Twice Shy (edition 2012)

Twice Shy really turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Not a novel I was planning to read, after all it is a YA novel filled with teenage angst and I had quite enough of that with Twilight and it's sequels. But then I got a free copy of it's sequel, Special Dead, being released in Mid-July and I saw JournalStone was running a special on the e-book copy and figured it might be a good idea to read the first book before reading the second.

The author, Patrick Freivald does an excellent job of keeping the teen in mind and the book is filled with their styles, their language and their life.

The book is packed with the characters you would expect in a novel set in a modern High School. Small-minded administrators, all the usual cliques, bullies, and a new group I had been hearing of, but didn't know much about, emos. For the uninformed, an emo is, well, I suggest you do your own research. It seems the character traits are wide ranging. What one person who is an emo says about what they are differs dramatically from what the next emo has to say about who and what they are. Short answer, they like to dress in dark colors, exhibit traits of depression, but really aren't. They enjoy being called "crazy" and do it for "fun".

Ani Romero is in that group, but she uses it as a cover, you see, Ani is dead, sort of. She carries the ZombieVirus. "She didn't know how she'd contacted the virus - it was believed wiped out in North America over a decade before - and she didn't know why it hadn't turned her into a mindless, brain-eating machine. If her mom knew, she wasn't talking. But the other symptoms necrotized flesh, animal psychosis, dulled sense of taste, touch, and smell - those were in full force."

Her mom, in addition to being the school nurse, spends much of her time treating her daughter with a series of serums and chemical baths all in an effort to find a cure. Even with all of this there are times of stress and other circumstances which make control of her urges difficult.

As the story develops, each reveal is better than the last. This is so much more than a tale of teenage angst with a zombie twist. By the time I got to the final pages I was emotionally drained and when I got to the last page O.M.G. I'm so glad I'll be reading the sequel in a few weeks.

If you haven't read "Twice Shy", go get it. A great read for all ages. Read it before the sequel comes out and then get the sequel. Even though it was published in 2012, it's one of the best stories I've read in 2013. ( )

Nice novel about a highschool girl who is a zombie.
The book also has its share of 'normal' teen problems (alcohol, drugs, peer pressure and boys), but gives a nice twist to the problems of adolescent life.
Ani is a zombie, and she knows that if anybody discovers this she will be killed. With the help of her mother she attemps to hide it. Her mom is a scientist working on finding a cure for the zombie virus, and wants to keep Ani safe from harm.
I really liked the take on zombies as sufferers from a zombie virus, giving the idea of zombies a new twist. The book also focuses on the dilemma Ani and her mom are facing: should Ani live a normal life, even if this might put others in danger? Is it alright to protect your own child, at the cost of the lives of others?
An intriguing and gripping story, written in easy flowing language. Pretty quick read, but definitely also gives something to think about. ( )

Ok...um. what was that?? I was really enjoying this book. I don't normally like zombie anything. But this was going along pretty good, and I was enjoying it... and then. the end hit me like a ton of bricks. seriously. who thinks like that? (from the rest of the book, I didn't get the horror/zombie movie vibe at all. until the end. ugh). So I guess I don't really recommend it unless you like zombie flicks. It isn't your typical zombie story (at least I don't think so)... 'til the end. Until the last chapter, though, it is enjoyable and fun and you really sympathize with the main character.

Ani is a normal teenage girl. Except she isn't. she's a zombie, and her mother is frantically working to discover a cure to the dreaded ZV virus (turns you into a zombie) before her daughter infects someone else or is discovered and killed. So she hangs out with the emos, and wears black when she would rather wear bubble-gum pink. She listens to emo music (which she hates) and secretly composes pop songs in her head. Her mother's serums keep her from craving brains and flesh and trying to kill anyone. When they don't quite work, she cuts herself to control the cravings. And hey, it makes her fit in with her emo crowd even better. And then things start to go wrong...

So... if you *like* zombie / horror flicks... this book might just be perfect for you. If you don't... you may like it. Although you may not like the ending.

I should mention that I received a free e-book copy of this book from LibraryThing as an early reviewers book.

*********update 6/1/13******

After stewing on this for awhile, and then reading the sequel (Special Dead) as an ARC.... I can say that I actually *do* like it (though I wouldn't read it again), and the ending, though incredibly jarring and shocking (to me) was appropriate and right for the story. Especially since it wasn't the *end* end. ( )

I liked the book, it was an easy and enjoyable read. The characters are palatable & I ended up recommending it to my friends who enjoy fantasy novels. ( )

First off I love the cover of this book! A Girly-Goth-Zombie...bring it on! A new disease/virus has swept the world turning people into zombies. Most of the infected die and their families have to say goodbye forever, but not all. Ani and her mom fight everyday to keep Ani as human as possible, but living life like this is starting to take it's toll. Ani can't be out in the sun, can't do anything physical, and for some reason she can't stop thinking about eating people. Twice Shy follows Ani as she becomes more and more discontent with her zombie affliction. Add into this a possible budding romance and a stalker and you have an awesome zombie book. However, Twice Shy gets bonus points. So many books today have predictable endings. Let's just say that Twice Shy ended on a shocking note that was completely brilliant! If you are looking for a good zombie book whith humor as well as horror Twice Shy is the book for you. ( )