Mini Reviews-Zombies Don't Cry by Rusty Fischer and Hellbent by Anthony McGowan

Title: Zombies Don’t Cry

 Author:  Rusty Fischer

Series:  Living Dead Love Story #1

Published:  1 October 2012 by Electric Monkey

Source: won from US publisher

Review:  Maddy Swift is Normal. Trying to pass food class, sneaking in and out, and going out to dances. This stops when she is struck by lightning. Which makes her a zombie. Under the wing of some fellow zombies, Chloe and Dane, Maddy starts to adjust to life as a one of the undead. Even when you take into the fact that Zerkers, crazy ones past civilised zombie-ism, are running round her high school.

I’d heard of Rusty and his books ages ago and so was happy to see he got a deal in the UK.

These zombies are very original. I like the fact that there’s more to them than eating brains, but that is a big part of them. I also like the use of the lightning-not the bolt on the creators table, more a bolt while out doing normal things, and the subversion of the trope is good.

The main characters, Maddy, Chloe and Dane, are all very likable and make a great friendship group. Love interest Stamp is cute, but he doesn’t really do much. I like the fact that Maddie was quite active and did lots of things despite just being throne into this new world with its bureaucracy and rules. Chloe is my favourite  character because she just wins in terms of coolness.

The writing is chatty, open and fun. I love the chapter titles. All the things that happen to Maddy after she becomes undead are unpredictable and crazy. The climax at the school was well done. I liked the circular structure-the way it comes back to the guy in the blue suit…

Overall:   Strength 3 tea to a fun zombie romance.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Title:  Hellbent

 Author:  Anthony McGowan

Series:  N/A

Published:  2005

Source: library

Review:  Conor ONeil dies and goes to hell. There he finds that hell is a mix of hells for different people. His hell, with him being a teenage boy into all the stereotypical teenage boy things, is to be surrounded in a room with classical music and heavy books. Hacking into a computer then leads Conor to find there’s someone whose hell is his heaven. with his pet dog who comes along as part of a new initiative, and Clarence, the demon who was assigned to oversee his eternal punishment, he sets out to find that someone.

I picked this up in a shop and started reading it. It wasn’t a great start, but the concept was very interesting.

It’s definitely for people who find humour in stereotypical teenage boys’ views of sex, excrement and such.  A lot of Conor’s narration revolves around it, which is fair enough, considering where they are, but sometimes it gets in the way a bit.

It’s a very chatty book. Conor is talking directly to you, telling you all about his life, and his death.

The characters were all exaggerated for comic effect. I particularly liked the Café Valhalla, where Vikings are put in as waiters and forced to form a string quartet. Conor isn’t the most engaging character for me, but some may like him more than me.  

Overall:  Strength 3 to a very different interpretation of Hell that may be enjoyed more by people with different senses of humour.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-Shadows by Ilsa J Bick

 

Title: Shadows

 Author: Ilsa J Bick

Series:   Ashes #2

Published: 27  September 2012 by Quercus

Length: 518 pages

Source: publisher

Other info: Review of Ashes here

Summary : Alex has escaped from Rule - but what new horrors face her in the ravaged world outside?
Tom is safe - but what will he risk to find Alex?
Chris - how much does he really know about the terrible darkness of Rule? And what are his true feelings for Alex?
Ellie - where is she? 

Review: I remember Ashes. The electromagnetic pulse, Alex with the enhanced sense of smell, the zombies/Changed and the cliffhanger of 2012. Now out on her own, and surrounded by a pack of Changed. Also, the elders in Rule may be hiding secrets and Tom is looking for Alex. Fun times!

Yeah, when I started this, I knew I had a basic rememberance of the features of Ashes. So I went into Shadows ready for action. After a bit of Tom, and then the conclusion to the cliffhanger, we follow each of the others in turn, which would be ok..but I’d forgotten most things . lots of characters turn up that I don’t remember meeting in Ashes.

In terms of plot for this, it all seemed very scattered. Normally. I like multiple perspectives, but for this one, I was lost from about page 100 onwards. We flick between groups of characters a lot, with quite a lot of smaller cliffhangers, quite quickly, and I just didn’t keep up with it all. `                       

The zombies, changed, chuckies in this got a bit more development in this one, as did the characters in Rule.

In terms of action, it was amazing. The action scenes are written  so well, you feel like you’re there with all the gory details that mean you can see it all happening in your mind.

I like the fact that humans are evil comes up in this book. It’s a good contrast to the OTT zombies tearing people apart, but just as creepy.

The writing is once again third person, but following a character at each point. the focus changes along with the switches of plot also stopped me really following this throughout. As the action scenes are  so frequent, being randomly thrown from one  to another scene, it’s confusing and slows it down for me.

Overall:  Strength 2 tea to a book with a lot of action but is one of the hardest things to follow I’ve read for a long time.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-The Zero Dog War by Keith Melton

Title: The Zero Dog War

 Author: Keith Melton

Series:   Zero Dog Missions #1

Published:  15 Februrary 2011 by Samhain Publishing

Length: 288 pages

Warnings: violence, adult jokes

Source: bought

Other info: Keith has written other things like The Nightfall Syndicate and Ghost Soldiers.

Summary : The first bullet is always free. After that, you gotta pay.
After accidentally blowing up both a client facility and a cushy city contract in the same day, pyromancer and mercenary captain Andrea Walker is scrambling to save her Zero Dogs. A team including (but not limited to) a sexually repressed succubus, a werewolf with a thing for health food, a sarcastic tank driver/aspiring romance novelist, a three-hundred-pound calico cat, and a massive demon who really loves to blow stuff up.
With the bankruptcy vultures circling, Homeland Security throws her a high-paying, short-term contract even the Zero Dogs can’t screw up: destroy a capitalist necromancer bent on dominating the gelatin industry with an all-zombie workforce. The catch? She has to take on Special Forces Captain Jake Sanders, a man who threatens both the existence of the team and Andrea’s deliberate avoidance of romantic entanglements.
As Andrea strains to hold her dysfunctional team together long enough to derail the corporate zombie apocalypse, the prospect of getting her heart run over by a tank tread is the least of her worries. The government never does anything without an ulterior motive. Jake could be the key to success…or just another bad day at the office for the Zeroes.
Product Warnings
Contains explicit language, intense action and violence, rampaging zombie hordes, a heroine with an attitude and flamethrower, Special Forces commandos, ninjas, apocalyptic necromancer capitalist machinations, absurd parody and mayhem, self-deluded humor, irreverence, geek humor, mutant cats, low-brow comedy, and banana-kiwi-flavored gelatin

Review: Captain Andrea Walker, pyromancer, heads the Zero Dogs, a team of mercenaries made up of a werewolf, a succubus, a vampire, a creature summoner, a demon, a failing novelist, and a fake ninja, who run around and destroy things. Unfortunately, their latest act of destruction was not what was required of them, and now they’re further in the red than before. Luckily, they’re offered $25million  by the government if they complete this job-take out a necromancer with  a horde of zombies at his disposal. Only one problem- they’re forced to take Captain Jake Sanders their team. As the inter-team dynamics change and the UST between Andrea and Jake grows, all of them must focus their efforts on stopping the zombie takeover of the gelatin market.

Read the official summary. You will see why I really wanted to read this. And I’ve had this on my wishlist for a while (I think this was the first thing ever on my goodreads to-read), but never got round to reading it. But now I have, and I’m really glad I did.

It starts off with a typical mission, which results showing the personalities of most of the team really well, and their ability to mess things up. It soon gets into the contract for the zombie-necromancer mission, and is set up from there.

I love all the characters. Andrea is tough talking and stands up for herself  a lot, and the fact that she is a pyromancer  raises the awesomeness levels by about a million times. All the supernatural creatures are the opposite of their stereotypes, and they’re all totally different characters. Jake, when he first gets in, is very overwhelmed by them and their banter, as is evidenced by when he tried to give a briefing (that scene reminded me of a class playing up for a supply teacher who ends up either terrified, traumatised or highly concerned for the students’ sanity), but once we know him more, compliments them well. They all work together as a close team, and it’s nice seeing the bonds they have. The necromancer, Jeremiah Hansen, is an amusing antagonist, doing all he does for financial profit in the gelatin industry.

Andrea narrates with  a fair bit of sass, and in conversation comes up with more. The plot happens quickly, instantly pulling you in with an action scene and getting to know the characters, and moving on to the main plotline. I like the shifts to third person narration to follow Jeramiah and his adventures with the zombies.

I laughed my way through this book. The events that happen, the characters reactions and interactions and the general way this book is written what with parodying tropes of supernatural mercenaries and just being totally unexpected. The Zero Dog War cannot fail to brighten your day.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a really fun paranormal investigation with a cast full of lovable characters. Really hoping there’ll be a second coming soon.

Links: Amazon |  Goodreads | Author website | 

Mini reviews-Guy Adams

Guy Adams in an author who does many things in sci-fi/fantasy etc. He's written Torchwood novels, the Sherlock Holmes casebook, the World House series and some other things.
Today, I'm reviewing The Good, the Bad and the Infernal and Deadbeat:Makes You Stronger.

Title:  The Good, the Bad and the Infernal

 Author: Guy Adams

Series:  Heaven's Gate #1

Published:  11 April 2013 by Solaris

Source: Publisher

Review: There’s talk of a town that only appears once every hundred years, in totally different forms. But some things stay the same-it’s always called Wormwood, and  it provides a gate to the afterlife. This book follows a group of people aiming to get to it when it appears this time in the Midwest of America, and as they travel,  they face many many challenges.

I was sold this as western steampunk. Sounds awesome, right?

We start by following one character, who gets saved by an old guy, and dragged along the trip. We then meet some other people, and folilow them on their travels, and then they meet up towards the end of the book. this makes The Good, The Bad and the Infernal seem more like a collection of stories about characters, a bit less of a novel. However, this is the first of a trilogy, so maybe it’ll pick up.

The characters are an interesting lot, but I don’t remember very much about any of them. There’s a freak show lot, an old guy, a religious person, and some others.

Imaginative things happen to the characters on the way along. Snakes! It felt a bit slow and confusing to me in places, but at other times, you’re really pulled in.  The travels along America are good, and I liked the setting.

I think that it probably will pick up later on in the series, because the ending is a definite “something big happens next”.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a Western Steampunk book that’s totally different, but didn’t keep me entirely.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads |

Title: Makes You Stronger

 Author: Guy Adams

Series:  Deadbeat #1

Published:  11 June 2013 by Titan

Source: publisher

Review: Max and Tom are two good friends who are in the graveyard one night when they see a coffin being today. With a girl in it. who is breathing. Drawn into the shady world of health insurance and dealing in other things, they’ve uncovered a mystery, and they are going to try and solve it.

I quite like Adams’ other stories-works on Torchwood and he also did the Sherlock casebook. I was looking forwards to reading this.

Max and Tom have an easy friendship, with other like minds, and it’s nice seeing them work together and play off each other. I really enjoyed the random side stories.

The twist, I didn’t see coming, but it made a few things make a bit more sense. Protagonists of this nature always cheer me up, and the events surrounding it for Max are interesting.

Plotwise, there’s a lot of intrigue, with different trails and backstories regarding players.

There’s dual narration, and I liked reading from both Max and Tom’s perspectives. There’s some more perspectives too when the plot calls for it.

The antagonists were hilarious in parts, as were the situaitons that Max and Tom found themselves in.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a darkly funny mystery with a supernatural twist.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | 

Book Review- The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell

Title: The Reapers are the Angels

 Author: Alden Bell

Series:  Reapers #1

Published:  2 September 2011 by Toe

Length: 304 pages

Warnings: attempted rape, violence

Source: won 2011 from Nocturnal Book Reviews

Summary : For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can't remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her on a personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulated remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.

Review: Temple is simply trying to survive in this world where zombies, slugs, whatever you want to call them, roam. She wanders from place to place, meeting people then moving on. We find her coming in to a small community. After one of the men there tries to rape her, Temple kills him and runs from his brother, Moses. Further on in her travels, she picks up Maury, a man she must take care of, and plans to help him get back to his family. They carry on travelling, running, from a man who wants revenge.

I like the fact that the zombies weren’t the focus of The Reapers are the Angels. Instead, they’re the world builders, providing a reason for Temple to keep moving and the occasional big action sequence.

 Here, the horror comes from the characters. Abraham, who thinks he’s entitled to have the new young girl have sex with him. The mutants. Even Temple, in the way that she detaches herself so easily.

I like the range of characters. There’s people who remember times before the undead started rising and there’s people who don’t know anything else. Everyone deals with the undead in different ways.

I couldn’t really connect with Temple, despite being given access to her thoughts and method of thinking.

The events in this book seem quite disjointed. Once we met a character, for the most, we don’t see them again. This is perfectly in keeping with Temple’s lifestyle, but as a reader, I didn’t really enjoy it.

It’s all written in third person, closely following Temple and her decisions. There’s simple punctuation, and a distinct lack of speech marks. This and Temple’s strong accent do well in showing her upbringing and lack of education. I did miss the speech marks. A lot. 

The relationship between Moses and Temple is the most interesting one in the novel. There’s the whole wanting to kill each other, but when their meetings become more and more frequent,  they start to understand each other, understand their difference, and similarities.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a character driven post-apocalyptic novel.

Links: Amazon | | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Title: Alice in Zombieland

 Author: Gena Showalter

Series:  White Rabbit Chronicles #1

Published:  5 October 2012 by Mira

Length: 404 pages

Source: Publisher

Summary : She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.
Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.
Her father was right. The monsters are real….
To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….

Review: When I first saw the title, author and cover, I got REALLY excited. Having highly enjoyed Intertwined, (review here) and with a name and cover like that, you’d think that you were getting a reimagining of Carroll’s original, but with zombies involved. Not so. Instead, there’s a contemporary paranormal story with a heavy dose of romance. And (as I remember) no chance to wear that dress (I don’t mind pretty dress covers as long as they’re relevant to the plot). The only connections with Carroll’s story are the fact that Alice is called Alice and the chapter titles are quotes with undead spins. Now we’ve cleared that up, we can move on.

It’s Alice’s birthday when their car crashes. Alice is the only  survivor, and as she wakes, she thinks of her now dead family. And the monsters surrounding her car. She starts a new school, where she is accepted by part time hospital buddy Kat into the friendship group and introduces her to the group of tough guys, with the likes of Cole, Frosty and the others. There, she is told what actually happened: It was zombies! Alice decides that she will eradicate all zombies ever. That’s once she’s trained with Cole.

After being disappointed at the lack of Alice in Wonderland, I got a bit disappointed by the way the plot of Alice in Zombieland panned out too. It’s really heavily romance orientated, which is fine if you like this. It’s just really not my thing, and I don’t feel it was done amazingly. Luckily, there is a good amount of zombie slaying, which is more up my street.

Alice could have been a great character, but I felt there was something a bit lacking around her. My favourite character is Kat-she’s cool, witty, and a good friend. Close second comes Alice’s grandparents and their failed attempts to be cool.

The pacing. Started out really nicely with awesome stuff happening. The middle was dragged out a lot and the ending could have been really amazing and emotional, but ended up over before it had really begun.

There was some good points though. The characters, that weren’t fitting the mean/tough girl/guy stereotype were  really good. And the zombies! While I don’t approve of the sparkling qualities, the idea of spirit form and the emphasis on spirit as opposed to corpses is generally awesome.

Overall:  Strength 2 tea to an underwhelming book with some good features, but not really my thing, despite first impressions.

Links: | Goodreads | Author website | 

Interview with Scott K Andrews

Now for the second author interview of the month! Please welcome Scott K Andrews, author of School's Out Forever, the Afterblight Chronicles.

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Why do you read scary things?

To be honest I rarely do. My tastes veer towards sci-fi and thrillers. My fix of horror comes mainly via the screen, with some notable exceptions.

What flavour of scary do you like reading about-paranormal creatures, serial killers, chill up your spine hauntings, or something different?

If I want to read scary I always tend to plump for ghost stories. M.R. James is a reliable spooker. Yet the most creeped out I’ve ever been was by two books I oddly read back to back - Iain Banks’The Wasp Factory and The Collector by John Fowles. Those books both left me with a profound sense of unease that persists whenever I think about them, even 20 years later.

Out of everything in the world, what do you find scary?

Bullies with guns who consider everyone who disagrees with them to be less than human. Despots, fascists, religious extremists of all stripes. People who seek to take away my freedom of thought and action. Being locked up for dissent would be my greatest fear.

If you could insert yourself into any horror novel, which would it be, who would you be, and why?

Ooh, good one. I’d be the sole survivor of Franklin’s mission as told in Dan Simmons’ The Terror. That book was proper scary!

Classic (pre-1970s) or modern horror-which do you prefer and why?

Classic, I think. I prefer concepts that freak me out as opposed to graphic portrayals of suffering and death, which is where so much horror these days tends to end up.

What's the scariest thing you've read to this day?

The aforementioned The Wasp Factory – the sense of impending horror that book builds is palpable.

What books scared you most as a child?

Robert Westall’s ghost stories, especially the Break of Dark collection and The Scarecrows. He was a master.

What do you do to celebrate Halloween?

Not much. My birthday is on Bonfire Night (for those outside the UK that's November 5th, when we have fireworks and light bonfires to celebrate the failure of an attempt to blow up parliament in 1605), so I tend to go big on that instead. Nothing says Happy Birthday like burning an effigy of a religious insurrectionist!

Why did you choose to write a horror novel/include horror aspects into your novel?

I probably would not have done so had it not been the publisher’s requirement. That said, once I had the brief, I really seized the opportunity to go to some really dark places. I enjoyed it far more than I would have expected, so I’m grateful I got the steer I did and ended up really pleased with the result. So much so that I may well return to horror tropes again at some point.

What's the scariest thing you'd write about?

Loss of self. The story I did for Tales of the Apocalypse is about that, and it creeped me out to write it! http://www.amazon.com/Pandemonium-Stories-Apocalypse-ebook/dp/B00624EIBK

How much inspiration do you take from other horror writers?

Christopher Fowler is a huge influence and he was, for a while, a straight horror writer. He’s moved away from horror now, but books like Psychoville really grabbed me and influenced me.

How did you choose what things the teens would face?

The three villains in the three books of the St Mark's trilogy represent my biggest fears – religious fundamentalism, military rule and ruthless, psychopathic self-interest.

What's your favourite zombie story?

Shaun of the Dead, no contest.

Any other spooky books you want to share?

Christopher Fowler’s Spanky is a corker and Robert Westall’s Devil on the Road is spooky and weird for younger readers.

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Scott can be found around Twitter and Facebook, and you can get School's Out Forever from Amazon, and the Book Depository, and find it on  Goodreads.

Guest Review by Lilia Tombs- Zombie Housewives of the Apocalypse by Sharon Day and Julie Fergusan

Today, Lilia Tombs from Horror Shock Lolipop with a review!

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Title: Zombie Housewives of the Apocalypse

Author: Sharon Day & Julie Ferguson

Series:  N/A

Published:  2012 by Black Bed Sheet

Length: 96 pages

Summary : The toxic bomb apocalypse of the 1950s didn't stop Stella and Liz. These housewives reanimated and continued their days as usual, only with a hunger for living flesh. Stella, the perfect housewife, continued her housekeeping in her zombie state and Liz, the drunken, slutty divorcee housewife, stirred up a Bloody Mary and fell into her usual stupor. This photo and resource book for all things zombie is a fun and playful look at the zombie-like existence of housewives through the ages and incorporates housewife tips and recipes, showcasing zombie artisans and listing lots of zombie resources for all those readers who love zombie-everything!

Review:Zombie Housewives of the Apocalypse (2012) by Sharon Day and Julie Ferguson is a quirky, tongue-in-cheek look at the daily lives of two zombified 1950's housewives, the reserved Stella and her wild sister-in-law Liz. Featuring tips on being a good zombie housewife, raising zombie children, popular zombie recipes (with alternative ingredients included for human readers), as well as section on human misconceptions about zombies and more!

The concept of the book is brilliant! Zombie-perspective books / films are always a little hit and miss with me, but this one worked as it pretty much just adapted the stories of two human housewives and transferred their personalities and world views onto zombies. Thus, the flesh-eating nature of zombies is dealt with accordingly and Stella and Liz frequently refer to humans being like cattle (though they seem to be addressing humans in the book, which is somewhat strange if they view them only as food).

Zombie Housewives... is generously peppered with pictures, many of which feature the authors as these two shamblers. The quality of some of the images isn't great and some of the graphics are heavily pixelated. However, that could be an intentional design feature. After all, zombies - especially 1950's zombies - aren't known for their computer skills!

Although the book is seemingly short (96 pages - the last 30 of which are lists of zombie-related media and products), I don't think it could have been any longer. By the end, the novelty of Stella being a zombie that liked to keep a perfect (shell of a) house and Liz being a zombie that liked...men...had started to grow a little tired and repetitive already.

Having said that, it was an enjoyable read with a unique core idea. It didn't drag on for too long, didn't take itself too seriously and was a fun spin on the zombie genre.

I would give this 3 out of 5.

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Zombie Housewives can be found on Goodreads here and on Amazon here.
That was the first of four reviews from Lilia Tombs! Lilia runs Horror Shock Lolipop as well as other awesome crazy creepy stuff! 

Book Review- Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Title:Dark Inside

 Author: Jeyn Roberts

Series:  Dark Inside #1

Published:  2 September 2011 by Macmillan

Length: 368 pages

Warnings: Violence,gore, 11 +

Source: Library

Other info: Book two will be called Rage Within. Dark Inside is Jeyn’s debut.

Summary : Since the beginning of mankind, civilizations have fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs...and now us. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even more awful is happening: An ancient evil has been unleashed, and it's turning everyday people into hunters, killers, and crazies. This is the world Mason, Aries, Clementine, and Michael are living in--or rather, trying to survive. Each is fleeing unspeakable horror, from murderous chaos to brutal natural disasters, and each is traveling the same road in a world gone mad. Amid the throes of the apocalypse and clinging to love and meaning wherever it can be found, these four teens are on a journey into the heart of darkness--and to find each other and a place of safety.

Review: After worldwide earthquakes...a tonne of crazy stuff happens. People become killing machines, turning whenever, turning on friends, lovers, family. There’s no explanation for it, but it throws survivors into chaos. Months pass with everyone unable to trust others to keep them alive. Michael, Aries, Mason and Clementine are four teenagers who are trying to stay alive. Each are succeeding, but only  just. Continued survival depends on thngs they don’t have. And the killing goes on.

It was a nice idea, but not a must read thing. Post apocalyptic things like this where there’s random survivors thrown together are always interesting, with a lot of stereotypes being available for use, invertion and playing around with. Jeyn brings a lot of new things to this, while still keeping some stock characters.

Clementine and Aries are two girls who don’t seem that different to each other.  Mason and Michael are also similar in their ways. It’s nice that they all have their own reasons to keep going, carry on surviving in this carzy world, but they’re not amazingly developed and at some points I was wondering if they’d die so I could be happy. The best character is Chickadee, who’s strong even while dealing with all of this and her diabetes, but still tries to carry on.

It’s different to what I expected-the summary makes it seem as though they’re all somewhere near each other throughout. In reality, it takes a fair bit of the novel for them to meet and interact. So slow on that count.

It starts off really well, with the earthquakes and first wave of things happening really quickly, showing us the characters as they deal with all of this stuff. But from there, it drags out a little.  switching between the four focuses, not perspectives as it’s in third person aside from one part which I’ll say about later, was a bit confusing to start with and it feels a bit all over the place, and it’s a bit samey.

The writing’s not that good. it’s not very engaging when it comes to showing our four protagonaists and their fights to survive, and I couldn’t really care much about it.

Saying that, the parts written from the perspective of “Nothing” are amazing. They’ give a creepy air to the novel and are intriguing enough to make me want to find out more about his “Nothing”.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a postapocalyptic novel with some upsides, but not much.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Dark War by Tim Waggoner

Title: Dark War

 Author: Tim Waggoner

Series:  Nekropolis #3

Published:  by Angry Robot

Length: 410 pages

Warnings: violence, sex references 14+

Source: Library

Other info: This is third in the Nekropolis series. It started with Nekropolis, which is reviewed here and carried on with Dark Streets.

Summary : Matt Richter won’t let a little thing like death keep him from cracking his latest case. But there’s a new evil power rampaging through the streets of Nekropolis. The last battle has begun.

Review:  After falling to pieces and getting thorough all of that, Matt Richter really just wants to settle down with half-vampire girlfriend Devona. But, this being Nekropolis. That’s really unlikely. After sorting stuff out in  parallel world, he goes home to find even more problems. The Arcane (witches and wizards) are blaming the Demonfolk for recent Arcane disappearances. The Demonfolk aren’t happy and a war threatens to break out. But there’s something else bugging Matt…

Following my total love for Nekropolis and Dead Streets, of course I had to get hold of this. I like the fact that old favourites are brought back especially Lazlo, his tazi, and Vavara. I didn’t like the return of Gregor, but that’s only because he’s annoying and hard to understand. But he is essential to the plot, so I can’t really complain.

The darkly funny, slightly sarcastic writing style from the earlier books acre carried over into this one. I love Tim’s writing style and there’s always something to make me laugh.

There’s a ridiculously varied cast. From zombie detectives to demon overlords (well, lady. You get the idea) to scarily intelligent oversize bugs- you name it, you’ll find some variation on it.

Plot wise, it’s a bit different, with all out war between (factions? Districts? Denominations?) of paranormal creatures brewing. I like the fact it’s something a bit different, but still believable for this kind of book.

Benny makes a welcome, major-y appearance. I really love Benny in both forms. Because demon-y thingys that shift gender every few seconds are just cool like that. Vavara comes a close second, followed by Matt, Devona and Varney the Vampire (reporter that tags along to everything). I feel really attached to all the inhabitants of Nekropolis now…

The ending. Damn. The really important bit happens in eleven lines, and leaves your imagination to run wild. I can’t spoil it for you, but wow. A whole new world just waiting to be explored. And no news of a fourth book.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a strong finale(?) to a series I really love.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Dearly Departed by Lia Habel

Title: Dearly Departed

 Author: Lia Habel

Series:  Gone with the Respiration #1

Published:  29 September 2011 by Doubleday

Length: 451 pages

Warnings: zombies, violence, romance 12+

Source: Bought

Other info:  Book two, Dearly Beloved should be out some day.

Summary : Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie? In Dearly, Departed, romance meets walking-dead thriller, spawning a madly imaginative novel of rip-roaring adventure, spine-tingling suspense, and macabre comedy that forever redefines the concept of undying love.

Review: Nora Dearly is your typical New-Victorian young lady. Having finished her year of mourning for her father, she is finally allowed to go out and do things. Party. Be social. Wear colour.  But maybe not find out what her father did for a living. Which leads her into a pack of zombies. Finding herself abducted, she ends up at a military base full of undead. Where there may or may not be a war breaking out. And she may or may not be falling in love with Bram. A zombie.

I heard about this one ages ago. And thought:zombies plus Victorians plus technology equals win. I wasn't so sure about the romancy side (it doesn't always work out, especially if one's falling apart), but I was definitely willing to see how it would go.

It actually begins with Bram being trapped underground with a dying friend. Nice action at the start. Then it cuts to Nora's normal life, giving us the chance for some world building, which comes as a block of text about what happened since mid-twentyfirst century to the setting of the book. It provides a nice explanation of how Victorian aesthetics are back in fashion so far in the future (even if you do wonder why), and what's happened in the meantime. Great future world history from Lia.

Nora was a strong character, but not totally amazing. It was realistic how she kept to her ideas ie protesting against wearing knee length skirts,  but it was a bit annoying. Bram was funny. Especially his initial  exchanges with Nora. He doesn't seem to develop very much though. My favourite character is either Pamela or Chas. Both are girls with a lot more to them than you think, with Chas rotting, and Pamela being another girl from high society. Chas’s dialogue with her boyfriend are so so good.

Pacing, it gets started quite quickly, but then some things started dragging a bit. The writing wasn’t of quite a high standard as I’d hoped. It was nice and it kept the story moving on really well, and it kept it flowing, but it didn’t make me laugh or keep me as enchanted as the summary did. The multiple POV was a bit over the top-I think we only needed Nora, Bram and Pam’s views on everything.

The zombies in this are amazing! Fighting zombies! Not just rotting and going after people’s brains (I like those kinds. But something different.  And no love triangle. YAY!!!

Overall:  Great premise, a little lacking sometimes, but still a good read. Strength 4 tea.

Links The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Undead by Kirsty McKay

Title: Undead

 Author: Kirsty McKay

Series:  Undead #1

Published:  by Chicken House

Length: 294 pages

Warnings: fantasy violence 12+

Source: Publisher

Other info: The sequel, Unfed, should be out sometime later this year.

Summary : Being new at school bites. But at least it doesn't kill you. Mostly.Bobby thinks she might well be on the School Trip from Hell. Too bad she's a noob, too bad her classmates don't rate her weirdo accent and too bad that Scotland is having the worst blizzard since the Ice Age. Looks like she's going to be on this school bus for a quite a while; could things get much worse?  Yep. They could. Inexplicably, her classmates start dying...and then they come back to life again...and what's more, they're very, very hungry. With nowhere to run and no contact with the outside world, Bobby is thrown together with a raggle-taggle group of survivors at a roadside café. There's indie kid drop-out Smitty, the class beauty queen Alice, dweeby Pete and two near useless adults: a half-conscious bus driver and a volatile petrol station attendant. The frenemies struggle to stay alive - through explosions, deadly battles and a breakneck chase through the snowbound wilderness. Somehow they have to make it to safety - and get some answers - no matter what the cost. Can they survive the Undead? And each other?

Review: It’s a normal school trip, so when the majority of a class go into a cafe, and Bobby and Smitty stay on the coach, they don’t think anything of it. But when Alice returns, crying that everyone’s dead, they realise that it really isn’t a normal ski trip. With a small group of survivors they pick up along the way, Bobby and Smitty must work out what’s happening, how to stop the zombies, and whether or not they’ll get out of this alive.

Another teenage zombie story. Yay! There really should be more of these things. It starts quite quickly, giving us a good idea of Bobby, Smitty and the class, before the change. By the end of the second chapter, we have a solid zombie attack setting us up for the rest of the book. and the pace is set up for the rest of the book too.

Pacing throughout is good, with a couple of boring bits, but mainly action. Every chapter ends on a cliffhanger, a good technique and keeping everything moving. The chapters are about ten pages each, nice and consistent, and easy to get along with.

Bobby and Smitty and Alice and Pete and everyone else all have their own distinct personalities, creating good amounts of conflict between the characters, as well as versus-zombie conflict. It’s amazing how seeing a character put through certain situations(ie a zombie attack) can make you like them. Alice, to start with, was a complete bitch. By the end of it...only half.

I liked the fact that we kept meeting new characters. Aside from getting stuck places and learning odd things about these zombies, it’s a good way of moving story along. And there were some that I wasn’t expecting to turn up at all. Yay for unpredictability!

What didn’t I like about htis? At times, every single one of these characters was at least a little bit stupid, annoying, or, most likely, both. I also felt a bit detached from the action at various points in the novel. Aside from that, this is a great zombie book.

Finally, I love the use of Carrot Man and Veggie Juice. I assure you, this is not completely random.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a fun zombie book. Definitely want to read Unfed.

Links: Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi

Title: Tomorrow Land

 Author: Mari Mancusi

Series:  N/A

Published:  8 March 2012

Length: 281 pages

Warnings: violence, drugs, sex references 13+

Source: Netgalley

Other info: Mari has also written the Blood Coven (Boys that Bite) series, and some others

Summary : Can true love survive the end of the world? Imagine finding your first love, only to be ripped apart by the apocalypse. Peyton Anderson will never forget the day she was forced to make a choice--between her family--and Chris Parker, the boy she'd given her heart. Now, four years later, as she steps from the fallout shelter and into a dead and broken world, he's the only thing on her mind. All Chris "Chase" Parker wanted was to take Peyton away and keep her safe from harm. But he waited for hours in the rain on judgment day and she never showed--breaking his heart without ever telling him why. Now the two of them have been thrown together once again, reluctant chaperones to a group of orphan children in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead still walk...and feed. As they begin their pilgramage to the last human outpost on Earth, can they find a way to let go of old hurts and find the love they lost--all while attempting to save what's left of the human race?

Review: April 2030. Peyton Anderson is with her friends, discussing boys, as any fifteen year old does. that’s how it is most of the time. and then her dad starts going on about stuff from an old sci-fi book. And people start getting sick. And sick. And dead. And not deader. Fast forwards four years. Chase, formerly Chris, Parker, does what he has to do to survive. only just. So when the girl he’s had a crush on for four years returns and suggests they run away, after careful thinking, he agrees/ even if the girl does now have weird eyes. even if the girl does now have retractable razor blades in her fingers. even if it does mean travelling across a zombie-ridden USA

This is one of those books where if forgot what was meant to happen, so I kind of went in blind. Which made things a bit confusing to start with. Each alternative chapter is set in the pre=outbreak, in which Peyton is fifteen, and Chris is Chris, and every other chapter is post-outbreak, in which Peyton has her implants. While both are nice, it takes me a fair bit of time to realise that they alternated timescales, how they intertwined, and the pattern.

The world building for both pre-and post-outbreak is really good. The pre- is your kind of typical view of the future, wildly advanced with computers  and references to pop culture scattered in. The post-outbreak world is totally different. Mari does a great job of describing the changes and conditions of this new world.

I liked before-Peyton. She wasn’t standout, but she was a good character. After-Peyton, I had a bit of a problem wth. Her personality was great, but the blades and the eyes...how did they get in? How do they not cut her? I can’t see it happening.

Chris is a good character. I didn’t really like him that much before the outbreak, but after the four year timeskip, you can see how much he’s been forced to mature and is now able to cope-just about. I don’t blame him for getting addicted.

Plot turns range from the “interesting and useful” to the “too convenient for them”. I get the need for them to go, but some things seem a little too easy.

The ending...the ending was just...anti climatic. I was looking forwards to some big dramatic showdown, which we kind of got, but it wasn’t as interesting as the rest of the book had set it up to be.

Despite this, there was something about Tomorrow Land which makes me want to see more form Mari.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a book that varies with quality depending on where you are in the novel.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-iZombie Dead to the World by Chris Roberson & Mike Allred

Title: iZombie- Dead to the World

 Author: Chris Roberson, Mike Allred

Series:  IZombie #1

Published:  22 March 2011 by Vertigo

Length: 144 pages

Warnings: sex references, violence 13+

Source: Bought

Other info: There's two more in the series, uVampire and Six Feet Under & Rising.

Summary : Told from a female zombie’s perspective, this smart, witty detective series mixes urban fantasy and romantic dramedy.Gwendolyn “Gwen” Dylan is a 20-something gravedigger in an eco-friendly cemetery. Once a month she must eat a human brain to keep from losing her memories, but in the process she becomes consumed with the thoughts and personality of the dead person – until she eats her next brain. She sets out to fulfi ll the dead person’s last request, solve a crime or right a wrong.Our zombie girl detective is joined by a radical supporting cast: her best friend Eleanor, who happens to be a swinging ’60s ghost, a posse of paintball blasting vampires, a smitten were-dog and a hot but demented mummy.

Review: When I added this to my goodreads shelf, I didn’t realise that it was a comic. Oh well. First impressions? The blurb is really good-I love it when something like that can be taken both metaphorically and literally. And when I read it, it instantly appealed to me. A zombie, Gwen, digging up graves for a living and digging them back up to eat the brains, plus the memories, for staying in her current form of undeath? Definitely my thing. Then the latest brain she eats once belonged to a man who ended life as a murder victim, and it’s up to Gwen and her best friends (a ghost and a were-terrier) to solve it.

I love the mix of paranormals represented in iZombie. Theres one of one all the major species (zombies, lycanthropes, ghosts, vampires) and  a fair few humans in it too.  The take on the zombie is very interesting-with Gwen staying fairly intact as long as she eats a brain every so often so she can stay in her non-shambling state.

Gwen is a strong and realistic heroine, who takes her situation quite well, and does what she has to do, albeit with not much enthusiasm,  to keep herself out of a non-shambling state. I really liked her for some reason.

It gets off to a very good start, with the trick or treating. The introduction of the subplots such as the part witt the vampires and Scott the were-terrier and the monstrer hunting was done well, and all of these played out very well. Apart from the main murder mystery. Very interesting, but at the very end, confusing and anticlimactic.

The art is consistent, and I love the fact that the entire book is in full colour. It really does add something to enjoying the book. I don’t really understand why we oiccationally see just half of Gwen’s face rotting. I get that it is meant to show her as she could be, but when we do see her like that, it seems to be totally random.

Overall: Strength 3 tea to a new take on an old concept, with a whole cast of paranormally inclined characters that you will definitely like.  

Links: | Goodreads | Authorwebsite | 

Book Review- Die For Me by Amy Plum

Title: Die For Me

 Author: Amy Plum

Series:  Revenants #1

Published:  May 10 2011 by Harperteen, May 11 by Atom

Length:344 pages

Warnings: violence, romance 13+

Source: Library

Other info: The sequel, Until I Die, will be out today. The third, If I Should Die, will hopefully be out in 2013.

Summary : In the City of Lights, two star-crossed lovers battle a fate that is destined to tear them apart again and again for eternity.  When Kate Mercier's parents die in a tragic car accident, she leaves her life--and memories--behind to live with her grandparents in Paris. For Kate, the only way to survive her pain is escaping into the world of books and Parisian art. Until she meets Vincent. Mysterious, charming, and devastatingly handsome, Vincent threatens to melt the ice around Kate's guarded heart with just his smile. As she begins to fall in love with Vincent, Kate discovers that he's a revenant--an undead being whose fate forces him to sacrifice himself over and over again to save the lives of others. Vincent and those like him are bound in a centuries-old war against a group of evil revenants who exist only to murder and betray. Kate soon realizes that if she follows her heart, she may never be safe again.

Review: After Kate and Georgia’s parents die in a car crash, they move to Paris to live with their grandparents and attempt to put their lives back together. But then Kate meets Vincent Delacroix-handsome and perfect. At least, if you forget that he is a Revenant-an undead being whose purpose is to protect humans-to die for them, if necessary. You also have to forget the fact that he is completely out of action for three days per month. And the fact that being his girlfriend can be dangerous on many levels.

I was so ready to love this book. Five stars from many of my bloggy friends, and a really cool idea. It could have been so good. And the start of it was very promising-so many different ways it could go.

And then Kate sees Vincent. And from there on for the majority of the book, it just isn’t my thing.

Instalove for both parties. Semi-typical tortured hero with hidden problems. A totally devoted girlfriend. I can see why others would like it, but there’s just too much romance for each paranormal part, which is not a ratio that I like. But other people do.

Kate isn’t the best character ever. She’s quite dependent on Vicnent, doesn’t develop. And the only really really cool thing she does at the end is only because Vincent is acting through her. So I’m not sure if you can really count that. Vincent is a little too perfect, not that interesting to me and a little bit boring.

The family that Vincent goes home to are really good characters though. Some of them, I didn’t really care for, but Charlotte in particular was well built. I think she was my favourite character. Or Joanna or whatever her name was (I don’t have the book in front of me), the one who’d been with the family for ages. I also liked the way that all the Revenants were ready for battle pretty much all the time.

As for plot development-there’s the starting twenty pages which were good, the middle where nothing really happens aside from Kate and Vincent loving eachother, and establishing enemies, which was totally boring, and finally we get to the end.

And, after getting through 300 pages, I’m rewarded with a bloodbath. The only bit that properly kept me reading and interested.

Overall:  strength 2 tea to a promising book that didn’t work for me. However, I can see how more romanc-y liking people would enjoy it.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Ashes by Ilsa J Bick

Title: Ashes

 Author: Ilsa J Bick

Series:  Ashes Trilogy #1

Published:  29 September 2011 by Quercus

Length: 465 pages

Warnings: Zombies, sex references, 13+

Source: Library

Other info: Isla has written other, quite different, books. Book two in the Ashes trilogy is called Shadows, has no cover and should be published September 2012.

Summary : Seventeen-year-old Alex is hiking through the wilderness when it happens: an earth-shattering electromagnetic pulse that destroys almost everything. Survivors are divided between those who have developed a superhuman sense and those who have aquired a taste for human flesh. These flesh-hunters stalk the land: hungry, ruthless and increasingly clever... Alex meets Tom, a young army veteran, and Ellie, a lost girl. They will fight together and be torn apart, but Alex must face the most difficult question of all: In such a vastly changed world, who can you trust? 

Review: Alex, a girl with a brain tumour, is out on a solo hiking mission, when the Zap happens. Obviously, she doesn't know what's happening. At the time of the Zap, she's with an old man and his grand-daughter, Ellie. The zap kills the old man, and she is left with Ellie and the dog, Mina. Soon, they come across Tom, and then it's a fight to survive. But there's something else. Alex, since the Zap, has been blessed with super-scent, while others that she occasionally runs across are essentially zombies. Alex, Tom and Elle have to go and explore to try and find a safe place to stay, so their entire journey is a quest to find somewhere to stay, someone to trust, and some way to stay alive.

The cover blurb weren't amazingly pull you in material, but neither were they major turn offs. The concept is interesting, a variation on most post-apocalyptic/zombie fiction, in that it gives some of the survivors of the original disaster a fighting chance. The blurb is slightly inaccurate, as not all the survivors get enhanced senses, but it's still a good premises that's worth taking a look at.

Alex, we get a good sense of her character, her rebellious streak and her determination from page one. The other characters we also get a good sense of soon after we meet them, but there are still some surprises you get after a bit.

The cannibalistic zombie people didn't feature as prominently as the blurb advertised. We were made aware of them, and we ran in to them a few times, but they weren't the most important thing in the novel. The characters and their interactions were.

As I said before, they were all strong characters, built up well and kept interesting. And then Isla wrote them out. I'm still quite annoyed at that. Two quite major characters are dropped at various points in the novel, pushed to the side and not really addressed again. I know that in that situation, that probably would happen. But I was getting quite attached to them, and was annoyed to see them go.

The writing style was good, but not really stand out. It didn't hinder the flow of the story, and kept me reading, but I was a little surprised when I started the book that it was in third person.

There were a few points where there was a change in plot that was incredibly random. But also unpredicted, so there was always something interesting. At the end, there's this huge revelation about this one society and what they are doing with their people and the zombies that I really wasn't expecting. So there. A big cliffhanger.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a good post apocalyptic survival story that I really want to see how it plans out in book 2.

Links: Amazon | TheBook Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb by MJA Ware

Title: Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb

 Author: M.J.A. Ware

Series:  N/A

Published:  5 September 2011

Length: 204 pages

Warnings: light violence 10+

Source: Author in exchange for review

Other info: This is MJA Ware's debut novel, but he's written other sets of short stories. And sometime ago, MJA Ware gave us a post on how to best deal with the undead. Go have a look at it!

Summary : When life gives you lemons, kill zombies -- turns out lemon juice neutralizes the undead.
After a failed attempt at running away, best friends Nathan and Misty return home expecting to face angry parents. Instead, they discover the military has destroyed the bridges out of their rural town and everyone's fled--except a small horde of the living dead. The stress of flesh-eating zombies may be more than their already strained relationship can handle.
Even with the help of the town geek and lemonade-powered Super-Soakers, there's not enough time to squeeze their way out of this sticky mess. Unless the trio eradicates the zombie infestation, while avoiding the deadly zombie snot, the military will blow the town, and them, to pulp.
Their only shot is something with a lot more punch. Something like the Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb. But even if their friendship survives, there's another problem: Someone has to lure the undead into the trap

.Review: Nate and Misty find themselves in a bit of a bad situation. With bad meaning there are zombies out roaming the streets and our two heroes had to fight for survival. Along the way, they meet a young boy called Kali, who they end up taking along for the ride, and find an unconventional weapon for use against the undead-any liquid with a high pH value- the most accessible of this being lemon juice!

It all starts very quickly, with the mayor being bitten and turning into a zombie  within three short chapters. Our main characters soon realise there is a zombie apocalypse is happening, and steal a car. I loved that scene. Two teenagers in a stolen vintage car driving through zombie ridden streets? Awesome. The only disappointment here was that they never actually hit the zombies in the car. Really, when you get a car chase with zombies, you just want to see them flying up in the air, don’t you? I get disappointed easily... Luckily this was resolved nearer the end!

It would have been nice to see a couple more characters, although I think we did get really close to our main three, Nate, Misty and Kali. There wasn’t much development, but I still liked these characters. To start with, Kali was infuriatingly know it all, but this slowly grew on me and I really felt for him.

The take on zombies was really good. they were funny, and the fact that something as simple as lemon juice kills them deader? Amazing.

This book played to my sense of humour really well, especially the opening. Partway through, the humour was toned down slightly to make way for the survival aspect. The writing wasn’t particularly complex, but kept the story going and me interested. The structure was simple and fun.

Overall: Strength 3 tea to a fun zombie book by an author I’d quite like to see more from.

Links: | Goodreads | Author website |