Review: The Weepers: The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity to read this book

Genre

YA Post-Apocalypse

Publication Date

May 15th, 2012

Publisher

Marshall Cavendish

Available At

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Format

Hardcover

Ebook

3 years, 1 month, 1 week and 6 days since I’d seen daylight. One-fifth of my life.


Sherry and her family have lived sealed in a bunker in the garden since things went wrong up above. Her grandfather has been in the freezer for the last three months, her parents are at each other’s throats and two minutes ago they ran out of food.


Sherry and her father leave the safety of the bunker and find a devastated and empty LA, smashed to pieces by bombs and haunted by ‘Weepers’ - rabid humans infected with a weaponized rabies virus.


While searching for food in a supermarket, Sherry’s father disappears and Sherry is saved by Joshua, a boy-hunter. He takes her to Safe-haven, a tumble-down vineyard in the hills outside LA, where a handful of other survivors are picking up the pieces of their ‘other lives’. As she falls in love for the first time, Sherry must save her father, stay alive and keep Joshua safe when his desire for vengeance threatens them all.


Review
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


A great book, but at the same time there was just something holding me back from completely loving it. There are definitely great moments and aspects, though.


Zombies, yes! But these aren't your regular zombies, they are different which brought a uniqueness to the story that kept it interesting. Also, Sherry was a different yet great character. She is a brave and determined individual that most readers will appreciate, but at the same time she isn't completely bad-ass, she can't really even shoot a gun to save herself. But that works for her, she had me captivated and to be honest, it's a little more realistic than automatically becoming a fighting guru in the blink of an eye. Sherry also has a quirky counting habit that just adds to her character as it becomes her coping mechanism. Susanne Winnacker adds in little snippets of Sherry's 'other life' at the end of each chapter. It was a great way to reveal Sherry in a way that highlighted the slight yet significant changes that took place due to witnessing the aftermath of the rabies virus.


I wish there was a little bit more romance, but that doesn't hinder the reading experience at all. Sherry is only 15, so it makes sense. And also, it came off as more realistic as a hesitant friendship that kept growing into something more. Joshua was by far my favorite character. He has such depth that he's easy to like. Also, another favorite is Tyler, but he isn't in many scenes, but it's those scenes and the story of his past that just made me want to know all about him. I hope he gets a bigger part in the books to come. One thing that bothered me was the fact that I never knew Mia's age (Sherry's little sister), I knew that she was was a lot younger, but there was never any indication until about three-quarters of the way through. It wasn't a huge negative, but it did interrupt slightly because I felt that I wasn't accurately picturing her in my head.


The Weepers wasn't lacking in action, or mystery, that's for sure. The plot took unexpected turns that I didn't see coming, but it just needed a little more 'oomph', in my opinion. Still a great read that I recommend to any and all zombie lovers. I'm eager to know what direction the story will go since the ending hints at something without making it definitive.

Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for providing me with an e-galley!

Genre
YA Paranormal

Publication Date

April 24th, 2012

Publisher

Harlequin Teen

Available At

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Formats

Hard Cover

Ebook

Add it on Goodreads

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.


Review
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

First, take a gander at the cover, doesn't it make you want to take a peek inside? For me, it instantly drew me in, rendering me incapable of passing The Immortal Rules up.

The bar for YA female protagonists has been risen. To my delight, I've noticed that more and more of them are rising above the whiny brats that you would shake if you could. Allie, the female protagonist in The Immortal Rules, is no exception. She has risen to the top, but let's be honest, she probably hacked her way to the top with her ever-present katana. Yeah, she's a sword wielding bad-ass! In vampire books the reader is usually introduced to a human, but in The Immortal Rules, we get to see the first-hand struggles of a newborn vampire. One that fights against all odds to try to keep her humanity intact, a struggle that was brought to life by the first-person perspective. You all know that I'm a lover of first-person, it allows us to see into a character first-hand. Know what they are thinking and feeling at all times, it lends us an insight that is sometimes lacking in third-person. I am so glad that Julie Kagawa wrote this book in first-person, it wouldn't of had the same drive with anything less.

The Immortal Rules is split into three parts, each part takes on a different tone as the story progresses and little revelations are untangled, leading Allie in a new direction in her life. There isn't a huge amount of mystery, but there is still enough to slide the story along without it coming to a stand still. What pushes this story above is the dystopian/post-apocalyptic setting. The descriptions of the crumbling buildings and overtaking wildlife add the perfect touch of desolation. There's a lot of fighting and blood(duh!), but it never overpowers the story, if anything it pushes it another step forward. The sweet budding romance brought a lighter touch that balanced out the destruction. Sometimes the lighter romances can hinder instead of adding, but that was not the case. It's a slow build, with tantalizing teasers that will have you wishing the next book was already out. Each different aspect was a perfectly chiseled puzzle piece that fit into the bigger picture, bringing forth a vampire tale that will take the YA reading populace by storm.

If you are looking for a vampire book, pick this up. If you like zombie(or zombie-like creatures), pick this up. If you like dystopians with a post-apocalypse twist, pick this up. Just do yourself a favor and pick  up The Immortal Rules. 

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.

Review: Rapture by Phillip Simpson

I was one of the lucky readers to receive a free copy of Rapture from the author, Phillip Simpson, through the Goodreads group, Making Connections!



The Rapture has occurred, just as the Bible predicted. The faithful have risen up to Heaven. Those left behind are in a living hell.

Earth burns, hell-like in its oppressive heat. Every volcano in the world has erupted, and tsunamis and earthquakes continue to devastate the planet. Clouds continuously rain ash onto the scorched landscape, sparking fires all around. Plants and animals are dying. Food is scarce. The night sky is devoid of stars, and the moon - when it can be seen - is the colour of blood.

The remnants of humanity fight for survival. Most have fled the cities and now hide in caves deep in the mountains. By night, demons stalk the earth, capturing the remaining humans and killing them - if they're lucky. The less fortunate are converted to worship the Devil, and ushered into endless hell.

Eighteen year old, Sam (short for Samael) was raided in the town Jacob's Ladder, Utah. It is appropriately enough near to a place of natural scenic beauty called Devil's garden. He finds himself alone, unable to rise up with his family because he is half demon. His mother, a devout Christian, was seduced by Satan and conceived his child. She smuggled the boy to an old friend Hikari, a Japanese sword master and demon expert. Since then, Hikari and his daughter, Aimi, have been all the family Sam has known.

Now they're gone, and Sam must set out on the mission Hikari charged him with long ago: to help all the humans left behind. Armed only with his beloved Japanese swords and his wits, Sam wanders the post-apocalyptic world alone, separated forever from everyone he loves. Cursed by his demonic heritage, he must now embark on a quest that will take him across the US to the City of Angels.

There he will confront his destiny. There he must fight to save a friend. . . and the souls of the living.




Review
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!
Rapture is written in a beautiful, hauntingly way full of descriptive style that leaves your mind tingling. Phillip Simpson expertly braids together an action-packed, coming-of-age story that both females and males of all age will enjoy. There are, of course, religious undertones, but in a classy make-up-your-own-mind kind of way that adds to the overall feel of the story. With this we witness characters question their faith, find their faith and the unwavering faith(even throughout all the struggles he faces, mentally and physically) of the half-demon boy. Irony well played.


The overall mentality that you get from Sam is fierce, but there are so many emotions layered into his character that he will instantly become endeared to many. Loneliness, sorrow and loyalty are the main factoring emotions that ebb out of Sam and although he is a highly trained warrior for a distinct reason, he can't help but want friends. He is so innocent, in a sense, that it breaks your heart when he finally gets to experience something, anything, that most people take for granted every day. Sam is a character that will stay with me beyond this story. He is substantially powerful(not just physically) and the author did a fabulous job creating his character. The story would have been sorely lacking without Sam, or even with a slightly changed Sam. 


The story line moves quickly, but meaningfully with many action scenes as Sam(male protagonist) battles the demons. The battles help add to the desolate, desperate feel that I would imagine the Tribulation having. The reader gets a reprieve from the plotting and scheming with the alternating chapters of "Post-Rapture" and "Pre-Rapture". Although the chapters alternated, they flowed together with precision, never breaking up the story or making the reader burdened with unnecessary facts or sub-plots. Everything fit together in a powerfully emotional way. It was an effective way to lay the facts out about the Rapture and Tribulation without overloading the circuits. It also enabled us to get a better look at Sam as he was coming of age and how the people around him and his purpose greatly effected him. There is some residue of romance, but it is tinged with anguish.


Expect the unexpected when it comes to Rapture. There are twists that you slightly anticipate, but then there are twists that the reader never saw coming, and I mean never. I'm beyond happy that this will be a trilogy because I am desperate to read more about Sam and his adventure through Tribulation!


Rapture is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble