CATCHALL
It's a well-known fact that I don't read enough zombie books, so when I get the change, I jump at it! Zombie Love: The Outbreak was one of the most fun books I've ever read. There was tension and anticipation thick on every page and I found I could literally not put the book down for scarcely a moment. Every time I turned the page I knew something would be happening. I really loved this book.
THE HEROINE
SUMMER
Summer was a fantastic character who was absolutely relatable. Sometimes we, as readers, expect perfection from our heroines, but in our hearts we all know how unrealistic that expectation is. Summer was a realistic character with strengths and flaws. I really loved Summer, who I found to be a surprising character. She made a few mistakes that made me want to hit her with a two-by-four, and she could be kind of irritatingly stupid at times, but she managed to admirably redeem herself. She was a normal teenage girl without any random special powers, and she was definitely brave.
THE LOVE INTEREST
DANIEL
Actually, to be honest, I didn't care for Daniel a whole lot. He was unfortunately underdeveloped due to early zombification, so I felt that I didn't really get a chance to get to know him well. He did have the story told from his point of view though, so there was a time when I felt I got to know him better. Unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed by the view of Daniel I did get. He was a bit dense and kind of annoyingly unconfident. Still, it was nice to see a male love interest who wasn't classic tall, dark, and handsome for a change. (Although I do love my tall dark and handsome boys. So, any authors who are reading this…)
THE PARENTS
SUMMER'S MOTHER
I forget her name, but I remember it started with a J. Anyway, she annoyed me. The thing is, she really did seem like a typical mother. Even though I didn't like her, she was a realistic mother. However, she was a bit extreme in some instances. So, she was basically balanced.
SUMMER'S FATHER
I forget his name too. Anyway, there's not a whole lot to say about him, good, bad, or otherwise. He did, however, redeem himself for me near the end. That's all I'll say.
THE VILLAIN
THE MAN IN BLACK
I have always wanted to say that in a review, so duh, I grabbed the chance. He was a wonderful villain who throughly gave me the creeps. I genuinely was interested in how he would play everything out and I felt he gave the story a fantastic villain.
THE PLOT
Everyone, please give me a super-dramatic slow clap.
The plot was EXCELLENT.
There was an actual plot, there was anticipation, there was pain.
I am literally IN LOVE, people.
Eric is brilliant. Indie books are generally risky, because you never really know what to expect. A lot of indie books, unfortunately, are of low quality. But this one? No. The plot was wonderful. Something was always happening and it was entertaining and believable.
It was confusing at some places, and tenses were a bit questionable in some parts, but overall it was clear and easy to understand. I could follow the events along quite nicely. The plot wasn't overly complex but was about the right cross of simple and complicated.
THE ROMANCE
Here is where my main problem is. You see, the romance was far too instalovey for me. Still, it was sweetly developed although cut off abruptly. Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot of substance. Some things didn't make sense and were too soul-mate-y for my taste, besides being kind of overly sappy. Also, I had another problem with the romance--too many sexual references. I don't have a problem with some, but it got to the point where there was so much innuendo I was just like oh God let it end. But overall, the romance wasn't necessarily bad.
THE WRITING
I've read better, but I've also read worse. Eric is a talented writer and I'm greatly looking forward to seeing him improve. It was a bit simplistic, but could easily be improved with experience, time, and practice.
THE ENDING
Blew me away. I never would have seen it coming and I loved it! It was perfect. And that epilogue? Can you say cliffhanger? Beautiful! Just beautiful!
WRAPUP
Add me to Eric's fan club. I'll be reading future installments eagerly. It was a solid, throughly enjoyable book!
FINE.