(More accurately, it's 2.5 stars.)

It’s only a few years after the covid-19 pandemic that another threat seems to appear on the CDC’s radar (for non-Americans: the “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” are the US health protection agency). In fact, there has been an outbreak of symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea in Dallas which was as sudden as it was circumscribed to a specific area of the town. And strangey enough, it disappeared just as promptly as it had appeared. CDC officials fighting with constant budget cuts dismiss the thought that anything’s amiss, but one of their agents, Jean, thinks otherwise. Somewhat of a lonely wolf in the agency, she decides do fly down and investigate on her own.

After interviewing the only doctor who dealt with the patients and is willing to talk to her, she stumbles upon Dallas-based Chad, a highly skilled computer scientist. He has just presented the newest advance in quantum computing and AI to a panel of stake-holders when he notices some of the attendants being afflicted by the same symptoms he has recently heard about by some of his friends on social media. He also notices strange wads of black mold dripping down the air vents of the conference room where they’re all gathered. Could it be that the mold is the threat?

I asked for a free copy of this book on NetGalley because the blurb seemed promising—one of those plots, I hoped, that would turn out a mix of dystopia, suspense, and disaster novel. The first few chapters confirmed that hope, but… I got the nagging feeling, which got stronger the more I read on, that this wouldn’t be 100% my cup of tea.

So, the plot. There are strong points and weak points. The premise is really good (if a bit far-fetched, but in disaster novels, far-fetched isn’t necessarily bad). The author knows how to construct a story, making it evolve around three main characters, Jean, Chad, and Aries (whom I haven’t mentioned in my short summary). The chapters tell the story from their points of view, alternating from one to the other, thus driving the plot forward in a steady pace. At first, consistently and satisfactorily, but toward the middle of the book, things get muddled up, and you alas get bits from this, bits from that POV. Which means you get information you shouldn’t have at that point, and which could (and should) have been provided in the following chapter when the point of view changes.

What I really didn’t like, plot-wise, was the fact that the menacing mold was introduced as the fourth main character—that is, as a sentient being. Not only did this go beyond where I was willing to “believe in the story”, so to say, but it also eliminated some suspense and tension. If the mold had remained a vague, un-human, un-palatable threat, things would have been much scarier. As it is, the mold turned out to be just like your average human villain, and that made it easier to wrap your mind around, despite its strangeness and otherness. I guess we’re more scared of the unknown than the alas just-too-familiar (i.e. bad “guys”).

What really didn’t do it for me, however, was the writing. It was all over the place and seemed to beg for a professional to proof-read the book and edit it. Thoroughly. And preferredly with a good thesaurus at hand. I’m willing to oversee the odd repetition of words, but to use the same word four times in a short paragraph is just shoddy writing, IMO.

So, I’m afraid to say, I would have loved to like this book, but when all’s said and one, I wasn’t a huge fan. And am not sure I want to check out the follow-ups.

I tried really hard to like this book. I really did, and I have to give my honest opinion. Reading this felt like a chore. I would rather handwash dishes. The character chapters do not flow. It is too choppy to follow. It feels clunky. There's too much information about somethings, and not enough about others. I'm at the halfway point, and nothing important has happened. I can't finish this book. I can't. This is the first book, maybe second this year that I honestly can't finish.

I will be posting this review on my good reads as well.