Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date: August 2011
ISBN: 9781442402355
Source: e-copy of ARC provided by GalleyGrab
Benny Imura is no stranger to the violence and danger in the Rot and Ruin. But since Nix and Tom have become obsessed with permanently leaving their town to face those dangers, he is even more nervous about it. When they do finally make it out there, nothing goes according to plan, especially when they run into a new menace that looks a lot like an old one.
Things I Liked:
The story was, again, action-packed and thrilling. Our heroes go from one disaster and death-defying situation to the next. These books would probably transfer really well to the big screen for an action-horror flick. Sword fighting and hand to hand combat, not to mention some very big explosions and lots of fire. I can tell you there is never a dull moment in this book. But even better is the touch of humor and lightness that Maberry has infused as well. While the whole story is rather dark and sad, there is still hope and the optimism of the human spirit. A solid zombie book.
No one is really who people think they are. It's unfair. when they give us nicknames and create a story for us, everyone expects us to be that person and to live up to that legend ...Tom knows something about that. Out here, people see him as either a hero or a villain. Never anything in between, not for Tom. He hates it too. Do you know that? He doesn't want to be anyone's hero any more than he wants to be a villain. p 385 of ARCThings I Didn't Like: It seemed to be so focused on the action and adventuring that nothing else managed to take place. Yes, there was a bit of romance, but it took a back seat to the action. Teen boys will devour these books. Be warned, if you are squeamish, stay away - it can get pretty gory.
Read-alikes:
Start with Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan
BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a handful here and there
mrg-factor: none
v-factor: ->->->->
not for the faint of heart (very gore-ific)
Overall rating: ****
Do you like zombie books or do you generally avoid them? (I usually avoid, but make exception for these and Carrie Ryan's books - they're fantastic!)
If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage
