Review: Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi

I was fortunate enough to receive this book from the publisher through NetGalley

Publication Date

March 8th

Publisher

NLA Digital Liaison Platform LLC

Available At

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Can true love survive the end of the world?

Imagine finding your first love, only to be ripped apart by the apocalypse. Peyton Anderson will never forget the day she was forced to make a choice--between her family--and Chris Parker, the bot she'd given her heart. Now, four years later, as she steps from the fallout shelter and into a dead and broken world, he's the only thing on her mind.

All Chris "Chase" Parker wanted was to take Peyton away and keep her safe from harm. But he waited for hours in the rain on judgement day and she never showed--breaking his heart without ever telling him why.

Now the two of them have been thrown together once again, reluctant chaperones to a group of orphaned children in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead still walk. . . and feed. As they begin their pilgrimage to the last human outpost on Earth, can they find a way to let go of old hurts and find the love they lost--all while attempting to save what's left of the human race?

Review

Genre: YA Post-Apocalypse

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Tomorrow Land not only has zombies, but it is set in the future. I found this an interesting mix along with the hauntingly beautiful cover.

When I first started reading I instantly became cautious about Peyton's character. She appeared whiny and shallow, instantly stereotyping Chris as a tech-head and deeming him unworthy. As the story progresses Peyton's character shows growth which was much appreciated, making her a better female protagonist. Within the story we get a mixed point-of-view that alternated between Chase(aka Chris) and Peyton. This helped us gain insight into each character as they each experience either different or the same things. 

Tomorrow Land is told in alternating chapters, one is four years ago(leading up to the plague) and the other is when Peyton is finally released from the bunker. The alternating chapters are artfully crafted to lend an insight to each character and the background surrounding the plague. It also shows us how Peyton and Chris changed as the hardships of life in a post-apocalyptic world became more and more present.

Although I found Tomorrow Land enjoyable, I also found it lacking. I just couldn't convince myself to be truly invested in the characters or their story. The characters were a little under-developed for my taste and the overall story was too neat, predictable and convenient. It was all too easy, way too easy when they had to travel four-hundred miles(without cars, with eight children) in a desolate land filled with people-eating-zombies. When there was trouble it was easily overcome and since this is a zombie book I was expecting more fighting especially when Peyton was so radically equipped to fight. There was potential, but the story just felt skimmed over.

If you are a fan of zombies or post-apocalypse stories then you should check this out. It's suitable for readers of all ages and both genders.