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A review by keysmashhh
All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Relationships: 4.5/5
World-Building: 4/5
Genre: 4/5
Plot: The idea for the book was really good and I think it was executed well. In retrospect, the plot wasn't the most developed I think it could have been (going from the cabin to Henri's to Washington to the cult Fort thing and then to Florida) but there were some nice moments and I didn't find myself getting bored at any point. The backstory to the virus wasn't the most developed plot which I think let the book down only slightly but I liked the general premise.
Characters: The characters were the shining stars of the book (with Andrew being my fav of course) they felt so complex and well-rounded, you got to know them as individuals and that made me really attached to them. I was genuinely scared that Jamie was going to die at one point. I loved the pop culture references, as a professional nerd it was so lovely to see this sort of love language represented in a book and the way Andrew told movie plots to Jamie to keep him happy... ugh I love it. Each character's relationship with their sexuality was really interesting, with Andrew's confidence cleverly contrasted with Jamie's uncertainty but what I loved was the understanding, that there wasn't a "gay freak out" moment, Jamie just slowly came to terms with his sexuality and it was a really nice diversion from the normal stereotypes of bi characters. Maybe the only criticism was the girl character (I feel so bad but I can't remember her name) she just kind of was there... very under-developed, like plot-wise she was needed to advance the plot forward but I really wish she had been given literally any personality, she just fell so flat. And that's so annoying because I really wanted to like her and wanted to know more about her, I think she just fell victim to being a side character who turned up too far into the book to have enough development. Also unrelated but Henri is an icon!
Relationships: ok so I love slow-burn romance like it's the best romantic trope !!! and when they finally kiss, it just makes it all worth it. I liked the way this trope was used in the book and I was happy when they kissed and you know finally confessed (even if they were both tied up and about to die) however it wasn't the most overwhelmingly romantic scene - I wasn't blown away but I think I just have impossibly high standards when reading romance. The romance worked and when they finally got together (and Jamie wasn't dying anymore) it worked, it was cute. I could do with a sequel where they're all fluffy and happy, just living their best lives because there wasn't enough of that to feed my soul.
World-Building: This is where it gets complex, I've seen other people complaining about it being a pandemic book, others complaining about how homophobia and white supremacy exist in this post-apocalyptic world but I thought those elements all made the book SO MUCH better. The Fort William drama was amazing, where the book took a proper uphill turn - like it was interesting and understandable that a community like that would form in a post-apocalyptic America. And of course it would thrive in that sort of way. Its the same with Andrew using a gun, I'm sure pre-apocalypse Andrew never used guns and was anti-gun but the world has changed and its interesting to see what parts of America stay and what parts fade away with time in this post-Apocalyptic story. I liked the world building, little things like the different types of shops they tried to raid and the way the climate had changed all added a nice level of complexity to the book.
Genre: this isn't exactly my normal genre but I do enjoy a good post-apocalyptic story, especially when it links well to current events. I might have to read Wranglestone next - it gives the same vibes :)
Characters: 4/5
Relationships: 4.5/5
World-Building: 4/5
Genre: 4/5
Plot: The idea for the book was really good and I think it was executed well. In retrospect, the plot wasn't the most developed I think it could have been (going from the cabin to Henri's to Washington to the cult Fort thing and then to Florida) but there were some nice moments and I didn't find myself getting bored at any point. The backstory to the virus wasn't the most developed plot which I think let the book down only slightly but I liked the general premise.
Characters: The characters were the shining stars of the book (with Andrew being my fav of course) they felt so complex and well-rounded, you got to know them as individuals and that made me really attached to them. I was genuinely scared that Jamie was going to die at one point. I loved the pop culture references, as a professional nerd it was so lovely to see this sort of love language represented in a book and the way Andrew told movie plots to Jamie to keep him happy... ugh I love it. Each character's relationship with their sexuality was really interesting, with Andrew's confidence cleverly contrasted with Jamie's uncertainty but what I loved was the understanding, that there wasn't a "gay freak out" moment, Jamie just slowly came to terms with his sexuality and it was a really nice diversion from the normal stereotypes of bi characters. Maybe the only criticism was the girl character (I feel so bad but I can't remember her name) she just kind of was there... very under-developed, like plot-wise she was needed to advance the plot forward but I really wish she had been given literally any personality, she just fell so flat. And that's so annoying because I really wanted to like her and wanted to know more about her, I think she just fell victim to being a side character who turned up too far into the book to have enough development. Also unrelated but Henri is an icon!
Relationships: ok so I love slow-burn romance like it's the best romantic trope !!! and when they finally kiss, it just makes it all worth it. I liked the way this trope was used in the book and I was happy when they kissed and you know finally confessed (even if they were both tied up and about to die) however it wasn't the most overwhelmingly romantic scene - I wasn't blown away but I think I just have impossibly high standards when reading romance. The romance worked and when they finally got together (and Jamie wasn't dying anymore) it worked, it was cute. I could do with a sequel where they're all fluffy and happy, just living their best lives because there wasn't enough of that to feed my soul.
World-Building: This is where it gets complex, I've seen other people complaining about it being a pandemic book, others complaining about how homophobia and white supremacy exist in this post-apocalyptic world but I thought those elements all made the book SO MUCH better. The Fort William drama was amazing, where the book took a proper uphill turn - like it was interesting and understandable that a community like that would form in a post-apocalyptic America. And of course it would thrive in that sort of way. Its the same with Andrew using a gun, I'm sure pre-apocalypse Andrew never used guns and was anti-gun but the world has changed and its interesting to see what parts of America stay and what parts fade away with time in this post-Apocalyptic story. I liked the world building, little things like the different types of shops they tried to raid and the way the climate had changed all added a nice level of complexity to the book.
Genre: this isn't exactly my normal genre but I do enjoy a good post-apocalyptic story, especially when it links well to current events. I might have to read Wranglestone next - it gives the same vibes :)