Review: From a Book Review Blogger
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 9, 2014
Reviewed by A Simple Taste for Reading (guest review):[...]The residents of Florida have found that the world has turned to Hell and only the strong can survive.  The role you once played in society no longer applies here and neither do the rules. The bonds of family and friendship can turn up in the most unlikely of places and be taken from you just as quickly.  And the dead roam wild and free.The Breadwinner, the first book in Stevie Kopas’ post-apocalyptic trilogy, gives us a glimpse into the lives of normal people in a not-so-normal world.  A violent infection has broken out, turning the sick into “eaters” that devour the flesh of living, thus spreading the infection.  The main characters find themselves moving farther and farther from who they were in their previous lives to come together as a group in this new life.  Samson Eckhart, a wealthy, high class lawyer, begins to realize that the trivial things he and his wife valued so much really have very little meaning.  He tries to hold on to what normal used to be while creating a new normal for his family and his disillusioned wife, who are living in the gated community of Franklin Woods.  Veronica, a 16-year-old high school track star, finds that she has more strength in the face of disaster than she thought possible.  She is a pillar of bravery for her father and older brother and an unlikely friend for 25-year-old Ben, a veteran who now resides in a restaurant.  And Andrew, a police officer in Franklin Woods, must find a way to balance his relationship with his unstable girlfriend and his brother, all while making sure they aren’t eaten alive.  The group begins the story as total strangers, but soon learn that their chances of survival increase as they work together, even if the group as a whole doesn’t always see eye to eye. With one common goal, make it out alive, they try to come up with a plan that will get them to the coast and away from the monsters they have been avoiding.While zombie apocalypse novels seem to be everywhere these days, The Breadwinner really intrigued me because I enjoyed the characters so much.  Kopas creates a nice variety of people that balance each other well and each offer their own uniqueness to the story.  She does a wonderful job of not only shaping the lives of the characters, but also allowing us to see how the apocalypse has affected the individuals emotionally and mentally.  I enjoyed seeing the world through the eyes of such a variety of people.  I also enjoyed how each character brought a different type of strength to the group.  Kopas avoided the all-too-cliche apocalypse “badass” character, who seem to naturally know what to do in such an event, and instead created characters that learn to survive because of their individual strengths and willingness to overcome disaster.  I’m very anxious to see what will happen to the group when the second book is released!