Grant, Mira ; Feed (Newsflesh Trilogy #1); Informal Buddy Read ; Start Date December 7

[Cynthia]

I've finished, and I'm both pleased and displeased with the ending. (view spoiler)[

I like that she had the ba77s to kill off George, but OTH I HATE SHAUN and don't know if I can move on to the next book if he's the MC. It's like having Johnny Knoxville in my book. I don't like Johnny Knoxville.

I halfway expected Ryman or Emily to be complicit in some way, but it turned out Ryman was just a willfully blind politician who let his ambition overwhelm common sense and not evil. <-----Almost as bad as being evil, as sometimes it has the same end result.

I didn't really care when Buffy was killed. I suspected something was up with her, because both she and Tate were overtly religious, and that tenuous connection was enough to arouse my suspicions. Sometimes my real life bias comes into play, I guess.
(hide spoiler)]

In short, I like the book but I'm not diving into the next one.

[Stacey]

Renee wrote: "I just finished part 2.

Very political. I've never really followed politics, so find it a bit hard to care about the senator and the election stuff. He does sound very perfect, but maybe he just ..."

I just finished Part 2 as well. The politics are starting to bother me a little bit--you can definitely see some of the leanings of the author which is usually a bit of a turn off for me. But (view spoiler)[ now I'm so invested in seeing who is trying to hurt the Senator that I'm excited to keep reading. (hide spoiler)]

[Renee]

Just started book 4. Definitely picked up the pace and I can put my finger on exactly what is more exciting now!

[Snowtulip]

It's good to hear that the pace picks up, I was getting a little bored so I went back to reading The Martian (love, love, love!)

[K~Terror]

Renee wrote: "Just started book 4. Definitely picked up the pace and I can put my finger on exactly what is more exciting now!"

Yes, I agree - it was around Book 4 when things started to get interesting for me too! I think I had a hard time getting into it because of, like you said Renee, how heavy it was into politics - which is not my bag. And, I also had the same issue as Cynthia in that I was not a fan of Shaun. I kept thinking he would grow on me but, if anything, he started getting even more annoying for some reason.

(view spoiler)[ I was pretty shocked at how things ended... on the one hand I was bummed, but on the other hand I was glad it went in an unexpected direction... but, back to my first hand... I'm still bummed and now less interested in going on to book 2...

I was surprised the Senator and his wife were what they seemed ~ rarely does it work out that way - in books - as well as in real life politics! LOL! (Which is one of the main reasons I'm not a big fan...)

I had a hard time rating it. If I could give 1/2 stars, it would have been a 3.5 but ended up rounding up. (hide spoiler)]

[Renee]

Just finished. Pace picked up even more in book 5.

I don't dislike Shaun, but he is rather reckless. Cynthia compared him to Johnny Knoxsville - I pictured him more like Steve Irwin (and Australian guy who loved to poke crocodiles for documentaries)



(view spoiler)[ George! I didn't see that happening! Love the twist, but sad too. The conspiracy went the way I was expecting. (hide spoiler)]

I've heard good things about the series, and I may read the next one sometime, but I have so many other books lined up right now that it probably wont be for a while.

[VNerdbooks]

I'm on chapter 16, and I'm still not feeling the love for the MC's they are a bit annoying!
Politics and uploading, I expected a bit more Zombie-ish stuff, although the explinations of everything is really good, I love the testing that has to be done for EVERYTHING, going in somewhere, coming back out lol.
It's a wonder anyone gets anywhere on time!

[Snowtulip]

Apparently, I'm like a turtle with this book...I'm going slowly, but surely :D

[Cynthia]

Snowtulip wrote: "Apparently, I'm like a turtle with this book...I'm going slowly, but surely :D"

To be honest, this book can't hold a candle to Girl with all the Gifts. I don't see how you could read them concurrently!

[Snowtulip]

Cynthia wrote: "Snowtulip wrote: "Apparently, I'm like a turtle with this book...I'm going slowly, but surely :D"

To be honest, this book can't hold a candle to Girl with all the Gifts. I don't see how you could ..."

That might be my problem!!

[VNerdbooks]

Ok finished this, it got going a little nearer the end, but even on a 2nd read it didn't do it for me, sorry feed lovers :●(

Georgia and Shane were just annoying, and there is far to much politics that I just speeded through as I wasn't really interested in.
Georgie and Shaun had a weird relationship if you ask me, not brotherly/sisterly.
Good twist though, didn't see that coming!

[Cynthia]

I'm not a Feed lover, but I didn't hate it. It's much better than most of the zombie genre I've attempted to read. There are two things that make me drop it out of my top 5.(view spoiler)[

1. I don't like Shaun. Not even a little bit. I couldn't stand to be in a room with him for 5 minutes.

2. The relationship between Shaun and George is so beyond creepy. I don't expect an adversarial relationship, but it's still over the top closeness. The whole 'I don't want anyone else to have my back blah blah blah' doesn't work for me.

2.5 He lives and she dies. No need to read further. (hide spoiler)]

[Snowtulip]

I definitely liked the last part of the book better than the first. This is the type of book that would make a good movie because of the action/thriller approach.

(view spoiler)[I was attached to the cat, so I was bummed when she died. I think what was difficult for me and this story is that I never became attached to Georgia and Shaun...I was getting there with Georgia in the end. I also thought Georgia and Shaun really aren't blood brother and sister??(I thought I read that they were born 3 weeks apart) (hide spoiler)]

[Jex]

Georgia and Shaun are both adopted children from completely separate families. There is no blood relation. They were "saved" by the masons after being abandoned during the rising. There's nothing creepy about their relationship because they aren't related. The just grew up in the same house.

[Snowtulip]

Thanks Jex, that's what I thought, then wondered if I was thinking of another book I was reading :)

[Jex]

It hurts my heart a bit that it seems a lot of ppl didn't like the book. I guess I'm the odd man out. This is one of my favorite series and it gets me super emotional. Book 2 and 3 are even weirder and better in my opinion. Some crazy stuff happens!

[Cynthia]

Jex wrote: "Georgia and Shaun are both adopted children from completely separate families. There is no blood relation. They were "saved" by the masons after being abandoned during the rising. There's nothing c..."

Well, as an adopted person, I don't believe that a relationship with a parent or sibling is no less valid because you're not 'blood related'. The idea is offensive, really. Like I'm a rescued animal or something, but not legitimate family. I can assure you that nobody in my family, or in the families of adopted people that I know, would have intimate relationships with genetically unrelated siblings and not call it incest.

I'm not saying that Shaun and George had an incestuous relationship. I'm just saying that there was no room for either of them to develop healthy relationships with other people, and I find that a bit weird. It's acknowledged in the book that it's outside the norm.

[Erin]

just finished my reread. will be diving into the conversation as soon as I am off mobile.

[Snowtulip]

Yeah Erin!

I'm on the fence about moving on to book 2.

I've had many series that I absolutely love, but they start with me not adoring book one, but they intrigue me enough to move forward in the series.

[Erin]

Ok i have read everything, spoilers and all. Time to dive in.

HERE THERE BE WHOLE BOOK SPOILERS
(view spoiler)[
• I really love the note Cynthia made about "Newsflesh" and it being applied against George and Shaun and their relationship with their parents. It adds another layer of nuance to the whole thing, especially when Georgia and Shaun are asked about it being worth it.
• When Shaun has to kill Georgia, I bawl. Every damn time.
• Renee saying Shaun is like Steve Irwin is awesome, because that is exactly where his brand of reporters (Irwins) get their name!
• A lot of you have commented on the political aspect of the book. I really want to discuss this further. I personally found that Buffy aside and the Georgia/Tate interview aside... There wasn't much in the way of actual poloticking. There was lots about the mechanics of the election... But not about left/right etc.
• I hear and respect what Cynthia says about adopted siblings. In today's world I would likely call it incest, too. But in the world of the book, all these two had from a young age was each other. Their parents blatantly used them and never loved them. Cared for them yes, but I don't think the Masons ever loved their adoptive children. I would say that it probably started as a basic codependence, and moved to something "more" from there. Grant never makes it clear if they are romantically involved, she just kind of hints at it. After all when we say "You kiss your mother with that mouth?!" we tend not to jump to a squicky place. So, are they screwing or are they just very close? *shrug* I wasn't weirded out by their relationship at all. Especially looking at the upbringin they'd have had with the Masons. Held at arm's length, always knowing they didn't belong to the family and weren't related... Plus having to fight zombies and work together?

I love the book and the author. But i am able to admit flaws with the book. Some repeat-shit-itis. A few continuity errors (George says she feels the burning of tears at one point, but she can't cry). A lot of fluffy supporting characters without much substance. But she did the research when it came to the virology part. I like Grant's writing voice.
(hide spoiler)]

HERE THERE BE MINOR SPOILERISH BITS ABOUT BOOK 2 THAT MAY OR MAY NOT KEEP YOU READING
(view spoiler)[Shaun narrates book two, but kind of goes insane without Georgia. So he hears her voice all the time. (Like he did in the last few chapters) It's like she isn't even really gone. (hide spoiler)]

There is an alternate ending out there called Fed. It is cool, though potentially triggering (view spoiler)[as it talks of suicide (hide spoiler)].

Also, all of the MG novellas are on sale for 0.99 right now. So if you are interested in how the virus came to be, Countdown is worth checking out. It is not fast paced by any means, but a great additive to the story. California Browncoats contains no spoilers, but How Green/How Blue does. It is almost worth reading the other two books for How Green/How Blue. Zombie kangaroos. Or as i call them, zombiroos!

Not related, but the Apocalypse Scenario novella is pretty awesome.

[Stacey]

I finished last night. I have to say that I LOVED the world the author created. How the virus came about, how the levels of security had been set up, how you had to tell someone if you were going to be driving on the interstate--the whole thing just seemed very realistic to me and would be why I would keep reading the next book.

The characters on the other hand... (view spoiler)[ I didn't really connect to. I feel like I knew nothing much about George except she wanted to tell the truth, the disease effected her eyes, and she had a slightly creepy relationship with her brother. About Shaun I know even less--he likes to poke things with sticks. That's it. So when Georgia died, I felt surprise because I knew that there were future books that she wouldn't be in--but other than that, nada. To he honest, I was most worried about Rick--because he saved that silly cat. (hide spoiler)]

I do agree that most of the political stuff died off after the primary and what happened at the ranch. But I think that Tate is such a caricature of a politician that the author has a definite viewpoint that came across in the book.

[Cynthia]

Stacey wrote: "To he honest, I was most worried about Rick--(view spoiler)[because he saved that silly cat. (hide spoiler)]"

I was already starting to feel a connection with Rick, mostly because he seems so ordinary, like I would imagine myself in that situation, and not all a paramilitary type person. He felt real, like an ordinary person with courage instead of someone the whole world is watching do extraordinary things everyday.

[Jex]

Cynthia wrote: "Jex wrote: "Georgia and Shaun are both adopted children from completely separate families. There is no blood relation. They were "saved" by the masons after being abandoned during the rising. There..."


I didn't mean to cause offense. It's the way these two were raised that makes this different. They were literally used as a media show being declared part of the rescued youth of the rising. The only time they had to themselves was the time they spent together. I would in no way use this terminology to describe anyone that is adopted, I simply use it describe this particular situation. They were given a home, but they never lived up to the child that the Mason's lost, and they can't forgive the Masons for the life they were put through.

[Snowtulip]

Kristin, (view spoiler)[I agree about Tate, he did the scooby doo bad guy confession at the end and I would have thought he would have done something else. It did wrap things up, but maybe too neatly (hide spoiler)]

[Jex]

@Kristin: That ending definitely would have made it hard to continue the series. The alternate ending is Fed and you can read it for free online.

[RachelvlehcaR]

Kristin wrote: "This is A LOT better on Audio to me. I am about halfway thru I think. [spoilers removed]

I am much more interested in this book now. It took me a while to get into. Shaun and Georgia have a weird ..."

Just wait until you read the second book. Then I want to know how you feel.

[RachelvlehcaR]

Jex wrote: "@Kristin: That ending definitely would have made it hard to continue the series. The alternate ending is Fed and you can read it for free online."

I liked the book version versus Fed version.

[RachelvlehcaR]

Jex wrote: "It hurts my heart a bit that it seems a lot of ppl didn't like the book. I guess I'm the odd man out. This is one of my favorite series and it gets me super emotional. Book 2 and 3 are even weirder..."

I really liked the first book.

[Jex]

I'll bite my tongue since I know the series. But I could probably think of a few ways she could have made it work....