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Feed (Newsflesh, #1)
by
by
Jilly's review
bookshelves: apocalyptic-post-apocalyptic, zombies, read-while-cutting-onions, y-a
Sep 23, 2015
bookshelves: apocalyptic-post-apocalyptic, zombies, read-while-cutting-onions, y-a
You live, you die, and then you come back to life, get up, and shamble around trying to eat your former friends and loved ones. That's the way it is for everyone.
This book actually made me almost cry. That is truly a feat because I don't even usually get close to tears unless I'm cutting onions. And, yet I only gave it a three star rating because I would say I didn't care for the main story too much, but fell in love with the relationship between the main characters. So, I figured it deserved a middle rating for my love/hate relationship with this book.
This story is set 20 years after the zombie apocalypse through the eyes of three 20-something bloggers. Blogs are where people get their news now because people have basically had to retreat to living in isolation and fear since the zombies are always a huge threat. Everyone carries the virus that makes them turn into zombies upon death, and there is always the chance that the virus will spontaneously take over and someone will just turn zombie at any time. So, large crowds, or small crowds, are things of the past. It isn't safe to be around a group of people anymore.
Our bloggers are Georgia - our main narrator, Shaun - her brother and bff, and Buffy - their friend and colleague. They run a blogging news site and have been picked to follow a presidential candidate as part of his team while he makes the run for office. It is a big opportunity for them to make a name for themselves. We have their adventure told to us through blog entries and Georgia's narration.
The thing is, we get a LOT of info-dumping. We learn extensively how the virus of zombism came to be, how it works, and statistics like crazy, and then we learn more about journalism than I've ever wanted to know. On top of that, since they are following a presidential candidate around, we also get tons of political talk. I just found all of that really boring. Really boring.... I almost DNFed the book a couple of times because of it.
But, I didn't DNF because of the relationship between Georgia and Shaun - the brother and sister. They had the sweetest sibling relationship that I have ever read in a book. Often, in books, we get sisters who are super close, or brothers, and often twins, but we rarely get a brother/sister relationship that is as close as same sex siblings. And, since I had such an amazingly close relationship with my own brother, it was awesome to read about one. My brother and I were best friends, and sometimes people acted like that was weird, but it was awesome to have that. As I have mentioned before, he died a couple of years ago of AIDS, and I was the one who inherited everything he had. It was bittersweet to find a necklace that had an angel stamped into it with my name on it that he carried around as a good-luck charm, but that was how we felt about each other. I felt like the relationship between Georgia and Shaun captured the closeness, protectiveness, and friendship that siblings can have. And, I really related to them - Georgia, negative and practical, and Shaun, gregarious and protective. I remember when we were little and moved to a new home and my brother went up to some girls my age and asked them if they would be my new friends. ;-) And, I was the one who took him to his doctor's appointments when he was at his sickest.
Georgia: Maybe it's geeky for a girl my age to admit she still loves her brother. I don't care. I love him, and one day I'll bury him, and until then, I'm going to be grateful that I'm allowed to watch him talk.
So, this relationship made this book for me. It was special.... and then.... let the crying begin...
(view spoiler)
Okay, I'm off to read something to make me feel something along the lines of happiness again. ;-)
This book actually made me almost cry. That is truly a feat because I don't even usually get close to tears unless I'm cutting onions. And, yet I only gave it a three star rating because I would say I didn't care for the main story too much, but fell in love with the relationship between the main characters. So, I figured it deserved a middle rating for my love/hate relationship with this book.
This story is set 20 years after the zombie apocalypse through the eyes of three 20-something bloggers. Blogs are where people get their news now because people have basically had to retreat to living in isolation and fear since the zombies are always a huge threat. Everyone carries the virus that makes them turn into zombies upon death, and there is always the chance that the virus will spontaneously take over and someone will just turn zombie at any time. So, large crowds, or small crowds, are things of the past. It isn't safe to be around a group of people anymore.
Our bloggers are Georgia - our main narrator, Shaun - her brother and bff, and Buffy - their friend and colleague. They run a blogging news site and have been picked to follow a presidential candidate as part of his team while he makes the run for office. It is a big opportunity for them to make a name for themselves. We have their adventure told to us through blog entries and Georgia's narration.
The thing is, we get a LOT of info-dumping. We learn extensively how the virus of zombism came to be, how it works, and statistics like crazy, and then we learn more about journalism than I've ever wanted to know. On top of that, since they are following a presidential candidate around, we also get tons of political talk. I just found all of that really boring. Really boring.... I almost DNFed the book a couple of times because of it.
But, I didn't DNF because of the relationship between Georgia and Shaun - the brother and sister. They had the sweetest sibling relationship that I have ever read in a book. Often, in books, we get sisters who are super close, or brothers, and often twins, but we rarely get a brother/sister relationship that is as close as same sex siblings. And, since I had such an amazingly close relationship with my own brother, it was awesome to read about one. My brother and I were best friends, and sometimes people acted like that was weird, but it was awesome to have that. As I have mentioned before, he died a couple of years ago of AIDS, and I was the one who inherited everything he had. It was bittersweet to find a necklace that had an angel stamped into it with my name on it that he carried around as a good-luck charm, but that was how we felt about each other. I felt like the relationship between Georgia and Shaun captured the closeness, protectiveness, and friendship that siblings can have. And, I really related to them - Georgia, negative and practical, and Shaun, gregarious and protective. I remember when we were little and moved to a new home and my brother went up to some girls my age and asked them if they would be my new friends. ;-) And, I was the one who took him to his doctor's appointments when he was at his sickest.
Georgia: Maybe it's geeky for a girl my age to admit she still loves her brother. I don't care. I love him, and one day I'll bury him, and until then, I'm going to be grateful that I'm allowed to watch him talk.
So, this relationship made this book for me. It was special.... and then.... let the crying begin...
(view spoiler)
Okay, I'm off to read something to make me feel something along the lines of happiness again. ;-)
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Reading Progress
September 23, 2015
– Shelved
September 23, 2015
– Shelved as:
to-read
January 18, 2016
–
Started Reading
January 19, 2016
–
19.87%
"This book would totally appeal to bloggers who love the zombie apocalypse. That's not me, exactly, but it's okay so far. Reminds me of The Walking Dead - a lot! Shaun even uses a crossbow.
"
page
119
"
January 19, 2016
– Shelved as:
apocalyptic-post-apocalyptic
January 19, 2016
– Shelved as:
zombies
January 19, 2016
– Shelved as:
read-while-cutting-onions
January 20, 2016
–
Finished Reading
May 10, 2017
– Shelved as:
y-a
Comments Showing 1-15 of 15 (15 new)
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Neat how the relationship touched you so closely. As for the story, I don't know if I'd be able to get over the suspension of disbelief that blogs still exist in the apocalypse.
Excellent review. I'm glad you were able to connect with this book on a deeper level even if you didn't love it but I'm sorry for the circumstances that led to that connection.
Fantastic review,Sweetie.Very well explained.And,girl,you had me in tears when you mentioned the necklace your brother carried around,xx
I didn't read your spoiler because this review made me put this on my TBR. Simply excellent. And I'm so sorry for your loss : (
Sarah - it was different than LLL because it wasn't overly descriptive, just incredibly informative on the world. But, I don't think you'd like it because it still means way too much information to get to the story.Eric- lol on the blogging through the apocalypse. Although I tend to think that bloggers are like cockroaches - they will survive the end of the world.. and then tell us all about it. ;-)
Casey - thank you! Some stories just hit that spot once in a while.
Judith - thank you, sweetheart! That necklace. Yeah, it kills me, but I'll treasure it forever and someday someone will find it in my things and wonder if I was a narcissist for having a necklace calling myself an angel. lol!
Kelly (and the Book Boar) wrote: "I didn't read your spoiler because this review made me put this on my TBR. Simply excellent. And I'm so sorry for your loss : ("Thank you, Kelly. Yeah, definitely don't read the spoiler if you are reading the book. I hope you like it! :)
Madeleine (Maddie) wrote: "Excellent review! ;-)"Thank you, Maddie! :)
Great review, Jilly!Love #1:
That is truly a feat because I don't even usually get close to tears unless I'm cutting onions.
I knew we were kindred spirits.
Love #2: Buffy? LMAO
Aw, Ate Jilly. I don't what to say. I checked the spoilery parts and ugh...lemme just hug you! <3 <3 <3 Great, heartfelt review, Ate. <3
Val - thank you! I'm glad to know other emotionally stunted people. lol! Also, I agree with you on the Buffy name. If I could do it all over, I would pick that as a daughter's name. It is the bomb! ;-)Ading AJ - Thanks, friend! You are the sweetest! ♥
Beautiful review Jilly! I'm so sorry for your losses. This review hit me right in the feels. Must be those fricking onions again.
Mindy wrote: "Beautiful review Jilly! I'm so sorry for your losses. This review hit me right in the feels. Must be those fricking onions again."aww, thank you, Mindy. Damn onions!! ;-)
love this. Wait until you finished the whole series ♥
It's strange how books affect us depending on our personal experiences. There are a few books I'm pretty sure I would have felt very differently about, had they not resonated with me. It sounds like this is what happened to you here. It's a sad but also nice experience because it brings back both bad and good memories:)
Great review, my sweet onion-cutting wife!