Rusty Fischer

Lily dies just to realize she has been turned and now is working for the Sisterhood of Dangerous Girlfriends. After several years of training she is now a Third Sister alongside with Cara (Second Sister) and Alice (First Sister).
And what they do is get into a potential place where a vamplayer is planning to create an army of vampires using first one victim: the typical hot-slutty girl that will fall for his charm and then, once turned, lure everyone else into becoming vamps too.
Once they are show more inside such place (almost always high schools or places like that) they find the potential victim, save her form the vamplayer and kill him.

Easy peasy, right? Wrong. Lily is tired of being Third Sister, of going to high school after high school just to save ungrateful girls and, at some rate, she is also tired of Alice for being so slutty and superior. But on top of everything she wants to be a Savior.
Who are Saviors? They are something like the Elite, la crème de la crème of vampires. They are the badass who save the world when a vamplayer has gone already too far.

But for now she is stucked at being a Sister and their new assignment is to enrole into Nightshade Conservatory for Exceptional Girls and Boys. Yes, posh name means posh place.

Now what they need to do is go, blend in, spot the victim and potential vamplayer and save the world.

Sadly for Lily everything goes wrong when Alice starts to hung out with the cool guys and becomes -more- distant, cold and superior. And then Cara, sweet Cara, turns her back on her too. But at least she meets Zander, a geeky guy, and Groover, a guy a little bit too big but with a heart even bigger. They two make sure she is not alone and she even suspects Zander's feelings for her are specials.

Now she only needs to unmask Tristan as the vamplayer and save the horrible Bianca, who is the one making her life a living nightmare... But something seems a little off about her plan.

Personal opinion:
Once again I have to bow down to Rusty's ideas and his unique style of writing. I had a wonderful time reading this book and, like "Zombies don't Cry", I sure hope he will write a sequel for Vamplayers.

I mean, how cool is the idea of a vampire being also a player? I know nowadays that's what they do, seduce, but the word itself encircles a whole new concept.

Maybe the only thing that felt a little too forced was the bond between Lily, Cara and Alice... specially with Alice. I mean, if you work with someone that it's supposed to be like a real sister then, I'm sorry, but Alice isn't sister material at all. True to be honest I don't have brothers or sisters so I'm not sure how they interact with each other but I would have gladly punch Alice in the face a few times.
Now that I think of it, I assume that's the whole point, hahaha.

I finished the book yesterday night and all I could think of was: "Not only he managed to scare me a little and made me check the windows (just in case something was lurking outside, you know) but he also made me laugh with the witty dialogues and snarky answers while crying with some of the outcomes". I love a book that makes me feel so many things because it means the author managed to create a bond between the characters and myself.

And, just in case you wonder, Rusty manages to write from a female point of view in a superb way. More than once I found myself forgetting that the author is a guy!

Now the only thing I have to say is: Dear Rusty, tell me there's going to be a series, please! I want to read more about Lily, Zander and Tristan! show less

So I have never been much of a zombie fan, and no matter how many good reviews I read for this book, I still wasn't completely convinced that I would actually like a story about zombies. I have no idea what barrier is in my brain that allows me to love undead vampires, but not be too keen on undead zombies, but it's there. That being said, I was surprised by how much I liked it, that I'm still shaking my head and asking myself why I didn't read it sooner.

The writing is clever and funny and show more kept my mind entirely engaged. The story is told by the main character, Maddie, who talks to the reader as if she is telling us the story in person. She is humorous, witty, and a bit sarcastic, and that really came through in the writing. The light tone of the book was perfect for the events that took place. And I'm still a bit surprised at how well Fischer was able to capture and convey the attitude, thoughts, and feelings of a teenage girl.

The love interests (yes, there is a love triangle) were interesting, but I would have liked to see more interaction between them and Maddie to make more it believable. Things just happened so quickly, and then there was so much going on with the bad zombies (yep, there is such thing as a good zombie), that they're relationships weren't developed enough for my tastes. The book did leave off in an interesting place though, and the epilogue did a wonderful job of putting most of my complaints to rest in that department. I loved the emotions Maddie experiences in the epilogue, but saying any more would be a spoiler. Let's just say that I'm interested to see where Fischer takes their relationships in the next book; very interested.

Overall, this is a fantastic read, one that will appeal to almost anyone. In has a love story for the romantics, the undead for paranormal lovers, some zombie violence for the zombie lovers, and near death experiences for the thrill-seekers. And all tied up in humor in the mind of a spunky teenager, for those of us YA lovers.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for something fun and fresh to read in the paranormal genre.

See the original review on my blog, The Reading Fever show less

I do not know HOW he does it- time and time again I am BLOWN AWAY by his ability to freaking ROCK MY FACE OFF with awesome. Is it apparent to everyone that I’m INDEED a SUPER FAN of Rusty Fischer? I know right?

In true Rusty Fischer style, he’s created something uber unique and wicked fun!

Vampires hunting vampires for the good of mankind… the the PLAN anyway.

Lily, Alice and Cara are ‘Sisters’… HOPING to become Saviors someday! Saviors are the END all- BE ALL of vampy badass. Vamp show more infestation? Who ya gonna call? The SAVIORS baby! Where as Sisters go in and try to STOP an infestation BEFORE it happens!

“Like some kind of vampire superheroes on steroids, they swoop into town wearing their red leather jumpsuits and sleek motorcycle boots, wielding their monogrammed stakes and personal-sized crossbows, cutting down vampires left and right.” (The Saviors)

Lily, Alice and Cara are sent on a new assignment in Raven’s Roost where they believe a Vamplayer is stalking the students of the very exclusive Nightshade high.

“It’s a lot of pressure being one of the only three girls responsible for nearly two thousand mortals and stopping a Vampire Armageddon,” ~Lily

One of my favorite things about Rusty Fischer’s books are all his little extras!! I realize a lot of authors strive to set their mythological creatures apart from the ‘pack’ so to speak, but no one quite accomplishes it like Rusty Fischer!!

“It’s a little known fact that vampires are absolute sugar fiends. Like, crack addict-style sugar fiends.”

This makes me SUPER happy… Not even joking a little bit. There’s an ongoing joke that I could never be a vamp because of my candy addiction! Can we just say: Skittle Vampiress FTW!

Okay, moving on…

I totally loved our sarcastic and super fabulous heroine Lily, but I had a major soft spot for her ‘promiscuous’ BFF, Alice!! (I know right?)

“See if they have any photo galleries of the sports team,” she [Alice] says. “I need to know if I should pack slutty or, you know, extra slutty.”

“I know where you’ll fit best,” she [Cara] says to Alice … “Right in some jock’s arms.”
“Or two,” I [Lily] say, “if he has a friend.”

If you hadn’t noticed, my reviews for Rusty Fischer books tend to run a bit heavy on the quotes… oh believe me, I could’ve added MORE!! I literally fight the urge to quote about every other paragraph for some sort of AWESOME!

I realize this review is getting a tad lengthy… but I must sat a few more things: Grover and Zander … EPIC FREAKING WIN! Two Star-Wars geek guys that totally stole my heart! Not an easy feat either, considering when anything remotely resembling ‘Deep Space Nine’ (is this a correct reference even? Lol) usually has me running the other way!

Tristan. Yeah… you’re totally just going to LOVE (to hate) him!!

Vamplayers has everything I’ve come to expect from reading one of Rusty Fischer’s books; snarky humor, witty characters, fast-paced plot and above all- complete and utter AWESOME!!!

Vamplayers has secured it place indefinitely on my favorites shelf, right next to Zombies Don’t Cry!

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*Just a quick note… Goodreads says Vamplayers is ‘Book Two in A Living Dead Love Story’ I do not believe this is correct. Zombies Don’t Cry (also one of MY SUPER FAVS EVER was ‘Book ONE in A Living Dead Love Story’ and IF I’m recalling correctly- which I totally might not be, Rusty had said the something about there being a Living Dead Love Story sequel… but he didn’t mention Vamplayers being it!* show less

Rusty Fischer is officially my new hero! The story he created is simply phenomenal. Original and so unbelievably fun to read, it's a MUST-HAVE not only for every Zombie fan out there, but for anyone who loves great YA paranormal/horror books with amazing sense of humor.

Maddy is a super likable character. She’s more or less an ordinary teenage girl, who doesn’t wear tons of make-up and prefers khaki pants over flashy dresses. She might not be the most popular girl in school, but she show more gets by just fine, having her best friend, Hazel, and her open-minded and understanding dad at her side. And then things get even better, when she literally runs into the "new, hot guy", Stamp, who just recently moved to the town. Stamp asks her to accompany him to a party at a friend's house and Maddy gladly accepts the invite. Everything seems to be going just peachy, she even manages to sneak out of the house without her dad noticing and she almost makes it to the party... Almost, because then something unexpected happens. It starts raining and Maddy can hear the thunder approaching. It's getting closer with every minute and then it hits somewhere not far away from where she stands, and Maddy collapses to the ground. After awhile she wakes up face down in the puddle of mud, all drenched in muddy water, with her makeup streaking down her face. Not only, though, her clothes and make up are ruined and she missed out on her chance to spend the evening with her prince charming, but she suddenly realizes that her heart is not beating, like, AT ALL, and she's not breathing either. As it turns out the lightning didn't strike somewhere close to Maddy. Maddy was stricken with the lightning. And now she's turned into a living dead, a zombie!

It would be an understatement to say that her life was about to be turned up-side-down. She's an undead now and she has to learn how to survive as one. On the Internet she learns that she has to consume some brains within 48 hours from being turned, otherwise the transition to a zombie won't be completed and she will die. Again. And so Maddy goes for a “midnight-snack run” to the local grocery store and orders 10 pounds of goat brains (because these are the only brains available). While waiting for her order to be prepared, she's joined at the store by two of her school-mates, Dane and Chloe. These two, as it later turns out, are both zombies, too, and they take Maddy to meet the Council (Zombie Elders). As a new Zombie she must vow to uphold the Zombie laws and fight the Zerkers (Zombies gone wild!). She’s told that she can continue "living" like she used to, but she can't let any human know about the existence of the "unholy" kind. Much to her desperation, she also learns that she's not allowed to date Normals, and if she breaks any of the rules, she will die. Again. Maddy might be a zombie, with her body ice-cold and her heart dead in her chest, she might not be able to cry, sweat or gain weight, but she is still capable of feeling the very same emotions she used to feel before turning into a living-dead. Zombies don't cry, but they most definitely would if they could.

*

I loved it, loved it, loved it!!! It's not just another Zombie flick, this book is so much more than brain-eating zombies roaming around and groaning "brains... eat brainssssss..", it's a refreshing and original new take on the Zombie world, based on a solid, gripping plot, with fantastic characters and positively geeky sense of humor. I got sucked into the story from the very first page and, much to my husband's annoyance, wasn't able to put it down until I literally passed out on the couch. I picked it up first thing in the morning and finished it before even eating breakfast, that's how great it was! (I mean, come on, you gotta appreciate the fact that I chose this book over my husband's strawberry waffles, right? It never happened before!).

Zombies Don't Cry is nearly 400 hundred pages long, and yet there's not a single passage that would come across as boring or unnecessary. Every word accounts for something. And the humor.. you just gotta love the humor! I was constantly cracking up and shaking my head in pure amazement. Even the way the chapters are named already suggests that you're about to be taken on a crazy zombie-coaster ride (Chapter 5: Rainbows keep falling on my dead; Chapter 13: Cloudy with a chance of gray matter; Chapter 23: Any grave will do). Rusty's writing style is superb, light and extremely enjoyable. I started reading expecting a humorous and witty story, and I wasn't disappointed, but what I didn't at all expect was the ending, which actually made me cry. All of a sudden this book got so much more depth and I realized how well-thought-out the whole story was. The ending really got to me!

And Maddy.. Maddy is just such a great character. She goes through so much and yet she’s still strong and positive, she keeps a healthy distance to herself and she even manages to joke about all that has happened to her. She's definitely one of my favorite female characters! All the other characters, even the smallest ones, were vivid and real. Each and every single one of them was very essential to the story.

I’m thankful to Rusty that he didn’t do to Zombies, what Stephenie Meyer did to Vampires, i.e. he didn’t embellish them, didn’t make them all lovely, pretty and friendly (and sparkly!). He depicted them as they were, with gray skin and dark circles under their eyes. It worked really well, making the story more believable. These are not beasts that need to feed on human brains, but choose to SACRIFICE THEMSELVES and limit their diet to goat brains. They just don’t really care where their brains come from, as long as they can eat some! Isn’t that just so much better? Thank you, Rusty!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Zombies Don’t Cry and can’t wait for more of Rusty Fischer’s works. It’s a breath of fresh air in the Zombie department and you definitely don’t want to miss out on it! show less