Feed (Newsflesh, #1) in WACKY READING CHALLENGES

Dec 22, 2013 Chelsey rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-star-books

3 Stars. Spoiler free review.

Feed reminded me that good young adult fiction still exists. While I do have several issues with the book, I must admit that I loved reading this and I think any fan of science fiction, zombies, or young adult would enjoy this book despite my criticisms.

The plot of the book was not what I initially expected. I was under the impression this would be a horror type novel centering on the zombie outbreak. What you actually get is a compelling story about political con 3 Stars. Spoiler free review.

Feed reminded me that good young adult fiction still exists. While I do have several issues with the book, I must admit that I loved reading this and I think any fan of science fiction, zombies, or young adult would enjoy this book despite my criticisms.

The plot of the book was not what I initially expected. I was under the impression this would be a horror type novel centering on the zombie outbreak. What you actually get is a compelling story about political conspiracies with the zombie outbreak as the ever threatening backdrop. I think the latter is better. The story is so unique and interesting; I felt no disappointment when I realized the plot was different than I had initially anticipated. The pace of the book was excellent. Every scene was relevant to the story and added something important. For a 599 page book, every page was necessary. The plot twists were also really nice. I had suspicions about one of them, but the other one took me by complete surprise. Overall, the story kept me engaged, surprised, and invested.

I was also very fond of most of the characters. The narrator, Georgia, got on my nerves in the beginning. I felt she had a bit of a condescending tone and I didn’t like her remarks about the Senator Wagner. However, by the middle and end of the book her character was not as abrasive and I liked her much more. Buffy was my favorite, of course. I loved the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reference (it’s one of my favorite shows) and I loved the way Buffy’s characters was developed. The supporting cast was developed well too. All of the characters were memorable in their own way.

I begin to take issue with the book when we get to the science of the thing. Now, I’m not against some suspension of belief, but some of the science of the book was so laughable that it drew me out of the book. Furthermore, the world building was a little inconsistent. What I mean by that is at times Georgia states that she believes people are too frightened and paranoid of the outside world and should go out more. She even states that she thinks they go too far in their security measures. Yet, in the next sentence or paragraph, Georgia will be stating her own paranoia and fear of the outside world after she just shit talked everyone else for being afraid. This was part of what fueled my initial dislike for her character. By the late middle to the end of the book, these types of world building contradictions were gone, but they still tainted the start of the book for me.

One comparison I couldn’t help but make was to Unwind by Neal Shusterman. That book is similar because it also explores adult themes in a young adult novel. However, I think Unwind is the type of young adult book that reads like a thought provoking adult book. Feed was a well written young adult book that reads like a young adult book. If you were dissatisfied with this style of writing, but like this type of story I would recommend that.

Overall, this is a solid 3 star book for me. This is an excellent example of young adult fiction. If you are a fan of YA, I think you will love this. If you’re a zombie or science fiction fan, I think you might enjoy this if you expect the right things. This is not the most believable science fiction and it is not very zombie heavy. However, Feed uses these aspects in a creative way that I think will still appeal to readers of that genre. I think this book is worth a shot to anyone with an interest in zombies, science fiction, or young adult. I will be reading the next one and I hope to be even more impressed.
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Sep 06, 2025 Scott Shjefte rated it it was amazing

Shelves: libby-audiobook

How society is to survive after the Zombie apocalypse, a more realistic view then most books of this type. Animals get infected as well. This story is about a few young people trying to make a living as bloggers in a dangerous world. Libby library Audiobook.

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Jan 13, 2020 Sunshine✰✰✰ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, thriller, science-fiction, zombies

I was feeling ho-hum about the book. Interesting enough to keep reading but not something I binged on. Then at 91%, BAM! WTF?! How do I go on? I need to take a mental health day off from work. And then I need to start the next book asap!

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May 23, 2019 Bobbi rated it liked it

The beginning and the end were great and super engaging. The middle dragged as the author tried to set up her mystery. Overall, I would recommend to a person who is not afraid of scientific explanations. It's surprisingly light on zombies. ...more

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