Between the terrible writing, spelling and grammar mistakes, and length, I really couldn't believe this was an actual published novel. I almost didn'tBetween the terrible writing, spelling and grammar mistakes, and length, I really couldn't believe this was an actual published novel. I almost didn't finish it, but it was so short I didn't need to make that decision. Actually, by the time it even got remotely interesting, it was over! (Not interesting enough for me to seek out the 2nd book in this series).
The story is about four girls who are best friends (yay!) and roommates (yay, girl power!) They get caught in the middle of pandemic which turns its victims into zombie-like creatures who only think about eating and sleeping. And when the food runs out, they start eating whatever is in front of them (humans). So our four heroes run to a cabin in the woods owned by one of their families to ride it out. There we learn they are all ace sharpshooters. Not to mention, two of them work in healthcare so they're super knowledgeable about this new disease that was only discovered a few weeks ago! Awesome, right?
The other big problem I had with this book was that the writing was so bad. It literally could not get any emotion across. Possible minor spoiler ahead: There is a scene where one character is saying goodbye to someone she loves who has caught the illness, and I didn't feel one drop of emotion. And I cry at a good book.
Anyway, I didn't get a chance to decide I didn't want to read anymore, because as soon as I thought I might not want to finish it, the book was over. Go buy the next one in the series! Why? They didn't need a series, the author probably could've fit the entire thing into one novel.
Merged review:
Between the terrible writing, spelling and grammar mistakes, and length, I really couldn't believe this was an actual published novel. I almost didn't finish it, but it was so short I didn't need to make that decision. Actually, by the time it even got remotely interesting, it was over! (Not interesting enough for me to seek out the 2nd book in this series).
The story is about four girls who are best friends (yay!) and roommates (yay, girl power!) They get caught in the middle of pandemic which turns its victims into zombie-like creatures who only think about eating and sleeping. And when the food runs out, they start eating whatever is in front of them (humans). So our four heroes run to a cabin in the woods owned by one of their families to ride it out. There we learn they are all ace sharpshooters. Not to mention, two of them work in healthcare so they're super knowledgeable about this new disease that was only discovered a few weeks ago! Awesome, right?
The other big problem I had with this book was that the writing was so bad. It literally could not get any emotion across. Possible minor spoiler ahead: There is a scene where one character is saying goodbye to someone she loves who has caught the illness, and I didn't feel one drop of emotion. And I cry at a good book.
Anyway, I didn't get a chance to decide I didn't want to read anymore, because as soon as I thought I might not want to finish it, the book was over. Go buy the next one in the series! Why? They didn't need a series, the author probably could've fit the entire thing into one novel....more
**spoiler alert** The sequel to the book "Dread Nation". A great sequel. Instead of just our one narrator, Jane McKeene, in this book, our chapters ar**spoiler alert** The sequel to the book "Dread Nation". A great sequel. Instead of just our one narrator, Jane McKeene, in this book, our chapters are divided between her narration and that of her sometimes friend, Katherine Deveraux.
At the start of the book, our heroines have been separated and don't even know if the other one is alive. They start out on their own journeys in the beginning, fleeing the devastation that occurred at the end of the first book.
Eventually though, they meet up on the road and start planning together. Jane has become a total badass, and has only one thing on her mind: revenge. Katherine is trying to find the girl that her friend used to be inside of her somewhere, and draw her back out.
Again a good story, and I really loved the characters and their relationships with each other. They seemed very realistic. And of course I loved the fact that this story was so different from any other Zombie novel I've ever written. I also loved the historical fiction aspect, and that our main characters were all girls of color, who were total badasses to boot. A great read, both books in the series. ...more
This is a cute story about how children would survive during a Zombie apocalypse. Letitia, our main character, is 9 years old. One day she is at schooThis is a cute story about how children would survive during a Zombie apocalypse. Letitia, our main character, is 9 years old. One day she is at school with her sister (who is in kindergarten), when a Zombie apocalypse breaks out. Most of the teachers die while trying to fight the monsters, and Letitia immediately runs to her sister's classroom to save her. What she wasn't counting on was the other 20 or so students in the class as well.
Since she is the oldest, she takes charge, sharing out the children's bagged lunches, having them hide in the bathroom when Zombies finally breach the building, etc. After a few days of hiding out, when things have quieted down, she realizes they cannot stay there.
The rest of the book is an adventure as Letitia and the kindergarteners travel through the Bronx, learning how to feed themselves, kill zombies, liberate useful items from stores, and stay away from the adults!
It was a very cute story, (although of course it is dark as well as any Zombie novel would be). If it is a tiny bit unbelievable at times due to the ages, who really knows what children might be capable of if they needed to protect themselves and their friends from monsters? A fun read. ...more
The third book in the trilogy starting with "The Forest of Hands and Teeth". Once again, we begin this story with a new protagonist. It doesn't take vThe third book in the trilogy starting with "The Forest of Hands and Teeth". Once again, we begin this story with a new protagonist. It doesn't take very long for us to figure out who she is. The action definitely starts much more quickly in this book compared to the first two. There is also more of an outlined plot that our characters are aware of.
This book takes place in a more fortified city than the first two books. There are many more people here, and it used to be a major city before the Zombie apocalypse happened. There is a military presence, trade, somewhat of a government, etc. The people who live here know that there are other people out there, and they are not stopped from leaving and coming back to the city as they please.
We fairly quickly jump into an actiony plot, in which we have to save several characters, overcome Zombies and terrible humans alike, and figure out the end to the mysteries of how all the people from these three books are connected. The story is well done if a tad bit unbelievable at times.
However, again with the relationships in this series. They are just all over the place, I feel like the characters have no real reason to care for each other/haven't known each other long enough to be falling madly in love, etc.
Again, a cute, quick read if you like YA and Zombies. ...more
The sequel to "The Forest of Hands and Teeth", this book starts us off with a new narrator. In the beginning, we don't realize who the narrator is, itThe sequel to "The Forest of Hands and Teeth", this book starts us off with a new narrator. In the beginning, we don't realize who the narrator is, it seems like a completely separate story from the first book. We eventually learn how the characters from the two books are connected.
Like the first book, our main character has been raised all her life in a protected town, though not as heavily controlled and isolated as the town from the first book. Our new protagonist knows there is a world out there, but that it is very dangerous, and that there are not many humans left. One night, due to a dare from her friends, she leaves the town walls, and that is where her adventure starts.
For this book, I felt that the ending was a bit less vague. The character relationships were still not that strong though. I felt that they weren't developed enough to have the feelings they did for each other. This story has a bit of mystery to it, which made it a good read as well. Again, a cute, quick read if you like YA and Zombies. ...more
Another interesting take on a Zombie story. In this one, our main character lives in a fenced-in town in the middle of the woods. The Zombie apocalypsAnother interesting take on a Zombie story. In this one, our main character lives in a fenced-in town in the middle of the woods. The Zombie apocalypse has happened generations ago. The town believes that they are the only humans left, and are strictly controlled by the religious sect that oversees them.
For an example of how isolated they are, the main character's mother tells her stories about the ocean, and everyone else doesn't believe her. She shows her a picture from her great-great grandmother of the ocean, and our protagonist can't believe there could be that much water in the world.
We follow the protagonist as she finds out that not everything in her town (and in the world) is as it seemed, as it was explained to her. When she realizes the truth, she has to decide what to do on her own.
This was a good story, but I thought the ending was a bit vague. I know not everything in a story needs to always be wrapped up perfectly, but it felt almost unfinished to me. Some of the character relationships weren't very believable either. But a cute, quick, YA read, especially if you like Zombies. ...more
Saw it recommended in an article to read this story if you liked the video games Horizon Zero Dawn/Horizon Forbidden West. The story has a similar feeSaw it recommended in an article to read this story if you liked the video games Horizon Zero Dawn/Horizon Forbidden West. The story has a similar feel to it. I liked it, almost hoped it would have been longer!...more
4 stars... I think I liked the second book better.
It was a good trilogy all in all and a fun read. But this book almost had too many twists and turns.4 stars... I think I liked the second book better.
It was a good trilogy all in all and a fun read. But this book almost had too many twists and turns. The story was compelling but they kept coming out with all these new twists, counter twists, backstabs, reverse backstabs, it felt hard to keep everything straight. Also, the author likes to kill people and then bring them back, which is fine if used sparingly, but it got to the point where I never actually believed any main character was dead when they "died".
Again, I liked the trilogy, 2nd book was my favorite, more of a fun quick read than anything serious. Recommend for fans of fantasy, heists, or Pratchette-esque writing....more
You can tell the author has gotten more into his stride in this sophomore entry of the trilogy. It seems more stable than thI give this one 4.5 stars.
You can tell the author has gotten more into his stride in this sophomore entry of the trilogy. It seems more stable than the first book (the points of of view jump around less, or just fit better). The book also feels a bit more mature, although it's still more of a "fun romp" type of story, as opposed to some serious high fantasy.
But that's fine, we need fun romps! You don't want every book you read to be super serious. In that regard, the Prophecy Con feels much like the previous entry. A lighthearted group of thieves, wizards, priests, etc, set off on another adventure to save the country! (Only this time they know from the start that it's their primary objective, as opposed to the heist they thought they were pulling off in the previous book).
All of your favorite characters from The Palace Job are back, and most also seem a little more mature than they did in that book. I would still compare this to early Pratchett, with the Imperials heavily reminiscent of the Counterweight Continent.
The story was good, fun, quick to read, and had some twists and turns thrown in. As I said in my review for the first book, I recommend this to fans of fantasy, Pratchett, and heist stories. I will be reading the final book in the trilogy....more
This was such a fun book! Reminds me of early Pratchett. We are in a classic fantasy setting, complete with thieves, wizards, and magical creatures, bThis was such a fun book! Reminds me of early Pratchett. We are in a classic fantasy setting, complete with thieves, wizards, and magical creatures, but everything is very satirical. Most names have too many consonants to pronounce comfortably... actually I think that's more classic fantasy than satire haha.
The premise of the book is a big-time heist with an ensemble cast of the best crook from each department (thief, lockpick, safe cracker, wizard, etc), a la Oceans 11. But the irreverent humor and satire of the classic fantasy genre keeps bringing me back to the Pratchett comparison.
It was a quick read, I didn't really want to put it down once I got going. There weren't any points where it dragged. The story was fun and had a neat conclusion. There wasn't anything super deep in the plotline, aside from glimpses of real-world reflections of things like classism and racism. It was a good, well told story.
I will definitely be reading the next two books in the trilogy. Check this out if you are a fan of fantasy, humor, Pratchett or Douglas Adams....more
A very different Zombie book than others I have read! This one is historical fiction, taking place around the time of the Civil War. However, during tA very different Zombie book than others I have read! This one is historical fiction, taking place around the time of the Civil War. However, during the war, the dead started to rise, which causes the north and south to stop fighting each other and band together to fight the dead.
Unfortunately, this does not mean that racism has been eliminated, and everyone gets along now. There are still many people who will do whatever they can to take advantage of anyone who is not white.
Our heroine in the story is Jane McKeene, a young girl who was raised on a plantation with her mother, who was the lady of the house there. When the government passes new laws that say all young adults who are Black or Native American must attend "combat schools", Jane is forced to go. The point of these schools is to train the students to fight the Zombies, so they can later be employed to protect rich (read: white) people.
Jane does very well in her combat studies, but a few decisions end up leading her and a group of friends onto a trip they never wanted to take, where they discover that even more horrible things are going on than the dead rising and eating people.
The cast of characters is well done, I really believed the relationships between them (for good and bad). The story kept me hooked, and I really liked this completely different take on a Zombie story....more
Loading...
