Still reading from my own shelves....

Title & Author:  Walking With the Dead by P.J. Dziekan

Why I bought it:  I was in the mood for a zombie apocalypse book sometime last year, and my library didn't have this one, so I bought it. (And then ended up not reading it until now.)

First line:  Sarah missed the end of the world because of the flu.

The plot in brief:  A bunch of strangers band together in order to survive the swarms of the undead:  college student, Sarah, brothers Ryan and Mick, Becca, and six-year-old Elizabeth.

My thoughts:  This is a pretty decent zombie read. It's a little predictable. And there are a few flaws here and there, but overall I thought it was entertaining and fun. Some of the flaws? The dialogue felt a little stilted in a few places, but just at the beginning. And Ryan, Becca and Sarah all overreacted at times in ways that didn't feel authentic (which a little more initial character development would have easily solved). And towards the end of the book the band of survivors just happen to find an undisturbed food distribution center with boxes and boxes of food...which felt a little too convenient, if you know what I mean. Oh, and there are too many f-bombs in the first chapter. But there are good things, too. The prose reads well. The characters grow and get more likable over the course of the book. It's fast-paced and never bogs down. I liked Mick right from the start. I also liked the way the characters worked together to survive, and how each one had their own strengths and weaknesses. Plus, there are zombies. All in all, I ended up liking this one enough to want to buy the sequel, Home With the Dead, sometime in the near future. Although my library MIGHT open up for curbside checkouts next week, so I might not need to keep buying new books. (Fingers crossed!)

My rating:  3.5/5 stars.

Happy Reading!

From my TBR shelf...

Title & Author:  Locker Nine by Franklin Horton

Why I bought it:  I love disaster/survival stories--whether the disaster is caused by a massive earthquake, EMP, terrorist attack, or zombie apocalypse. So when I saw this book on Amazon, I couldn't resist putting it in my cart. (Because once again, my library didn't have it.)

The Premise:  Grace is just finishing her freshman year of college when a terrorist strike takes out the power grid. Chaos quickly ensues. Luckily Grace's dad--a serious prepper and science fiction writer who's plotted the end of the world numerous times--has prepared her for this kind of disaster. He's even given her a key to a locker with everything she and her roommate, Zoe, will need to make the 600 mile journey home. Too bad the roads they must  travel on are filled with other people not quite so prepared...and definitely not on their side.

My thoughts:  I really liked Grace. She's tough and resilient and never backs down. And her relationship with her dad brought a welcome layer of humor and heart to an otherwise predictable plot. I wish every chapter had been about her and Zoe and their journey. Sadly, half the chapters focus on another character, Ray, a pot-smoking video gamer who's decided to start living life like he's the hero of Grand Theft Auto. Talk about a despicable human being! But I guess every disaster novel needs its requisite bad guy. (I also didn't love the first five chapters that were all about the terrorists; Horton could have done away with those entirely in my opinion. But at least they were short.) This wasn't a perfect read, but despite its shortcomings, I still liked it. It's a decent disaster read with a memorable and fun heroine. And I'd read book two, Grace Under Fire, just to find out what happens to Grace next.

Rating:  3/5 stars.  Best of all? It counts as my first read for Lark's Backlist Reader Challenge!

Happy Reading!

Virulent: The Release

The dogs died first. Then humans started getting sick. The manmade virus, an act of planned bioterrorism, spread quickly and acted fast. By day two, tens of millions were dead. (Sorry folks, no zombies in this one.) Trapped in the high school, Lucy King and her best friend, Salem, are two of the few survivors. There's also a boy named Grant with them. And the principal who's gone a bit mad. The school offers them food and water and some safety, but there's a chance Lucy's family is still alive. Outside. In a changed world where Lucy's real fight for survival is about to begin.

This is the first book in Shelbi Wescott's end-of-the-world apocalyptic series, and I liked it. It's not a perfect read. Some of the set up, like how Lucy got stuck at the high school in the first place, felt a little contrived. And both Lucy and Salem have a few annoying moments of teen angst, but overall, I liked Lucy and the other characters. Virulent: The Release is an entertaining, fast-paced and enjoyable read. And I'm looking forward to seeing how Lucy's journey continues in the next book.

Happy Reading!

Two Fun Reads...

The Road to Winter by Mark Smith

This entertaining YA dystopian novel is set in an Australia where an unknown virus has wiped out most of the population. For the last two years, Finn and his dog, Rowdy, have been on their own. Finn traps rabbits and harvests abalone for food, trades for veggies with an old man who lives nearby, and tries to avoid the gang of raiders known as the Wilders. Oh, and he surfs to stay sane. Then a girl named Rose enters his life. She's on the run from the Wilders and Finn knows he will have to risk his own life in order to save hers.

Not all dystopian novels are worth your time, but if I were grading this one I'd give it a solid B. It's well-paced. It wasn't too long, which means it never dragged. I really liked the survival aspects of it; I liked the characters, too, especially Finn. And I'm actually looking forward to reading the sequel.

To Suit a Suitor by Paula Kremser

Insipid characters, stilted dialogue, conflicts that could be resolved in two seconds, and/or an overly contrived plot will make me DNF a Regency romance every time. Luckily, this particular Regency romance by Paula Kremser has none of these deficiencies. Instead, Kremser has created two main characters who are believable and very likeable. I enjoyed their witty bantering and their tentative friendship.

Julia North, who is in her third London season, has just been abandoned by her latest suitor, much to her mother's chagrin. Julia knows there must be something wrong with her, she just doesn't know what. So she retreats to her cousin's house in the country where she meets Mr. Henry Chamberlin, who is still mourning the death of his fiancee three years ago. He's handsome, but truly believes he'll never fall in love again. Then he meets Julia. This charming romance, while not on the level of Austen or Heyer, is a light-hearted, well-written and fun read. And I liked it a lot.

Happy Reading!