Book Review: The End of Sleep by Vyvyan Evans
The Book: The End of Sleep by Vyvyan Evans
Source: I received a copy through a Goodreads giveaway
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (see my review on Goodreads)
Sleep is always an interesting topic for me, partially because I just find the whole topic fascinating and partially because I have narcolepsy. I was excited to win a copy of this book in a giveaway on Goodreads, and I didn’t even realize until I finished the whole thing that it’s the second in a series — oops!
That goes to say, I had no problem just picking up this book and reading it. I didn’t feel confused or like I was missing context. I found the futuristic sci-fi setting interesting, as I usually do when it involves biohacking. The concept of an epidemic, particularly an illness that causes insomnia, spreading through brain-tech? WHAT.
Things I liked most: the fast pace, the secrets, the mystery-solving, and the delving into sleep, neurology, biohacking. This society also had a really interesting development of countries and class systems, basically. I appreciated the way that was presented from multiple perspectives, the issues that arose from it, and how our main characters pushed to solve these issues.
Things i liked least: honestly, the special powers of our main character felt a bit much to me. I simultaneously wanted more explanation about them and kinda wished they weren’t SO perfect. Various solutions to the challenges came in the form of her discovering a new power that felt a bit Deus Ex Machina to me. It was still fun to read, though. I also could have done without the romance here, especially since I was under the impression our main character was a lesbian. I did appreciate the development of their connection, though, especially the way they were able to be vulnerable with each other and bond over some of their past trauma.
Overall, I’d recommend it if you want a quick sci-fi read that will keep you engaged but not push your brain to think too hard.