Review: Enjoyable second installment of the Barely Alive Series.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 20, 2012
** This review is for Book 2 of this series. It may contain spoilers. **Review originally featured on the Bookluvrs Haven blog.When it comes to zombies, as strange as it sounds, I enjoy reading about the 'outbreak' of what is usually a virus, that cause people to change into these zombie nasty beings.  It's crazy scary to me; it makes my heart pound. The slightest noise makes me jump in the middle of these reads, if written well enough of course.  In a series, all those details have been explored in the first novel. So this book didn't really explore that anymore, but continued the journey of the characters that have survived, in their race against time.I most definitely was NOT bored during the second book of the series. There was constant action from beginning to end to keep me interested. What appeared to be a light at the end of the tunnel for Paul quickly became unattainable as Heather was whisked away from him and into the path of his arch nemesis.Dominic, now turned, became even more of a vile character than when he was human. He was extremely cocky, which was laughable, since Paul and his allies seemed to always be a lot smarter than Dominic projected himself to be. That didn't keep Dominic from being one scary, sadistic bastard who figured out how he could control his hive of zombies with his thoughts.But here is where I am a tad perplexed? Once Paul and his brother figured out the same thing, why did neither of them lunge at Dominic? I would have had my teeth in his flesh at the first opportunity.  Unless I missed some bit of information, I don't know why the mind situation could not be reversed by inflicting on Dominic the same measures he took with his group of flesh eating soldiers.But may I commend Bonnie Paulson for the great scenes she introduces into this novel? Who would have thought to throw a bunch of stand-byes into a cold pool for later when you need some replacements, or instant army growth? WOW! Well thought out. I wouldn't have thought of that, and scientifically it does make sense how their bodies would be affected into a dormant state, to be reanimated later. Scary imagery, but extremely cool!And hey, my favorite girl Heather? She is still so kick ass. After knowing the reason for her friend's betrayal she goes willingly even though she doesn't have an immediate plan on how to save herself from Dominic. Unfortunately for Brian, his sacrifice/betrayal ended up in one of the most revolting scenes I have ever read.  Talk about psychological damages. Dominic, once again, is one sick... SICK... character.The main characters may be young and in the middle of budding love, but this is most certainly NOT a novel for young teen readers. Some of the atrocities committed or provoked by this super villain made my own stomach slightly revolt, and I have read some messed up fiction in my life!I eagerly moved on to Book 3 to see how this craziness all pans out. Once again I thank the author for her generosity, and look forward to posting my review to the conclusion of the Barely Alive series on December 11th on our blog!*I received a eBook copy of this book for free to review from the author; this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.*