Review: The Last Bastion of the Living

(from Goodreads)
A walled city surrounded by lush land, protected by high mountain summits, and fortified by a massive gate to secure the only pass into the valley, The Bastion remained humanity’s last hope against the fearsome undead creatures known as the Inferi Scourge. On one fateful day, the valley gate failed and the Inferi Scourge overran and destroyed the human settlements outside the walls, trapping the remaining survivors inside the city. Now, decades later, the last remaining humans are struggling to survive in a dying city of dwindling resources…and dwindling hope.

Vanguard Maria Martinez has lived her entire life within the towering walls of steel. She yearns for a life away from the overcrowded streets, rolling blackouts, and food shortages, but there is no hope for anyone as long as the Inferi Scourge howl outside the high walls. Her only refuge from the daily grind is in the arms of Dwayne Reichardt, an officer in the Bastion Constabulary. Both are highly-decorated veterans of the last disastrous push against the Inferi Scourge. Their secret affair is her only happiness.

Then one day Maria is summoned to meet with a mysterious representative from the Science Warfare Division and is offered the opportunity to finally destroy the Inferi Scourge in the valley and close the gate, reclaiming the lost lands and energizing the populace with renewed hope for the future. The rewards of success are great, but she will have to sacrifice everything, possibly even her life, to accomplish the ultimate goal of securing the future of humanity and saving it from extinction.

My Thoughts:
I was very VERY very excited when I was offered a chance to review this book. I loved Rhiannon Frater's  As the World Dies series, so of course I wanted to read more of her work! First things first, this is NOT like AtWD. There are zombies, but they aren't the same. This is an entirely different species of zombie books. Okay? Got that? :) Good.

Now onto the good stuffs! I thought the concept of this book was fresh and interesting. The Inferi (zombies) are the main driving force behind most of the actions of the characters, but it's the HUMAN DRAMA that makes this book tick. As in AtWD, Rhiannon Frater has an amazing way with her characters. You can tell she worries at them til they are perfect! Maria and Dwayne are flawed, smart, and real. Their relationship isn't all fluffy and snuggly, but they care for each other and trust each other fully.

Their commitment to each other is another factor in this story. Maria wants a life beyond the walls, so she signs up for what could potentially be the most dangerous mission ever. She is to become an Inferi Boon. She'll be able to walk among them and potentially destroy them from within. Then the gates can be opened and humanity can thrive again. What they don't tell her will change her life forever!


Maria is a fabulous character. She's flawed, tough, and capable. I do have a fondness for how RF writes her female characters. She definitely has a knack for that! The story from start to finish is a wonderful addition to zombie lore, and I highly recommend it!

*i received a eARC from the writer

Weekend Reading Plans

This weekend is dedicated to ALL those beautiful little walking dead fiends that make me a happy girl! Yup! I'm hereby proclaiming this weekend to be ZOMBIE themed! My weekend reading will consist entirely of zombie related bookage!

Starting with ...*appropriate drumroll of AWESOME*

The Last Bastion of the Living-Rhiannon Frater (eARC)

and
Carnage Road- Gregory Lamberson (blog tour)

Both seem like awesome reads! What are you reading this weekend?

Review: Siege

About:
Siege is the conclusion to Rhiannon Frater’s As the World Dies trilogy, which should appeal to fans of The Walking Dead. Both The First Days and Fighting to Survive won the Dead Letter Award from Mail Order Zombie. The First Days was named one of the Best Zombie Books of the Decade by the Harrisburg Book Examiner. The zombie illness has shattered civilization. The survivors who have found tenuous safety in Texas defend their fort against the walking dead and living bandits. Katie has made peace with the death of her wife and is pregnant and married to Travis, who has been elected Mayor. Jenni, her stepson, Jason; and Juan—Travis’s right-hand man—are a happy family, though Jenni suffers from PTSD. Both women are deadly zombie killers. In Siege, the people of Ashley Oaks are stunned to discover that the vice president of the United States is alive and commanding the remnants of the US military. What’s left of the US government has plans for this group of determined survivors.

My Review: 
I laughed, cried, and stressed out, and that was all before I opened the book and started reading! This book is the conclusion (NOOOEESSS) of one of my new favorite series in the entire world! THE WHOLE WORLD PEOPLE!!! I loved this storyline and was just really anxious to read it. I didn't want the ride to be over, but I wanted to know what happened. I was so very seriously NOT disappointed!

Rhiannon Frater probably thinks I'm some crazy stan (click for urban dictionary definition.) I tweeted as I read the book and probably sounded borderline crazy! Tweets such as: "Omg y'all Siege is so effin' intense I am freaking out! I love this shizz!" and "I haz a sad now :( zombies are so mean" probably made her consider taking out a restraining order or something.

 
I love Katie and Jenni and I really was hoping that they all made it through, even though I know that zombies are soooo mean!  I really get possessive about my favorite characters in books. I know it's not healthy, but that's just how I roll. So there were a few shocks (and crying jags) involved with this ending. I loved the action and loved the drama. Some of my heroes expired and some of them didn't. My brain and heart were barely able to handle it. When you are legit, biting your nails while you read a book, you know it's good.

My hat goes off to RF. She held NO punches and everyone was at risk here. The ending packed a wallop and definitely made my toes curl! So much awesome packed into one book! There is no magical ending where everyone lives happily ever after in a world where there's no zombies (damnit), but it still is a very satisfying conclusion to a series that I will recommend to everyone! Seriously.

Basically, I think it's pretty obvious that I loved this book. This series is wonderful and packed full of excellent writing and vivid characters. Read it. The end.

Review: Fighting to Survive

About: 
 Picking up where The First Days ends, Fighting to Survive features the further zombie-killing, civilization-saving adventures of a pair of sexy, kick butt heroines and the men who love them. A hundred or so survivors of the zombie plague have found tenuous safety in the walled off center of a small Texas town. Now the hard work of survival begins—finding enough food; creating safe, weather-resistant shelter; establishing laws; and fighting off both the undead who want to eat them and the living bandits who want to rob and kill them.

My Review:  
This series is so full of win it's practically bursting with fruit flavor! I cannot begin to tell you how much I LOVE these characters. Jenni and Katie are swiftly becoming my favorite female characters of all time..OF ALL TIME! They aren't delicate little daisies waiting for a man to save them, they save the men! That's awesomesauce! They are tough, but that doesn't mean they aren't feminine. They are sexy, tough, and smart!

Rhiannon Frater has created a cast of characters and a world that is compelling and terrifying. I am loving the story progression and the fact that it is so unpredictable. This fact makes it sooo worthy of attention, in a market where there are only a few writers capable of drafting a story that doesn't feel..well...done. You don't know what's going to happen. You don't know who will make it to the end. You don't know. THAT makes my zombie geek happy beyond belief!

The character and story progression in this, the second book, is quick and exciting. So much happens and there is so little time to adapt, that it creates a sense of urgency and overwhelming tension. You feel like you are a survivor along with the characters. Jenni and Katie go through some MAJOR life changes in this one! They grow and look forward, but there is also time and space to reflect on the past. This complexity really impressed me.

The side characters are starting to develop a sense of solid identities as well. Jason and Travis are getting fleshed out, although I did feel like more attention could be placed on Travis' past, but that's just nit picking. I will go on record here and now for saying that Nerit needs to be my grandma or at least that tough old lady that lives next door to me! If she dies I will cry! The bad "living" guys are so bad they could be mistaken for zombies! I felt so much disgust for Shane and really wanted to slap Blanche..omg. I rage just thinking about her!!!

Basically, read this series. I cannot recommend it enough!

Review: Dust and Decay-Jonathan Maberry

"Blurb:

Six months have passed since the terrifying battle with Charlie Pink-eye and the Motor City Hammer in the zombie-infested mountains of the Rot & Ruin. It’s also been six months since Benny Imura and Nix Riley saw something in the air that changed their lives. Now, after months of rigorous training with Benny’s zombie-hunter brother Tom, Benny and Nix are ready to leave their home forever and search for a better future. Lilah the Lost Girl and Benny’s best friend Lou Chong are going with them.

But before they even leave there is a shocking zombie attack in town, and as soon as they step into the Rot & Ruin they are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, and insane murderers, and face the horrors of Gameland—where teenagers are forced to fight for their lives in the zombie pits. Worst of all…could the evil Charlie Pink-eye still be alive?

In the great Rot & Ruin, everything wants to kill you—and not everyone in Benny’s small band of travelers will survive…."

Book Details:

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers (August 30, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442402350

My Review: 
Jonathan Maberry, why do you break my heart? Why do you rock my socks off,  while at the same time making me want to scream and tremble like a scared little girl? These books! My brain cannot deal! I LOVED Rot and Ruin, and could not fathom loving the sequel any more but alas Mr. Maberry, you have killed it with this one! I mean that is a good way!

Dust and Decay starts out about six months from where the first book left off. I really enjoyed the character development and the maturing that the characters all went through. You know they don't pick up where they left off and are all "tra la la." They have issues to work through. Benny and Nix are especially busy working through the issues that they cultivated in R & R. They are kind of in a limbo stage of their relationship which complicates matters tremendously. The dealing with the drama of what happened, coupled with their budding feelings for each other, could have been a disaster, but was done very well. It's not done in a haphazard way and is substantial.

Not only are Benny and his friends tested, but his relationship with Tom is also put through the wringer.  They are getting older and closer to each other and I think that this was the most touching story in the book. The brothers starting to accept each other for their faults and learning to fully trust each other, was heart warming. Tom is letting Benny grow up and Benny is trusting Tom completely.

  I really think that the relationships that are highlighted in this book are what makes it shine. The zombies are just a delicious extra. There are so many things going on with this book! I highly recommend it!

I give it a solid 4.5 out of 5.

I Love This!

Review: Down the Road

From Goodreads.com:
A bizarre plague of the walking dead.
A nation desperate for survival.
It could be the end of the world.

Around the globe, the dead are rising to devour the living. Hospitals are overrun, and martial law has been declared. The streets are in chaos. Society is disintegrating.

George Zaragosa is a young school teacher living in the shadow of his fiancée’s unsolved murder. Now he just wants to go home to his family. He has made the journey before, traveling from Austin to San Uvalde. It is usually a short drive. But he knows this time is going to be different.

Along the way, George must negotiate military roadblocks, FEMA camps, and street thugs, not to mention hordes of the living dead. He is determined to make it home, but only one thing is certain: his trip down the road will be a journey like no other.

My Review:
I love Zombies! If you've read my blog before I think that's pretty apparent. So it pains me to say that this book completely underwhelmed me. Yup! I said it. This zombie book was blah. I really had high hopes for it. It started out very good! George was definitely someone I was rooting for.
I thought he was very believable at first, but quickly that changed. I know that zombie books aren't know for their "Hey logic is happening here!" moments but they have to at least have one rational person in them!

George is a school teacher, but all of a sudden he's got mad zombie butt kicking skills, can beat up people, have random booty calls whilst being surrounded by a horde of the living dead. Yeah..believable left the scene a few hours ago I guess.

I couldn't connect with George after that. I felt no emotional motivation to keep reading about his struggles to make it home to his family. I wasn't interested. It seemed like this book lacked something. I can SEE where Ibarra was going with it, and I am a bit sad that it didn't work out. The ending didn't even have the emotional impact that I think he was going for. This really pains me because I usually love even the cheesiest Zombie movies and books.

I wished I could say that I recommend it, but I can't. *sigh* Sorry Bowie Ibarra..at least you still have your kick ass name! Right? :)

A Winter's Respite Read-a-Thon Day 2

It's not too late to sign up! Just click my button up there and then you can join in on the fun! If you wanna hop on twitter and talk to us then you should use the hashtag #readathon ! So get your books ready, sign up, and crack open a book!



Starting Book: Down the Road (finish)
Starting at pg: 60
Starting Time: 7:00 AM
Second Book: The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy (for the Lost Entwife's Read-a-Long)

Finishing Time: About 10:30pm
Book Finished: Down the Road (152)

Total Pages Read Today: 197

When I have the start/stop times these are when I open the book the first time and close it for the last time of the day. I'm not reading straight from 7am-10:30pm. I wished I could do that! I do have work, a home to keep up, and most importantly a child to wrangle! :)

Book Spotlight: Down the Road

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Permuted Press; Reprint edition (January 4, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439180695
• ISBN-13: 978-1439180693

About the Book:
Around the globe, the dead are rising to devour the living. Hospitals are overrun, and martial law has been declared. The streets are in chaos. Society is disintegrating.

George Zaragosa is a young schoolteacher living in the shadow of his fiancée’s unsolved murder. Now he just wants to go home to his family. He has made the journey before, traveling from Austin to San Uvalde. It is usually a short drive, but he knows this time is going to be different.

Along the way, George must negotiate military roadblocks, FEMA camps, and street thugs, not to mention hordes of the living dead. He is determined to make it home, but only one thing is certain: his trip down the road will be a journey like no other.

Review Coming Soon!

Boneshaker-Cherie Priest

From Amazon.com:
Maternal love faces formidable challenges in this stellar steampunk tale. In an alternate 1880s America, mad inventor Leviticus Blue is blamed for destroying Civil War–era Seattle. When Zeke Wilkes, Blue's son, goes into the walled wreck of a city to clear his father's name, Zeke's mother, Briar Wilkes, follows him in an airship, determined to rescue her son from the toxic gas that turns people into zombies (called rotters and described in gut-churning detail). When Briar learns that Seattle still has a mad inventor, Dr. Minnericht, who eerily resembles her dead husband, a simple rescue quickly turns into a thrilling race to save Zeke from the man who may be his father. Intelligent, exceptionally well written and showcasing a phenomenal strong female protagonist who embodies the complexities inherent in motherhood, this yarn is a must-read for the discerning steampunk fan!


My Thoughts:
Wow! This is the first book I've finished in 2011 and I have to say I wasn't disappointed at all. There were so many things that went RIGHT about this book that the parts that didn't go well could easily be overlooked! First things first, I have to say I love the cover art. The colors (browns, greys, blacks, and yellowish orange) go very well with the story. I think it definite suits the novel.

The next thing I wanted to say is that this is my first foray into the Steampunk genre. I had really no idea of what to expect! I went in with a clear mind and came out a fan of the genre itself! So yeah, you'll definitely see more Steampunk here!

The meat of this story is pretty well done. I loved how fierce Briar is. She's going to get her son and no one is going to stop her! That's Mama bear instincts right there! The Mother/Son dynamics were on point, I think. They have a strained relationship, but can you blame them? I like how this aspect is portray with honesty and depth. You really feel for them both. Zeke and Briar have to deal with a lot of things in their day to day life that they really have no control over.

The trip to the city and the events that take place within it are all pretty juicy too! There are some spots where it kind of lags, but like I said at the start of my review, the rest definitely makes up for it. I'd definitely recommend this book!

This was an EXCELLENT first read of the year!

Review: Thunder and Ashes

About the Book:
A lot can change in three months: wars can be decided, nations can be forged... or entire species can be brought to the brink of annihilation. The Morningstar Virus, an incredibly virulent disease, has swept the face of the planet, infecting billions. Its hosts rampage, attacking anything that remains uninfected. Even death can't stop the virus-its victims as cannibalistic shamblers. Scattered across the world, embattled groups have persevered. For some, surviving is the pinnacle of achievement. Others hoard goods and weapons. And still others leverage power over the remnants of humanity in the form of a mysterious cure for Morningstar. Francis Sherman and Anna Demilio want only a vaccine, but to find it, they must cross a countryside in ruins, dodging not only the infected, but also the lawless living. The bulk of the storm has passed over the world, leaving echoing thunder and softly drifting ashes. But for the survivors, the peril remains, and the search for a cure is just beginning...

My Review:

What is it about Zombies that makes me a happy girl? Hmm..I just love to imagine myself kicking A and taking names during the Zombie Apocalypse! Seriously, I have spent many an hour daydreaming and making a check list..just in case. You never know, right?

This book is the second part of The Morningstar Strain series, but that didn't keep me from following the story. I haven't read the first one, but I do plan on getting it. ASAP. Yes, there are similarities to other zombie books and movies, but hullo? You can't have too many zombie books or movies! I liked this one very much. The action was well written, the characters were decent. I didn't stumble upon a single thing that made me say, "oh now that ain't right..."

I definitely think this is a good addition to any Zombie fans arsenal of awesome literature!

OMG! Zombies! AMC's The Walking Dead!

*WARNING: Video Below MAY BE CONSIDERED GRAPHIC**

I love love love zombies so when I found out that this is coming on AMC Halloween night, I geeked out with happiness! Here's the 4 minute trailer for the show! Needless to say I am very much looking forward to this! It looks so friggen awesome!

**Warning: It has guns, violence, zombies, and general horror-ish stuff!***