My Life as a White Trash Zombie

I don’t read zombie books.

Well, not unless they’re original, funny, well written, and make you fall in love with the main character, not because she’s zombie but because she’s doing her best to be a good person who just happens to need to eat brains, in which case, I’m reading “My Life As A White Trash Zombie.”

This book is pretty close to perfect (except for the cover art, which is cool but not remotely related to the character of Angel Crawford in the book) the story is fast-paced enough to keep you turning the pages (or listening in my case), the language is vivid, fun and unconventional and the “voice” of Angel Crawford is authentic and compelling.

I strongly recommend the audiobook version of this novel because show more Allison McLemore’s narration makes good text even better. Her accent, timing and emotional range are a perfect fit for the story. She helped make Angel Crawford real for me.

This is a relatively short book but not a page is wasted. You’ll read it with a smile and perhaps the occasional tear and you’ll be glad you did and then go looking for more.

Fortunately there is more to be had. “Even White Trash Zombies Get The Blues” is in my reading queue, mentally tagged as “reward yourself with this one”. show less

When I heard that the zombie is the main character and the "good-guy" of this book, I knew I had to read it. I've never heard of a book with a zombie good-guy before! And just look at the cover - how could I resist?

Angel lives with her alcoholic dad in Southern Louisiana. She's a pill junkie and a high-school dropout who can't hold a job. In other words, a loser. One day, she wakes up in the hospital after overdosing. She remembers being in a terrible car crash but she mysteriously has no injuries. A note is delivered to her hospital room informing her that a job at the county morgue is waiting for her when she's released. How convenient now that she has an inexplicable craving for brains. Unfortunately, there is a serial killer on the show more loose who decapitates his victims.

This book was so fun and original - I loved it. It has two mysteries to solve: 1)Who turned Angel into a zombie? and 2)Who is the serial killer? I couldn't figure out either mystery, the author definitely kept me guessing. There is also just the slightest hint of a romance thrown in as well. Angel is a great character. She has her flaws (obviously) but she is so likable, I was rooting for her to turn her life around.

After finishing My Life As A White Trash Zombie, I was delighted to learn that it's the first book in a series. The next book is called Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues and will be released on July 3. show less

Life is tough for a juvenile delinquent living in the middle of nowhere in southern Louisiana. You know, life is hard enough when you live with your redneck dad, hooked on drugs and alcohol, a high school dropout, and happen to have a police record (yeah, already). And it doesn't help when you wake up in a hospital bed and find out your a zombie. Yeah, just like that you're a brain-eating undead creature. How does that happen? At least it helps when a stranger helps you get a job at the local morgue, but do they really expect you to eat brains?

Author Diana Rowland offers a fresh twist on the concept of zombies. Rather than being mindless monsters, Angel Crawford still feels very much like herself as a zombie, except now she craves show more brains and finds that she has strange zombie powers. And that there's a new guy in her life who makes her think that, for once, she might be made for more than life as a nobody white trash girl from a small town.

All of the wit and whimsical fun that I've enjoyed about the Kara Gillian series shines through in White Trash Zombie, and this time it's even more powerful. Unlike in Rowland's Demon series, the story isn't bogged down with too much darkness or grittiness. Instead, the story comes across as fun, though not plausible at all, with some heartfelt moments that help Angel grow into a stronger person who isn't resigned to her white trash fate.

I really enjoyed the fluffy, escapist sense running through White Trash Zombie. It's nothing but pure fun with a solid character that's a joy to read about. It does seem, however, that all of Rowland's energy has been redirected from the Kara Gillian series to White Trash Zombie. Each word just has so much more life in it than the most recent Demon installment. I hope that book two, Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues, as is much fun as the first. show less

The title on this one really grabbed me, and I just dove in. It’s a first person account of a young Louisiana woman who wakes up in the hospital after a night of heavy drinking only to discover that she’s now a zombie. Well, she doesn’t realize it right away, but as her new job at the county morgue brings into contact with delicious brains, she starts to figure it out.

She’s not the shambling, mindless kind of zombie. Nope, as long as she gets some brains on a regular basis, she can pass for one of the living. And so she begins her new life, working at the morgue and building up a stash of, er… brain food, but she is also dealing with her old white trash life with a drunk father, and drugged-out shit of a boyfriend, and three show more more years left on probation for a car she didn’t actually steal in the first place.

But how did she become a zombie in the first place? And what’s going on with all these strange murders in town? And OMG! What happened to my stash of brains?!!

So, it was a fun ride, and I really liked our protagonist. It was also a pretty good mystery, trying to figure out how she became a zombie and how the murders tied into it all. About the only thing I had trouble with was the rather effective descriptions of the taste and texture of human brains. Suffice it to say, I won’t be eating any tapioca soon.

There’s a sequel out, and I may give it a look as well. show less

My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland is a combination of horror, urban fantasy and humor as we read about Angel Crawford. Angel has been labelled one of life’s losers, she lives with her alcoholic dad in the swamps of southern Louisiana, she’s a high school dropout who has a pill habit, a loser boyfriend and can’t seem to hang onto a job for long but now she finds that she has been turned into a zombie.

Angel is an old school zombie, one that needs to feed on brains in order to survive. She has no idea who turned her into a zombie as she was in the middle of a drug overdose when it happened, but whoever did, also lined her up with a job at the local morgue, giving her a steady supply of brains. This is the first book of show more a series so much of the book was taken up with introducing the characters and laying out the zombie rules. Of course there is some suspense as well as someone is systematically hunting down and destroying zombies and Angel seems to be the one to figure out who that someone is and who needs to be saved.

As zombie books go, this was a pretty mild one but the characters, in particular, Angel, are well developed and fun to read about and there was enough action to keep the story interesting. Angel soon finds out that her new life as a zombie is actually better than her life before, she has kicked her drug habits, loves her new job and can actually see a future for herself. I listened to an audio version of the book as narrated by Allison McLemore who did an excellent job of bringing the story to life. Personally, I probably won’t be continuing on with the series as I usually prefer my zombies a little rougher but this was a fun interlude. show less

I admit. I initially picked up this book primarily because of the cover. Who doesn't love a pink cover with a P!nk looking zombie in a halter top, with blood dripping down her chin, smoking a bum cigarette and a "I love brains" tattoo? (Kudos to artist Daniel Dos Santos who's also done the cover art for another one of my fave series, Mercy Thompson by [a: Patricia Briggs|40563|Patricia Briggs|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1228867484p2/40563.jpg]).

On top of the awesome cover, the premise of the book looked fun... and it was! A high school dropout drug addict, with an alcoholic dad, living in a trailer. Too.much.fun. And Diana Rowland kept the fun going throughout the entire book with the interesting premise, fun characters with good show more development, and an intriguing plot. Can't wait to see what happens next to Angel. show less

The Story

Angel is a self-proclaimed loser and white trash. Living at home with her dad is only the beginning of her woes, as she's in her mid twenties, can't hold a job and has a problem with pills. She not bothered though. She used to want ,ore out of life, but came to the conclusion that some people just aren't that lucky. After dropping out of high school and going to jail for a car deal that was too sweet to be real, she knows she's one of those unlucky people. Then she wakes up in a hospital, an apparent drug overdose, following a night out drinking. She was found naked on the side of the road and barely escaped death.

Yeah, Angel was a loser. She was white trash.

Now Angel has a new chance at life. Maybe she can keep a job, get show more straight and have the house she always dreamed of. Okay, maybe it involves working at a morgue, but she seems to have a knack for the job. There's only one catch…

Angel has a huge craving for brains…good thing her patients don't seem to need them anymore.



Angel Crawford’s life is about to change in more ways than one. She struggles to take on a new perspective and come to terms with her past and future, most importantly her lack of pulse and the strange notes she keeps receiving. Can she live the life of a brain-craving zombie and not turn into a monster.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed every moment of this book. The first thing I noticed was that this was not your average zombie story. Instead of the typical ' ah, zombies are taking over and eating us, we have to survive' we are given a story where zombies are a minority. They have been changed, and now they are trying to remain as hidden as possible. As long as they have their fill of brains every couple of days, they remain as warm and lively as you or me. Most of them find jobs where they brains are easy to come by, such as Angel's new job at the morgue. This means they have no need to hurt anyone to stay whole and healthy, they just use the brains from those who won't need them anymore. There's even a market for them, where one of the local zombies sells those he doesn't keep for himself.

I love that the story has a completely different perspective from the typical zombie read. I love zombie stories, and this one has really got me hooked. I like reading about Angel's life and her struggles to try and remain 'normal.' She has to go through life finding out who she is, just like we humans do. She needs to learn to understand herself, her limits and what she needs to survive.

I also like that the story isn't just about that. It also has lessons about finding yourself in general, it tells you about Angel's discovery that she can make more of herself (and that lack of money isn't the only reason to turn to drugs, drink and give up on life.). Finally, you learn about Angel's love life, or lack there of, and how she comes to terms with the fact that she deserves someone good for herself as well.

The story does have a great tale of rags to riches, though Angel doesn't get rich in money, she does learn that there are other forms of rich. She starts to stand up for herself, becomes strong and gets herself out of her self-proclaimed state of white-trash.

I love the characters in the book, as each has a deep, meaningful personality. Each character sticks to the personality they have been given, and they really do feel real, not all alive, but real.

The details, both of characters and in the storyline, are brilliant. There are enough details that you know and trust everything is happening, but to enough are given to actually ruin any of the surprises that are to come.

The pace of the story is perfection. It moves swiftly, keeping your attention held, and gives you snippets of details about the brain-eating issue throughout. However, it doesn't move so fast that you aren't able to get into the story. It is just right.

OVERALL: I really enjoyed every second of this book. It was engaging, interesting and had great side lessons/stories. I know there are two more books at the moment, in the series, and I cannot wait to have a go at them. I want to know what happens to Angel and her friends next. She has so much more to learn, do, achieve and I cannot wait to see what happens. After the ending, I was left on the edge of my seat, excited and happy for Angel, but also worried and wondering where they will go from here. I would highly recommend this books to anyone age 14 and above. It does have gory details, but nothing that couldn't be handled or expected in those ages. It really is a read that you shouldn't pass up, especially if you are a zombie fan. I've never read a book like it. show less