Review: More YA relationship than Zombie novel
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 28, 2014
If you like AMC's Walking dead and YA series books than you may like this book.  The story does have an interesting twist - the main female lead has been preparing for a disaster of some sort for years and is a survivalist.  So her ability to shoot and plan ahead, at least in the beginning is explained.  Jennifer Benton is young, she watched her mother turn into a zombie and she wants to live.Thanks to her dad she has prepared for years for some kind of disaster and not only does she have a stockpile of necessary goods, but she has and can accurately shoot her rifle.  She knows how to survive.All of that sound like a great premise for a zombie story.  Except she is not that bright.  She quickly loses her car in a manner which was easily avoidable.  Thankfully, before she can herself be eaten she is rescued by a rag tag band of other twenty somethings.  Predictably there is a hot guy who she falls for.  And in actuallity I can't fault her there.  In times of stress and fright, the need to bond with someone else is there and real.  The group has a plan, wise in the fact that they see the need to get south to a place with warmer winters, and know they need to take stock piles of fuel, food and necessaties with them.  The zombies themselves are merely second stage actors in this story.  They are there to add the reason to flee and band together and fight - the common enemy.  So far so good.  You have action, romance and a reason for the surviviors to be on the move.So why is this a 3 star book?  I will be honest, I almost gave it two stars.  And all due to the writer's style.  This book is written very haltingly and simple.  If it wasn't for the sexual interludes, I would call it a tween/young teen book. The idea was good and started well  but was poorly fleshed out.  A survivalist with even minimal training is not going to make the kinds of simple mistakes Jennifer does.  Heck, a well trained Boy Scout wouldn't.  The event between Jennifer and another male in the group are also both entirely predictible and also seem highly implausible.  Without giving major spoliers, those events spiral into another event which at first seems to be good but then, with one jealous wife becomes ridiculous and forced.  And from there the book goes over from realistic (as realisitc as a zombie book can pretend to be) to way to easy as everything just falls into place.  And then, just when the story gets going again it ends and one is left with only knowing what happens by reading the next book in the series.  If they want.  One can also just figure on the band of friends to get to their destination with a series of small but completely easitly overcome obstacles and then live happily ever zombie after.This book has potential.  The story could be fleshed out and re- worked in a way to make it more than at most a 3 star story.  The author needs to find a good set of beta readers who are willingly to help her book flow better and perhaps improve the conversations and situations between characters.I was given a free copy in return for an honest review.