Review - If I Should Die (Revenants, Book 3) by Amy Plum (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 416 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 7, 2013
ISBN: 978-0062004031
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Revenants Trilogy
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the final book in the Revenants Trilogy. It was did an excellent job of wrapping up things nicely. I love how we are finally seeing Kate step up and take action.

The book starts exactly where the last book left off (at that horrible cliffhanger!). Kate is determined to find a way to save Vincent even though his fate seems sealed. Meanwhile Violette is gathering more and more numa in Paris in preparation for a final war with the good Revenants.

The majority of the story is spent with Kate and company trying to find a way to save Vincent’s soul somehow. This was actually really interesting and I enjoyed the crazy magic Bran performed and how everything worked out.

However this led to the whole epic battle between the good and bad Revenants being incredibly rushed, I mean seriously the main portion of the battle happens in 20 pages or something like that. So, that was a bit disappointing. There was a lot that happened in the last little bit of the book and it happened so fast that I was like...woah...seriously rushed here.

Kate is an excellent character. She continues to give off a “girl-next-door” type of vibe but she has also become more confident and seems to have found her purpose. Her relationship with Vincent is still a bit too lovey dovey for me. People who are huge fans of Kate/Vincent scenes might be a bit disappointed because they don’t get a ton of page space together...there is just too much else going on.

The main storyline was resolved well. It is pretty darn predictable, but there are a couple small twists and turns I didn’t see coming. I was hoping for some big surprises but there really weren’t any. That being said it was still a very engaging story. There was more mystery solving in this book as Kate and crew tried to hunt down a way to help Vincent and less action.

Although the main storyline was resolved there were a number of side characters with unresolved issues. The main one of these is Jules. He disappears for large portions of the story and seems to have things going on that we never get to hear about. I predict a offshoot of this series featuring Jules sometime in the future.

Overall this was a great conclusion to the series. It was entertaining and well written. I enjoyed the mystery behind trying to save Vincent and enjoyed the strong and capable girl Kate has become. I can’t say much else without spoilers, so I won’t. The story was a bit predictable though and the ending did feel pretty rushed. Still, overall I thought this was a creative series and I enjoyed it so I will definitely read more of Amy Plum’s works in the future. This is recommended to fans of YA paranormal books.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Paranormal Reading Challenge
- Young Adult Reading Challenge

Graphic Novel Review - The Walking Dead (Hardcover, Vol 1) by Robert Kirkman (3.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Graphic Novel/Horror
Size: 304 pages
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: July 2006
ISBN: 978-1582406190
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Walking Dead HC releases
Source: Gift
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

I love graphic novels and zombies and have been wanting to read this graphic novel series for a while now. This volume 1 Hardcover edition is a compilation of the first two trade paperbacks in the series, Days Gone By and Miles Behind Us. While I didn’t love it as much as I had hoped it was still an engaging read. It’s more of a drama read than a zombie read. I guess I was really excited to read it and really expecting something special, so I feel a bit let down.

Rick Grimes, a small town cop, is in a coma from a gunshot wound. When he finally wakes up things are changed. The hospital is abandoned, the cafeteria is full of vicious dead things that used to be people. The worst is that his family is gone; he assumes they went to Seattle so he sets off to find them and try to figure out what’s going on.

The illustration is very well done. I enjoyed the illustrator for Days Gone By more than for the second book, Miles Behind. Mainly because it was more detailed artwork. The whole book is in black and white. It’s easy to tell what is going on in the illustration and easy to read facial expressions and things like that.

I absolutely loved the first book, Days Gone By. Rick is an engaging character and him meeting up with his family is wonderfully done. He’s a natural born leader who is doing his best to survive and find his family. It’s when he meets up with the other small group of survivors that things get a bit well, I don’t know...I guess just so typical.

These are very typical zombies of the shambling and flesh eating sort. When they bite you, you get sick and turn into a zombie after a few days time. Pretty normal zombie stuff. In this hardcover edition there isn’t any speculation yet as to what caused the outbreak or what happened. The survivors Rick runs into are sitting outside of Seattle waiting for the government to come help them...this seemed a bit naive to me. I mean if whole cities are overrun, why would the government be available to rescue civilians? And would you want them to, giving that means lots of stressed people crammed into some government facility? Anyway, I guess I have read too many zombie books.

The second book, Miles Behind, was way more drama than the first book. This one starts dealing with whom among the survivors is sleeping with who, who dislikes who, etc. etc. It gets very soap opera like with occasional zombie attacks sprinkled throughout. I get exasperated with people that do stupid things and make their situation worse. I mean really would you sleep with some guy after being away from your husband for a week because you think he is dead? Wow, that is some strength there, must have been a really solid marriage. The survivors attack each other, making things even worse. I understand these people are stressed, but why be so stupid and make things so much worse?

Eventually they end up at a farm with a guy who’s locked up zombies to cure them later. Yeah, okay totally read that scenario before a number of times...we all know how that ends up.

So while I enjoyed the detailed illustration and found the first part of this book very engaging, I started to get a bit annoyed at the second half of the book. Having these people surviving the zombie apocalypse isn’t enough, they also have to do a lot of really stupid things that make the situation worse. Towards the end I just couldn’t stop rolling my eyes every time yet another crazy thing happened that made their lives worse; especially since many times these things happened from the people just not thinking.

Let’s take a quick diversion to talk about the mess that is Rick’s wife Lori. Wow do I hate her. She has got to be the most incompetent woman on the planet. Why did Rick marry her? She is whiny, unfaithful, and can’t even raise a gun to protect her son from being eaten by zombies. Ugh, I disliked her. She doesn’t want Rick to take risks to help them survive, but also won’t take risks herself. She doesn’t want her son Carl to learn to protect himself because he is too young...seriously?! Many of the women characters in this book leave a lot to be desired.

As with many zombie stories you just know things aren’t going to end well. By the end of this book the level of stupidity coupled with all the bad things going on was just annoying and depressing. I didn’t expect this to be an uplifting read, but I did expect it to be a creative read that wasn’t just soap opera plus zombies.

Reading what I wrote above I don’t sound very positive about this book. I did enjoy the first book and I think it was well done. I did not enjoy how the second book turned into a soap opera with intermittent zombie attacks. Right now I am kind of on the fence about whether or not I will keep reading this series. So some feedback from people who are further into it would be nice. Does it get better? It is all just people making stupid mistakes and having increasingly horrible things happen to them to rachet up the drama? Do we actually get to a back story about why all of this is going on? Or is it just more of people being mean to each other, sleeping with each other, and dying?

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Paranormal Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Review - Strangers in the Land (The Zombie Bible, Book 3) by Stant Litore (3.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Zombies
Size: 440 pages
Publisher: 47North
Date:October 16, 2012
ISBN:978-1612183923
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Zombie Bible series
Source: ARC from Amazon Vine
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. This seems to be the third book in the Zombie Bible series; I did not read the first two books but this book stands well on its own. It was decently written, a bit dense at times, but it was engaging enough.

This was a retelling of a portion of the Bible with zombies included. This is the story of Devora (an aging Hebrew prophetess), Hurriya (a slave girl who has suffered through many horrors) and Zadok (a legendary Hebrew warrior). The three of them journey from their home out into the Land in an effort to save their people from an onslaught of undead.

This story is a bit wordy and dense at times, but ended up being a compelling story with characters that were easy to engage with. The first part of the book drags a bit but that gets better as the story continues. Most of the book is told from Devora’s point of view.

Devora is a compelling character. She is a strong woman figure in a society where women are only valued for their child-bearing abilities. She values life above all, but is often forced to fight and take lives to protect her people. With Zadok by her side she is unstoppable, but in his absence she is strangely vulnerable.

There are a lot of politics going on in this book. Devora struggles for respect as a woman, so there is that going on. Hurriya, as a heathen in the Hebrew people’s eyes, struggles with cruelty and persecution of her people. There is a bit of an unrequited love thing going on here too. There are also all the rituals and laws that the Hebrew people follow, they say they follow the laws to protect their people from the undead. In truth there is some validity to that (for example raising cairns on the undead so they can’t rise again) but like most religions a lot of it is routine meant to comfort.

As you might expect there is a lot of talking about God and praying to God in this book. There is also a lot of talk from the characters about how God doesn’t take good care of his people. This always bothers me a bit because I believe people should be willing to be proactive and take care of themselves. God is there to guide them, not run their lives.

In the second half of the book there are a lot of more traditional zombie mayhem types scenes where warriors are mowing down fields of hungry undead. There is a lot of gore in this book as well, so it is not for the faint of heart. You even have some scenes with super creepy zombie children. Additionally there is a lot of sexual violence mainly between the Hebrew men and the “heathen” women. So this is definitely an adult read.

At points the story reads like a Greek tragedy...a lot of people die in this story and no one is safe from an untimely death. This is definitely not an uplifting read, pretty much everyone dies. Still it was well done. The discussion of who are really the monsters here is also a good one. At many points in the book Devora has more to fear from her fellow humans than from the undead.

There isn’t anything super creative here, much of the zombie aspects to the story have been seen before. It is a decently written and engaging story though, if a bit wordy at points.

Overall an okay religious zombie read. It’s a bizarre combination to be sure. The characters are engaging and the plot is fairly compelling. The pacing could use a bit of work, it is a bit slow and definitely wordy for the first half of the book. It’s not necessarily a comfortable read (there’s a lot of violence and little hope in this story), it is also not an uplifting read. I guess I would recommend this to someone who wants to read a zombified retelling of a portion of the Bible. Kind of a specific audience but it is what it is.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Reading Challenge
- Paranormal Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Novella Review - Die for Her (Revenants, Book 2.5) by Amy Plum (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 60 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Date: April 2, 2013
ASIN: B009NFH6OG
Stand Alone or Series: 2.5th book in the Revenants series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is novella that takes place after the 2nd Revenants book. I recommend reading this after you are read those two books, primarily because it summarizes the whole story up to that point from a different character’s perspective. The third and final book in this series, If I Should Die, releases in May 2013.

This whole novella is from Jules’ point of view. It covers the whole series to this point; from when Vincent and Jules first meet Kate to the end of the second book.

This was a decent read and I enjoyed it. It was interesting to see things from Jules perspective. Finally we get to see into his head, and he’s not the light-hearted flirt we always thought he was. It was wonderful to get to know Jules better and see how he really feels about Kate. My heart went out to him and reading this definitely affected how I will see him in the final book.

It was also nice to get a quick synopsis of the whole series before the next book in the Revenants series is released later this month. This book gives a nice overview of all of the events that have happened in the series up to this point. It was an excellent overview and just makes me want to read the 3rd book even more.

Overall definitely a good read if you are a fan of this series. It gives great insight into Jules’ character and why he acts how he does throughout the series. It was also a very nice recap of what’s happened so far in this series. I would recommend reading the first two books in the series before reading this novella, there are spoilers for the first two books in this novella. I can’t wait to read If I Should Die!

The Inexplicables (Clockwork Century, Book 4) by Cherie Priest (3/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult (fine for YA too!)
Genre: Steampunk
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: November 13, 2012
ISBN: 978-0765329479
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in the Clockwork Century series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 3/5 stars

This is the fourth book in the Clockwork Century series. It is a well done steampunk novel, but I had some trouble connecting with the main characters and staying engaged in the story.

The main character Wreck, is a sap-addicted orphan who's been thrown out of the orphanage after turning 19. He decides to head beyond the Wall to Seattle to try and find a job dealing sap. When he gets there he meets Zeke and Huey and ends up wrapped up in an adventure to save the city and discover what a strange creature haunting the night really is.

This is very well written but just wasn't that engaging to me. Wreck is not a likable character; he is lazy and likes to take advantage of people...this made him hard to engage with. While it was nice to see Zeke in the story (he was in Boneshaker) I still had trouble engaging and relating with any of the characters in this story.

The story moves slowly and it takes quite a while to get to the point of the story. I just had a lot of trouble staying engaged in the story up until the last fourth of the book or so. My mind kept wandering. The first part of the book is basically about Wreck getting past the Wall and finding his way around Seattle amidst the zombifying gas and different factions.

This book is very steampunk; you have zombies, gas masks, steam driven power, and all things steampunkish. Priest is always spot on with the steampunk elements of her books.

The story is fairly predictable and, as I mentioned, I had a tough time staying engaged in what was going on. When it came right down to it the mysterious zombie disappearances and the mysterious creature in the night just weren’t enough to really drive this story and keep it interesting.

Overall an okay steampunk read. I thought earlier books in this series were better. Still, if you are a huge steampunk fan you might want to give this a read. The main character is just very hard to relate to. I’d recommend reading Boneshaker over this book, I would also recommend Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan series as an excellent steampunk read.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Zombie Reading Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- Steampunk Reading Challenge

Review - I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus (A Breathers Christmas Carol) by S.G. Browne (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Zombie/Post-Apocalyptic
Size: 208 pages
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: October 30, 2012
ISBN: 978-1476708720
Stand Alone or Series: Sequel to Breathers
Source: Goodreads First Reads
Rating: 4/5 stars


I got a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review through the Goodreads First Reads program. Thanks to Gallery Books and Goodreads for allowing me the opportunity to review this book. I read Browne’s book Breathers when it was released a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I was really looking forward to reading this book as well. This ended up being a fun, yet short, zombie Christmas read. It was gory, disturbing, entertaining, and even a bit heart-warming.

This book picks up where Breathers left off. Andy is being held in an experimental facility. This book is mostly about Andy escaping from that experimental facility and then returning to rescue some friends. In between this he meets a sweet eleven year old girl who mistakes him for the one and only Santa. She wants nothing more than for her mother to spend some time with her once in awhile and Andy is determined to help her out.

This was a fun read but pretty short, it took a little over an hour to read. This is full of the wit and dark humor Browne is known for. It was a very well written and engaging story that was hard to put down.

As with Breathers this is a zombie book with gore, violence, dark humor, and surprisingly some heart as well. Parts of the book are laugh out loud funny and others are disturbingly gory...in between all of this the story is surprisingly touching.

Andy is a loyal and courageous zombie who knows how to live his unlife better than most live humans life their lives. Along the way he reminds a mother of her duty to her daughter and reminds us all of the true meaning of Christmas spirit.

Overall a great read, I really enjoyed it. This is a truly unique, if somewhat disturbing holiday read. Recommended to zombie fans and those who enjoy dark humor. Full review to follow.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Zombie Reading Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Review - Until I Die (Revenants, Book 2) by Amy Plum (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: May 8, 2012
ISBN: 978-0062004048
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book of Revenants series
Source: Borrowed through Library
Rating: 4/5 stars


This is the second book in Plum’s Revenants series. The third book in the series, If I Should Die, is scheduled for a May 2013 release. This book, like the first, moves a bit slow in the beginning but picks up towards the end. It is a very interesting story, with a down to earth heroine, and a beautifully exotic Parisian setting.

Vincent and Kate are struggling with Vincent's vow to resist dying as long as he can. Both Vincent and Kate are separately seeking ways to help Vincent resist the urge to die. Along the way they both uncover some ancient secrets and reveal some horrible conspiracy involving the evil numa.

Kate and Vincent continue to have the sweet romance that is developed in the first book, but there is some strain put on it as they both start keeping secrets. Vincent is looking for a solution to help him resist having to die, and he’s keeping it a secret from Kate even though it is resulting in him becoming horribly sick. Kate is looking for her own solution and sneaking around Vincent.

It is an interesting issue that Kate and Vincent are dealing with. Kate doesn’t want to watch Vincent constantly die but she also doesn’t want to prevent him from saving the lives of innocent humans.

Two new and ancient Revenants enter the story as well. They add an interesting dynamic to the story and result in some intriguing twist and turns.

This ended up being a fairly predictable read, but some of the new elements behind the history of the Revenants were fascinating. The story is somewhat slow in pace in the beginning but picks up towards the end. Pacing is much like the first book. This book does end on a horrible cliffhanger which kind of irritated me.

The book is well written and engaging, and of course it has a beautiful Paris setting. I continue to enjoy Kate’s exploration of the this wonderful and exotic Parisian setting.

Overall this was a fun and quick read and I enjoyed it. Kate and Vincent continue to be an almost overly sweet couple; but they do have their struggles in this book as well. I enjoyed learning more about Revenant history and enjoyed some of the new characters added to the story. This book does end on a horrible cliffhanger though which bothered me. Recommended to those who love YA paranormal romance reads. This really is something different from the typical YA paranormal books out there.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Zombie Reading Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Review - Die for Me (Revenants, Book 1) by Amy Plum (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 368 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen; Reprint edition
Release Date: April 3, 2012
ISBN: 978-0062004024
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Revenants series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

I listened to this on audiobook. The second book, Until I Die, has already released and the final book in the series, If I Should Die, is scheduled for a May 2013 release. It was a very well done paranormal book that’s Parisian setting and creative take on zombies make it something special. While I loved the beginning of the book, I wasn’t as enamoured with the ending.

Kate and her sister Georgia move to Paris to live with their grandparents after their parents are killed in a car crash. Kate is struggling with her grief and drifting around reading books in cafes when she meets Vincent. Vincent is beautiful and somehow different from everyone she knows. Her and Vincent start to spend time together, but then Vincent’s best friend is killed in front of Kate and Vincent doesn’t seem to care. When Kate sees Vincent’s friend walking around the next day she suspects that Vincent and his friends aren’t as human as they seem.

I loved the idea behind the zombies in this book, it was fascinating and super creative. Basically Vincent and his “family” are Revenants. These are humans that die when sacrificing themselves in place of someone else, because of this sacrifice they rise as Revenants. The Revenants have an urge to sacrifice themselves to save humans. They do this over and over to help save humans’ lives. The rules behind how the Revenants work are interesting and really well done.

Kate makes an excellent and down to earth heroine. She is struggling with grief but doing her best to dig her way out. There are multiple places in this book where her sadness just about broke my heart. She really loves art so there is a lot of art-talk in this book.

Vincent is your typical super sensitive, yet dark and mysterious type. He is sensitive and romantic to the extreme. There were parts of the book where I felt that he was too perfect and so syrupy sweet that it was a little sickening. Still the romance between Kate and Vincent is touching and full of mutual respect; I really enjoyed it.

The setting is awesome. The whole book takes place in Paris. I loved hearing about the beautiful sights and it made me want to travel back there to find all the beautiful little nooks and crannies that Kate and Vincent found. I wish more YA paranormal books were set in international locations; they are just so fun to read and learn about.

The story focuses mostly on Kate discovering what Vincent is and how to deal with it than anything else. This is more of a mystery type book than an action-based one. Although, the Revenants do have enemies and there is a pretty well done fight scene between the two groups at one point in the book.

The book is well written and engaging. I ended up enjoying the beginning of the book more than the end. Plum did an excellent job of building and unfolding the mystery about Vincent. The ending where they fight the enemy Revenants felt a bit forced and rushed.

As you might imagine there is a heavy theme of death throughout the book; death is very prevalent in Kate and Vincent’s life. So those sensitive to the topic of death be warned.

Overall an excellent YA paranormal. This book presents a very creative take on zombies and I enjoyed it a lot. I also enjoyed the down to earth heroine, the sweet respect based relationship between Kate and Vincent, and the exotic Parisian setting. I enjoyed the beginning of the book more than the end, the ending felt a bit rushed. I can’t wait to see what the next book holds for this truly bizarre couple. Highly recommended to those who love YA paranormal reads without cliched love triangles and insta-love.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Zombie Reading Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Early Review - Shadows (Ashes, Book 2) by Ilsa J. Bick (2/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic
Size: 528 pages
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Release Date: September 25, 2012
ISBN: 978-1606841761
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Ashes series
Source: eGalley from NetGalley.com
Rating: 2/5 stars

This is the second book in the Ashes trilogy by Bick. I loved the first book in this series, it was so gritty and engaging. This book was a disappointment for me. The book is even more grisly than the first one and switches POVs many times. There is no recapping so you better remember the plethora of characters from Ashes or you will be totally lost.

Alex has been captured by Changed who are threatening to eat her and is doing her best to survive. Tom is doing his best to recover from his wounds in Ashes with an older couple. All the other characters are also doing their best to survive. Pretty much this is the continued story of the horror everyone lives through in an effort to live.

This book was not nearly as good as the first book, Ashes. It still was a fast paced and action packed story but you switch POV so often that you never know who you are reading about. Alex is probably the character you read the least about. You also hear from Peter, Chris, Tom, and others in Rule. The plethora of POVs really slowed the progression of the story and fractured it a lot.

Additionally there is no recapping at all, so all those characters you meet in Rule at the end of Ashes...well you better be prepared to remember them all. I couldn’t remember then all and struggled to remember who did what and was involved in what actions as the story went on. I got so frustrated at points I almost didn’t finish the book.

The story was even more grisly than the first one with the added bonus of strange orgies between the Changed; all in all a pretty stomach turning read. There are lots of detailed descriptions of Changed kids eating humans; no detail is left unexplored. Gory detail doesn’t usually bother me, but there were parts of this book that made me go “ugh, yuck!”

There are a couple of good things about this book. It is an intense read, and even though the scenes are fractured, they are incredibly engaging because someone is just about to die on every page. It makes the book hard to put down. Given that (as you might guess) there is a huge body count in this book...so just be prepared to watch lots of people die/be tortured/etc.

The other interesting thing was how Alex and others are developing Changed-like abilities and starting to struggle to remain human. I am super curious with how this all will play out.

Even with those points in the story’s favor I almost didn't finish this one. And in the end I am not sure if I am glad I did...nothing is resolved, this ends just like the first book did...right in the middle of everything.

Overall a very disappointing book for me. I loved Ashes and was incredibly disappointed by Shadows. Too many POVs fracture the story and the lack of recapping make it impossible to remember the multitude of characters. The level of goriness/torture/orginess was ratcheted up a level higher than Ashes and made this book even yuckier at points. The story still moves at a neck-breaking pace and is incredibly engaging. The developments around Alex’s changing powers are interesting too. Outside of that there wasn’t much here I enjoyed. I truly doubt I will be reading the final book in this series.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Zombie Reading Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Early Review - Dearly, Beloved (Gone with Respiration, Book 2) by Lia Habel (2/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Steampunk/Post-Apocalyptic
Size: 496 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: September 25, 2012
ISBN: 978-0345523341
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Gone with Respiration series
Source: eGalley through NetGalley.com
Rating: 2/5 stars

I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley(dot)com. This is the second book in the Gone with Respiration series. I really enjoyed the creativity of the first book in this series (Dearly, Departed). I was very disappointed in this book because of the huge number of POVs. I almost didn’t finish this book because as the story went on I just didn’t care anymore.

Tensions are rising between the humans and the “good” zombies. Nora, Bram, and company are trying to figure out the motives behind a group called the Murder; a mysterious group targeting good zombies and zombie sympathizing humans. Also a new pro-zombie group called The Changed are causing even more increased tensions in the city. Add to this the fact that a new strain of the Laz has been uncovered and Nora’s dad is frantically trying to find a cure for the Laz.

All I have to say about this book is "Ugh!" There are 6, yes that is 6, POVs in this book (we hear from Laura, Nora, Bram, Michael, Vespertine, and Pamela) This fractures the story horribly and turns what could've been a decent 200 page story into a horribly boring and slow nearly 500 page one. The story is all over the place. I had some problem with the multiple POVs in the first book, but really enjoyed the creative world. This story didn't even have that wonder to it anymore...it's just a mess.

If you like politics you might enjoy this book more than I did. There are a ton of politics between various groups going on. There’s The Murder (anti-zombie human group), the Changed (anti-human zombie group), most normal humans who are neutral/confused and Nora and friends who are pro good zombies. This book is mainly about how these groups interact, attack each other, and make the city less and less safe.

There is a lot of Nora and Bram talking about how much they love each other as well which gets old over time. What happens between Nora and Bram at the end of the book felt contrived and forced to me. Not to mention you kind of have to not think too hard about their relationship in general because...well...it’s kind of creepy. I mean Bram is dead and Nora talking about how much she loves to kiss his cold lips is a bit odd.

Nora also does a million really stupid things that made me want to slap her. I mean how many times do you need people to tell to definitely not go there, then you go there and cause a huge mess. She does this multiple times in the story and it makes her come off as stupid and selfish.

I don’t have much else to say about the side characters. Pamela has a bigger role in this story and is definitely more interesting than Nora and Bram. The other part of the story that really intrigued me was the mystery behind Patient One.

The book was very readable and the writing style easy to read. I had trouble being engaged in the story because it was so fractured. At the end of the day when I think back to what this book was about, I have trouble really saying because it was just such a mess.

Overall I did not enjoy this installment in the series. Too many POVs fractured the story and made the plot move at a crawl. There are tons of politics between various factions and Nora does a million really stupid things. I almost didn’t finish this book at all. The only redeeming quality was Patient One, the mystery behind him is intriguing and would be interesting to find an answer to in the next book. Will I be reading the next book? Probably not, I am worried that Habel might add in another 3 POVs and make it an even more fractured and lengthy story. If you like this type of steampunk/victorian zombie story I would suggest, Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard...it is a much better story.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Zombie Reading Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- Steampunk Reading Challenge

Review - Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues (White Trash Zombie, Book 2) by Diana Rowland (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 320 pages
Publisher: DAW
Release Date: July 3, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0756407506
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the White Trash Zombies series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the second book in Rowland’s White Trash Zombie series. Right now Rowland has three book on contract for this series. This is a different type of zombie book with an excellent mystery and some good humor; it was a very fun read.

Angel is finally getting used to her new job and her need for brains. Then things get shaken up when she finds out that her parole officer is out to get her for a felony she committed before zombiehood. Then she finds out her boyfriend’s uncle is part of a zombie mafia of sorts and all of this might be tied into some sort of secret lab conspiracy. Angel is going to need a lot of brains (in more ways than one) to survive all of this!

This is a very well done investigative urban fantasy. This book had an excellent mystery for Angel to solve;, one involving genetic tampering and zombie mobsters. I really enjoy this series, it's different from all the other zombie books out there. The zombies in this book are just people who happen to be dead and tend to start rotting if they don’t eat brains.

Angel is a wonderful character, her life sucked before she was turned into a zombie and it’s been great to see Angel slowly getting her life together while dealing with her zombiness. It’s somewhat ironic that being turned into a zombie is one of the best things that has ever happened to her. Angel is really going against the odds to try and turn her life around. I loved watching her stand up to her boyfriend as well, she is finally seeing some worth in herself and gaining some self-respect. Her relationship with her father is interesting too.

The side characters are all well done and have depth to them; although Angel is definitely the true star of the book the side characters support her nicely.

The book is humorous, well written, and a bit gross at times... I had a hard time putting it down and really enjoyed the way all of the different threads of plot wove a wonderful mystery in the end. It is just very well done and a very enjoyable read. Definitely for older readers, as there is talk about sex and oodles of swearing. The book also gets pretty gory and disgusting at times...but it is about zombies...soooo....

This book has a great ending, it is seriously one of the best endings I’ve read in a while. It’s an upbeat ending that just leaves you feeling great and wanting to read more about Angel and her world!

Overall this was an excellent continuation of this series. I loved it even more than the first book. Angel is growing so much as character and I am totally rooting for her! I enjoyed the investigation and mystery; it was very well done. I also really enjoy the creative take on zombies that Rowland has used in this series. Highly recommended to fans of investigative urban fantasy and to fans of zombies of course!

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Zombie Reading Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Review - Blackout (Newsflesh, Book 3) by Mira Grant (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic/Zombie
Size: 665 pages
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: June 1, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0316081078
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Newsflesh Trilogy
Source: Bought
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the third and final book in the Newsflesh trilogy by Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire). It ties up things well, if a bit too neatly. This has turned into more of a book about government conspiracy and cloning than about zombies.

Georgia has woken up in a medical facility only to learn that she has been cloned back into existence. Shaun and his fellow Bloggers at End of Times are in hiding trying to blow open the story about how the insect vector of the Kellis-Amberlee was created by the government in order to suppress other news. The story alternates between Georgia and Shaun until they both come together at the end.

Let me just say that this really isn’t a book about zombies. There are very few fights with zombies in this novel. Yeah there are a few, even a rather odd and uncalled for encounter with a zombie-bear, but this is not the nail-biting butt-kicking zombie read we started the series with. This is a book about the morality of cloning and about government conspiracy. I still loved it, but let’s not confuse what we are really reading about here.

Georgia’s story is focused on the cloning she went through, the conditioning they did to past clones of her, and how many clones they went through trying to get her right. There is a lot about the morality of cloning and what makes a person a person. Is it murder to kill a clone if you made them to begin with? How many people the government has in place are more cooperative clones of people who weren’t behaving the way the CDC wanted them too? It’s interesting stuff and food for thought but not really about zombies.

Shaun and crew are still bunking with the mad scientist. When she states a need to have a live mosquito in hopes of figuring out how these insects were created, Shaun with his immunity is the natural choice. Add this to the fact that Alric’s baby sister is trapped in FL and the team needs to figure out a way to break into the quarantined FL. So basically Shaun and crew spend most of the book trying to get into FL and trying to find out the truth about where the insect vector generated from.

Most of what Shaun and Georgia go through is in secret, so public opinion isn’t as involved in this book. The chapters do start with excerpts from blog posts; but almost all of them are labeled as unpublished.

------SPOILER START------
There is a supposed huge surprise about the relationship between Shaun and Georgia. All the characters in the book are like OMG we had no idea. I had kind of assumed right from the beginning of the series that these adopted siblings had a thing going on. I have read other reviewers that talk about the incestuous nature of the relationship and it leaves me scratching my head in confusion. I was surprised to find out that their buddies didn’t know Shaun and Georgia were involved; I guess I had already read between the lines that they had that kind of relationship going on. So this didn’t bother me; so uh yeah...I thought that part was not a surprise and pretty obvious from the very beginning of the series...but whatever.
------SPOILER END---------

The book is incredibly well written; it’s easy to read and there is humor thrown in that had me laughing out loud a number of times. The switch of viewpoint between Georgia and Shaun is well done, but does make for a lengthy read. The blog entries at the beginning of chapters give an outside perspective that really adds to the story as well.

So does it all end well? Well you will have to read to find out. Let’s just say all the big issues are addressed. Things come together a little too neatly and felt a little too convenient, but I still enjoyed how everything wrapped up.

Overall an excellent conclusion to this series. If you have read and enjoyed the first two books then you need to read this one as well. Is this a zombie book? Not really it is more about government conspiracy and the morality of cloning. There aren’t a ton of zombie fights. It is still really well written and a really good read. I enjoyed it a lot. The whole series is highly recommended to fans of zombie reads, especially if you like the whole government conspiracy angle.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Zombie Reading Challenge
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge