Nick reviews Dust & Decay

Dust & Decay
by Jonathan Maberry
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: August 30th 2011
Edition: Hardcover 519 pages (purchased)

What the inside flap says...

      Benny Imura and Nix Riley can't forget the jet they saw fly over the zombie-infest mountains of the Rot and Ruin. The jet meant leaving, something that Nix and Benny were going to do. Now--after months of rigorous training with Tom, Benny's zombie-hunter brother--Benny, Nix, Lilah the Lost Girl, and Chong are ready to leave their home forever and search for a better future.

       But from the start, everything goes wrong. They are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, and insane murderers, and are faced with the horrors of a rebuilt Gameland, where teenagers are forced to fight for their lives in zombie pits. Worst of all... could the evil Charlie Pink-eye still be alive? 

         

Likes:
It's certainly very tough to beat out a book like Rot & Ruin. It was an amazing zombie story and in my eyes, it could not be touched by anyone else in the YA Zombie genre. So, when I picked up Dust & Decay, the 2nd book in the series, I was expecting a lot more of the same great story that Jonathan Maberry created in the first book. Man, was I wrong. This book was even better. I will go as far as to say Jonathan Maberry is the Bob Ross of the YA zombie genre. Yes, he has painted that darn good of a zombie apocalypse. The characters are just as great if not better than they were in Rot & Ruin. Benny has done a lot of growing up and he is a bit more enjoyable to read about and not as "snot-nosed" whiny. One of my favorite parts about this book is that they include even more of the "Bounty Hunters" that exist in the Rot & Ruin. Good and bad, it's nice to see more of them around this time. Another great part about this one is that there is a lot more of the silly "Children of Lazarus" religion going on and it makes up for some quite interesting theories. Oh yeah and the ending. Just WOW.

Dislikes:
I could sit here for 30 mins again and try to think of something negative to say about this book but I just can't. Oh wait! I know! It ended. There is my dislike.

Who would I recommend this to:
Everyone. Seriously, despite it being a zombie book, it is just that good. It's more than just any zombie book. There are a lot of good things going on in this book that opens your eyes a bit about humanity and how evil people can be. It's not one of those "Zombie killing" books that are so everywhere and run-of-the-mill. This book is truly unique and is just a wonderful book to read.



        

In Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty Series

This is review is going to be a little different since I'm tackling the whole series at once instead of separating it into a post for each book. Here we go.

 
The Summer I Turned Pretty 
by Jenny Han
Publisher:Simon & Schuster
Release Date: May 5th, 2009
Edition: Paperback 276 pages (purchased)

 What the back of the book has to say ...

Some Summers are just destined to be pretty.

When each summer begins, Belly leaves her school life behind and escapes to Cousins Beach, the place she has spent every summer of her life. Not only does the beach house mean home away from home, but her favorite people are there: Susannah, her mother's best friend, and her sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly has been chasing Conrad for as long as she can remember, and more than anything, she hopes this summer will be different. Despite distractions from a new guy named Cam and lingering looks from Conrad's brother, Jeremiah, Belly's heart belongs to Conrad. Will he offer his to her? Will this be the summer that changes everything? 

        

GoodReads Summary        GoodReads Summary

I want to start by saying that I don't usually read contemporary YA unless it involves a lot of mystery, spies, and a dead body or two. Morbid? Maybe. I love a good romance story, I do, but give me some action and suspense, and I don't mean the kind behind a bedroom door. Yuck. There's a reason I stick to YA. I'm talking gunfire, close calls, and that almost kiss while hiding from the bad guys. Be still my heart. 

OK, so we're clear on where I stand with stories that focus mainly on romance? Now, let me tell you ...

I LOVED THESE BOOKS!!1

I picked this series up on a whim. I had seen it on several blogs that just raved about how good it was and became intrigued. So when I found them on sale I figured what the heck. I'm so glad I took that chance and if you're anything like me and you steer away from these types of books, make the exception for these! These books brought out my inner girly girl. NOT that that is a bad thing. All through the series I found myself smiling at times and shaking the book at other times, pretend I had a hold of one of the characters. I may or may not have even yelled at them while reading in a public place. Yeah, it got that intense lol.

   

   The story is told mainly from Belly's point of view and and she alternates between telling us present events and past memories from the Cousins Beach with her family and the boys. I think this was one of the things I loved most about the books. You got to see the history that all these characters had together. All the traditions, the inside jokes and shared memories. The traditional Belly Flop is among my favorites. It all pulls you in and makes the story that much more real. I've heard the alternating between past and present gets confusing, but really it all fits together nicely in my opinion.

  We also get to see chapters from Jeremiah's point of view in It's Not Summer Without You  and then a bit of Conrad's pov in We'll Always Have Summer. These chapters added so much to the story. I love being able to see what the guy is thinking and feeling. It really creates those moments where you know both sides of the story, but the characters are being silly and lying to themselves and each other, you know, those moments where you want to bang your head against something, but in a good way.

  Also, how great is Belly's name? Isn't that one of the cutest nicknames ever? I have a thing for unique names. Like I saw a cat named Fondue at the pet store, and now I want to name my next pet Fondue.

   Even the titles are great. Really, what could make for one of the most memorable summers for a girl? How about the one where she goes from being the little tag along sister to finally feeling pretty and having everyone notice. That sounds like a pretty epic summer to me.

   There was very little I didn't like about these books. I was not fond of Cam in The Summer I Turned Pretty, but he was necessary. While Belly was entertaining thoughts of Cam I was silently shouting at the brothers "You need to Step. UP." Lol. And while I enjoyed how the series ended and who ended up with who, I was hoping for a slightly different execution.

 All in all, The Summer I Turned Pretty series was absolutely wonderful and perfect for that summer time reading.

Interested in reading the series? Read it, loved it, and want the series for your very own? Check out our 100 Follower/Summer time Giveaway!

Nick reviews Rot & Ruin

Rot & Ruin
by Jonathan Maberry
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release Date: September 14th 2010
Edition: Paperback 458 pgs (Purchased)

What the back of the book has to say...

In the zombie-infested world Benny has grown up in, teenagers must work once they turn fifteen-or they'll lose their food rations. Benny isn't interested in taking on the family business, but he reluctantly agrees to train as a zombie killer with is boring big brother, Tom. He expects a dull job, whacking zombies for cash. What he discovers is a vocation that will teach him what it really means to be human.

    As his worldview is challenged again and again by the lessons he learns from Tom, Benny is forced to confront another horrifying reality: Sometimes the most terrible monsters are human.

Likes:
Oh man, I think I could go on for awhile on what I liked about this book. The writing was fun and the author sucked you right in with on the first page. It flowed so well. Not a single part of this book drags or slows down. The author does a wonderful job of explaining what has happened in the world without it being a huge info bomb. The characters were wonderful and very easy to like. Especially Tom. I really enjoyed his this book really gives you a different perspective about zombies and what they are. It truly makes you feel sorry for them. I really the loved the so-called "cliffhanger" that appears before the big finale that makes you think, "Holy crap, where did that come from?" It will make you crave the 2nd book, Dust & Decay.


Dislikes:
Okay, so I thought really long and hard about what I disliked about this book. This took me a good 30mins just to even muster some lame reason just for the sake of having one. Even though the author did a wonderful job of explaining everything that went wrong with world that Tom and Benny live in, he did happen to leave one very small thing out that I really hope he clears up in the next book. You know, just for a small clarification. Nothing huge though.

Who would I recommend this to:
This is easily quite possibly one of the best zombie stories that I've come across since the whole zombie craze came about. I was a hesitant about reading this because I'm really burnt out on zombies. It's just everywhere and it was honestly becoming stale. Though if you like zombies in any way shape or form, this book is very much for you. I was certainly surprised by it and if it wasn't for my Good Reads group, Rated YA-MA, having this title as the read of the month, I would have never picked it up. I am so very glad I did. It was such a wonderful read.