Ana V.

There are things about this book that annoy me more than I can even express in words and I have a hard time understanding why exactly I keep reading them badly-written books, but meh, I'm a mistery. But let's not start with the middle.

I decided to read this because I was in the mountains with some friends and I needed something fast and easy, something that wouldn't require much attention (especially because I was reading while playing BurnOut 3 on the PS2). So I said to myself - Ana, what better book to read this time if not a YA novel?! Am I right or am I right? They are usually simple and cute and not at all complicated. Thought this one would be the same. Thought wrong.

I started reading and I was a about 50 pages in when I realized I was up to my neck in literary bullshit. I'm not condemning here the writing style of the author (though she must have been drunk while writing this, in my opinion), but the gaps and the empty spaces and the unrealistic feel this story brings to the table. A book is about big things happening in connection or in opposition to small, detailed things that make the little drama clubs go nuts.

For instance, because of those stupidly written dramas, I found myself hating almost all the characters, including the main one. I hated Trace, I hated Grace, I despised Harrison, I absolutely loathed Rhys (because he was a playa) and the main character, Sloane, was downright boring. She had nothing special.

The main reason for which I actually continued past 50 pages and finished the book in less than a day is that I was curious to see how bad can it get. Well, let me tell you this: it got bad. Real bad. Not only are they stupid enough to start fighting with each other, they are also not capable of simple, logical thinking. It must be hard to realize that when you are surrounded by zombies, there ain't no way in hell you're going to escape by staying in the same place until your supplies run out and you are too weak to fight. Oh, the logics.

I also hated some of the expressions. The one that really killed me was that after Sloane takes of her dirty clothes and puts some that are new on her but they don't exactly fit, she says, and I quote : "I felt rural". So whatchasayin' mademoiselle, all the people that live in villages look sloppy and careless?! Dammit woman where have you been living so far?!

All in all, though, I'll give it three stars. This isn't the worst I've read, and I would be lying to say that I wasn't into it at all. There were times I wouldn't go without the ebook anywhere, and I see how this becomes progressively addictive.

Also, this gets three stars (more like 2 and a half really) because it wasn't after all about zombies themselves. It is about you survive when something bad happens, it's about how you can make connections with other people when you are scared and you don't know who to trust.. It's also about self loathing and sometimes about confidence in one's self, and how that can affect life. I know, I know. I saw the meaning behind the letters. Cheers for Courtney Summers for doing that.


xoxo!