Some characters shine, others flop, and a few exist just to fill space. Sam Temple still carries the "reluctant leader" badge like it’s the only personality trait he’s got, and his indecision gets old fast. Caine spends most of the book sidelined, which is a shame because he was a solid villain in Gone. Diana is still the queen of sarcasm, and honestly, she deserves a better book. Astrid? She continues her reign as “smart girl who mostly exists for Sam’s emotional turmoil.” New characters like Duck and Orsay have intriguing arcs but aren’t given enough page time to make a real impact. Drake, meanwhile, has crossed into cartoon villainy—twirling an imaginary mustache while cracking his murderous whip-hand. Some solid moments, but also a lot of wasted potential.

The FAYZ is still an absolute hellhole, and Grant makes sure you feel it. Starvation, decay, and terrifying mutant nightmares? Check, check, and check. The setting does its job, though sometimes Grant really hammers home the hunger thing so hard it feels like he's afraid you’ll forget what the book is about. The worm scene? Utter nightmare fuel. The power plant and Coates Academy are eerie, but they could have been used to greater effect. The constant bleakness works, but some variety in tone would have made it more effective rather than just emotionally exhausting.

Grant’s writing is efficient, if not exactly elegant. The short, choppy sentences work for the action, but when he jumps from character to character like a kid hyped up on sugar, it gets exhausting. The dialogue varies wildly—sometimes it’s snappy and real, other times it reads like an early-2000s CW drama. There’s a lot of telling rather than showing, especially when it comes to emotions, which dulls some of the impact. The humor is hit or miss—occasionally clever, but sometimes painfully forced. The sheer amount of POV switching makes it hard to emotionally connect, but at least things move at a good pace.

This book could have been at least 50 pages shorter if Grant had cut down on the endless cycle of “food is running out, Sam struggles, Caine monologues, things get worse.” The pacing swings wildly—some parts zip by, others feel like they’re running on a treadmill. The food crisis is a great central conflict, but it gets repetitive fast. The worm horror was a standout moment, but Caine’s whole nuclear power plant scheme feels like something he should have thought of way sooner. The Gaiaphage remains intriguing, but it also feels too vague and undefined to be truly terrifying—less cosmic horror, more plot device. There are some great tense moments, but the book sometimes spends too much time setting up conflicts and not enough resolving them in a satisfying way.

Say what you will about the book’s flaws—it is hard to put down. The combination of survival horror, mutant abilities, and increasingly dire stakes makes for an intense read. Even when the pacing falters, you want to see what happens next. The tension is real, especially in the first half, but some of the middle sections drag with too much “woe is Sam” nonsense. The ending is good, but not as explosive as it could have been. Orsay’s dream-prophet subplot was interesting but got sidelined, which is a shame.

Logic? Sometimes it's there. Other times, it gets sacrificed on the altar of drama. The food crisis makes sense, but Sam’s leadership issues feel like he’s stuck in a loop, making the same mistakes over and over. Caine’s return to form is fun, but his master plan has some serious holes in it. The relationships are all over the place—Sam and Astrid have all the chemistry of a stale piece of bread, but Diana and Caine’s toxic power struggle? Genuinely entertaining. Some of the character decisions feel dictated more by plot convenience than actual personality, which makes certain moments frustrating rather than compelling.

Did I enjoy it? Mostly, yes. Is it a fun ride? At times. Is it frustrating? Absolutely. The tension is great, the horror elements work, and the world is engaging—but the character repetition, occasional logic gaps, and inconsistent pacing stop it from being a truly great book. I kept reading because I wanted to see what happened next, but I also kept rolling my eyes whenever Sam had another “I don’t want to be a leader” moment. Worth reading? Yes. Worth raving about? Not quite.

Hunger is a solid sequel that keeps the stakes high but struggles with pacing, repetitive character arcs, and a few too many convenient plot moments. It’s still dark, gripping, and at times terrifying, but it doesn’t quite live up to Gone. If you love survival horror with a splash of sci-fi, you’ll enjoy it—but if you’re looking for tight plotting and deep character development, you might find yourself frustrated.