Genre: YA - Scifi, Dystopian, Political ThrillerRating: 4 stars
Review: This book is one of those books that I find hard to review for some reason. Obviously, as I've given it 4 stars, I enjoyed it and liked it. I thought it was a fresh new idea, and the writing is great. I was entertained all throughout, but I did have some slight issues with it.
I'll start with the good though. Like I already mentioned, the original concept, plot, and solid writing were all there. I thought it was brilliant how the author took many different aspects from various genres and sub-genres and mixed them all quite perfectly. I was reading scifi, thriller, mystery, dystopian, political thriller, horror all in one book. I thought it was also cool how it wasn't necessarily a "zombie" book, but a political drama set in a post zombie-apocalyptic world. I found this part unique and engrossing, as well as incredibly smart. And I have to admit, it's not that often that I read a book that challenges me to think outside the box, and it's nice to finally read one that does just that. I also thought that the plot developed well - quick enough not to get bored but slow enough not to feel rushed or anything. All of these reasons that I just mentioned made me want to give it a full 5-star rating.
However, the reason why I could not give it that, was because of the main character. I DID NOT LIKE HER AT ALL! I tried to; I really did. But she was just such an elitist and a self-important teenager. She had that, "Oh I'm way better than you, so shut up and listen" attitude that I obviously didn't find appealing. She was way too snarky, annoying, and negative for me! I felt miserable reading about her to be honest. And you all know I love strong female characters - but to me, she was just a 'hard' character, not necessarily a strong heroine. The rest of the characters were okay - my favorite was Shaun, the brother - even though I didn't particularly find them memorable. I thought their personalities didn't really shine through as much.
Despite that, I enjoyed this book a lot - also liked how it ended. I do think its greatest strength was the author's way of creating, exploring, and sharing the uniqueness of her invented world. She was also able to take a somehow overused, popular creature - like zombies - and turn them into something new entirely that I think many would appreciate.
I would recommend this to fans of the whole dystopian, post-apocalyptic sub-genre, and if you enjoy a good political thriller every now and then. However, if you are looking for a regular zombie novel - the flesh eating menaces; blood, guts, and all - you might not like this as much. For me, I thought it was a well-written, well-researched novel that I definitely enjoyed! I just wish the main character was more likable. I will definitely reach the sequel for this one though - heard it's told through the brother's point of view! That should be good.
Review: This book is one of those books that I find hard to review for some reason. Obviously, as I've given it 4 stars, I enjoyed it and liked it. I thought it was a fresh new idea, and the writing is great. I was entertained all throughout, but I did have some slight issues with it.
I'll start with the good though. Like I already mentioned, the original concept, plot, and solid writing were all there. I thought it was brilliant how the author took many different aspects from various genres and sub-genres and mixed them all quite perfectly. I was reading scifi, thriller, mystery, dystopian, political thriller, horror all in one book. I thought it was also cool how it wasn't necessarily a "zombie" book, but a political drama set in a post zombie-apocalyptic world. I found this part unique and engrossing, as well as incredibly smart. And I have to admit, it's not that often that I read a book that challenges me to think outside the box, and it's nice to finally read one that does just that. I also thought that the plot developed well - quick enough not to get bored but slow enough not to feel rushed or anything. All of these reasons that I just mentioned made me want to give it a full 5-star rating.
However, the reason why I could not give it that, was because of the main character. I DID NOT LIKE HER AT ALL! I tried to; I really did. But she was just such an elitist and a self-important teenager. She had that, "Oh I'm way better than you, so shut up and listen" attitude that I obviously didn't find appealing. She was way too snarky, annoying, and negative for me! I felt miserable reading about her to be honest. And you all know I love strong female characters - but to me, she was just a 'hard' character, not necessarily a strong heroine. The rest of the characters were okay - my favorite was Shaun, the brother - even though I didn't particularly find them memorable. I thought their personalities didn't really shine through as much.
Despite that, I enjoyed this book a lot - also liked how it ended. I do think its greatest strength was the author's way of creating, exploring, and sharing the uniqueness of her invented world. She was also able to take a somehow overused, popular creature - like zombies - and turn them into something new entirely that I think many would appreciate.
I would recommend this to fans of the whole dystopian, post-apocalyptic sub-genre, and if you enjoy a good political thriller every now and then. However, if you are looking for a regular zombie novel - the flesh eating menaces; blood, guts, and all - you might not like this as much. For me, I thought it was a well-written, well-researched novel that I definitely enjoyed! I just wish the main character was more likable. I will definitely reach the sequel for this one though - heard it's told through the brother's point of view! That should be good.
Hey Jillian,
ReplyDeleteSo, seriously, I don't know why I wasn't following you before :/ I could've sworn I was. But, anyway I am now, and I just wanted to say great review! I've seen Feed a few times, but never really gave it a chance b/c I'm not all that into dystopian. *shrugs* Usually not a big fan of self-important teen leads either, but now I may have to rethink this one ;)
Thanks for stopping by my blog, and I hope you have a great Monday!
Ninja Girl
Hey Jillian, I have not heard about this book before, but it sounds interesting except of course for the MC. I am not the biggest fan of zombies, but have read a few recently I liked. Great review!
ReplyDelete+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the movie Day of the Dead, Jillian? It's a zombie movie that twists the conventions a little by not making the zombies the main antagonists. They remain a huge threat throughout the story, but they're not the worst characters. One of them is even sympathetic! =P
I was reminded of it when I read your description of Feed as "not necessarily a 'zombie' book, but a political drama set in a post-apocalyptic world"--and the part about Grant making zombies seem new and fresh. That's not easy to do! Zombies are hardly the most versatile monsters in the "pantheon"!
Anyway, it sounds good. Thanks for the review. =)
I have had this one on my Wishlist but i'm rethinking it now. I am not a fan of dystopian but I love that you said their were mixed genres in this one. I may consider and try this one. Sounds intense though.
ReplyDeleteFor me if I don't like the main character its going to be hard for me to get into the story. It does sound like Feed has a bit of everything but I'm not usually a fan of zombie books or horror so I'm still on the fence about Feed.
ReplyDeleteNinja Girl - Haha that's okay that happens! ;) Well, I guess if you're not much into zombies or dystopian - especially self impt characters - you might NOT like this one. I'd still recommend it just because I believe everyone should try a book at least once. You might think of it differently.
ReplyDeleteJan Von Harz - Ohhh I'm interested to hear which zombie books you liked!
E - I have to be honest; I'm not much of a fan of zombie books and films mainly because I hate blood and guts and flesh eating things.. LOL. But I do appreciate a good one every once in a while. Would you say that 'Day of the Dead' is a good one for not-so-zombie fans like me?
Marce - It is a bit more for older teens and mature YA, so I know you usually don't read many YA but you might like this one. I wasn't head over heels in love with it or anything, but thought it was still a good read.
Jenny - To be honest, I may be just have been too hard on her character. I can see how others might like this 'tough, hard' persona but it just wasn't for me. Oh and it's not really much of a zombie book or a horror novel either - it's very political-ish so if you might be interested that, try it :)
I've seen the book's cover, but hadn't heard anything about it. It's a bummer that the main character is a letdown, especially since the plot seems so interesting! Thanks for the review
ReplyDelete+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteWell, Day of the Dead still has a great deal of the gore we associate with zombie flicks--but it has such rich veins of drama and satire running through it that I don't really consider it a "zombie movie."
I was fascinated by the balance the main character has to maintain between the aptly nicknamed "Dr. Frankenstein" who is experimenting on zombies to find a way to reverse the infection process and the military captain whose orders are to protect the whole team of scientists but who seriously wants out. It's a situation that would drive most people crazy--and it almost does!
The whole film is up on YouTube, so you can watch the first few minutes and decide if it is for you.
Hey there!
ReplyDeleteI do have this book despite not being a big fan of zombies (They are kinda gross, I think?!). I can understand your reasoning behind not liking the MC.
Are you thinking of picking up the sequel soon?
Lizzy - It's not as popular as other YA books, for some reason, though I think it deserves more attention! I would still recommend it :)
ReplyDeleteE - Hmm okay. I should check that out when I have a free time this weekend! Thanks!
Shy - Zombies ARE gross haha. But to be honest I just don't like them because I'm scared of them! LOL.
I am thinking of picking up the sequel soon. I did enjoy the brother's character so I think I will enjoy the sequel.
This sounds really good, even if the main character was unlikeable. Nice review :)
ReplyDeleteI just recently downloaded this to my Kindle. Sorry to hear the main character wasn’t likable. I hate when that happens, but I love that you still enjoyed the book even with an annoying MC. Checking this out soon :)
ReplyDeletenaida -Thanks for reading. It was good and very interesting.
ReplyDeleteChristie - I hope you like it! :)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Jillian! This was a great review. :)
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to read Feed, so it's definitely nice to see how someone felt about it. It sucks that you didn't like the main character, but to be honest, it kind of makes the book sound even better to me, just because you still really liked the book even though you didn't like the MC. :) That means it must be pretty awesome in general, and hopefully, once I read it I don't hate the MC...although I've definitely hated MC's that sounded a lot like this one. :P haha
Thanks again for sharing :)
Ambur