Followers is such a character driven and thought-provoking book that seems extra relevant in our current era of social media. I quite enjoyed it, and am going to tell you why (and yeah, the one thing that’s holding me back from five stars)!
What I Loved:
• The world-building kept me guessing throughout. Funny, but in this book the world kind of is the mystery/plot. How did we get to the point where the book takes place? The slow build of secrets made me want to keep reading, as I was excited for the next tidbit to unfurl.
•The character development is constant and fabulous. Because they don’t just change in terms of betterment and growth. No, there’s plenty of backsliding, which totally feels authentic (because don’t we all go through such periods?). They’re beyond flawed, and at times you may flat out not like some of them (or all of them). But then they’ll do something to showcase their humanity, and it all fits into place.
The relationships ebb and flow as well, and they play such a huge role in the characters’ stories. The characters’ connections to one another also come into focus as the story moves along. Though you know they’re connected, you don’t figure out how and why until much later. But everyone indeed has something to contribute, a reason for their story being told.
•It’s definitely thought provoking. Basically, if you had to choose all-or-nothing with social media/internet, which would you choose? Could you have your life dictated by it? Could you live completely without that connection? Does it have to be so absolute? So many questions arise about how and why we connect with each other, and some glaring problems with today’s interactions.
What I Didn’t:
•It starts off kind of slow. If you’re the kind of person who is hoping to dive into some action, hope again. It’s a very character driven book overall, which I generally love, but it starts off a bit too slow. I think the major thing was, it took me some time to invest in the characters. When I did, I was all in, and loved reading. So if you are iffy, give it time, because it was wholly worth it by the end.
Bottom Line: Fabulous character development in a very timely plot and setting makes the slower start and pace completely worth it.
What I Loved:
• The world-building kept me guessing throughout. Funny, but in this book the world kind of is the mystery/plot. How did we get to the point where the book takes place? The slow build of secrets made me want to keep reading, as I was excited for the next tidbit to unfurl.
•The character development is constant and fabulous. Because they don’t just change in terms of betterment and growth. No, there’s plenty of backsliding, which totally feels authentic (because don’t we all go through such periods?). They’re beyond flawed, and at times you may flat out not like some of them (or all of them). But then they’ll do something to showcase their humanity, and it all fits into place.
The relationships ebb and flow as well, and they play such a huge role in the characters’ stories. The characters’ connections to one another also come into focus as the story moves along. Though you know they’re connected, you don’t figure out how and why until much later. But everyone indeed has something to contribute, a reason for their story being told.
•It’s definitely thought provoking. Basically, if you had to choose all-or-nothing with social media/internet, which would you choose? Could you have your life dictated by it? Could you live completely without that connection? Does it have to be so absolute? So many questions arise about how and why we connect with each other, and some glaring problems with today’s interactions.
What I Didn’t:
•It starts off kind of slow. If you’re the kind of person who is hoping to dive into some action, hope again. It’s a very character driven book overall, which I generally love, but it starts off a bit too slow. I think the major thing was, it took me some time to invest in the characters. When I did, I was all in, and loved reading. So if you are iffy, give it time, because it was wholly worth it by the end.
Bottom Line: Fabulous character development in a very timely plot and setting makes the slower start and pace completely worth it.