Review: Surprisingly sweet M/M romance, with zombies!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 22, 2014
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*It's 1907, twenty years after a zombie plague has altered the course of history, and Victor, a singer from a good family, has just been enslaved by the mob at a remote farm surrounded by zombies. What's a pretty boy to do? Find a protector and get the hell out of there ASAP, of course! However, things don't go quite as expected for Victor…Upon arriving at the Honeyhill farm, Victor meets Crunch. Crunch is a pleasant surprise. Heed the themes listed in the blurb - there's brutality and dubious consent going on here - but the book is actually surprisingly sweet a lot of the time. I liked Victor and Crunch together a lot. Crunch looks and talks tough, but is really sweet on Victor and very earnest in his pursuit. I really liked the way both characters acknowledged the issues of consent in their relationship and tried to make it work, while occasionally stumbling over their perceptions of each other. Each of them is a bit stronger or more complex than they first appear.This book has good world building. It's not too much that it's overwhelming but not too little that it is confusing either. I haven't read any other books set in this universe, but I wasn't confused at all. I am definitely curious to read more after reading this one. Also, this doesn't really read like a historical, it's more of an alternate universe, which I thought suited the story well. There's some gory and gross parts, but it's a zombie book - that's expected! I thought it fit well in the world and wasn't over the top. Also it was balanced out nicely by the sweetness of the romantic plot line.There were a few things about the writing that pulled me out of the story a little bit. Every so often the tense would shift and I got a bit distracted by those sentences. Occasionally some phrases used felt a bit awkward to me (e.g. "He missed being close with another person. Nothing could compare to it, and he didn't have a chance for a lover since he joined the Dal mob a year ago."). There were also a few sentences with unnecessary extra commas (e.g. "Soon, slippery fingers, parted Victor's arsecheeks."). However, I am much more likely to notice these types of things than some readers, so not everyone will be bothered by this.Overall I found this a surprisingly sweet and unique read. There's a free short story that follows it, Stung: Winter Special, which I am off to read immediately!