All Together Now: A Zombie Story - Book Review

All Together Now: A Zombie Story
by Robert Kent

What is it about:
Fifteen-year-old Ricky Genero is writing a journal of the zombie apocalypse. His high school has burned to the ground, his friends are all either dead or shambling corpses roaming the earth in search of human flesh, and his best friend died saving his six-year-old brother Chuck from a zombie horde. When Chuck is bitten and infected with the zombie virus, Ricky must travel among the walking dead in search of a cure.

WARNING

This YOUNG ADULT novel is mean and nasty and intended for a mature audience. It is absolutely not appropriate for younger readers. All Together Now: A Zombie Story is a gruesome, repugnant tale featuring horrific acts of violence sure to warp young minds.

What did I think of it:
This is a cool zombie read.

I will confess I had a bit of a problem with Ricky at times. He's a typical average teenager, with lots of prejudices. The way he described some of the other people in this story made me want to push him in front of a horde of zombies at times.

But luckily the story is cool enough to not get too annoyed by Ricky. There's lots of zombie mayhem and other intense situations.

The reason for the zombie outbreak is original and believable. Kent also did a great job with the pacing and the way people react at first.

Kent doesn't pull any punches. This is a violent story, that not only shows the zombie carnage, but also how humans can be just as nasty and dangerous as zombies, if not more so.

I really liked the ending of this story. I won't spoil too much, but it was both a clever and a cool ending.

All in all I very much enjoyed this story and I can advice it to anyone who doesn't shy away from zombie mayhem. I will keep n eye out for what else Kent will write.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool Zombie YA full of zombie mayhem.


Buy from Amazon

On McPig's Wishlist - Vellum

I heard Hal Duncan speak on a panel at World Fantasy Con last month, and decided I have to read his books. So I put this one on my wishlist right away.


Vellum (The Book of All Hours #1)
by Hal Duncan

An extraordinary, incendiary debut from a rare new talent, Vellum showcases a complex and sophisticated level of writing coupled with a fecund imagination that defies description.

VELLUM: THE BOOK OF ALL HOURS

It’s 2017 and angels and demons walk the earth. Once they were human; now they are unkin, transformed by the ancient machine-code language of reality itself. They seek The Book of All Hours, the mythical tome within which the blueprint for all reality is transcribed, which has been lost somewhere in the Vellum–the vast realm of eternity upon which our world is a mere scratch.

The Vellum, where the unkin are gathering for war.

The Vellum, where a fallen angel and a renegade devil are about to settle an age-old feud.

The Vellum, where the past, present, and future will collide with ancient worlds and myths.

And the Vellum will burn. . .

TBR-Orphans Update

I haven't given you an update for a while, so here it is.

In October I managed to read two Orphans:
Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett
and
Bloodstone by Nancy Holzner

November was a terrible month for my orphans, they were mostly neglected.
I did start on Queen's Hunt by Beth Bernobich though.

How about you?
Read any books lately that have been on your shelves for what seems like forever?

Oasis - Book Review

Oasis
by Joan De La Haye
Novella

What is it about:
2013 – The planet has been fried by solar flares turning it into a desert. The surviving population has been affected by solar radiation, turning them into Zombies. Only a handful of people remain unaffected. A family of civilians, guided by a crack army unit who has seen more action than they can handle, must make their way to the safety of a UN base at the South Pole called New Atlantis.

But can they make it to this oasis alive or will they only reach it as the undead?

What did I think of it:
This is such a cool read.

De La Haye manages to deliver a great zombie story in just 50 pages. In those 50 pages she succeeds in making me believe in the world and setting, caring for lead character Maxine and her family, and being gripped by the events and violence that they encounter.

De La Haye's website states she's a horror author, and believe me, this story sure shows you that she deserves that title. I was on the edge of my seat while reading this novella and had to finish it in one sitting to find out where this story would lead.

Overall this is a well written and suspenseful novella that I will most certainly reread. I will also check out what other stories De La Hay has written.

Why should you read it:
It's an awesome zombie horror story.


Find buy links here

Alien Research - Release Day Alert and Teaser

Today it's the official release day for Alien Research, the eighth book in the awesome Katherine "Kitty" Katt series by Gini Koch.

I got my copy early, but because I've been very busy I didn't finish the book yet, so instead of a review (which will follow asap, if I can sneak in enough reading time) here's the info about the book and a teaser:


Alien Research (Katherine "Kitty" Katt #8)
by Gini Koch

When rumors of a new super-drug surface, the FBI comes to Jeff and Kitty Katt-Martini for help. It becomes quickly apparent that the drug is merely the tip of a deadly iceberg and a much more insidious plan is underway involving Titan Security, Gaultier Enterprises, and YatesCorp.

As newly discovered A-Cs and hybrids begin to surface, each with expanded and deadly talents, more and more signs point to a new evil genius who’s using the A-Cs and their enemies both as guinea pigs. Then Area 51 and the Dulce Science Center go silent while Alpha Team, Airborne, and most of the worldwide A-C Security team are there for training. And if that’s not bad enough, Centaurion Division is hit with more bad, and deadly, news: Chernobog the Ultimate, isn’t a hacker myth, he’s a real person -- and he’s on the bad guys’ side.

Now Kitty and company must find the real Dr. Feelgood and stop him or her before the latest version of Surcenthumain hits the streets and more people they love are harmed, or worse. But when the inconceivable happens, Kitty’s focused on two things only: reviving the ACE entity before their enemies realize Earth’s best protection isn’t actually active …and revenge.

=============

Teaser:

"Why are you dressed like...that?" Gower asked.
"He means like mummies," Chuckie added, in case we weren't clear that we all looked like bizarre fashion victims.
(page 136)

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Doesn't that all sound very intriguing and cool?!

Go order your copy today!

The Concrete Grove - Book Review

The Concrete Grove (Concrete Grove #1)
by Gary McMahon

What is it about:
Imagine a place where all your nightmares become real. Think of dark urban streets where crime, debt and violence are not the only things to fear. Picture an estate that is a gateway to somewhere else, a realm where ghosts and monsters stir hungrily in the shadows. Welcome to the Concrete Grove. It knows where you live.

Imagine a place where all your nightmares become real.
Think of dark urban streets where crime, debt and violence are not the only things to fear.
Picture an estate that is a gateway to somewhere else, a realm where ghosts and monsters stir hungrily in the shadows.
Welcome to the Concrete Grove.
It knows where you live.

What did I think of it:
This is a very disturbing read.

I will confess that I'm not sure if I like this book or not. It's a very strange, creepy, yet compelling read.

The things that are happening are disturbing, weird, and nightmarish. Reading this book felt like being trapped in a dream that seemingly makes no sense, but at the same time tells you dark and scary secrets.

There are several characters who take the stage. Some are likeable, others are despicable, and there are those who are just plain pathetic. All are linked one way or the other to the heart of Concrete Grove, a dark and dangerous estate, where reality and nightmares seem to blend together.

I was repulsed and intrigued by this story, and even when things happened that had me frowning, I couldn't stop reading. This story got under my skin and left me unsure what to feel about it.

I will most probably try to get hold of the other books in this trilogy, if only to find out if I eventually will make sense of this story and what I feel about it.

Why should you read it:
It's a weird, yet addictive horror read.

The Demon's Lexicon - Book Review

The Demon's Lexicon (The Demon's Lexicon #1)
by Sarah Rees Brennan

What is it about:
Sixteen-year-old Nick and his brother, Alan, are always ready to run. Their father is dead, and their mother is crazy—she screams if Nick gets near her. She’s no help in protecting any of them from the deadly magicians who use demons to work their magic. The magicians want a charm that Nick’s mother stole—and they want it badly enough to kill. Alan is Nick’s partner in demon slaying and the only person he trusts in the world. So things get very scary and very complicated when Nick begins to suspect that everything Alan has told him about their father, their mother, their past, and what they are doing is a complete lie. . .

What did I think of it:
This is a really cool read.

After reading Unspoken, I was eager to read more books by Sarah Rees Brennan, so I was very happy to get hold of The Demon's Lexicon, the first book in a trilogy.

The mood of this book is very different from Unspoken. Where Unspoken is filled with humor, this book is more serious, and even dark at times. And this mood fits the story very well.

Nick is a very interesting character. He's not a self sacrificing hero, he's calculating and always looking out for himself. The only other person who's important to him is his brother Alan. I must say I could relate to Nick a lot of the time, especially when his brother would do or suggest something noble I would advice against as well.

The story is intense and full of suspense and action. There were some things I guessed very early in the story, but that didn't spoil the story for me. There were enough other things to keep me on the edge of my seat.

The ending is satisfying, but leaves enough open to make me eager to read the next book. You can bet I will try to get hold of it soon.

Why should you read it:
it's a cool and intense Paranormal YA read.