jacqui fought against it, so clearly that was supposed to be debate within the book. Nevertheless, these sexist undertones—towards both men and women— were really killing me. And I know it’s a different time and I’m probably going to sound like a radical feminist, but I swear I’m not even stretching here. The dynamics are pretty easy to see.
But god, the story was also really damn good. When it first started out I was like “oh come on, the entire plot of this book is going to be centered around finding an old lady?!” I had zero faith in this book, but man was I proven wrong. This book was a rollercoaster. So many twists, so many turns, so much action and suspense. It was a really complicated plot and there really weren’t any holes. Trust me, I was looking for them. And I did find some and was like “AH HA, GOTCHA”, but then later they were explained away. The only thing is, they weren’t directly explained, I had to put two and two together, so someone who couldn’t make the jump probably would have been left in the dark, but it’s fine. It’s fun to connect the dots. The lure of the fabled sanctuary in Wyoming and the fight to survive and the struggle to decide who to trust was so interesting to read about. And God, Wiggins really had me breaking a sweat with those plot twists. Everything was so well done, so well thought out. I saw some things coming, but most of the time I was completely blindsided. I love the way Wiggins’ mind worked when it came to staging and the course of events. I loved this book and this story, I really did.
Listen. I was in a bad mood when I read this book, and after reading the prequel, I was looking for plot holes and reasons to hate this book. But I couldn’t find them. Despite my best efforts, I really enjoyed this book. Yes, there were some things wrong with it, it wasn’t perfect, but the positives largely outnumbered the negatives. That’s all you can ask for, to be honest.
August 10, 2017
*NOTE: This is a review of the entire duology.*
I've had the Stung duology on my tbr for a very long time. It's one of those series where the synopsis has always intrigued me, but it kept getting pushed to the bottom of my stack of books because I kept adding more and more books to my tbr. Recently, a readathon happened and I decided it would be the perfect time to read the duology. I loved it. I wish I would have read it sooner.
The Stung duology was everything that a dystopian series should be. It was thrilling from beginning to end. It didn't shy away from taboo topics that actually would happen in a post apocalyptic society, such as rape. The premise of the bees going extinct is something that I could easily see happening in our society with the way things are going in our world. The book made me aware of everything we would lose if that happened. Most of the things I had never even thought about, or connected with bees at all.
Typically I don't like it when books in the same series are from different character perspectives, but the Stung duology pulls it off well. I loved both Fiona's perspective, and Jack's perspective equally. They both brought different elements into the story line. In fact, I might have actually liked Cured a little better than Stung because the reader was introduced to Kevin, who quickly became my favorite character. I loved how mysterious he was, and his snarky sense of humor.
The only thing that disappointed me about the duology was that I felt that the ending was rushed. I would have loved to see the journey to where the main characters ended up in the end. Otherwise, I thought the Stung duology was absolutely perfect. I can't wait to read Bethany Wiggins' other books. I hope she continues writing sci-fi books. I recommend this duology for dystopian lovers everywhere, and preppers.
I've had the Stung duology on my tbr for a very long time. It's one of those series where the synopsis has always intrigued me, but it kept getting pushed to the bottom of my stack of books because I kept adding more and more books to my tbr. Recently, a readathon happened and I decided it would be the perfect time to read the duology. I loved it. I wish I would have read it sooner.
The Stung duology was everything that a dystopian series should be. It was thrilling from beginning to end. It didn't shy away from taboo topics that actually would happen in a post apocalyptic society, such as rape. The premise of the bees going extinct is something that I could easily see happening in our society with the way things are going in our world. The book made me aware of everything we would lose if that happened. Most of the things I had never even thought about, or connected with bees at all.
Typically I don't like it when books in the same series are from different character perspectives, but the Stung duology pulls it off well. I loved both Fiona's perspective, and Jack's perspective equally. They both brought different elements into the story line. In fact, I might have actually liked Cured a little better than Stung because the reader was introduced to Kevin, who quickly became my favorite character. I loved how mysterious he was, and his snarky sense of humor.
The only thing that disappointed me about the duology was that I felt that the ending was rushed. I would have loved to see the journey to where the main characters ended up in the end. Otherwise, I thought the Stung duology was absolutely perfect. I can't wait to read Bethany Wiggins' other books. I hope she continues writing sci-fi books. I recommend this duology for dystopian lovers everywhere, and preppers.
December 28, 2015
***WARNING—Spoilers are in this review near the end!—WARNING***
I. Have. No. Words.
This book was written superbly. It drew out many emotions from me. I teared up (meaning full out crying, big, fat tears) many times.
This book blew my mind. The characters were all wonderfully developed and likeable. I thought I wouldn't like the POV change from Fiona to Jacqui, but OH MY BANANAS. I think I liked Jacqui's POV EVEN MORE! She was such a strong narrator and she made me reach out to her in every part of my heart. Her incessant need to find Dean, her brother was so strong. I connected to that especially. Her love for her brother was very relatable, and me having three brothers and no sisters, makes it very easy to relate to.
***SPOILERS STARTING NOW!***
Okay, first of all, did any of you seriously predict that Dean was the leader of the raiders? I remember figuring it out with Jacqui and being so heartbroken like her, thinking about how Dean had developed into a big, bad, raider, called Hastings. I think I knew that he couldn't REALLY be with the raiders just like I knew with Kevin. We knew from Dean's character that it just wasn't possible. I was still heartbroken though.
I remember when she was about to be attacked by the beast dogs, but the dogs had been trained by Dean to only attack men, and SHE WASNT A MAN, and Dean knew that.
Then, we also were all heartbroken when Kevin spoke up and took Jacqui's place and decided that he would rather die then see Jacqui die. I know you were heartbroken. Don't lie to me. OH MY GOSH. Remember also that Kevin was the vagabond that constantly showed up at Jacqui's home, and how he explained that he was passing on notes for Dean and how he was slowly falling in love with Jacqui every time he went to see her and her family but she was repulsed by him. *cries* I remember figuring out that he was the vagabond right when Jacqui figured it out and I was so surprised. Oh my goodness, this book covered so much ground. I loved Kevin and Jacqui's relationship. It was so intimate and passionate and it became even better when we realized that Kevin had been fawning over Jacqui for years now. I just loved Kevin so much! He provided some sarcasm and humor when needed, which was very needed because our other characters are wound so tight. I also loved Bowen and Fiona's relationship in here because I loved it in the first novel. I loved their 'honeymoon'. So adorable. I loved EVERYTHING about this book. I seriously don't think I even have one problem with it.
Lets backtrack, did any of you guess that Kevin was the siren and that the siren was good? I mean, we were told constantly in the novel that the Sirens were trying to lead you astray and kill you or something like that. And the legends of the Sirens only back that theory. It made since I suppose. Only did I start to question it when the subject of the women escaping the raiders came up over and over and Jacqui started to wonder how they got out. I just totally loved this book and the amount of effort and close knitting that was most obviously put into. Bethany Wiggins probably had to know where her story was going to moment she started writing because things like the vagabond (aka Kevin) showed up pretty quickly and were stressed throughout the novel.
I just loved this book SO MUCH! And I didn't really realize that until I reread it today. I loved the ending too. It just blew my mind. And I forgot to mention how mind blowing it was when Dean (aka Hastings) pushed Soneschen and Flint off the roof into the beast dogs and how happy Jacqui was when she realized that her brother really wasn't gone. Argh. I loved it so much. I could've done with more closure when all of them got to the save haven but hey, it was good.
Oh dear God, this book messed with me so much. I was amazed with it. This book definitely topped the first one for me—which is a hard thing to do. Making a sequel better, I mean.
I am starting to ramble, but the gist is—I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED this book.
I. Have. No. Words.
This book was written superbly. It drew out many emotions from me. I teared up (meaning full out crying, big, fat tears) many times.
This book blew my mind. The characters were all wonderfully developed and likeable. I thought I wouldn't like the POV change from Fiona to Jacqui, but OH MY BANANAS. I think I liked Jacqui's POV EVEN MORE! She was such a strong narrator and she made me reach out to her in every part of my heart. Her incessant need to find Dean, her brother was so strong. I connected to that especially. Her love for her brother was very relatable, and me having three brothers and no sisters, makes it very easy to relate to.
***SPOILERS STARTING NOW!***
Okay, first of all, did any of you seriously predict that Dean was the leader of the raiders? I remember figuring it out with Jacqui and being so heartbroken like her, thinking about how Dean had developed into a big, bad, raider, called Hastings. I think I knew that he couldn't REALLY be with the raiders just like I knew with Kevin. We knew from Dean's character that it just wasn't possible. I was still heartbroken though.
I remember when she was about to be attacked by the beast dogs, but the dogs had been trained by Dean to only attack men, and SHE WASNT A MAN, and Dean knew that.
Then, we also were all heartbroken when Kevin spoke up and took Jacqui's place and decided that he would rather die then see Jacqui die. I know you were heartbroken. Don't lie to me. OH MY GOSH. Remember also that Kevin was the vagabond that constantly showed up at Jacqui's home, and how he explained that he was passing on notes for Dean and how he was slowly falling in love with Jacqui every time he went to see her and her family but she was repulsed by him. *cries* I remember figuring out that he was the vagabond right when Jacqui figured it out and I was so surprised. Oh my goodness, this book covered so much ground. I loved Kevin and Jacqui's relationship. It was so intimate and passionate and it became even better when we realized that Kevin had been fawning over Jacqui for years now. I just loved Kevin so much! He provided some sarcasm and humor when needed, which was very needed because our other characters are wound so tight. I also loved Bowen and Fiona's relationship in here because I loved it in the first novel. I loved their 'honeymoon'. So adorable. I loved EVERYTHING about this book. I seriously don't think I even have one problem with it.
Lets backtrack, did any of you guess that Kevin was the siren and that the siren was good? I mean, we were told constantly in the novel that the Sirens were trying to lead you astray and kill you or something like that. And the legends of the Sirens only back that theory. It made since I suppose. Only did I start to question it when the subject of the women escaping the raiders came up over and over and Jacqui started to wonder how they got out. I just totally loved this book and the amount of effort and close knitting that was most obviously put into. Bethany Wiggins probably had to know where her story was going to moment she started writing because things like the vagabond (aka Kevin) showed up pretty quickly and were stressed throughout the novel.
I just loved this book SO MUCH! And I didn't really realize that until I reread it today. I loved the ending too. It just blew my mind. And I forgot to mention how mind blowing it was when Dean (aka Hastings) pushed Soneschen and Flint off the roof into the beast dogs and how happy Jacqui was when she realized that her brother really wasn't gone. Argh. I loved it so much. I could've done with more closure when all of them got to the save haven but hey, it was good.
Oh dear God, this book messed with me so much. I was amazed with it. This book definitely topped the first one for me—which is a hard thing to do. Making a sequel better, I mean.
I am starting to ramble, but the gist is—I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2014
I really enjoyed Stung so when I heard about a sequel I was very excited. When I did first hear about it I thought it would be from Fo's perspective and normally I don't like books that change perspective from novel to novel. However I did not mind the change in perspective with this novel and in some ways I actually preferred hearing from Jacqui than from Fo.
The look into Jacqui's past that we got made me realise how lucky Fo was. She may have been very ill, but at least behind the wall she was safe from the raiders. It was interesting to read about the measures Jacqui's family had to go through to make sure they were safe.
As well as that it was really interesting to see the inner workings of the raiders as with the previous novel we mainly focused on getting the cure. From the look into Jacqui's past I knew that Dean would look out for her, but it was nice to see her nervousness over whether he would help her.
Onto relationships; I like the relationship dynamic of Jacqui and Kevin. However I think that from Jacqui's perspective it moved too fast. I think the main reason she fell for him was because in the past she hadn't had the chance to fall for anybody and although the way Kevin fell for her was slightly creepy, I felt that it had more meaning than how Jacqui fell for him. Personally I liked that Fo and Bowen were together, but I felt like they needed to cool it a little, especially in high risk situations. I did feel a little sorry for Jonah, even though he did get his little moment with Jacqui.
Overall this book was amazing and I can't wait for another instalment *hint hint*.
The look into Jacqui's past that we got made me realise how lucky Fo was. She may have been very ill, but at least behind the wall she was safe from the raiders. It was interesting to read about the measures Jacqui's family had to go through to make sure they were safe.
As well as that it was really interesting to see the inner workings of the raiders as with the previous novel we mainly focused on getting the cure. From the look into Jacqui's past I knew that Dean would look out for her, but it was nice to see her nervousness over whether he would help her.
Onto relationships; I like the relationship dynamic of Jacqui and Kevin. However I think that from Jacqui's perspective it moved too fast. I think the main reason she fell for him was because in the past she hadn't had the chance to fall for anybody and although the way Kevin fell for her was slightly creepy, I felt that it had more meaning than how Jacqui fell for him. Personally I liked that Fo and Bowen were together, but I felt like they needed to cool it a little, especially in high risk situations. I did feel a little sorry for Jonah, even though he did get his little moment with Jacqui.
Overall this book was amazing and I can't wait for another instalment *hint hint*.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2015
Cured - Review
Being underestimated is an advantage, and yes, that saying is framed and hanging on the bathroom wall at home.
This book is a sequel. I highly recommend reading "Stung" first, but I will try not to give anything away.
This story is set in the same world but centers on different characters at first. In Chapter 1 we meet Jack. It is still dangerous to be female and survivors outside the city work hard to disguise females as males. Jack is really Jacqui, but the family has been pretending she is a boy, for everyone's protection. All of them would be in danger if anyone found out the truth. Jack eventually meets up with Fo on a quest to find Jack's brother and distribute the cure.
This book is as action-packed as the first one. It keeps you on edge, wondering along with Jack who we can trust. And it kept me guessing for sure. As much as I wanted to trust certain characters, I found it as hard as Jack did to figure out who exactly is "good" in this crazy world.
Recommended to:
Fans of dystopian stories, young adults and adults (like me) who enjoy young adult novels.
Being underestimated is an advantage, and yes, that saying is framed and hanging on the bathroom wall at home.
This book is a sequel. I highly recommend reading "Stung" first, but I will try not to give anything away.
This story is set in the same world but centers on different characters at first. In Chapter 1 we meet Jack. It is still dangerous to be female and survivors outside the city work hard to disguise females as males. Jack is really Jacqui, but the family has been pretending she is a boy, for everyone's protection. All of them would be in danger if anyone found out the truth. Jack eventually meets up with Fo on a quest to find Jack's brother and distribute the cure.
This book is as action-packed as the first one. It keeps you on edge, wondering along with Jack who we can trust. And it kept me guessing for sure. As much as I wanted to trust certain characters, I found it as hard as Jack did to figure out who exactly is "good" in this crazy world.
Recommended to:
Fans of dystopian stories, young adults and adults (like me) who enjoy young adult novels.
October 13, 2020
Cured solved some of the problems that plagued Stung but in doing so created some unique problems of its own. For instance, in Stung Bowen is bossy and rude. In fact some readers, not myself though, thought that Fiona's and Bowen's relationship boarded on abusive. In Cured, Kevin was such a gentleman. He actually took the time to talk to Jack and tell her that if she were to go with him, he would give his life to protect her and he would be useless to Bowen. So sweet.
But then Wiggins goes and makes Kevin some kind of homeless stalker. That was just a little bit on the creepy side. Then he lies to her about a bunch of other stuff, like his food, that he is the vagabond, that he is a raider, he is the Siren, and what the real plan is. I hate that most if the action in this book takes place because someone has lied. So lame.
It was tricky reading from a different perspective this time, but I quickly came to adore Jack and Kevin just as much as Fiona and Bowen. I would love a story about Jonah now.
I would rate this book PG. There is some swearing. There is kissing. Woman are protected buy some and used up by others. There are some intensely scary dog scenes. There is quite a bit of violence.
But then Wiggins goes and makes Kevin some kind of homeless stalker. That was just a little bit on the creepy side. Then he lies to her about a bunch of other stuff, like his food, that he is the vagabond, that he is a raider, he is the Siren, and what the real plan is. I hate that most if the action in this book takes place because someone has lied. So lame.
It was tricky reading from a different perspective this time, but I quickly came to adore Jack and Kevin just as much as Fiona and Bowen. I would love a story about Jonah now.
I would rate this book PG. There is some swearing. There is kissing. Woman are protected buy some and used up by others. There are some intensely scary dog scenes. There is quite a bit of violence.
April 19, 2015
This book is just as amazing as the first one. While I was reading Cured I thought this series would continue but it seems that this is the end in this bilogy. I liked the main characters a lot and the way their relationship is developed really had me happy. I loved the way Bethany Wiggins linked the first and second novel seamlessly. I'm definitely waiting for a new novel written by Bethany Wiggins. She had a top spot in my favorite YA Writer's list. Be sure to get lots of excitement and emotion reading this great novel. Loved it!
February 3, 2014
Review coming soon to Cabin Goddess. I loved this and it's previous book! I love this series! May I have another, PleasE! LOL
June 13, 2016
Unbelievable really. So riveting and wild. I dream vividly and horribly and couldn't dream anything this fantastic. If you like YA fiction, read this series.
June 26, 2016
Wow!!! Bethany Wiggins you have my attention!!! Another please?!?!
July 21, 2018
This was good. Though love interest had kind of stalkery behaviour, and I wish it had been Jonah who'd been the love interest (HE DESERVES MORE HAPPINESS)
Want to read
September 12, 2013Hurry and come out!!!!
February 5, 2021
HONESTLY. Just honestly.
Just... honestly.
I don't even have words for how frustrated I am with this book. The first book had me feeling sort of wary, didn't really like the occasional "women are weak" vibes, but I ignored them and pushed on to finish the book. I thought maybe this one would be different: maybe better, maybe less misogyny, maybe it would have more realistic representations of women and girls.
And while I do acknowledge this was published in 2014--and probably written in 2013--and times have changed since then, there is no way this was like... a normal amount of sexist characterizations? Maybe I'm wrong and maybe I need to reread the books I was reading in 2013 but I pretty much had to skim the last 2/3 of this book in order to finish it.
I can count the number of female characters on one hand, even if that hand was missing a few fingers. And I can count the number of female characters with actual personalities (I'm being generous), even if I only had two thumbs. I know this sounds harsh, but I'm angry! What's the point of even including Jacqui and Fiona if they're not real characters? If all they do is cry, clean, cook, and go weak-kneed over a boy kissing them without consent (or literally stalking them?? Jacqui, come on. You're better than that.)
The actual story itself is a good concept! But I literally cannot get over the insanely sexist characterizations. It's fine if a girl cries! If fine if a boy cries! It's fine if a girl likes to cook, clean, and sew! But to make every girl/woman teary-eyed and only good at "homemaking," and to not give them any more depth than that, is insane.
In the first book, Fiona is apparently good at shooting but we only see it once (and the other time she does it is such a flop that there's no way she was taught how to handle a gun). In this book, Jacqui is apparently taught how to shoot but I can't remember a time when she does? It's always up to the boys to do everything and when it comes time for the girls to actually do something, they either back-out or they do it so horrendously wrong that the boys have to swoop in and fix it.
Ugh, I know this is a long rant for a book written like 7 years ago. And I know it's not really worth my time to complain about it, I'm just frustrated. And it's rated so highly. I don't get it.
Just... honestly.
I don't even have words for how frustrated I am with this book. The first book had me feeling sort of wary, didn't really like the occasional "women are weak" vibes, but I ignored them and pushed on to finish the book. I thought maybe this one would be different: maybe better, maybe less misogyny, maybe it would have more realistic representations of women and girls.
And while I do acknowledge this was published in 2014--and probably written in 2013--and times have changed since then, there is no way this was like... a normal amount of sexist characterizations? Maybe I'm wrong and maybe I need to reread the books I was reading in 2013 but I pretty much had to skim the last 2/3 of this book in order to finish it.
I can count the number of female characters on one hand, even if that hand was missing a few fingers. And I can count the number of female characters with actual personalities (I'm being generous), even if I only had two thumbs. I know this sounds harsh, but I'm angry! What's the point of even including Jacqui and Fiona if they're not real characters? If all they do is cry, clean, cook, and go weak-kneed over a boy kissing them without consent (or literally stalking them?? Jacqui, come on. You're better than that.)
The actual story itself is a good concept! But I literally cannot get over the insanely sexist characterizations. It's fine if a girl cries! If fine if a boy cries! It's fine if a girl likes to cook, clean, and sew! But to make every girl/woman teary-eyed and only good at "homemaking," and to not give them any more depth than that, is insane.
In the first book, Fiona is apparently good at shooting but we only see it once (and the other time she does it is such a flop that there's no way she was taught how to handle a gun). In this book, Jacqui is apparently taught how to shoot but I can't remember a time when she does? It's always up to the boys to do everything and when it comes time for the girls to actually do something, they either back-out or they do it so horrendously wrong that the boys have to swoop in and fix it.
Ugh, I know this is a long rant for a book written like 7 years ago. And I know it's not really worth my time to complain about it, I'm just frustrated. And it's rated so highly. I don't get it.
November 8, 2017
After completing the first book in the series of Stung, I found the story perplexing and was grabbed into the two book series. I figured I would find out how the story would continue by picking up Cured and seeing how the author would create something more intriguing.
Taking place at an unknown time in the future, humanity is forced to fend for themselves against humans turned beasts. Years before humanity was forced on the edge of extinction, the bee population of the world began to die; meaning less food from pollination. In an attempt to save the bees, scientists genetically modify the bees to become resistant to almost everything. The catch of this is that people who were exposed to the vaccine died. Scientists then developed a vaccine to counteract this but it ended up turning those who got it into beasts who preyed on any living thing. After three years of being stuck in her house, Jacqui, decides it is time to explore the outside world—or whatever is left of it. A while ago, her brother disappeared which was the main cause for Jacqui to leave her comfort zone. She meets up with her friends, Bowen, Fiona, and Jonah, a cured beast. Together they all go on the hunt for Jacqui’s brother. The eventually come upon a stranger who guides them in the direction of where they should go to find someone who may have ran away; but his advice is weary. As they continue down this path Jacqui discovers a man named Kevin who seems to know too much information about where her brother is. Will this stranger named Kevin lead Jacqui and her friends to her brother, or does he have a much darker plan waiting for them? You’ll have to get your reading on to find out!
The author succeeded in creating a story that is unique, that bees could be the downfall of humanity. Since you don’t really hear much of bees in any story, the author could go almost anywhere with her plot and still grab the reader’s attention. Another great part, is how the journey is described to finding Jacqui’s brother. She faces many perils and whether or not the group ever gets to her brother is questionable at every turn.
I really enjoyed reading this book, but I only gave a three star rating because of the romanticism within it. In the first book of the series, Stung, I really thought the romance brought the quality of the book down; which was kept to a limit which is why the book was still enjoyable. Cured has even more romance than the first book in the series, and actually bases the main plot off of it. Jacqui and another character develop a romantic relationship that takes away from the main task in finding her brother.
Taking place at an unknown time in the future, humanity is forced to fend for themselves against humans turned beasts. Years before humanity was forced on the edge of extinction, the bee population of the world began to die; meaning less food from pollination. In an attempt to save the bees, scientists genetically modify the bees to become resistant to almost everything. The catch of this is that people who were exposed to the vaccine died. Scientists then developed a vaccine to counteract this but it ended up turning those who got it into beasts who preyed on any living thing. After three years of being stuck in her house, Jacqui, decides it is time to explore the outside world—or whatever is left of it. A while ago, her brother disappeared which was the main cause for Jacqui to leave her comfort zone. She meets up with her friends, Bowen, Fiona, and Jonah, a cured beast. Together they all go on the hunt for Jacqui’s brother. The eventually come upon a stranger who guides them in the direction of where they should go to find someone who may have ran away; but his advice is weary. As they continue down this path Jacqui discovers a man named Kevin who seems to know too much information about where her brother is. Will this stranger named Kevin lead Jacqui and her friends to her brother, or does he have a much darker plan waiting for them? You’ll have to get your reading on to find out!
The author succeeded in creating a story that is unique, that bees could be the downfall of humanity. Since you don’t really hear much of bees in any story, the author could go almost anywhere with her plot and still grab the reader’s attention. Another great part, is how the journey is described to finding Jacqui’s brother. She faces many perils and whether or not the group ever gets to her brother is questionable at every turn.
I really enjoyed reading this book, but I only gave a three star rating because of the romanticism within it. In the first book of the series, Stung, I really thought the romance brought the quality of the book down; which was kept to a limit which is why the book was still enjoyable. Cured has even more romance than the first book in the series, and actually bases the main plot off of it. Jacqui and another character develop a romantic relationship that takes away from the main task in finding her brother.
December 15, 2020
I give the book Cured by Bethany Wiggins four out of five stars because it was an intriguing book full of action but at some points there was a lot of romance for no reason. Throughout the book, the main character, Jacqui, was being chased by raiders. She was always hiding or running or fighting. All this action was very engaging. For this reason, I would recommend this book to young adults and teenagers. There was also a romance aspect of the book. Jacqui meets a boy while on the run and she immediately likes him and trusts him. I didn’t like this part of the book because she barely knew him and he could have been an imposter. I also thought that the author focused on romance too much while the book should have been about the task of survival. All this romance might be more interesting to adults than younger teens. This book could be appealing to multiple demographics because of its romance aspect along with its action aspect. I don’t think that young children would like this book, however. It is too high of a reading level for them to understand and they wouldn’t like the romance either. I would recommend this book to Gabi because she enjoys action books and science fiction. I enjoyed reading Cured because of all the action. Even though I didn’t like all the romance, it was still a good book overall.
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