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Stung by Bethany Wiggins Review

stung

There is no cure for being stung.

Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered—her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand—a black oval with five marks on either side—that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. She’s right.

Those bearing the tattoo have turned into mindless, violent beasts that roam the streets and sewers, preying upon the unbranded while a select few live protected inside a fortress-like wall, their lives devoted to rebuilding society and killing all who bear the mark.

Now Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall.

Plot:

It’s taken me forever to write a book review lately. I hope you will all forgive my absence! I’ve had living everything happen lately. But I should finally be back to my usual posting self.

Stung started with a bang. In mere minutes, I was flying full speed into the thrilling world Wiggins has created for us. And the ride never stops. Our lovely protagonist, Fiona, is infected with the virus turning people into ravenous and powerful beast-like beings. But she’s not just any infected person–she’s a Level Ten. The highest level a beast could be.

Just wow. Most dystopian books fall flat to me these days because they all sound like The Hunger Games wannabes, but this was actually pretty good. The plot never dropped me and the setting. . . Well, I’ll discuss the setting further down the page, but, it was excellent.

Plot: 4 out of 5

Characters:

Now the characters were interesting. Fiona doesn’t remember anything past her thirteenth birthday. Despite the fact that she’s obviously a woman now, she acts very much like a thirteen year old. This really makes her actions with those her “own age” rather interesting and awkward, and it was very confusing at times. Women are a rarity and all the men drool over the prospect of finding one, after all. I thought Fiona’s childlike trust and enthusiasm perfect for still being “thirteen,” but at the same time she sort of seemed like an idiot. Then again, I was an idiot when I was thirteen. But this made the other characters a little difficult to make out. You’re thirteen? Alright. Then you’re either enemy or friend. And if you’re a friend? Well, you have more chance of being put on a pedestal and looked at through rose-colored glasses.

Characters: 4 out of 5

Setting:

The setting was fun. On the outside, it wasn’t too different from most dystopian novels. Walled cities full of prosperity and outside the wall where people lived in poverty and danger. However, I really loved the history. The bees were dying out, and with them all the food. However, the government created an artificial bee.

You can guess. It went haywire.

I won’t spoil the whole story, but zip ahead to the future? We’re left with a dying, hardly vegetated world filled with dwindling populations of men and murderous beast men. I much enjoyed my stay here.

Setting: 4 out of 5

Overall: 4 out of 5. This was a great book and I’m looking forward to reading more by Wiggins. Recommended for ages 14 and up, since I believe there were some adult subjects discussed (I may be misleading you there since I’m writing this a little late. Just warning you.). Interested in purchasing a copy? You can find it on Amazon.

I received this book to review via NetGalley.

3 Comments


  1. // Reply

    Thank you for a lovely review! I agree with the 14 and up rating. There are some adult themes in STUNG, though I tried to cover them as tastefully as possible.


  2. // Reply

    What is the authors message in stung?


  3. // Reply

    This book is amazing! I don’t normally read books but I was recommended this and was amazed! I want to read the next book so bad but I’m wait until Christmas for a gift card for Barnes and Nobel. Can’t wait to read the next!

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