Lisa Acerbo

I received a copy of this book through Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

I think this book has a really unique premise. The idea of others/vampires teaming up with humans to fight stalkers/zombies is really cool. And let's face it, this is a pretty kick-ass title.

Unfortunately, for me, this basically turned out to be Twlight during the zombie apocalypse.

The main character, Jenna, is pretty much a slightly more likeable version of Bella Swan. Throughout the book Jenna is regarded as show more a fierce fighter, tough, and strong, but in almost ever fight scene (whether against a human, an other, or a stalker) someone comes in and saves Jenna. I think she herself killed only one stalker in the text. The narrator references Jenna's previous kills, but the reader doesn't actually witness them. Also, other characters literally carry Jenna around all the time. I don't think you could ask for a weaker female lead.

Caleb is just as moody and creepy as Edward Cullen, creating another eye-rolling teen romance in the same vein as Twilight, just with more sex.

Despite the major character flaws, the language was amazing. The diction used is outstanding and I have never read better gruesome descriptions of the decomposition of zombies. Acerbo clearly has a talent with words.

Her descriptions are truly inspiring. But for me, the character development just wasn't there, making it difficult to really get into the book. Plot-wise there is enough twists and turns to keep the book relatively interesting, but I just could not get passed the awful characters. show less

What I Thought

This was a very well written dystopian read and, similar to I, Robot, it is about a world where we have become too absorbed in technology, leading us to be unaware of what is happening with the technology we trust. This makes the world and the experience very real, which hooked me from the first page.

I found that the world had a plentiful amount of detail, which made everything real, believable and easy for me to become part of the world and the character's lives.

I loved that show more both of the main characters were strong, in many ways. They had a belief in themselves, they had courage and they had a will to do what was needed.

The pace of the book was done very well. There was a mixture of slow and fast paced moments, to match scenes that needed urgency or more detail. I also liked that these moments were seamlessly blended, from scene to scene, rather than just jumping back and forth between them.

Overall, I found the book very engaging. I was in the story, really engaged with the characters, the world and the story from beginning to end. I highly recommend reading this book, especially if you are a dystopian fan. show less

Another fantastic, spine-chilling collection of horror set in fairgrounds, carnivals, and circuses. Did not keep me quite as engaged as the first in the series but still quite brilliant nonetheless, I especially liked returning to Moe and Joe’s tale from the point of view of Moe in ‘Being Moe’, would love to read more about them and that circus!
Definitely worth a read!