Review: Everything that I liked about Rise of the Horde only seemed to be ...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 9, 2014
Army of the Dead is a fast-paced novel that incorporates a variety of genres into that of the zombie apocalypse. There is plenty of action, gore for horror, and enough different settings and excitement to make a solid adventure. From beginning to end, readers will be hooked, and it is definitely a killer ride.Everything that I liked about Rise of the Horde only seemed to be amplified in the sequel. There were hardly any slow points, and the pages kept easily turning. The problems continued to lie not only with the zombies, but with the other surviving people. Unlike the majority of zombie novels out there, some of the main antagonists of the story seemed to be a lot worse than the undead - and not just because they have emotions and free will. The contrasts between these nightmares and the acts of heroism really showed the extremes of human reaction to horrific events.This plot had even more twists and reveals than the first - for every one that I could have predicted, another two that I didn't see coming took me by surprise. They will grab readers' attention and not let it go until the very end. I loved the tie-ins to the first book that occurred in the sequel, really wrapping things up and leaving the readers ultimately satisfied.The characters continue to grow and shape, and as they develop, we learn more about them - which is a really cool thing to experience while reading. Perhaps some of the biggest changes of all was Benji, who had to grow up very quickly through the duration of the story and mature greatly from the time in which we first met him. However, just about every character either revealed their true nature or grew as a person. If not, they may have been one of the characters introduced in this story, such as Sonya, whose strength and stubbornness had her quickly become a favorite. Both Xander and Felicity had to adapt to the emotions and situation of their marriage, which was interesting to see in their characters. However, the growth of their relationship seemed to be much more choppy and rushed compared to the more natural pacing of book one - although the jumps in time may have something to do with it.Army of the Dead has just about everything readers could ask to have in a zombie sequel, as well as the things that readers would not think to ask for, but definitely wanted (like the excitement and adventure of a circus trap and a temporary haven that's like a set for a Spaghetti Western. Yeehaw.) The excellent description and clear imagery always allows for the readers to get deeply involved in the story and visualize the action taking place, which was darker and even more wonderfully horrific than before. I thoroughly enjoyed Army of the Dead - a sequel that definitely did not disappoint.