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Wander
“Sometimes I say my name out loud, just to remember what it sounds like.”
Sixteen years ago, a plague swept through the United States of America, locking those infected in a permanent state of heightened emotion.
They called it the Feeling.
The lucky ones got placed in Quarantine Zones, where they exist in relative peace.
the unlucky ones, like Wander, got left behind, with no choice but to take each day as it comes.
When faced with raiders, fighters, and smilers, survival relies on following the rules.
1. No names.
2. Fly, or die.
3. Always keep moving.
4. Trust no-one.
5. Take what you can.
6. Don't travel at night.
Wander's only alive because she follows these rules, but everything changes the day a boy named Dagger stumbles into her life. He’s on the run from the smilers and, against her better instincts, Wander decides to help.
There has to be more to living than being alive and, to find out what it is, Wander's going to need to break every rule she's ever held sacred.
Sixteen years ago, a plague swept through the United States of America, locking those infected in a permanent state of heightened emotion.
They called it the Feeling.
The lucky ones got placed in Quarantine Zones, where they exist in relative peace.
the unlucky ones, like Wander, got left behind, with no choice but to take each day as it comes.
When faced with raiders, fighters, and smilers, survival relies on following the rules.
1. No names.
2. Fly, or die.
3. Always keep moving.
4. Trust no-one.
5. Take what you can.
6. Don't travel at night.
Wander's only alive because she follows these rules, but everything changes the day a boy named Dagger stumbles into her life. He’s on the run from the smilers and, against her better instincts, Wander decides to help.
There has to be more to living than being alive and, to find out what it is, Wander's going to need to break every rule she's ever held sacred.
- GenresDystopia
427 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
5 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Lewis Bright Rees
2 books20 followersWhile in the womb, Lewis absorbed his twin brother, setting a precedent of badassery which persists to this day.
Since then, Lewis has worked a variety of odd jobs, hosted his own radio show, worked as the assistant director on a movie set, studied film at university, been used by a drag queen to simulate birth and earned a TEFL degree.
In his spare time he enjoys procrastinating, video games, reading, watching movies and, in at least one case, writing entire essays to prove a point.
His good friend, Jane Austen, once told him not to lie when writing a biography.
Since then, Lewis has worked a variety of odd jobs, hosted his own radio show, worked as the assistant director on a movie set, studied film at university, been used by a drag queen to simulate birth and earned a TEFL degree.
In his spare time he enjoys procrastinating, video games, reading, watching movies and, in at least one case, writing entire essays to prove a point.
His good friend, Jane Austen, once told him not to lie when writing a biography.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 5, 2017
Started to drag slightly in areas for me, but an okay read overall.
October 19, 2019
I loved this book but I wrote it so I might be biased.
June 29, 2017
So it's hard to be objective when the author is a close friend. But I've hated stuff written by friends, and I've loved stuff written by people I can't stand. I'll try to avoid spoilers for the most part, and this review is unplanned so might ramble.
Wander is a smart, dark and (As much as I hate to use "atmospheric" to describe anything because it doesn't tell you anything) Atmospheric. In the sense that as world building goes, its up there with the best.
With Wander's macabre and morose rule set, and slick narration, the world is easy to get lost in. It sets up a simple and cohesive way to convey her emotions and feelings, in a way that not only gives you information, but gives you context.
My absolute favourite thing about this book is the characters, not just because they're well written, and deep, and there's a gay character and there's absolutely no bullshit gay pandering, it's just a character who happens to be gay and important. But because they all act like real intelligent human beings, there's no plot convenient, "Let's split up" or faux emotional stuff that makes no sense in real life, It's just... It's so well written.
In Wander, no character feels unnecessary. In stories of my own I've considered inserting characters just to die, but then giving them too much backstory and railroading my stories. Lewis has avoided this by having few characters enter the fray, and those who do are ALL at risk.
Aside from the odd typo, and let's face it, who doesn't have those. This book is sharp, intelligent, emotional and well written, and I love it. Good Job Lewis, you're a star and I can't wait for the sequel.
Wander is a smart, dark and (As much as I hate to use "atmospheric" to describe anything because it doesn't tell you anything) Atmospheric. In the sense that as world building goes, its up there with the best.
With Wander's macabre and morose rule set, and slick narration, the world is easy to get lost in. It sets up a simple and cohesive way to convey her emotions and feelings, in a way that not only gives you information, but gives you context.
My absolute favourite thing about this book is the characters, not just because they're well written, and deep, and there's a gay character and there's absolutely no bullshit gay pandering, it's just a character who happens to be gay and important. But because they all act like real intelligent human beings, there's no plot convenient, "Let's split up" or faux emotional stuff that makes no sense in real life, It's just... It's so well written.
In Wander, no character feels unnecessary. In stories of my own I've considered inserting characters just to die, but then giving them too much backstory and railroading my stories. Lewis has avoided this by having few characters enter the fray, and those who do are ALL at risk.
Aside from the odd typo, and let's face it, who doesn't have those. This book is sharp, intelligent, emotional and well written, and I love it. Good Job Lewis, you're a star and I can't wait for the sequel.
Read
June 5, 2017I'm a big fan of using a rating system. Some sites/magazines use a 5 point scheme; others use 10 or 100. Goodreads uses 5 - and that is usually enough for me.
However. With Wander, i'm not going to be able to give a score. I'll say what i liked and didn't like but a score feels...wrong. If i wanted to give a low rating, i'd feel bad - my friend wrote this book and i wouldn't want to ruin his day by insulting something that he has worked on for years. Conversely, if i give a 5-star rating, there may be some whisperings of the word "nepotism" and that's not fair either. So my review will attempt to be as unbiased as possible.
My absolute pet peeve is when reviews give a synopsis. Mate, there's already a synopsis so don't waste my time and i won't waste yours.
Wander is a post-apocalyptic drama/horror in the vein of The Last of Us and Fallout videogames. Lots of action sequences and lots of tense, dramatic conversations. The action was snappy and the dialogue was decent. Characters are archetypes for the most part - the sullen survivalist, the grizzled veteran, the naive emotional one etc - but still managed to be interesting and varied.
The villains (potential or otherwise) are the stars, as often is the case in media. The feelers themselves are menacing, creepy and strangely sad at the same time. It's difficult to make a sadistic torturer who never stops grinning seem like a tragic character but the author gives just enough of the idea that the smilers may either not be in control or may not comprehend their actions. Still creepy as heck, mind.
The humans are cool, too. Temple is completely relatable. His past is flawed but he never seems like a caricature. He might be a cowardly hero or he may be a sociopathic villain. Wait and see.
Another couple of characters (who i won't name for spoilers) are awful people disguised as good ones and i think that this really backs up what Wander feels: everyone is a potential threat and you may not find out who until it is too late.
There are quite a few spelling and grammar issues in the book but this is neither a big issue or a surprise - the editor is one man and these things happen.
My last note is a compliment. I like violence in media. And i like swearing. These things are observable in the real world. They happen. But too many books/films go overboard with these things. Most modern horror movies think that "scary" and "gory" are interchangeable and they damn well aren't. This book features awful things happening to (sometimes) good people and it makes perfect sense that they would use expletives. But never did i feel that the swearing was too common, or that some of the violence was unnecessary. It was all necessary.
The story is entertaining and twisty, providing me with fun and the desire to know what happens next. If you like teen fiction that isn't about airheaded girls making kissy-faces at sexy vampires, give this a go. I'll be sure to read the next one.
Good job, Lewis. I'm proud of you, boyo.
However. With Wander, i'm not going to be able to give a score. I'll say what i liked and didn't like but a score feels...wrong. If i wanted to give a low rating, i'd feel bad - my friend wrote this book and i wouldn't want to ruin his day by insulting something that he has worked on for years. Conversely, if i give a 5-star rating, there may be some whisperings of the word "nepotism" and that's not fair either. So my review will attempt to be as unbiased as possible.
My absolute pet peeve is when reviews give a synopsis. Mate, there's already a synopsis so don't waste my time and i won't waste yours.
Wander is a post-apocalyptic drama/horror in the vein of The Last of Us and Fallout videogames. Lots of action sequences and lots of tense, dramatic conversations. The action was snappy and the dialogue was decent. Characters are archetypes for the most part - the sullen survivalist, the grizzled veteran, the naive emotional one etc - but still managed to be interesting and varied.
The villains (potential or otherwise) are the stars, as often is the case in media. The feelers themselves are menacing, creepy and strangely sad at the same time. It's difficult to make a sadistic torturer who never stops grinning seem like a tragic character but the author gives just enough of the idea that the smilers may either not be in control or may not comprehend their actions. Still creepy as heck, mind.
The humans are cool, too. Temple is completely relatable. His past is flawed but he never seems like a caricature. He might be a cowardly hero or he may be a sociopathic villain. Wait and see.
Another couple of characters (who i won't name for spoilers) are awful people disguised as good ones and i think that this really backs up what Wander feels: everyone is a potential threat and you may not find out who until it is too late.
There are quite a few spelling and grammar issues in the book but this is neither a big issue or a surprise - the editor is one man and these things happen.
My last note is a compliment. I like violence in media. And i like swearing. These things are observable in the real world. They happen. But too many books/films go overboard with these things. Most modern horror movies think that "scary" and "gory" are interchangeable and they damn well aren't. This book features awful things happening to (sometimes) good people and it makes perfect sense that they would use expletives. But never did i feel that the swearing was too common, or that some of the violence was unnecessary. It was all necessary.
The story is entertaining and twisty, providing me with fun and the desire to know what happens next. If you like teen fiction that isn't about airheaded girls making kissy-faces at sexy vampires, give this a go. I'll be sure to read the next one.
Good job, Lewis. I'm proud of you, boyo.
July 22, 2017
I will start this stating the most amazing fact about this book: I couldn’t get a moment of boredom; the pace is fast and there is always something happening. Wander takes you to a world where all your nightmares can be real, she is alone and always afraid, with good reasons, the world have been consumed by an “illness” where the basic emotions (anger, fear, sorrow and happiness) took control of people and destroyed their humanity. She is a survivor, and will keep it that way, even though she will have to sacrifice her connections with people. She hasn't spoken in so much time that she forgot how to do it properly.
The book was fantastic and I loved how it has some philosophical affairs and will always make you wonder what makes us good people and what not. The world building is awesome and easy to imagine, and is that very fact that made me cringe, only imagining a place where you must run from laughing people is truly scary.
People gather in small groups because town or cities seem impossible to dream of, not when no one knows where the illness came from and what causes it. Wander hears about a town, a paradise among hell, called Sanctuary and her only hope is to get there, she is tired of being alone, she is tired of being afraid and she is tired of thinking the world as a bad place. But, well, things can't be that easy, can they?
The book was fantastic and I loved how it has some philosophical affairs and will always make you wonder what makes us good people and what not. The world building is awesome and easy to imagine, and is that very fact that made me cringe, only imagining a place where you must run from laughing people is truly scary.
People gather in small groups because town or cities seem impossible to dream of, not when no one knows where the illness came from and what causes it. Wander hears about a town, a paradise among hell, called Sanctuary and her only hope is to get there, she is tired of being alone, she is tired of being afraid and she is tired of thinking the world as a bad place. But, well, things can't be that easy, can they?
August 26, 2015
Exciting and different story. Please read it you wont be disappointed. cant wait for the sequel
Read
August 27, 2021Wander is a post-apocalyptic story unlike any I’ve ever read. The Feelers are a unique take on the traditional apocalyptic zombie creature even though they've been telling us for years that the genre is tapped out! I found myself turning pages hoping for more information about these creatures, eager for more exposure to their horror, but ultimately that’s exactly what good pacing should do--keep you hungry for more.
Overall this is a well-written and unique, immersive story. Don’t let the fact that it’s indie published fool you, it’s a great story. While some minor points might have been polished with a round of professional editing, I can understand the author’s choice to stray from traditional publishing for this one: Wander herself is a fully-fleshed character with a rich inner dialogue which I don’t believe would survive a traditional editor’s chopping block, at least not in a debut novel of this ambitious length. This book reads “indie” in all the best ways--think Sundance vs Hollywood. Ultimately I really think Rees made the right choice here to preserve the story and give it to us as-is.
No easy feat, even without traditional editing the author maintains consistency of voice throughout the entire 420pg story, while at the same time promotes the protagonist’s personal growth and character development with realistic pacing: Wander’s thoughts are well balanced between survival-necessary pessimism, and the hopeful optimism of someone relearning how to accept and be accepted by a chosen family. Rees does this in a way that is surprisingly readable as well as relatable and consistently interesting. She’s cynical without leading us into maudlin silent monologues, and reluctantly allows her yearning for connection and understanding to expand her small, solitary world. The use of short chapters makes bursts of expressive dialogue, exciting action, genre-appropriate violence, and philosophical reflection all balanced and easily digestible, and was a fantastic pacing/formatting choice.
I appreciated that some characters were women simply because women exist--not necessarily as caregivers, mothers, burden devices, or sexual commodities, but as people with their own place in the world, and their own stories to tell. The queer supporting characters were a lovely touch as well, adding to the theme of acceptance within a chosen family, without fixating on any sense of “otherness” to qualify their connections. Lastly, and this is coming from someone who adores splatter punk of the filthiest degree, I appreciate the rare find of a horror story which isn’t absolutely saturated in sex (or at least punctuated by sexual cliché), and found that Wander’s mutually-cherished platonic love among her fellows was both refreshing and endearing, all without underselling the maturity of our protagonist--well done!
I’m certainly glad I had the opportunity to read this novel exactly as the author intended it to be read. I would recommend this book to horror and dystopian fiction fans of varying ages, and would especially recommend it to any writer who has been led to believe that traditional publishing is the best or only choice for releasing their stories into the world. I’m looking forward to a sequel!
Overall this is a well-written and unique, immersive story. Don’t let the fact that it’s indie published fool you, it’s a great story. While some minor points might have been polished with a round of professional editing, I can understand the author’s choice to stray from traditional publishing for this one: Wander herself is a fully-fleshed character with a rich inner dialogue which I don’t believe would survive a traditional editor’s chopping block, at least not in a debut novel of this ambitious length. This book reads “indie” in all the best ways--think Sundance vs Hollywood. Ultimately I really think Rees made the right choice here to preserve the story and give it to us as-is.
No easy feat, even without traditional editing the author maintains consistency of voice throughout the entire 420pg story, while at the same time promotes the protagonist’s personal growth and character development with realistic pacing: Wander’s thoughts are well balanced between survival-necessary pessimism, and the hopeful optimism of someone relearning how to accept and be accepted by a chosen family. Rees does this in a way that is surprisingly readable as well as relatable and consistently interesting. She’s cynical without leading us into maudlin silent monologues, and reluctantly allows her yearning for connection and understanding to expand her small, solitary world. The use of short chapters makes bursts of expressive dialogue, exciting action, genre-appropriate violence, and philosophical reflection all balanced and easily digestible, and was a fantastic pacing/formatting choice.
I appreciated that some characters were women simply because women exist--not necessarily as caregivers, mothers, burden devices, or sexual commodities, but as people with their own place in the world, and their own stories to tell. The queer supporting characters were a lovely touch as well, adding to the theme of acceptance within a chosen family, without fixating on any sense of “otherness” to qualify their connections. Lastly, and this is coming from someone who adores splatter punk of the filthiest degree, I appreciate the rare find of a horror story which isn’t absolutely saturated in sex (or at least punctuated by sexual cliché), and found that Wander’s mutually-cherished platonic love among her fellows was both refreshing and endearing, all without underselling the maturity of our protagonist--well done!
I’m certainly glad I had the opportunity to read this novel exactly as the author intended it to be read. I would recommend this book to horror and dystopian fiction fans of varying ages, and would especially recommend it to any writer who has been led to believe that traditional publishing is the best or only choice for releasing their stories into the world. I’m looking forward to a sequel!
August 20, 2018
Holy shit I loved this book! I just bribed my kids with candy so I could get the chance to write this review so lets see how far I can get. I read a lot of dystopian/apocalyptic fiction and this one was so unique! The “Feeling” concept was original and highly refreshing. No zombies here… though there is some cannibalism which is always awesome! The “smilers” are epically frightening and are sure to give me nightmares in the upcoming nights. I found myself loving to hate some characters and overall liking all of the other characters, including Wander (the MC). I enjoyed her as a strong female and the fact that she wasn’t the “damsel in distress” type nor did she have the baby Pan thrust upon her to take care of because she is a woman. Sadly, I have seen this happen in quite a few novels. It’s also refreshing that there was no motivation for the characters to find out how it all started or if there is a “cure” but the usual journey of survival and to find a safe haven. I think in real life most would try to strive for this as the end game. As I mentioned, it is a book about survival. Survival from the “Feelers”, the “Raiders” and from each other. In this book there is the right amount of growth in the relationships made, past relationships and in the characters themselves. I enjoyed the realistic nature of the story as everyone is in danger, all are fallible and no one is extraordinary. I never found myself thinking, “In real life… no one would have survived that injury, etc.!” as I often do with other novels. The writing style was wonderful, no major issues with context. The story was told with fluidity and was not interrupted by egregious errors. Definitely a good twist or two was thrown in the mix. The story kept my interest from the start, the pages flew by and I lost myself in the world created and the story within. I did, however, find myself internally screaming, “WHAT IS HER REAL NAME???” over and over and when it was revealed… oh the feels! If you’ve read it… then you’ll understand. 5 stars… A+… all the kudos to Lewis Bright Rees. I am expecting many more great novels from this author.
October 19, 2019
Wander is not your typical dystopian zombie apocalypse novel. The industry has been saturated with such a premise in recent years, but Wander, to me, stands out as original and smarter than most.
The depth of the characters is where this one shines, each of them important and relatable, and they all get cool names like Temple or Dagger or Wander (not their ‘real’ names you understand, but, well, just read it, you’ll see what I mean). They are all flawed and complex, as humans are, but we love them anyway. None of the dialogue ever feels pointless or like filler instead of killer. The writing is intelligent and never overly flowery or unnecessary.
The only thing I’m conflicted about is whether this is a young adult novel, or just an all out adult novel. The characters and premise tell me the former, but the language and violence tell me the latter. As it goes, I’m ancient, and I love swearing and violence (in books and stuff, not real life, I’m not mental. But I do swear a lot). It’s not important; young adults, whatever that means, are perfectly capable of dealing with some curse words and gore.
And wait until you meet the smilers! The smilers are the best zombie villains I’ve ever encountered; they’re clever and they’re evil and dangerous. Zombies with a capacity for fun, if you can imagine what is fun for zombies. Horrific stuff!
I’m giving this book a solid five stars because I didn’t once find my mind wandering (geddit?) from the story, and enjoyed every second of reading it. Super excited for the next one.
The depth of the characters is where this one shines, each of them important and relatable, and they all get cool names like Temple or Dagger or Wander (not their ‘real’ names you understand, but, well, just read it, you’ll see what I mean). They are all flawed and complex, as humans are, but we love them anyway. None of the dialogue ever feels pointless or like filler instead of killer. The writing is intelligent and never overly flowery or unnecessary.
The only thing I’m conflicted about is whether this is a young adult novel, or just an all out adult novel. The characters and premise tell me the former, but the language and violence tell me the latter. As it goes, I’m ancient, and I love swearing and violence (in books and stuff, not real life, I’m not mental. But I do swear a lot). It’s not important; young adults, whatever that means, are perfectly capable of dealing with some curse words and gore.
And wait until you meet the smilers! The smilers are the best zombie villains I’ve ever encountered; they’re clever and they’re evil and dangerous. Zombies with a capacity for fun, if you can imagine what is fun for zombies. Horrific stuff!
I’m giving this book a solid five stars because I didn’t once find my mind wandering (geddit?) from the story, and enjoyed every second of reading it. Super excited for the next one.
June 22, 2017
WOW! What an amazing book!
First time author, Lewis Bright Rees, has really done an amazing job with this!
The story takes place in a post apocalyptic United States, following the protagonist, Wander, as she survives the wilderness of what's left of the world. Through her travels she encounters a variety of well written and very fleshed out characters that help her realise what she's been looking for and help her on her journey to finding it.
The story takes you on many twists and turns along the way - you'll find yourself thinking "oh, no, I'm sure this is going to happen next" and quite often you'll find yourself entirely surprised with what happens next.
It is absolutely amazing to read and you will find yourself, even when you're not reading it, thinking about what will happen next and where the author will take you - it is a moving and very dramatic novel and I would hope to anticipate this being very popular, I wish Lewis all the best and look forward to his future work!
First time author, Lewis Bright Rees, has really done an amazing job with this!
The story takes place in a post apocalyptic United States, following the protagonist, Wander, as she survives the wilderness of what's left of the world. Through her travels she encounters a variety of well written and very fleshed out characters that help her realise what she's been looking for and help her on her journey to finding it.
The story takes you on many twists and turns along the way - you'll find yourself thinking "oh, no, I'm sure this is going to happen next" and quite often you'll find yourself entirely surprised with what happens next.
It is absolutely amazing to read and you will find yourself, even when you're not reading it, thinking about what will happen next and where the author will take you - it is a moving and very dramatic novel and I would hope to anticipate this being very popular, I wish Lewis all the best and look forward to his future work!
August 30, 2017
It's fantastic!
This book is absolutely enthralling! I got caught into it from the first page to the very last. The characters are well developed, and they feel so real that it made me laugh, cry, weep and much more with them. Wander and Dagger's friendship touched me in profound ways and it was amazing to see how it survived fiercely. I loved every word and every minute I spent reading it. I highly recommend it!
This book is absolutely enthralling! I got caught into it from the first page to the very last. The characters are well developed, and they feel so real that it made me laugh, cry, weep and much more with them. Wander and Dagger's friendship touched me in profound ways and it was amazing to see how it survived fiercely. I loved every word and every minute I spent reading it. I highly recommend it!
February 28, 2021
Absolutely Stunning!
I seriously loved this book to death. It was a fantastic take on post apocalyptic life and I could not put it down. Absolutely brilliant!
I seriously loved this book to death. It was a fantastic take on post apocalyptic life and I could not put it down. Absolutely brilliant!
October 16, 2017
I loved this book so much. It is a great read, there is so much in it! It's a tale of friendship and loneliness, love and hate, fear,vulnerability, hope, courage, strength. The characters are well developed, they change throughout the book, grow up and learn from each other, and the fact that there are very few of them never gets boring. The world it is set in is really well described and totally terrifying. The writing style is great and it is a real page turner, in fact a few times I had to stop on the platform after getting off the underground to finish the chapter before walking home! I am so looking forward for the next part of this story, hopefully Lewis won't keep us waiting for too long!!
April 11, 2016
Wander isn't just her name....its what she does. But giving your "real name" to someone in Lewis's world makes them more human, gives them a piece of yourself that you can't afford to give up to truly survive what everyone going through.
Wander spends every sunrise to sunset just surviving, barely sleeping and barely living. Her character is complex, when we first meet her she can't remember how to talk much as she hasn't had a real conversation in years with another human but her mind is sharp. We learn bits of her upbringing as the story goes, where she learned her skills, and where her mindset comes from. She's straight forward too...she knows what needs to be done and does it, hesitation gets you dead. Wander grows from first page to last, getting back in touch with humanity and instead of just surviving, attempts to actually live instead.
Lewis creates a world where living and dying is a day to day thing.....where you can go for days without seeing another human and where the sound of laughter in the distance is something to be petrified of.
At the heart of the story is dystopian Earth, circa 2030, creepy as hell zombies (4 different flavours thank you very much - my fav kind: picture a group of intelligent psychopathic serial killers roaming from town to town to find "playthings" and you still wouldn't be close to what a Smiler is......) and humans, both good and bad. The book itself isnt for the faint at heart, there is awesome scary and graphic bits, there is a bit of sweetness and even some laughs. I am tempted to almost call this a YA book...but YA Horror.
Thanks Lewis for a great story, I look forward to the next one!
August 31, 2017
Is the story thrilling? Yes
Are the characters interesting? Yes
Is the Writing good? Yes (even with the frequent typos)
This was a great book, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
"Then why," you ask, "are you only giving it 2 stars?"
Two Reasons:
1. Some of the violence is overly gory. Like, shudder in disgust, have bad dreams gory. I'm totally cool with having slashing and killing in a book, but there is such a thing as TOO graphic.
2. The language. Sure, throw in some curse words. Fine. It fits the vibe and world in the book. But 160 of them?! Too much. It distracts from the story. The F-bomb alone was dropped no less than 20 times.
Take out those two toxic problems and I'd give the book a 4. Which is HIGH praise coming from me. But the cursing and violence killed my enjoyment of it.
(For a more comprehensive list of the violence and language in the book take a look at my blog review at http://bookcritiqueaweek.blogspot.com...)
Are the characters interesting? Yes
Is the Writing good? Yes (even with the frequent typos)
This was a great book, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
"Then why," you ask, "are you only giving it 2 stars?"
Two Reasons:
1. Some of the violence is overly gory. Like, shudder in disgust, have bad dreams gory. I'm totally cool with having slashing and killing in a book, but there is such a thing as TOO graphic.
2. The language. Sure, throw in some curse words. Fine. It fits the vibe and world in the book. But 160 of them?! Too much. It distracts from the story. The F-bomb alone was dropped no less than 20 times.
Take out those two toxic problems and I'd give the book a 4. Which is HIGH praise coming from me. But the cursing and violence killed my enjoyment of it.
(For a more comprehensive list of the violence and language in the book take a look at my blog review at http://bookcritiqueaweek.blogspot.com...)
April 8, 2020
Wow!! This book is amazing. I've had the privilege of reading it and was blown away by the world and characters that were so carefully penned here. It's really rare that an author can make you not only attached to the story and characters in a story, but also allow you to experience as a character inside - a lifetime of a story as someone else. I was so captivated by the details in this story. A true post apocalyptic foreshadowing! This story has a macabre and eerily dark and raw tone to it, and while it is all wonderful my favorite part of this book are the characters! Most specifically Wander, Temple, and Dagger. Often times when you read a story you can say different ways things could have or should have happened- not here! Down to the last nail biting, edge of your seat, can't put it down read- written excellence. Can't wait for the next one!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews