I read this initially a long time ago in conjunction with the Zombie Survival Guide (also by Max Brooks). I decided to give it a re-read because my friends and I are playing the new(ish) video game World War Z. The game is loosely based on the movie and the movie is in turn loosely based on the book. I'd say the game and the movie are more similar than either are to the book.

Really, really, REALLY cute book. It's such a nice feeling to read a book that is genuinely relatable and representative. I smiled, I laughed, I had fun reading this. Obviously, it's YA so they deal with very YA issues, but in the grand scheme these are things humans deal with throughout their life. My biggest issue is that sometimes the two main characters would blend and have the same thought process and literary voice that I'd forget who's perspective a section was supposed to be.

[3.75] After the misogynistic dumpster fire that was Zombie Rules by David Achord, I was determined to find better zombie books. This is on a much better track. I don't love it, and I don't hate it either. It presents some interesting questions about the humanity of the undead, and the ethics of a society post-collapse.

Wht does so much zombie literature have to be misogynistic af? I really really really wanted to like this book, but it's clearly written by a man for a world of men.

[3.7] Loved this and hated this. Interesting take on a magic system that uses metaphors and common culturally-known phrases as spells. It's got a nice amount of lore general background info without being overwhelming. I've never read Harry Potter but I saw the movies and it's definitely rockin' a cool Harry Potter vibe.

This all being said. I take a lot of issue with the relationship that develops between Simon and Baz. It reeks of Stockholm Syndrome. Baz is a total piece of shit to Simon throughout their time at school. I don't know if I'm a bad reader or if I forgot, but I can't think of any clear moment of redemption or character development. I think Baz is trash right up to the end. The Saz/Bimon ship shit ain't, wasn't, nor is healthy, and we shouldn't be glorifying it.

I actually like this addition to the Wayfarers series more than I do the first. Chambers takes all the best of her world-building and character development skills from A Long Way to Small Angry Planet, and compounds it by adding a beautiful narrative with themes of self-identity and what it means to be human in this book.

[4.25] Absolutely stellar. The direction this took felt frighteningly real. A world without quick, easy access to water is quite possible, and terrifying to think about. In some ways I had trouble finishing this book; not because I didn't like it, but because it felt too real. The main characters are dumb, and many reviewers have fairly criticized the book for that. I don't blame them for it, but I'm okay with it because it feels purposeful. It makes sense to me. We do dumb shit when we're in crisis-mode, that's just a given. That effect is compounded when it's teenagers in crisis-mode. There were times when I wanted to shake characters by the shoulders and tell them what it be like it do when it am -- and that's why it's not a perfect 5-star -- but overall I found it really enjoyable.