Review: A fresh new spin on "zombies"
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 2, 2014
Not your typical zombie story, that's for sure. And although the creatures/former people aren't called zombies, they are still a form of walking dead. What makes them different is that they don't eat brains for sustenance, they crave sex. Weird, you say? Completely.Something strange is happening in the small town of Muldoon, Colorado. After the much-anticipated town fair, people are acting off, roadblocks are in place, and the town is under quarantine. Ashley Young wakes up in a motel room with no idea how she got there. All she knows is that she was drunk the night before and feels as if she had sex. A lot of it, and NOT with her husband, Shawn. She instantly recognizes that something isn't right when she tries to go back home and she isn't allowed to.Bailey Simms offers something a bit different in her zombie/not zombie tale. I liked the different spin she put on her story, making the infected act in a more amorous manner. The worse the level of infection, the more horndoggish the people become. I also appreciate that the zombies/infected weren't sexualized for the most part. Sure, they craved sex, but they craved it for a reason and parts of the sexual encounters were quite gross. No spoilers, but I'm certainly glad I didn't like honey in the first place. After reading this, I definitely would have added it to my "do not eat" list (and no, I don't really have one). A sexed up, "hot" zombie would have certainly turned me off of the story. Nothing says stomach turning quite like "sexy" decomposing flesh going at it.I do have a few minor quibbles, but not many. There were a few misused words in the story (bail used for bale) and some parts of the narrative were a little repetitive. Bailey can certainly weave a good and strange tale, but the overall story could use a little more polishing. Another part I didn't understand was the fact that Ashley's parents' ranch was called the Young Ranch, yet her married name is Young. Was her maiden name also Young?I did like some of the individual stories better than others, the third in particular. I liked how the story started at the end and Simms takes the reader from the ending of that particular story to the beginning in a roundabout manner. That was an interesting way to tell that piece of the story. Overall, I'd rate the completed novel as a 3.5. Some parts rated 5s, some parts rated lower, so I'm rounding up to 4. This particular novel is available as serials, or together in one book. I would recommend the complete book as some stories end on a cliffhangerish note. I know many readers loathe the cliffy, I have grown indifferent.If you're fan of the (sort of) apocalyptic zombie tale, I'd recommend this for something different. It's a neat little story, certainly not bad at all for a young, fresh writer. I fully expect that as Bailey Simms continues to write, she will get better and better.**Book provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.