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ccundall2130 wrote: ↑04 Feb 2020, 13:21 In reading about the trials these two have gone through at a relatively young age, do you feel their characters are relatable? Is it easier to believe they would be older in dealing with an apocalypse? Or is it believable because this is a fantasy and anything is possible? It is possible my viewpoint is biased as a middle-aged adult instead of thinking as a young adult.

Azura_Cat wrote: ↑04 Feb 2020, 23:02 I am a young adult and I don't normally think so deeply about whether it is more believable for a character's age to be different just because of the situation they are experiencing. People can go through a lot of unbelievable things in reality regardless of age after all... Poor decision-making skills or ridiculous logic is more mind-boggling to me (not twisted logic; that can be entertaining), but I suppose I am more lenient when the protagonist(s) are younger. Fantasy makes me more lenient yet, so that is also an aspect that can be taken into consideration. Of course, people focus on different things when they are reading, so others my age could very easily find Adam and Cary to be unrealistic or unrelatable because of one reason or another. I prefer focusing on the character's personality rather than age. If it fits, doesn't result in chaos with every decision, and doesn't make me feel like chucking the book across the room out of embarrassment or anger, I'll accept a lot from a book. Sorry for the long reply. I saw your post and wanted to try to address it...

ciecheesemeister wrote: ↑05 Feb 2020, 10:05 One of the issues I had with the story was that everyone seemed to be Hollywood-pretty except for Adam's Dad. I initially thought I'd find Adam relatable because I was considered a "troubled teen" myself. However, I certainly never kidnapped anyone and I never managed to get anyone killed, despite doing very wise and advisable things like driving while high. (Sarcasm, in case no-one recognizes it.) I also never lusted for any of my relatives and, in fact, found it disconcerting that I had a cousin who was a dead ringer for Andy Gibb. I was attracted to Andy Gibb, but not to my cousin.
To make a long story short, I fairly quickly stopped finding Adam relatable because I had the tendency to turn my anger inward and engage in self-destructive behavior. Adam turned his anger outward and saw other people as literal lesser beings. I just wanted people to wake up and stop being so hateful and judgmental when it came to people who were different from them.

Samantha Shinn wrote: ↑05 Feb 2020, 00:46 I think they are somewhat relatable, but did not really ponder that while reading (it is not what I normally do when reading). I was a loner when I was a teen, so that part makes it relatable, but I did not think of anyone as animals, just immature for their age (small towns).

Amy747 wrote: ↑12 Feb 2020, 07:47 I agree that teenagers who forgive quickly and are all good looking, is a little too perfect for reality but at the same time, the fantasy aspect does allow the author to make the characters a little unrealistic. However, this does run the risk of making them less relatable.