The Passage in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Jan 08, 2013 Emily rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi

Another great audio book, but it did drag in parts. Need to read the sequel.

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Feb 19, 2018 Wendy E. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a commitment, but one I enjoyed!

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Dec 06, 2012 Jaime rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, scifi-postapocolyptic-dystopian, read-2012

This is a book that has been on my “to read” list since it came out and left a plethora of stellar reviews in its wake. So I’m very disappointed to say… I didn’t love it.

Two years past its release, is it a victim of too much hype? Perhaps.

There were certainly parts of the book I liked. You don’t make it through an 800-900 page book without finding something redeemable about it. I thought all of the characters were interesting, even if I didn’t always understand their purpose. Probably 10% of the This is a book that has been on my “to read” list since it came out and left a plethora of stellar reviews in its wake. So I’m very disappointed to say… I didn’t love it.

Two years past its release, is it a victim of too much hype? Perhaps.

There were certainly parts of the book I liked. You don’t make it through an 800-900 page book without finding something redeemable about it. I thought all of the characters were interesting, even if I didn’t always understand their purpose. Probably 10% of the characters could be cut completely out of the book with absolutely no impact. I liked Wolgast, and one of my favorite parts of the book was when he and Amy were living in the mountains. I also liked Peter, except in his most maudlin moments. My favorite character was actually Sarah, although her role is relatively minor until late in the book.

I also thought the concept was good, if a little extreme. Very apocalyptic. I would have loved to have more information about what happened in-between Wolgast’s time and Peter’s, but I guess that’s what the second book is for. I don’t really agree with its initial characterization as a “vampire” novel, but I guess if you break it down to its simplest form, you can call it that. I enjoyed Cronin’s imagining of a new way of life, where light means life, and government no longer exists.

So what didn’t I like? THE PACING. This book was soooooooooooo slooooooooooow. I’m not a speed reader, but I’m not slow either. I started this book on my Kindle in mid-August, and around the third week of September I hit the 50% mark. At that point, I was so tired of reading it that I knew I had only two choices – give it up, or try to finish it with an audiobook. Turns out, even the audiobook narrator was sloooooooow. Two things saved the rest of the book for me – the ability to play it on double speed on my iPhone, and the fact that things actually started happening in the book. I wish that 90% of the book had been about their journey to Colorado, instead of 25-33%.

So my overall impressions are that I didn’t hate it, but I’m not that excited about it. It did end strong, but it took so long to get to the good that I’m not sure it was worth my time. I may or may not get around to reading the next book. ...more

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Jul 29, 2016 Linda rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A long involved read, I liked it a lot. Post-apocalyptic books are popular right now, as are vampire stories, this was more detailed and it drew me right in.

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Mar 08, 2013 Jess rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, novel, young-adult, adventure, supernatural, quest, horror, sci-fi

I've never read a book that made me feel so wholly unprepared for a vampire apocalypse. ...more

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Dec 19, 2010 Kate rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Read it even if you are over (or never were into) vampires.

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Jan 30, 2013 Lisa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-recommend

It got off to a slow start and I wasn't crazy about the ending, but overall, pretty entertaining. The characters are well-developed and the story is compelling. The apocalypse and vampires are effective vehicles, but don't dominate the narrative. ...more

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