Review - My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 320 Pages
Publisher: DAW

Release Date: July 5th, 2011
ISBN: 978-0756406752
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the White Trash Zombie series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

I bought a copy of this book because of the awesome cover, oh and I had read a lot of great reviews on it...also I like zombie books....  This was a creative take on the zombie condition, at times pretty funny, and well written.  All in all a highly amusing book that I really enjoyed reading.  This is the first book in this series, the second (Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues) is scheduled for a July 2012 release.  Right now there are three books planned in this series.

Angel Crawford is your typical white trash young woman.  She lives in a filthy trailer with her drunk dad, can't hold a job to save her live, and is constantly experimenting with the lastest new drug.   Things hit rock botton when Angel wakes up in the ER; apparently she was found passed-out stark naked on the side of the road.  She had a billion drugs in her system and is a presumed OD; problem is Angel doesn't remember any of it...the glimpses she does remember don't match what she's been told.  Then upon exiting the ER she finds someone has left her a cooler of strange drinks and a job offer at the morgue.  As time passes Angel realizes that she is....different...and she really, really craves brains.

This was a fun story and a creative take on zombies.  This isn't a zombie apocalypse story, but more a zombie as the minority and in hiding type of story.  The zombies in this book look and act just like anyone else...as long as they get a good amount of brains to keep things moving.  This is an interesting and creative idea and I enjoyed reading about; the why behind it is never really explained, but if you just go with it, it's a lot of fun.

Angel is a great lead, she is tough and funny but really wants to turn her life around.  Looking over her shoulder as she learns how to be a tech at the morgue was interesting, fun, and kind of gross at times.  As with most zombie books this one gets pretty graphic; especially since Angel visits a lot of crime scenes to pick up dead bodies.  So not a book for the weak of stomach.

All of the above would be interesting on its own but Rowland also ties in a good murder mystery.  When a number of the vics Angel picks up are missing their heads, she suspects foul play and gets drawn into trying to solve this mystery.  It is a well done mystery with a couple of unexpected twists and turns.  The story is mainly urban fantasy, but does have a teeny tiny bit of romance.

The story is nicely wrapped up, leaving a few small things unresolved for the next book.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and had a lot of fun reading it.  Angel is a great protagonist; she is fun, tough, smart and really wants to turn her life around.  Zombies are dealt with in a creative and fun way and all of this is wrapped together with a murder mystery that is very well done.   I thoroughly enjoyed this story and can't wait to see what happens in the next book, Even White Trash Zombies get the Blues.  A great book for fans of zombies and urban fantasy, especially those who like some black humor in their books.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:

- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 100+ Reading Challenge
- Zombies! Reading Challenge