Deadly Dee's Review of "Broken World"

Broken World by Kate L. Mary

Book Summary

When a deadly virus sweeps the country, Vivian Thomas sets out for California in hopes of seeing the daughter she gave up for adoption. Then her car breaks down and she’s faced with a choice. Give up, or accept a ride from redneck brothers, Angus and Axl. Vivian knows the offer has more to do with her double D’s than kindness, but she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to reach her daughter.

The virus is spreading, and by the time the group makes it to California, most of the population has been wiped out. When the dead start coming back, Vivian and the others realize that no electricity or running water are the least of their concerns. Now Vivian has to figure out how to be a mother under the most frightening circumstances, cope with Angus’s aggressive mood swings, and sort out her growing attraction to his brooding younger brother, Axl.

While searching for a safe place to go, they pick up a pompous billionaire who may be the answer to all their problems. Trusting him means going into the middle of the Mojave Desert and possibly risking their lives, but with the streets overrun and nowhere else to turn, it seems he might be their only chance for survival. 

Deadly Dee's Review

It's not often that I read and review two books in a row favorably, and I'm almost afraid to admit in (like if I do, I'm gonna jinx myself and the next gazillion books I read will totally and completely suck ass) but Kate L. Mary's Broken World rocked. Yes, I said it. It rocked.

To begin with, Mary doesn't rely on blood and guts to draw you in like so many other "end of the world" novelists. Don't get me wrong, the book has plenty of action and excitement. There are some unexpected twists and turns as you get deeper into the story, but it doesn't rely on everyone blowing people's brains out or bludgeoning one another to death right from page one to grab your attention...

The book opens with Vivian, her protagonist, stopping at a nasty greasy spoon in the middle of nowhere to use the restroom, and hovering over the commode (something many of us can well relate to!)

As the story unwinds, even as she finds herself in increasingly more desperate and dangerous situations, there is a sense of reality to what's happening, (unlike some other zombie novels I've read where I'll read a passage and think "wtf?!?") and I found myself growing attached to the characters. Often even if I like a novel, I'll find myself thinking, "Yeah right - that's the first time s/he's ever shot a gun in his/her life and they managed to shoot 8 zombies in a row in the head. Yeah... totally believable!" Instead of asking the reader to suspend their intelligence, Broken World has scenes where characters turn down the offer of a gun because they're too shaken up and afraid to use one, and chose a knife instead (now THAT makes sense to me!)

The editing was tight (hooray!) and there weren't any glaring typos or misspelled words (by now you all know how much I hate when I'm totally into something and have to stop and edit in my head - if it happens more than once...toast. Mary's book flowed... I didn't stop once. To be honest, I forgot I was reading an Indie novel. (I honestly had to double check my email to see if I was reading the right book!)

The only downside to Broken World is that book 2 isn't due out until October...

Maybe a favorable reviewer might get an advance copy...??? Hint, hint, double clue????

Go read Broken World. You won't regret it.

***Where Zombies Come to Read was provided with a free copy of this book for an honest review.

Deadly Dee's Revolting Review of "All Right Now"

Robert Kent's new short story: All Right Now

Book Summary
How can you sneak past a horde of the dead with a screaming baby?

The day Charlie Macomber is born is the first day of the zombie apocalypse. When the hospital in Harrington, Indiana is overrun by reanimated corpses, Charlie's dad must carry his son through the walking dead to safety. But when zombies roam the earth, can anyplace be safe?

A companion novella to All Together Now: A Zombie Story, All Right Now: A Short Zombie Story features familiar characters and sets the stage for the novel.

WARNING: This novella is mean and nasty and intended for a mature audience. It is absolutely not appropriate for younger readers. All Right Now: A Short Zombie Story is a gruesome, repugnant tale featuring horrific acts of violence sure to warp young minds.

 Deadly Dee's Review

I don't know if Robert Kent likes his mother-in-law in real life, but I did NOT like mine. Man oh man, did I identify with Richard, the protagonist in this fast paced short story. Not only does this guy have to deal with being a new father, a wife who has just turned into a zombie, getting his newborn son (and others who tag along) to safety, but he also has to deal with the mother-in-law from hell who (of course) lets him know (loudly) that he doesn't measure up. I seriously wanted to bitch slap her several times. I was actually rooting for him to, and kinda disappointed when he didn't... Kent's portrayal of her, and their relationship was so well-written I could feel the tension between them.

As always, Robert Kent delivers in this short story. His writing draws you in from the beginning, and keeps you involved throughout the story. He fleshes out his characters, and you find yourself in the scenes with them. I honestly don't have a single negative critique about his story, or his style of writing. He's an author I am more than happy to read, and am looking forward to more from him. He keeps the action moving from the first lines right up until the last.

The end of the story had a sweet little tie-in with his novel All Together Now which for me was just the icing on the cake...

Well done, Robert! Well done!

Deadly Dee's Review for "The Ghoul Archipelago"

The Ghoul Archipelago by Stephen Kozeniewski

Book Summary 

After ravenous corpses topple society and consume most of the world’s population, freighter captain Henk Martigan is shocked to receive a distress call. Eighty survivors beg him to whisk them away to the relative safety of the South Pacific. Martigan wants to help, but to rescue anyone he must first pass through the nightmare backwater of the Curien island chain.

A power struggle is brewing in the Curiens. On one side, a billionaire seeks to squeeze all the profit he can out of the apocalypse. Opposing him is the charismatic leader of a cargo cult. When a lunatic warlord berths an aircraft carrier off the coast and stakes his own claim on the islands, the stage is set for a bloody showdown.

To save the remnants of humanity (and himself), Captain Martigan must defeat all three of his ruthless new foes and brave the gruesome horrors of...THE GHOUL ARCHIPELAGO. 

Deadly Dee's Review

This review took forever for me to write, because it took me forever to read this book. Amazon says it's only 362 pages, but seriously, it felt like at least 2-3 times that. When I was first approached to review this book I checked it out on Ammy and I was really excited because it's gotten so many wonderful reviews. Leave it to me to always be the stick in the mud. 

Ok, here goes... I had ZERO true interest in any of the characters. I didn't care who lived, who died, who went where, who killed who...whatever. Honestly, there were so many characters, and so little character development, that at first I had difficulty simply keeping track of them all! The story was all over the place, and try as I could, I sensed no true rhyme or reason to the way it was put together. Usually, I find myself waiting for a novel to "get back" to a certain storyline, or a particular character. With this book, I found myself thinking: do I really even want to finish this? Can I review something I've only read half of? I stuck with it because I was halfway through, and I kept waiting for it to get better... but no dice. 

The concept isn't bad (he definitely has his military background down pat), and I feel that if Kozeniewski were to get a better editor, then perhaps he'd have something here, but he's just too all over the place for me. (Maybe everyone else who reviewed him are close friends and family?) This is only his second book, and to me it's very obvious that he still has quite a way to go/grow as an author  - but he DOES have a fertile imagination, and hopefully in time (and with a better editor!) he'll get his act together and produce something I can give a more favorable review to. 

Sorry Steve.

Deadly Dee Reviews "Reaper: No Mercy"

Reaper: No Mercy by Sean Liebling

 

 

Book Summary

Reaper: No Mercy is the beginning of a standalone series based on the characters and environment from the Blood, Brains, and Bullets series by Sean Liebling.

Captain Jason Scott had retired from the United States Marine Corp as a Force Recon sniper with the 1st Marine Division. Now a hard-working family man, his life revolved around his wife, children, and grandchildren. Upon arriving home after working third shift on the day the undead rose, he found his entire family slaughtered. Berserk with rage, he killed every zombie in sight using any means at hand. They truly died under his wrath, and he survived. It was then that he realized the Lord had a new mission for him.

Now Jason Scott is known as the Reaper: the coldest, deadliest killer in the new world of the Apocalypse. He once again dons his old tools of the trade—the tools of a Marine Corps sniper—and sets out to eradicate the spawn of Hell. Along the way he encounters Jay Scarmon, the interim Governor of Michigan, and together they make a safe haven for a large group of survivors in the town of Newaygo.

The Reaper saves hundreds of people, kills thousands of the undead, and even participates in a raid on a secret shadow government fortress – against the very people who engineered and released the virus that almost entirely destroyed mankind.

However, the Reaper knows that there is more to be done than simply rebuild and protect those under his charge. Evil is afoot in the land; they must contend not only with the reanimated dead, but also with the forces of the shadow government. There are also plenty of bad men who are ready and willing to take advantage of the weak.

The Reaper’s mission is clear – he must fight the Lord's fight and take the battle to the evil minions of Satan, both living and undead. He needs to help the survivor groups band together into cohesive assemblies better able to survive this new world, and finally, he must scout westward into Colorado in order to recon the shadow government's stronghold there.

Follow the adventures of the Reaper as he travels to the city of Paris, Missouri. There he meets several disparate groups of survivors. He also learns of a band of marauders who are ravaging the countryside, killing those that stand against them, and enslaving the rest. The older folk and the young children are killed outright; the rest of the prisoners are treated brutally, forced to live and work under the most inhumane of circumstances. The women are repeatedly raped and beaten.

 

The Reaper must convince the survivors to band together and take their town back from the marauders – all whilst fighting the hordes of undead, their mutual distrust of one another, and their fear of the overwhelming numbers arrayed against them.

Who will prevail? Only the Reaper knows.

 

 

Deadly Dee's Review

The Reaper was a well written book with a very strong "masculine" feel to it. There was a lot of emphasis on military procedures, weaponry, jargon, etc. There is also a strong religious undercurrent that runs through the book - the main character, The Reaper (who also goes by other names - it can get a little confusing if you aren't paying close attention) is a retired Marine sniper whose entire family is killed by zombies, and he believes that he is on a God driven mission to purge the world from the zombies and other evil. (...and there is quite a bit of serious evil in this book - not zombie evil, but bad men evil. Liebling doesn't mince words, and his bad guys are rapists, pedophiles, torturers...you name it.)

 

There are a lot of side stories woven throughout the book, and it wasn't difficult to keep track of the cast of characters at first, but by the end of the book there were just too many people, and too many p.o.v. Sometimes I think it's better to concentrate on fewer sidelines. I did enjoy the majority of the stories and characters, they were well written and "real."

 

There's a lot of action in the book, but I found myself skimming past the majority of the military stuff (too boring and went on and on way too long for me...I really didn't feel the book needed pages of background, and I really didn't care!) and I felt there was TOO much religious emphasis. I don't mind hearing that someone feels a higher calling... I just don't need to be reminded about it over and over again. It makes me feel like the author thinks that maybe they want me, the reader, to get a different message, and quite frankly, that's not what I'm reading your book for. I got that I needed to know about it to understand the character, but the constant reminders were saying something else to me, and it was unnecessary.

 

So, my personal feelings are this: From what I understand this book was a stand alone and gives some background story to some characters in a series that Liebling writes. If the series isn't as heavy on the military jargon and all the reminders about why the Reaper is, well reaping, then I would check out the series.

 

If it's the same as this book, I'll pass. It's not that Liebling isn't a good writer - he is. Just not for me.

Deadly Dee's Review for "All Together Now: A Zombie Story" by Robert Kent

Moan for joy!!! To celebrate its new cover, All Together Now: A Zombie Story is free on January 24 and 25. Get your copy at Amazon.

Book Summary

Yea though we perish, yea though we die, we'll all be together in the sweet by and by...

Fifteen-year-old Ricky Genero is writing a journal of the zombie apocalypse. His high school has burned to the ground, his friends are all either dead or shambling corpses roaming the earth in search of human flesh, and his best friend died saving his six-year-old brother Chuck from a zombie horde. When Chuck is bitten and infected with the zombie virus, Ricky must travel among the walking dead in search of a cure.

WARNING

This YOUNG ADULT novel is mean and nasty and intended for a mature audience. It is absolutely not appropriate for younger readers. All Together Now: A Zombie Story is a gruesome, repugnant tale featuring horrific acts of violence sure to warp young minds.

 

 

Deadly Dee's Review

 

So, if you've read any of my past book reviews you know by now I don't usually mince words. I'm actually kind of surprised authors still want to give me their books, because I feel like I'm not the nicest reviewer out there. I'm pretty hard on them if their writing doesn't really "do it" for me (or is filled with typos - ick) but heck - at least I can sleep knowing I'm honest to you guys - the readers.
 
So, let me start this review on All Together Now by saying this:
 
Wow.
 
Wow. Wow. Wow.
 
I was so totally and completely taken by surprise by this novel. If you're like me, and love reading indie authors, you know it's a lot of hit and miss out there. Ok... a lot of miss. This is one HUGE hit. Kent's writing style flows naturally. He reads like someone who was born to tell a story, and I for one, feel like I want to keep reading his stories (hint hint Rob - gimme more!!)
 
YA fiction, imho, can be so stilted sometimes - it kinda makes you wonder if the person writing it was ever young. (...and if they were, did they just sleep through adolescence and then totally forget what it was like?)
 
On the other hand, if I'm going to enjoy reading a YA book, it's got to have enough oomph in it that I, as an adult (no, don't ask how old I am, who cares?!) actually get caught up in it and care.
 
I really cared about the characters in this book. A lot.
 
Besides that though, the story itself was fresh and different - not your typical run of the mill zombie story. I wasn't sure I was going to like the journal concept, but that also flowed well.
 
Oh, and did I add that it actually felt believable? Believable and zombies all together in one place! What a concept!
 
One word of warning: Watch out for the ending. I kind of thought I should've seen it coming, but I didn't. Made it rock even more.

 

Mr. Kent, you are the man.

Deadly Dee's Review of "Corpse Days"

Corpse Days by Jonathon Kane

Book Summary
Heather Storm is an Agent specializing in all things zombie.  Her mission is to stop a threat aiming to end the world through the rise of the living dead.  She'll need some help; however, since the government is low on funds in this zombie-inhabited world, she'll take what she can get.  Together, her small group of zombie hunters will attempt to infiltrate an expansive organization and take down its malevolent leader.

Deadly Dee's Review

 

Corpse Days by Jonathon Kane is a well written, different zombie novel. (Yay!!) Kane has definitely written a new twist in this genre. The book is exciting, and held my interest from the very first scene.

 

I have to admit, if an author doesn't suck me in by the end of the first page, I'm reluctant to continue. Usually I'll continue to read on, for at least two or three more pages to at least see if it gets any better (I try to give the author a chance to not suck... I want to be fair...) but honestly, I kind of have a rule I go by when I read a book. When I was in high school, I had a teacher who told my class that the best way to judge if a book interested you was to read the first page. If you want to turn the page and see what happens next, chances are you'll enjoy the book. If you couldn't care less, put the book back. For most of my life, this has worked pretty well for me.

 

(I totally don't get people who tell me they hate a book, but are going to finish it because they feel they should finish it since they started it. Really?? Why?!?)

 

I eagerly turned every page of Corpse Days, and enjoyed every minute of reading.

 

The two main characters Heather and Stan struggle with real emotions, and aren't portrayed as immune to what is going on around them. That seemed real to me, unlike many other zombie novels out there where people seem to just go around killing indiscriminately, and not caring what is happening much to others. There were some gory scenes, but they are relevant to the story, not just thrown in there to horrify you along the way. The novel has a lot of plot twists, and several scenes that have you on edge or totally take you by surprise (now THAT is good writing!)

 

Kane's writing style itself is very fluid, and I'd be happy to read anything else he writes. Do yourself a favor and check out Corpse Days.

Deadly Dee's Review of "The Most Uncommon Cold"

The Most Uncommon Cold by Jeffrey Littorno

 

Book Summary

Imagine a world in which nothing is as it should be. Those we love no longer recognize us. The basic laws of society no longer apply. And the dead do not remain still. That is the world in which reporter Kevin Turner finds himself. Now finding the facts surrounding the story do not matter as much as simply finding a way to stay alive.

 

 

Deadly Dee's Review

 

This is a very unusual, and confusing zombie book. There were several points in the book where I thought maybe the main character, Kevin, was having a nightmare, on drugs, in a mental institution... or pick your poison, because I sure couldn't figure it out. Small details kept changing, places seemed to shift, and he seemed to go from one emotion to the next with no build up. There were times I was so confused I actually had to go back and reread a few passages thinking I had become confused, but it turned out it wasn't me - it was the book itself that just couldn't seem to decide where it wanted to go. (I'm trying to be kind here by saying book instead of author.) The zombies in the book talked, which was a unique twist (not quite as brain dead as everyone else's zombies...)

 

Unfortunately, I can't find any way to get around the ending, 'cause there was none. None! I thought maybe I'd had a glitch in the DL on my Kindle, but it turns out that Littorno intentionally ends the book basically mid-stream. I don't even know how to describe it... the action is still taking place, there's absolutely zero resolution (not even a lead in to another book) and then bam! You run out of pages. It was like he'd run out of ideas and just stopped writing or something...I've never seen anything like it. It leaves you very unsatisfied and disgruntled. At the very least, finish the book dude.

Deadly Dee's Review of Zombie Erotoclypse

Zombie Erotoclypse by Tamsin Flowers

 

Book Summary

 

If you're missing The Walking Dead, if you're the slightest bit fond of zombies or if you think they're smarter than we give them credit for, this is the book for you - in Zombie Erotoclypse the zombies have one thing on their mind and it ain't about eating your brain!

Have you ever wondered whether zombies have sex? Fall in love? Lust after humans? The five stories in this red hot collection of zombie erotica will answer all these questions and more. If you thought it was tough being a teenage virgin, try it zombie style or why not take a visit to the club where humans get to have their wicked way with hot young zombies - for a price... Meet the Peeping Zom, who develops an obsession with a hot human blonde. Who looks after new zombies and teaches them the art of zombie love-making? And how would you react if the love of your life came home one evening with a zombie bite?

 

 

 

Deadly Dee's Review
 

I went into this with an open mind. I like books about zombies. I like erotica. I even like books that have zombies, and characters who are fighting the zombies who later go on to have hot sex.

However, after reading this book, what I've discovered is, I definitely do NOT like reading about zombies having sex, and cannot for the life of me figure out how anyone can call it erotic, or erotica.

Zombie Erotoclypse is a series of short stories. They are, for the most part, well written. No glaring typos or grammatical errors that jumped out at me or made me cringe. They are also about zombies - dead, grey, slimy fleshed creatures, getting turned on and having sex. Very detailed, graphic sex.

 

In one story, two zombies get so horny after murdering a man, they kiss with their mouths still full of his blood and brains. This leads to them rushing back to their home, and engaging in wild zombie sex.

 

I dunno... maybe it's just me... but after the visual of a mouthful of shared brains and blood, my "oh yeah baby" meter was set at about negative 8000. I've read plenty of books that have totally grossed me out, but this was... different.

I guess for me, sex just shouldn't be grey and slimy.

 

Different strokes for different folks.  ;)

Deadly Dee's Review of "The Harvesting"

The Harvesting by Melanie Karsak.

Book Summary

"The world, it seemed, had gone silent. It was something we knew but did not talk about. We were alone."

Champion fencer and Smithsonian historian Layla Petrovich reluctantly returns home to rural Hamletville after a desperate call from her psychic grandmother. Layla never could have anticipated the horror of what Grandma Petrovich had foreseen. The residents of Hamletville will need Layla's cool head, fast blade and itchy trigger finger to survive the undead apocalypse that's upon them. But even that may not be enough. With mankind silenced, it soon becomes apparent that we were never alone. As the beings living on the fringe seek to reclaim power, Layla must find a way to protect the ones she loves or all humanity may be lost.

This exciting new dark fantasy/horror hybrid blends the best of the zombie genre with all the elements a fantasy reader loves!

It's all fun and games until someone ends up undead!

Deadly Dee's Review

So... I recently read The Harvesting, written by Melanie Karsak.

It's actually taken me awhile to write this review because I just couldn't figure out why I was feeling so "blah" after reading it. The premise of the book was really cool, and I was totally prepared to love it. I really wanted to love it. It had all the "stuff" in it that I usually love in a book - zombies, end of the world as we know it, kick ass female protagonist, etc., etc., etc. But while I found myself reading through to the end, (if I really dislike a book, I discard it before I finish) I never found myself truly vested in any of the characters. I really didn't care who lived or who died - there wasn't any point where I found myself nervous about anyone, or even rooting for anyone. The editing was well done (5 stars for that - 'cause I hate when you have to come to a screeching halt to edit in your head) but the story never really gelled for me in the way I was hoping it would. 

At one point in the book Karsak introduces some "strangers" and the story got a little too weird too fast for me, and quite frankly a bit too unbelievable (I know - odd thing to say when you're reading a zombie novel...) and at times hard to follow. There just wasn't enough "set up."  It felt like she had a lot of good ideas, but maybe she could have fleshed them out into several books instead of just one, and spent more time building her characters.

This wasn't a book I got lost in - it was more like a book that lost me a few times...

Liked it... didn't love it. Hopefully she'll grow as an author and her writing will reflect that with her next book...

With all that said, however, I would give Karsak another try if she writes another book. She's got a good imagination, and I can see where given the time she could definitely become a more polished writer. Hopefully my next review will be full of accolades ;)

Deadly Dee Reviews "Queen of the Dead"

Queen of the Dead (Zombie Ascension, #2) by Vincenzo Bilof

Book Summary

Blood runs through the streets of Detroit and into the gutters of nearby cities. Monsters, both human and zombie alike, have brought civil order to its knees. The haunted mercenary, Vega, must confront this apocalypse head-on with survivors who have their own versions of morality; she’s joined by Father Joe, a pious man who will do everything in his power to save a single life, no matter how many others have to die…

Jim Traverse, the sociopath who has decided the apocalypse will be “beautiful,” has nearly completed his genocidal masterpiece. Jim races against Vega’s company to reach Selfridge Air Base, where they’ll fight for control of the woman who has ascended over life and death, a woman whose relationship with an infernal intelligence gives her power over the walking dead.

One woman can save the world, or destroy it: The Queen of the Dead.

Deadly Dee's Review

Like most of us, I live a really (really) busy life.

 

On Saturdays, I try and get a few chores done, but I also try to set aside some reading time ("me" time I like to call it. ;)

 

This past Saturday morning, I sat down with Vincenzo Bilof's Queen of the Dead (the second book in his series), and the next thing I knew, it was 5:30, and my husband was calling me to ask me what time we were supposed to be leaving to meet our friends for dinner that night. Dinner? Friends? Seriously?!? Hello....??? I wasn't finished reading!!!

 

Aside from the coffee I'd made that morning before I started reading, I hadn't even eaten while I was reading. I'm one of those people who gets totally lost in a book if it's good (you know what I mean - you can talk to me, but I won't hear a word you're saying?) and this book is THAT good.

 

The action is literally non-stop. Even though the viewpoint moves between different (and varied) characters, I never got lost or confused. (There are several new characters introduced - to make up for old ones that are killed off - since Bilof is NOT afraid to kill off his characters...)

 

I found myself eager to see what was happening with everyone, and Bilof brings them together and separates them seamlessly throughout the novel.

 

The one - and only - negative thing I can say is that there were two or three spots that needed tighter editing (I really dislike having to edit a sentence in my head when I am reading).

 

One final note - there is a scene at the end (and since I don't want to spoil this book I won't go into a lot of details) - that I totally did NOT expect, but that actually made me smile. Suffice it to say that it involved loud rap music (2 Chainz), an old, black Monte Carlo, and a character I wasn't expecting decked out in a silver suit with a semi in each hand. There were surprises like this sprinkled throughout the book, but this one was by far, my favorite.

 

There'd better be a part 3 coming soon....