UGH. Gratuitous graphic violence just for the sake of violence.
Not my cup of tea. ( )

I had to DNF at 20%. I think this could have made a fantastic movie, but as a book, it started out interesting (if a bit too reminiscent of a favorite movie, right from the beginning), and then varied between feeling boring and built for shock value, with a fair amount of middle-school-boy humor thrown in that didn't really feel believable of high school kids or remotely entertaining. The further I read, the more annoyed I became and the more predictable it all felt.

Just not for me. ( )

received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley and Saga Press.

This is a great read. It starts slowly but around page 100 it kicks into high gear and really sucks the reader in. The descriptions of violence and horror are a little detailed but where the book shines is it’s character interactions and I found the ending staying with me after I set the book down. A highly entertaining read. ( )

2.5 stars I think. I just felt so emotionally distant from this the whole time. Also I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. Thanks Goodreads!

This should be a plot line I would love. It deals with the excesses of a tech corporation that reminded me of [b:Bad Blood|37976541|Bad Blood Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup|John Carreyrou|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556268702l/37976541._SX50_.jpg|59699437] in an interesting way. However, I just could not get into the plot of this and I just didn't really feel for the characters. There is a mixed media element to this (sort of; there's only three instances of it) and I really wanted more of that. When they do show up, they feel like a sort of out-of-voice way of info-dumping what was happening. I don't think this is a terrible way of making sure readers are up to speed but I just wanted more of them so it would feel more integrated into the plot rather than just showing up with important plot info and then disappearing.

I thought that Lucy as a character was interesting but ultimately I never felt connected to her plight. The action of this book kicks off very quickly. When I'm reading horror, I want a bit of time to get to know the characters and feel tension start to build before the bad guy is revealed. Not every horror has to be like that but it's what I prefer and I didn't get any of that here. Because of that, I didn't feel anything when the characters were in danger, which really diminished the horror for me. This book falls more on the body horror side of things but even that wasn't that frightening to me and I usually hate reading about gore. I just wanted a greater scare factor from this.

Ultimately, I think this is fine. The writing is fine and the plot is fine. I just didn't connect with it, which left me a bit bored while reading. ( )

This is a truly a horror thriller that is fueled by a story that will give the reader feelings of hopelessness and brutality. The narrative is delivered to the reader through the eyes and minds of a small cast of well-developed ....well thought out characters. What makes the story so interesting is not just its fresh take on an old theme...,but its insight on a terrifying scenario that is growing all the more realistic in today's technological society. The characters in this story are hoping for salvation from a non- existent, uncaring mega force that has created and let loose a carnivorous monster that they have lost all control over...or ever had any control over to begin with. I have never read anything to equal the horror that this book produced, and I have read A LOT. Seriously, this is not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. ( )