Tag: spoiler free reviews

BooksReviews

Only Ashes Remain by Rebecca Schaeffer – Spoiler-Free Review

Posted on by J.W. Martin

ONLY ASHES REAMIN
by Rebecca Schaeffer

HMH Books for Young Readers
September 3, 2019

From Goodreads:

After escaping her kidnappers and destroying the black market where she was held captive, all Nita wants is to find a way to live her life without looking over her shoulder. But with a video of her ability to self-heal all over the dark web, Nita knows she’s still a prime target on the black market.

There’s only one way to keep herself safe.

Nita must make herself so feared that no one would ever dare come after her again. And the best way to start building her reputation? Take her revenge on Fabricio, the boy who sold Nita to her kidnappers. But killing Fabricio is harder than Nita thought it would be, even with Kovit by her side. Now caught in a game of kill or be killed, Nita will do whatever it takes to win.

The good people at HMH Books for Young Readers and Raincoast Books provided me with an ARC of Only Ashes Remain in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book’s prequel, Not Even Bones, was a great and unique concept that the rest of the book just didn’t deliver on. It wasn’t bad, but not as great as I had hoped. What it did give me was a couple of characters that I felt I knew reasonably well and an optimistic view toward any sequels.

I expected Only Ashes Remain to answer some questions, pick up the pace a little, and bring some depth to these characters that I previously spent 400 pages with. Unfortunately for me, I was left unfulfilled again.

The plot, though somewhat interesting, was a little slow and lacks any real twists or turns. The characters aren’t bad, but I found them hard to relate to or care about. The one I liked best was a brand new supporting character: Adair! 

I desperately wanted to the book to take a sharp left and follow him around, because he was fascinating. Unfortunately, all I got were bits and pieces spread over a few scenes, that were all too short and too few for my liking.

My main issue with Only Ashes Remain was that it felt specious. Characters would say they wanted one thing, but their actions were the complete opposite. Other times they said things and would say the opposite before the end of that very page. It was a little bipolar. 

And when the prose talked about the setting and the world, a lot of it came off as thinly veiled opinion from the author. There’s always a bit of the author in everything, but I have always believed it should be invisible. I shouldn’t know if it was the author’s opinion or the character’s. I shouldn’t be able to pick up your political views or what your favourite movie is by reading your fiction. Just my opinion, though. Maybe some readers like that little glimpse behind the curtain. 

Overall, I feel disappointed, but I’m not completely convinced that I’ll be able to ignore the 3rd book… only time will tell. 

BooksReviews

BLOG TOUR | There Will Come a Darkness by Katy Rose Pool

Posted on by J.W. Martin

 

THERE WILL COME A DARKNESS
by Katy Rose Pool

Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
September 3, 2019

From Goodreads:

The Age of Darkness approaches.
Five lives stand in its way.
Who will stop it… or unleash it?

For generations, the Seven Prophets guided humanity. Using their visions of the future, they ended wars and united nations―until the day, one hundred years ago, when the Prophets disappeared.

All they left behind was one final, secret prophecy, foretelling an Age of Darkness and the birth of a new Prophet who could be the world’s salvation . . . or the cause of its destruction. As chaos takes hold, five souls are set on a collision course:

A prince exiled from his kingdom.
A ruthless killer known as the Pale Hand.
A once-faithful leader torn between his duty and his heart.
A reckless gambler with the power to find anything or anyone.
And a dying girl on the verge of giving up.

One of them―or all of them―could break the world. Will they be savior or destroyer?

The good people at Raincoast Books and Henry Holt Books for Young Readers provided me with an advanced copy of There Will Come a Darkness in exchange for a fair and honest review as part of a blog tour.

It’s blog tour time!

This book kicked ass. What? Not enough of a review for you? (it should be) Fine. I’ll expound.

From start to finish, There Will Come A Darkness is a well-crafted story that keeps you asking questions. Even when it hands you an answer or two, you end up getting another truckload of questions. All of it in the best way possible. Sometimes questions can leave you feeling frustrated, but in this case it’ll leave you desperately intrigued. Combine that with characters that are easy to fall in love with and fantastic world-building that will leave you turning the pages as quickly as you can. You’ll quickly come down with a case of “Just One More Chapter” with the only cure being the book’s end.

While the plot moves a little too slowly to be called a thrill-ride, it’s far from a slow burn. Honestly, I don’t think it could move any faster while keeping all the phenomenal character development and relationships. Even at this developing speed, there are lots of twists and turns, and I’m very pleased to say that most of them really did surprise me.

My copy of the book featured a blurb on the front cover from author, Laura Sebastian, which says: “I dare you not to fall madly in love with these characters.” And it’s so true. These characters are fantastic and unpredictable. Dangerous and vulnerable. The connections are artfully done. You might think two characters have nothing to do with each other and then, BAM! They’re practically arch nemeses, or destined friends. 

How’s the writing you ask? I actually had to go back and look at it. I was so into the story on the first run that I didn’t notice whether it was good or bad. I suppose that should have been the first sign of how good it was. Upon further review, it’s silky smooth. The kind of writing that’s effortless to read.

I have a feeling that Katy Rose Pool is a massive talent that will be producing outstanding books for years to come. I for one, cannot wait until there’s a sequel for There Will Come a Darkness. If you’re a fan of Leigh Bardugo (and who isn’t?) this is one you need to check out. Immediately.

Fun fact about this post: As an aspiring author, a debut like this is really intimidating! EEK!

BooksReviews

The Warehouse by Rob Hart – Spoiler-Free Review

Posted on by J.W. Martin

THE WAREHOUSE
by Rob Hart

Crown Publishing
August 20, 2019

From Goodreads:

Paxton never thought he’d be working for Cloud, the giant tech company that’s eaten much of the American economy. Much less that he’d be moving into one of the company’s sprawling live-work facilities.

But compared to what’s left outside, Cloud’s bland chainstore life of gleaming entertainment halls, open-plan offices, and vast warehouses…well, it doesn’t seem so bad. It’s more than anyone else is offering.

Zinnia never thought she’d be infiltrating Cloud. But now she’s undercover, inside the walls, risking it all to ferret out the company’s darkest secrets. And Paxton, with his ordinary little hopes and fears? He just might make the perfect pawn. If she can bear to sacrifice him.

As the truth about Cloud unfolds, Zinnia must gamble everything on a desperate scheme—one that risks both their lives, even as it forces Paxton to question everything about the world he’s so carefully assembled here.

Together, they’ll learn just how far the company will go…to make the world a better place.

The good people at Crown Publishing and NetGalley provided me with a digital ARC of The Warehouse in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Originally, I received an email for this book a few months ago. Someone had put me on a list based on other books I liked and was telling me I’d like The Warehouse. I always give emails like this the benefit of the doubt and look into whatever book they’re talking about, but there’s always a part of me that says “Oh yeah? You think I’m going to like your book, huh? Well, we’ll see about that!!”

Well, they had me figured out, because I’m such a fan of this book!

In a word: Fantastic. Believable. Frightening. Terrifying. Disgusting. Fantastic. (Yes, twice)

It’s a story about our world just a little ways down the road. We’re not there yet, but the way we’re all going, it’s a very possible endgame.

This particular future focuses on a company similar to Amazon called Cloud. We love our convenience, even if other people or the planet have to suffer for it. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be self-righteous. I’m guilty. I have a Prime membership. I want my stuff approximately… NOW. While it’s not really ever preached about or harped on, this societal mentality is present throughout the entire narrative.

This book is much more than an interesting premise, though. There’s also a story about a man struggling over working for the very company that put him out of business, a woman who’s actually there as a corporate spy, and their subsequent meeting which turns into a relationship of convenience? Lies? Genuine feelings? Trick is, you don’t really know which ones are real and which are just BS. Even the characters we’re riding around with don’t seem to know completely.

Then there’s Gibson, the CEO of Cloud. We’re treated to a running series of blog entries from the entrepreneur as he gives us some history on himself and this massive mega-company he’s built. That probably sounds dry, but I have to be honest, they might be my favourite parts. Maybe it was satisfying the part of me that enjoys biographies, or maybe it felt like a beginners course in business and economics, but each time I turned the page to find a “blog post”, I got pretty excited.  

In a First Impression Friday post, I predicted 4.5 stars and I’m happy to report I was wrong. This is a 5-star read all the way. I can’t think of a single thing to complain about. Not even a nitpick. I enjoyed this from the first page to the last. 

Fun fact about this post: Okay, fine. I’m not crazy about the cover. There. You happy now?!
BooksReviews

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King – Spoiler-Free Review

Posted on by J.W. Martin

MR. MERCEDES
by Stephen King

Scribner
June 3, 2014

From Goodreads:

In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.

In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the “perk” and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.

Brady Hartsfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with two new, unusual allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

A few years ago, if you had asked me if I was a Stephen King fan, I would have said, “Nah. I like a few of his books, but not a fan.”

I was wrong.

Since then, with each book I read, I’m becoming a bigger and bigger fan. I think it’s the way his premise never screams out to be as something I need to read and then once I start reading it, I’m sucked right in.

The plot starts out simple. A retired cop is haunted by a case that was never closed and continues investigating it on his own. This simplicity quickly turns into Hodges navigating the maze of a killer’s sick game and provides a few of those moments where you have to put the book down because you’re shouting so much.

But where the book really shines, where most of King’s books really shine, is the characters. I can’t help but wonder if they’re real people that he trans morphs into his books using some ancient and demonic ritual. King also has this way of showing you a side of the story’s “villain” that makes you feel bad for him. You know the horrible stuff he’s done, you know what kind of person he is, and at the same time you find yourself wanting to reach out and help the poor bastard. Or maybe that’s just me and I need to do some soul-searching.

On the other end of that spectrum, the “good guys” are shown for what they’re worth and you see their dark sides. You wonder if you can really be pulling for someone who did some of the things these people have done.

In the end, I suppose they really aren’t heroes and villains at all. They’re all just people that ended up in a series of situations where they’re allowed a heroic moment, or a monstrous opportunity.

So, the book that didn’t sound especially like something I’d enjoy ended up a 5-star read with me putting the next 2 in this series high up on my TBR. Damn it, King, you did it to me again.

Fun fact about this post: I always get the feeling that King imagines himself as the main character, even if only a little.
BooksReviews

In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond by John Zada – Spoiler-Free Review

Posted on by J.W. Martin

 

IN THE VALLEYS OF THE NOBLE BEYOND:
In Search of the Sasquatch
by John Zada

Atlantic Monthly Press
July 2, 2019

From Goodreads:

On the central and north coast of British Columbia, the Great Bear Rainforest is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, containing more organic matter than any other terrestrial ecosystem on the planet. The area plays host to a wide range of species, from thousand-year-old western cedars to humpback whales to iconic white Spirit bears.

According to local residents, another giant is said to live in these woods. For centuries people have reported encounters with the Sasquatch–a species of hairy bipedal man-apes said to inhabit the deepest recesses of this pristine wilderness. Driven by his own childhood obsession with the creatures, John Zada decides to seek out the diverse inhabitants of this rugged and far-flung coast, where nearly everyone has a story to tell, from a scientist who dedicated his life to researching the Sasquatch, to members of the area’s First Nations, to a former grizzly bear hunter-turned-nature tour guide. With each tale, Zada discovers that his search for the Sasquatch is a quest for something infinitely more complex, cutting across questions of human perception, scientific inquiry, indigenous traditions, the environment, and the power and desire of the human imagination to believe in–or reject–something largely unseen.

The good people at Atlantic Monthly Press and NetGalley provided me with a digital ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this book.

What I expected was a bunch of stories from people who claimed to have run-ins with Big Foot, as well as the author’s take on these stories, and maybe even some of his own. A first-hand account! Essentially, a bunch of fun campfire stories.

While there was some of that, it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.

There was a lot of information about the areas he travelled to in his quest, and the people he met along the way. A lot about small native communities that were being impoverished by modern business practices, pollution, and inflation.

We spent some time with a man named John Willison Green, who devoted his life to trying to prove the existence of the Sasquatch. And while that might seem like a life wasted to some, I couldn’t help to admire his expertise in a field that kind of doesn’t exist. I was also deeply saddened to read about his his biggest fear of fading away with his contribution unrecognized and never actually making a mark in history.

A in-depth look at the efforts of one community that lessened bear hunting in their area by obtaining exclusive rights to lead the hunts and taking people in all the wrong areas. “Sorry folks. I guess we’re just not having any luck today…” Ha ha ha.

Many, many interesting side-notes that I didn’t expect, but still enjoyed. Some of the other tangents weren’t as interesting and seemed even less relevant to the core subject on a book like this.

Even with all the other interesting aspects, I wish there was more Big Foot talk. More about the searches. More eye-witness accounts and more in-depth into those account. A few of the stories got really creepy and just when you were getting into them, it was over. I wanted MORE!

I was also very disappointed that the author didn’t have his own encounter. I can’t fault him or the book for that. It’s not exactly within anyone’s control, but it was still a let down.

Fun fact about this post: I’ve had a story in mind for years that involves Big Foot, and if I ever get around to writing it, one of the main characters will be named in honour of John Greene.
BooksReviews

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Posted on by J.W. Martin

 

A MAN CALLED OVE
by Fredrik Backman

Atria Books
July 15, 2014

From Goodreads:

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

Books like this are what keep me coming back to reading challenges. Lots of books are on my radar, but might not make it to my bookshelf. Then a reading challenge has me looking for a book set in Scandinavia and here we are. A book I didn’t really intend on reading and it ends up being a 5-star read with potential for my favourite book of the year!

Through and through, this is a character book. The plot is almost non-existent, which you might think is a criticism, but I assure you it’s not. Not when the characters shine so brightly that you can’t see anything else anyway. And shining brighter than any other, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed, is Ove.

Ove (pronounced Oova) will most likely remind you of someone in your own life. Set in his ways, opinions carved in stone, doesn’t understand anyone else’s way of thinking and doesn’t care to. Anyone who doesn’t do things his way is an idiot. He has what he likes and likes what he has. But that’s just the side of him he allows the world to see.

As you get to know Ove, you see deeper. The sadness. The kindness. And then you start wishing Ove was a real person so you could find him and give him a big hug. A hug that he would act like he very much hated.

‘Delighted’ is how I would describe my feelings through the majority of this book; a small smile plastered to my face the whole time, peppered with chuckles and full out laughs. And after the last page was read and the book at an end, I found myself speechless and happy. I can’t remember the last time a book left me feeling so completely and utterly satisfied. I couldn’t think of a single thing I didn’t like, or anything that could improve in any way. It is a genuine masterpiece.

I don’t think there’s such a thing as a perfect book, but this one just might be as close as I’ve ever read.

Fun fact about this post: Without the audiobook I don’t think I ever would have realized Ove is pronounced Oova 
BooksReviews

We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal

Posted on by J.W. Martin

WE HUNT THE FLAME
by Hafsah Faizal

Farrar, Straus and Giroux
May 14, 2019

From Goodreads:

People lived because she killed.
People died because he lived.

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways.

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the king on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.

The good people at Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Raincoast Books provided me with an ARC of We Hunt the Flame in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I really wanted to like this. It sounds great when reading the blurb and then you get into the book and it’s just not there. 

The pace was m, by far, the bigger issue. It took a long, long time for the story to get going. Many of the early chapters could have been axed and not only would the book not suffer for it, it would thrive. 

Beyond that, a lot of time was spent on the inconsequential, and then when something important or exciting popped up it was over before it started. The things I didn’t care about got chapters of coverage while the things I wanted were left out in the cold. 

The characters were well thought out and interesting on the surface, but as the story moved forward most of them came off as false. They did things that seemed very unlikely for their personality type or habits. Of course that happens a lot in books, but we’re normally shown reason for it. In this case, the characters seem to turn on their own nature with no rhyme or reason other than to move the story forward. 

Deus ex machina. Not in its truest sense, but characters seem to sprout new abilities at the damnedest times! This kind of thing isn’t a big deal when hinted at, or the possibility put into our heads. Imagine watching the Matrix and the possibility of Neo being “the one” isn’t addressed until that final scene in the movie. A lot of us would have been very confused, upset, or both. 

Despite some solid world-building and initial characters, this one didn’t hit for me. As excited as I was for this one, I’m kind of hoping I’m part of the minority this one. 

Fun fact about this post:
BooksReviews

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

Posted on by J.W. Martin

GODSGRAVE
by Jay Kristoff

St. Martin’s Press
September 5, 2017

 

THERE WILL BE NO GODSGRAVE SPOILERS HERE, BUT THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR NEVERNIGHT (BOOK ONE) SPOILERS.

 

 

 

From Goodreads:

Assassin Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church ministry think she’s far from earned it. Plying her bloody trade in a backwater of the Republic, she’s no closer to ending Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo, or avenging her familia. And after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia begins to suspect the motives of the Red Church itself.

When it’s announced that Scaeva and Duomo will be making a rare public appearance at the conclusion of the grand games in Godsgrave, Mia defies the Church and sells herself to a gladiatorial collegium for a chance to finally end them. Upon the sands of the arena, Mia finds new allies, bitter rivals, and more questions about her strange affinity for the shadows. But as conspiracies unfold within the collegium walls, and the body count rises, Mia will be forced to choose between loyalty and revenge, and uncover a secret that could change the very face of her world.

Ok, everyone. I’m so behind on all my reviews. Behind isn’t even the right word. More like buried. But I had to crawl out from underneath to rave about this one, because holy crap! I was already a fan of Nevernight, but Godsgrave is next level.

We continue to follow Mia after the events of Nevernight, and once again we’re treated to a story split in pieces. A chapter of backstory, then a chapter of the present. Back and forth. And they’re both fantastic. Every time a chapter ends, I didn’t want it to. I didn’t want to shift from the past to the present or vice versa. But a paragraph or two into the next chapter and I was firmly rooted in that narrative and didn’t want to leave.

Kristoff does this marvellous job of giving us something new and unique while still feeling enough like the original Nevernight book. Not an easy task. How do you make something seem old and new at the same time? Step 1: read Godsgrave. Step 2: Give up, knowing you’ll never be as good as Jay Kristoff.

Many of the characters from the first book are mentioned or seen briefly, but the majority of the story takes place with a new cast of characters. That may seem disappointing at first, but these new characters will worm their way into your heart and won’t leave. Unless you stab them. Then they’ll stab back. And Jay Kristoff will stab you both. I get the impression that the characters from both book one and two (those are still alive anyway) will be meet in the third. And probably stab each other.

Let’s talk about what I didn’t like about Godsgrave: it ended. It ended and I have to wait approximately forever for Darkdawn. Seriously, that’s the only thing. I even liked the footnotes this time around, which were a source of annoyance in Nevernight. I can’t figure out if I enjoyed them this time around because I was expecting them, and thus more mentally prepared, or it was because Kristoff wrote the footnotes with a much more cynical voice. It’s probably a combination of the two.

In summary, anyone picking up Godsgrave can expect dynamite writing, characters reaching right off the page (to try and stab you), answers to some questions you’ve had since Nevernight, and a whole pile of new questions you never had before. Did I miss anything? Probably. Trust me. Just read it.

Fun fact about this post: This book caused me to want to curse out loud many, many times.
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Armada by Ernest Cline

Posted on by J.W. Martin

ARMADA
by Ernest Cline

Crown Publishing
July 14, 2015

From Goodreads:

Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure.

But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe.

And then he sees the flying saucer.

Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders.

No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it.

It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar?

Armada is another novel by Ernest Cline that holds something special for lifetime gamers. It’s certainly not Ready Player One, but it’s also a little unfair to compare the two. However, anyone reading this after RPO will find it’s hard not to.

Right off the bat, our lead character is sitting in school, spewing non-stop pop culture references. Is this Wade? No? Seems like Wade. Oh, Zack! My bad. Zack’s obsessed with video games and the ‘80s. Sounds familiar, I know.

Most of the plot rotates around gamers having to log onto their computers to take control of space-drones and battle an alien invasion. It was all fairly predictable, but entertaining. Scenes leading up the action were well done, but then when the action happened, everything went into fast forward. They seemed to be over before they began.

Imagine watching a superhero movie where they stand around talking for 88 minutes and then fight for 2. That’s kind of how this felt.

The big compliment I can hand to Mr. Cline on this is that no matter how many complaints I had with the above issues, I always wanted to keep turning pages. DNF never entered the realm of possibility. When I think back to the first time I read RPO, there are some things in the beginning that I’m not a big fan of. It was kind of speed bump to get over, but then it was full speed. This one had way more speed bumps, but I wasn’t stopping.

This is definitely one for kids of the ‘80s and those that are into video games, but don’t expect another Ready Player One. That one seems to be lightning that I’m still hoping can strike twice…

Fun fact about this post: This one was a buddy read with Erik from Breakeven Books. Check out what he’s been up to on his blog and his new YouTube channel.
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The Girls With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey

Posted on by J.W. Martin

THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS
by M. R. Carey

Orbit
January 14, 2014

From Goodreads:

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr. Caldwell calls her “our little genius.”

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don’t like her. She jokes that she won’t bite, but they don’t laugh.

Melanie loves school. She loves learning about spelling and sums and the world outside the classroom and the children’s cells. She tells her favorite teacher all the things she’ll do when she grows up. Melanie doesn’t know why this makes Miss Justineau look sad.

Me and zombies go back a long way. Books, movies, TV shows, video games, my own writing, and even a halloween costume one year. Despite how much I’ve seen/read/experienced, I’m usually always up for more. It’s one of the few subjects I can’t seem to get enough of. That being said, I was pretty sure no one was going to come along and show me something new in the field of zombies. I. WAS. WRONG.

This is a zombie tale of a whole other colour. Entertainment levels through the roof, and highly unpredictable throughout, including the ending and a very unconventional, but heart-warming, love story.

First surprise: Children who learn, think, love, socialize, and… are zombies. WHAAAA?!

That in itself was enough to make me stand up and take notice. Add to that the fact that we spend most of our time with one of these children: Melanie. We’re privy to her every thought and desire. Every question her brilliant little mind comes up with, the reasoning she comes up with, and the internal struggle that happens whenever she’s dealing with ‘the hunger.’

When the book begins, there are a number of characters who all seem like they’re just there until they can be eaten by zombies. I’ve learned to detect these people early on. They’re either instantly detestable, making it satisfying to see justice served, or they’re instantly likeable and end in tragedy. This was my next surprise. Because these characters stayed around. They fleshed out. I learned more about them. I found out the detestable had redeeming qualities while the likeables had some dark secrets that makes you think twice.

By the end of the first act, I had no idea what was going to happen next. Ever. I can’t recall a single time from that point forward where I could predict a single thing. All the way up to the ending that I didn’t predict, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. NO SPOILERS. You’ll see what I mean when you get there.

If you’ve ever enjoyed anything with zombies in it, you NEED to read this.

Fun fact about this post: There’s also a movie out for this one. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve been told by another zombie aficionado that it’s very good.