Review: Released by Megan Duncan

Book: Released by Megan Duncan
Series: Agents of Evil #1
Pages: 260
Genre: Young Adult / Urban Fantasy / Horror
Buy A Copy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Available Formats: Ebook / Paperback
Publication Date: April 1st, 2011
How Did I Get This Book: From Author for Review
Preview Book: Read Chapter One
Description: After a demon apocalypse kills their parents and everyone they know, 17-year old Abby Phillips, her brother, Carter, and friend, Max flee their home to travel through what has become the wastelands of America. When radio transmissions of a resistance offering shelter and safety cease, Abby is tempted to give up. Struggling to overcome life-threatening obstacles in their dangerous journey, Abby and her companions quickly discover there are much worse things lurking in the dark than they could have ever imagined.

Released by Megan Duncan had me at hello (yes, I did go there).  Honestly, from the first page I was completely hooked into the story. The plot, the writing, the characters - everything just worked. You know when you reading a book and suddenly you look at the clock and hours have gone by? You completely forget to eat, to go to the bathroom and heaven help anyone who tries to talk to you - you just cannot put the book down. That's exactly how Released was for me folks.

Granted, that's probably because there is nothing about the book setup that I didn't like. I for one, have a huge weak spot for post-apocalyptic stories, especially ones that feature tough heroines. Duncan manages to keep things fresh by trading the traditional zombie villains in for a truly terrifying demon set. She does such a wonderful job creating the different demons and all I can say is I hope I never come across one.

Continuing on that note, the world building is absolutely superb. I could envision Abby's world perfectly, down to every last detail. The main characters of the story are also well-developed and easy to like. There is Abby - a seventeen-year-old girl who tries to keep a brave face on in the world that is crumbling around her; Carter, her older brother who acts as the ringleader of the teenage band, Max, Abby and Carter's longtime friend and finally Taya, an unlikely but interesting addition the group picks up along their journey. The four main characters are all diverse and they each add a different flavor into the mix. It is interesting to see how they each deal with their feelings and I cannot wait to see how they progress in the upcoming sequel.

The pacing was spot on; things progressed quickly, but never felt rushed. I also enjoyed the fact that the author didn't water down things too much - it's a messy, gritty story and it reads accordingly. There are definitely elements of the story that are not for the faint of heart, but that's to be expected with a post-apocalyptic story that involves demons taking over the earth. 

Honestly, I do not really know what else to say - besides telling you that I adored Released. If you enjoy post-apocalyptic stories and/or strong female leads, then give Released a chance. I would double-recommend it to fans of Zombieland (the movie) and Hollowland (by Amanda Hocking).

 Favorite Quotes

"I had been worrying about them wandering around the camp alone, even if it did look safe to them. Sometimes a guy's standard of what is safe is much different than a woman's, and neither of them were ever described as being very perceptive."

"Never before had I seen a person look so completely broken and it hurt me to see him that way."

"The gremlin-like demon hissed at me and grabbed its severed arm and took off out the window."

 "It looked like a massive bear atop the dune. It stood up onto its hind legs and howled into the night. Its growl was unlike any animal I had ever heard. We pulled in closer to each other as the demon glared down at us."

"I silently prayed, not caring that God had apparently forsaken us, that we would all make it to the base and that someday we would be able to live the lives that we had always wanted to."

Review: Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

Book: Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

Stand-Alone or Series: Series, The Hollows #1
Pages: 312

Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction / Horror
Purchase A Copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords
Publication Date: October 1st, 2010

How Did I Get This Book: Purchased

First line:  "This is the way the world ends – not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door."
Description:  Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies. 

After reading Hollowland, I have come to the following conclusion. Amanda Hocking is a rockstar. I did not know what to expect going into to Hollowland, I figured that it would be an exciting story, but I thought it would be a bit shallow. I was completely blindsided by this book; the plot was excellent, exciting and emotional and the characters were all beautifully flawed and realistic.

Remy is a truly badass heroine – she is utterly unstoppable. She spends the majority of the book kicking ass and taking names; she has no problem doing what needs to be done. The tough girl certainly isn’t a new concept in these types of stories, but Hocking does a remarkable job with Remy. There is so much going on beneath the surface with her. While she operates with a ‘take no prisoners’ attitude, in reality she is extremely protective of those she loves. It takes her a while to warm up to people – which is understandable in a world full of zombies, but once she lets you in, she won’t let go. Plus, home girl has a pet lion. How can you not love that?

I loved seeing Remy evolve over the course of the book – she starts of emotionally closed off from what’s left of the rest of humanity. The zombie apocalypse has obviously tainted her and it’s made her develop a wall around herself. The only person she really cares about is her little brother, who she gets separated from. She sets out to find him and on her journey she forms a few unexpected attachments; something she dreads. It was wonderful to see hr slowly start to accept, trust and even love these people. Out of the rest of the characters, my favorite was Lazlo. Lazlo is such a fun character and he is a great counterbalance to Remy. He was a rockstar before the whole zombie thing and he doesn’t really know how to take care of himself. As the book progresses he really comes into himself and he steps up to the plate.

Rounding out the rest of the wayward group is Harlow, a thirteen year old girl and Blue, a former med student. Both of these characters were also fleshed out beautifully. What I loved about this book is that all of the main characters were given such distinct personalities; they all brought something different to the table.

The pacing was INCREDIBLE people. Every single page packs an incredible punch – the characters are constantly being faced with a new obstacle. The entire book is basically a crazy cross country adventure where a ragtag group of misfits try to survive to see the next day. They spent time dodging bullets, escaping creepy cults and kicking a whole lot of zombie ass.

Hollowland is far and away my favorite Hocking book. It honestly blew me away; it exceeded my expectations in every way. it is obviously a horror story, but it is an extremely character driven one. The action and excitement are both expertly written, but it is the characters who make this book. They are what keep you on the edge of your seat, they are what keep you reading all night.

 

 Favorite Quotes:

 

“If anyone can survive the end of the world, it’s you, so I’m safer with you than anywhere else.”

“I don’t think I ever really lived until this. I’ve never done anything that mattered before, but now. I’m fighting to save my life, and yours. And I know it sounds really cheesy and lame, but I don’t think I ever really felt alive. Not until I met you.”

“I knew it.” He shook his head. “The second I saw you out in that field, all covered in zombie blood, fighting like a damn maniac. I knew you were trouble.”

Review: Can You Survive The Zombie Apocalypse? by Max Brallier

Book: Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? (Max Brallier)
Order A Copy: Amazon | Book Depository
Pages: 288
Genre: Horror / Science Fiction / Create Your Own Adventure
How Did I Get This Book: For Review (Galley Grab)
Publication Date: February 8th, 2011
Description (From Goodreads): Inside these pages lies unspeakable horror. Bloodsplattering, brain-impaling, flesh-devouring horror. You’ve probably read your fair share of zombie stories. But this time it’s different. No longer can you sit idle as a bunch of fools make all the wrong moves. All hell is about to break loose—and YOU have a say in humanity’s survival. You have choices to make. Moral dilemmas. Strategic decisions. Weapons. Vehicles. Will you be a hero? Or will you cover your own ass at all costs? Can you withstand the coming hours, days, weeks, and months? Or will you die amidst the chaos and violence of a zombie uprising? Or, worst of all, will you become one of them?

I did not really know what to expect when I began reading Can You Survive The Zombie Apocalypse? by Max Brallier, but I was determined to keep an open mind. I have to be honest with you - I had an absolute riot on this gruesome, crazy, zombie adventure.

If you have ever read this type of book before, you know the setup. For those of you who haven't, I'll give you a brief overview on how things go down. The story starts the same for everyone, but early on in the book you are confronted with your first choice. In this book, you have to choose where to go - I believe you could take the train to Brooklyn, take a taxi out of town or return to your apartment. Once you make your decision, you flip to the given page and follow your adventure from there. This makes for a really fun and unique story - because you can actually change it. The goal of this book is of course, to survive the zombie apocalypse of Manhattan - but be warned, you may not make it out alive. Everything depends on what your decisions are.

When it came time for me to review this book, I had a difficult time assigning a rating - simply because it is not like your average, normal book. You cannot read the entire thing - you only read certain sections. Therefore, I do not know how all of the adventures turn out. I can tell you that my particular adventure was awesome. It involved some crazy marines, a zombie-awareness parade and some sort of underwater military bike.

However, I was a little disappointed with the ending to my story. I had no idea that it was over, I thought there was a typo. It ended way to abruptly - at the time I was still alive, but the zombies were closing in. So I am going to assume that help arrived in time and I lived happily ever after.

The format itself is easy enough to follow, but if you are reading it on an ereader it takes some getting used to. I read it on my nook and after a few tries I figured out that you have to add 14 pages on to the numbers given (*when you make a decision it will tell you to flip to a new page number). This was for the ARC version though, it may be fixed for the actual release.


I also want to warn you that it can get a pretty graphic at times. Now, you would think that this goes without saying, but you never know. It certainly did not bother me, but it may bother some of you.


Can Your Survive the Zombie Apocalypse by Max Brallier was a lot a fun. If you are looking for a fun, quick read - I would definitely give this a try. I would love to reread it sometime and make different decisions, just to see what happens. I know that you meet different characters in each of the story lines and I wonder if you can survive in more than one.