Reviewed by clementine on
Unfortunately I just don't think this novel is as well-developed as the original series. I mean, Grant had big shoes to fill to begin with considering the protagonists of the first three novels are so goddamn delightful. Our team of Aislinn, Ben, Audrey, and Mat are perfectly likeable - but they're no Georgia and Shaun Mason. Or, rather, Aislinn falls pretty squarely into Grant's wheelhouse of badass but vulnerable female protagonists (which, while enjoyable, is perhaps a tad repetitive by now), and Ben, Audrey, and Mat were underdeveloped by comparison. I especially wanted more of Ben, and I understand that he's the straight-laced, responsible one, but that doesn't mean he can't have more of a personality! I thought all the auxiliary characters in the original series were really interesting, but they were also helped along by the fact that Shaun and Georgia are straight up some of the most enjoyable action protagonists ever. Aislinn has a lot of weight to pull here since she's the only character who's completely developed. In addition, the political context also wasn't quite as developed, with more time given over to killing zombies and escaping warlords.
The climax of the novel felt a bit rushed to me. The last 15% was drastically different from the rest of the book, and it was really interesting, and I wish there'd been more time to dwell. Grant did a great job of writing about being a prisoner in the second book in the series, and this just didn't live up to that. It was still interesting and exciting, but I wished she'd pushed it a little further and given the reader more breathing room. And I think, in general, the novel just didn't go as far as I wanted it to. I've seen Grant pull off mindblowing twists time and time again, and I kept waiting for that to happen to no avail. Even the major deaths weren't as impactful as they could have been - maybe because I already know she has no compunction killing people off. Buffy dying in Feed was a shock because I had no idea Grant was willing to go there. Mat dying in Feedback was kind of like, "Well, yeah. Somebody had to."
My final issue with this novel is that it seemed a bit preachy. I absolutely love that Grant is so dedicated to representing diverse races, sexualities, and genders, don't get me wrong. I'm not here to be one of those people who complains about how there aren't enough straight white people in a novel. The issue is that is's so heavy-handed, with her feeding her own political rants into her characters' narration and dialogue. Art is political and I'm totally on board with that - it's not a matter of the content but the execution. It just wasn't integrated well and totally took me out of the novel. But a huge, huge, huge round of applause to Grant for her commitment to compassionate inclusivity and creating characters who are not only diverse but well-rounded and non-stereotypical.
This is a really enjoyable read for fans of the original trilogy, for sure. I pretty much take any chance I can get to spend a bit more time in this world, because it's so thoroughly fun. Seriously, I am not a zombie novel person at all, but I will talk your goddamn ear off about how great this series is if you give me the chance. However, this is a novel for true fans - it just doesn't live up to the original series. It's a long novel and in 500+ pages it never quite gave me the satisfaction I so craved.
That said, I maintain that this series would make an excellent screen adaptation (television, preferably) and I think this particular novel would be even more enjoyable onscreen. It is rife with zombie-killing and that's something that will always be more fun to watch than to read about. Somebody make this happen, and by somebody I mean an awesome woman who will do these complex, strong female characters justice.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 23 March, 2018: Finished reading
- 23 March, 2018: Reviewed