Review: Undeadly by Michele Vail

Undeadly by Michele Vail
Series: The Reaper Diaries #1
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
First published: November 20th, 2012
Source: NetGalley
Format: eARC
Pages: 272

Goodreads Summary:
The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she's shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.

Life at Nekyia has its plusses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another...except, there's something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—-Molly's got an undeadly knack for finding trouble....

My Rating: 3.5 / 5

First thoughts:

With wonderful mythology elements, paranormal gifts that I'm dying to find out more about and lots of action, Undeadly turned out to be a very interesting read. There are some aspects of the story that did annoy me slightly, but overall I enjoyed it and would recommend it to everyone who is looking for a different kind of paranormal read.

My thoughts about...

...the mythology:

At first I need to tell you about the amazing use of ancient Egyptian mythology. I've always been a huge fan of it and can never watch to many documentaries about ancient Egypt and their beliefs, so of course I absolutely loved that it is featured in Undeadly. The Underworld, the gods and the gifts certain humans got from them create a wonderful basis for the rest of the story.

...the plot and the narration:

Undeadly doesn't take much time to show us what it's about and where this story might go. You get to know Molly's world very fast - and it's a very different world from ours. I love fictional settings in which paranormal elements are officially known by its society and the main character does not have to hide her gifts (at least to a certain extent). The rest of the story is similarly fast paced and interesting things that make you want to continue reading seem to happen within every chapter. Especially the ending though will ensure your need to read the sequel.

Like I said above, we get to know Undeadly's world very fast thanks to Molly's explanations about almost everything. Sadly this led to some confusion for me in the beginning because I felt like I got too much information in too little time. Nonetheless there were certain other aspects toward the end that I would have liked to know more about, which sadly confused me as well.

...the characters:

As a main character, Molly is, while still likeable, a very naive and sometimes annoying person. Her attitudes toward certain things and persons seem to constantly change which makes it hard to really identify with her. I also would have liked her to be more skeptical during certain situations (you'll know which ones I mean when you read it) and maybe think more about the things she's done.

There are many secondary characters which sadly means that we don't get to know any of them very well. With only 272 pages Undeadly is a fairly short novel and with all the action it doesn't leave much room to find out more about Molly's friends and enemies. There is a love story, too, but it's definitely not the main focus and I really hope we'll get to see more of it in the sequel.

...everything:

All in all, Undeadly is a fast and enjoyable read and is definitely able to take off your mind from everyday matters and allows you to delve into a different world. While I'm not too happy with certain things, I'm still very curious about the next book Unchosen and will definitely read it once it's released next year. 

Challenge(s):

 YA Mythology Challenge 2012

Debut Author Challenge 2012

Do you like Egyptian mythology? Have you already read Undeadly or do you plan to do so? What do you think about its premise?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Carina

Review: Until I Die by Amy Plum

Until I Die by Amy Plum
Series: Revenants #2
Publisher: HaperTeen (HarperCollins)
First published: May 8th, 2012
Source: Edelweiss
Format: eARC
Pages: 357

Goodreads Summary:
Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.

My review for: Die For Me (book 1)

My Rating: 4.0 / 5

First thoughts:

Since Die For Me was one of my favorite reads of 2011, I was dying to read Until I Die, of course, to find out how this beautiful love story set in Paris would continue. Focussing on the obstacles Vincent and Kate have to break through to face a somewhat happy future, Until I Die scratches on the surface of an even more detailed Revenant-lore and I'm looking forward to find out more!

More detailed:

There is no doubt that I enjoyed Until I Die, although I have to admit that I didn't fell in love with it as much as I did with the first book of this lovely series, Die For Me. But especially this cliffhanger ending, which the synopsis isn't exaggerating about, will make sure that I'll pick up the third installment of this series as soon as it's available, hoping that everything will end up being good for the characters I've fallen in love with.

Kate and Vincent's relationship is the obvious focus of Until I Die. They have to face many obstacles, especially his immortality and her humanity. And even though this is not a new topic in the Young Adult genre, I found it to be done quite well. They're both trying to find ways to ensure a life together, scared that his need to save humans might destroy their future.

While I loved seeing them deal with these problems, I was a bit disappointed that it took up about three quarters of the story. I would have loved to see more foreshadowing concerning the "new and surprising enemy", would have loved to have more action and more fear of the bad guys - not just relationship-angst. Because of that my definite favorite part is the last quarter when the pace finally picked up.

Nonetheless I overall enjoyed reading Until I Die immensely. While I might not be completely happy with the plot, I wasn't bored at all. Maybe it's because I still loved the characters so much (I would have preferred to see more of Jules though) or because Amy's writing could make me fall in love with a cookbook, but I never felt the need to put it away to read something else.

As you might already guess, I'd definitely recommend you to pick up this series if you haven't or to definitely read the second book if you liked the first one. Until I Die might suffer a tiny bit from being the typical "middle book" of a series, building up the anticipation for the final installment, but I can't help still loving this series. I want the third book, If I Should Die, now!

Have you read Until I Die? What did you think about it?
Do you plan to read it?
Carina

Review: Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
Series: Gone With the Respiration #1
Publisher: Del Rey (Random House)
First published: October 18th, 2011
Source: NetGalley
Format: eARC
Pages: 470

Goodreads Summary:
Love conquers all, so they say. But can Cupid’s arrow pierce the hearts of the living and the dead—or rather, the undead? Can a proper young Victorian lady find true love in the arms of a dashing zombie?

The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the manners, mores, and fashions of an antique era. A teenager in high society, Nora Dearly is far more interested in military history and her country’s political unrest than in tea parties and debutante balls. But after her beloved parents die, Nora is left at the mercy of her domineering aunt, a social-climbing spendthrift who has squandered the family fortune and now plans to marry her niece off for money. For Nora, no fate could be more horrible—until she’s nearly kidnapped by an army of walking corpses.

But fate is just getting started with Nora. Catapulted from her world of drawing-room civility, she’s suddenly gunning down ravenous zombies alongside mysterious black-clad commandos and confronting “The Laz,” a fatal virus that raises the dead—and hell along with them. Hardly ideal circumstances. Then Nora meets Bram Griswold, a young soldier who is brave, handsome, noble . . . and dead. But as is the case with the rest of his special undead unit, luck and modern science have enabled Bram to hold on to his mind, his manners, and his body parts. And when his bond of trust with Nora turns to tenderness, there’s no turning back. Eventually, they know, the disease will win, separating the star-crossed lovers forever. But until then, beating or not, their hearts will have what they desire.

My Rating: 3.5 / 5

First thoughts:

While I have to admit that I struggled with it a little bit in the beginning, I ended up really liking Dearly, Departed and its characters. Despite the various points of view, Lia Habel's writing manages to make the main characters relatable and will have readers waiting for the sequel excitedly.

More detailed:

Dearly, Departed is only the second zombie book I've ever read and it has definitely made me want to read more books of this genre. Nora's (New) Victorian world is turned upside down when an army of the walking dead comes for her and another group of more civilised zombies rescues her. I loved this combination of dystopian and paranormal elements that created a very unique setting.

I definitely enjoyed the prologue and the first part of the first chapter of Dearly, Departed but I have to admit that the pacing of the story slowed down a lot after that and made it a bit hard to get into the story. At first we are introduced to the world Nora grew up in, which is both futuristic and historical, and how she is living her life. While such an introduction was necessary considering the very special dystopian setting, I wished it would have been a little bit shorter.

Nora is a very strong character and her realistic reactions to the things she finds out make her very believable. At some points she is a little bit overwhelmed by her discoveries, but at the same time she never overreacts. It was easy to imagine being in her situation and feeling the things she has to go through.

Dearly, Departed is told from five different points of view. While I'm a fan of novels who tell more than one person's story, I was a little bit overwhelmed by the constant change of narration in the beginning. After a while I found out that it was necessary to understand the most important parts of the storyline and I came to appreciate the different characters' stories.

The love story is progressing very slowly, too, but considering the circumstances Nora and Bram met under, it felt very right. In many YA novels the romance is rushed, but the love between these two grows slowly and you can witness how their feelings towards each other develop into something more. I definitely can't wait to find out what the future has in store for them.

All in all, Dearly, Departed is a unique novel with an intriguing setting and the chance to be the introduction to a great series. If you don't mind if a novel has a somewhat slow pacing and want to be swept away into a romance that is heartbreakingly beautiful, you should definitely pick up Dearly, Departed.

Novels in this series:

1. Dearly, Departed
2. Dearly, Beloved (2012)

Have you read Dearly, Departed? What did you think about it?

Do you plan to read it?

Carina

Short Story Review: Scenic Route by Carrie Ryan

Scenic Route by Carrie Ryan
in Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions
Publisher: HarperCollins
First published: September 20th, 2011
Source: Bought
Pages: 29 - 56

Short Summary:
This short story is set in the world of Carrie's The Forest of Hands and Teeth novels. The sisters Margie and Sally are hiding in a cabin and spend their time making plans for their next trip, the next time they need to hide again. While being there, they meet Calvin who has an intention that is hard to define.

My Rating: 4.0 / 5

What I thought about it:

I haven't read anything written by Carrie Ryan before, but I'm so happy I got to read this short story now. So far I've heard good things about The Forest of Hands and Teeth and I love the glimpse into this world I got in this short story.

Scenic Route shows me a world which is both, scary and fascinating at the same time. Margie and Sally's struggle for survival is heartbreaking, but at the same time I really enjoyed witnessing their interactions. Even though this is a short story, it's evident how much they care about each other.

Calvin is a lovely addition to Scenic Route as well. I would have loved to find out more about him, but considering the length of this story it probably wasn't possible. I'll definitely take a closer look at Carrie's novels now - Scenic Route makes me want to spend more time in this world.

---

Have you read any of Carrie Ryan's novels? What did you think about them?

Carina

The Zombie Renaissance

Latest Newspaper Column:

Tomorrow is Halloween, the time when we think about ghosties, ghoulies, and various things that go bump in the night. So it seems an appropriate time to discuss the Zombie Renaissance.

Seems like there’s never been a better time to be a creator of zombie-related art and entertainment. The website 24/7 Wall Street estimates that “today’s zombie-genre economy,” as they put it, is worth up to $5 billion.

First and foremost, of course, there are the movies. Starting with the shambling, rotting grandaddy of them all, “Night of the Living Dead,” all the way though films like “28 Days Later,” its sequel “28 Weeks Later,” the seemingly unkillable “Resident Evil” franchise, the Will Smith vehicle “I Am Legend” (which substituted fast-moving, rage-filled zombies for the vampires in the original novel), the hilarious spoofs “Shaun of the Dead” and “Zombieland,” and the upcoming “World War Z,” starring Brad Pitt, it seems that the undead make for great box office.

Then there are things like video games (the recent smash hit shoot-em up “Call of Duty: Black Ops” comes with a mode where the player battles Nazi zombies); TV shows (AMC’s “The Walking Dead” has just been picked up for a third season); comic books; and even novels such as “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” which takes Jane Austen’s classic novel and updates it with a few ghouls (as an Austen-loving friend of mine puts it, that’s just so wrong).

Some people jump on the zombie bandwagon through so-called “zombie walks,” in which crowds of people make themselves up as zombies and lurch, moan and chomp their way through cities and towns, all in good fun and sometimes for charity.

The first recorded walk occurred in 2001 in Sacramento to promote a horror film festival, but the idea quickly spread like — well, like a zombie plague. Now cities compete for the record of biggest walk, with the current crown held by Asbury Park, N.J., which recorded an invasion of 5,000 rotters and secured a place for itself in “The Guinness Book of World Records.”

Dublin, Ireland, claimed a turnout of 8,000 for the one they held July 23 of this year, but Guinness has not yet confirmed the number, possibly because of the difficulty of sorting out whether a pale person staggering through the streets of Dublin and muttering incoherently is a wannabe zombie or just a drunk on his way home from the pub.

Which raises the question: Why are the walking dead such a hot item these days? I mean, I love a good zombie story as much as the next guy, but even I have trouble explaining why zombies seem to be replacing vampires as everyone’s favorite undead.

I can almost see the appeal of the vampire thing. There’s a certain sexiness about vampires, or so the fans tell me. They’re beautiful, their hunger equates with great passion, they bite your neck — hey, it’s not my kink, but whatever floats your boat. But it’s hard to envision a best-selling book and movie series about a forbidden romance between a beautiful but awkward teenage girl and a mindless, flesh-eating ghoul.

Maybe it’s because zombies embody something we all recognize deep down, something that’s definitely on the rise these days. As my friend Stephen Blackmoore, author of the upcoming zombie novel “City of the Lost,” once put it: “Zombies aren’t terror, they’re dread. They’re the physical embodiment of anxiety.” Which may be why they’ve gotten so much more popular in these anxious times.

On the flipside, though, zombies are kind of goofy, with their blank expressions, their clumsy shuffle, the bits falling off. They’re funny in a sick kind of way. They take that anxiety and make it into something you can laugh at. If you can laugh at it, it’s not so scary.

And that’s what Halloween is all about, Charlie Brown.

(click the pic for hints on surviving a zombie plague. Because you just never know.)

Review: Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey

Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
Publisher: HarperTeen
Expected Publication: September 20th, 2011
Source: NetGalley
Pages: 336

Goodreads Summary:

When her boyfriend, Danny, is killed in a car accident, Wren can’t imagine living without him. Wild with grief, she uses the untamed powers she’s inherited to bring him back. But the Danny who returns is just a shell of the boy she once loved.

Wren has spent four months keeping Danny hidden, while her life slowly unravels around her. Then Gabriel DeMarnes transfers to her school and somehow, inexplicably, he can sense her secret. Wren finds herself drawn to Gabriel, who is so much more alive than the ghost of the boy she loved. But Wren can’t turn her back on Danny or the choice she made for him—and she realizes she must find a way to make things right, even if it means breaking her own heart.

Amy Garvey’s transcendent teen debut is perfect for fans of Shiver and Beautiful Creatures. Wren’s unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned. 

My Rating: 2.5 / 5

What I thought about it:

Cold Kiss is a story about losing the person you love and how hard it can be to cope with this loss. Wren has lost her boyfriend, her first love, and it's impossible for her to deal with it. So she does the one thing she thinks is the best solution for her: She raises Danny from the dead only to realize that the boy she once loved is already gone.

What I really liked about Cold Kiss is the fact that the story immediately starts. You don't have to read a long introduction, but you are confronted with Wren's problematic situation right at the beginning. To add to this, Amy Garvey's writing is incredibly easy to read and I could finish this novel very fast without feeling the need to take a break and put it aside.

The only thing that made me quite sad was that I just couldn't seem to connect to the characters. While I felt sorry for Wren and wish she didn't have to deal with such an awful situation, she isn't a character that stayed with me for long. To be honest, the whole story wasn't something I constantly thought about. It was nice to read, but didn't make a lasting impression on me.

I'm also wondering whether this is part of a series. While I liked the ending, it also left some questions unanswered and some problems unsolved, which confuses me.

All in all, Cold Kiss was a novel that I enjoyed but didn't love. If you're a fan of stories which incorporate witchcraft and zombies and combine this with a lot of angst, this could be the perfect novel for you.

---

Have you read Cold Kiss? What did you think about it?
Carina

Who Among Us Does Not Love Zombies?

Have Fun With The Zombie Outbreak Simulator!

Set the number of civilians, police, and zombies, decide whether you want your zombies fast or slow, and watch the zombpocalypse play out! Click around the map to watch the unsuspecting civilians go about their day as the undead horde bears down on them! Fun, fun, fun for the entire family!