Hollowland (The Hollows) (Volume 1)

I have read all of Amanda Hocking books available for my Kindle and I have been very impressed. My first one was the My Blood Approves Series and I have to say I liked it more than the popular Twilight Series. I would read one book and immediately had to have the next in the series.

Next, I read the Trylle Trilogy and was extremely impressed with this Trilogy. It was very well written and the characters were very original. It is possibly my favorite series by this author, but I really liked the vampire series, so it is hard to say.

Finally, I read the Hollowland. I wasn't really into the whole Zombie idea, but I found myself enjoying the story and couldn't put it away. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series. Hollowland is an easy read. The fighting gets pretty gross, but it is necessary. It isn't written as complex as the other books, but it is a good story and worth reading. I could say more, but I hate when a review gives you the whole story.

I was excited to find out that "Hollowland" is the first in a series, as (The Hollows, #1) was just added to the title. But I liked the old cover better than this one. It was a black background with a graphic of a red heart sort of "bleeding" down, but not in a gross way. Simple and powerful, and way more abstract and cool than this cover art, which, honestly, looks a little 90s.

Oh, well. Don't let this cover art stop you from buying the book, though. "Hollowland" is great from beginning to end. This is the first zombie story of any medium that I know of to feature a female protagonist, and she's a great character to boot. You get the sense that Remy is an average girl who has had to learn to rise above the average in a crazy world--she's a superhero, but also the girl next door.

This book had me on edge the entire time I was reading it, which I did in one afternoon/evening, and it was hard to go to sleep after I finished. Just be prepared.

Also, while I am excited that it looks like there are going to be sequels, I don't think there need to be. The story stands on its own. The ending is somewhat open-ended, but that's OK. I think it's good to not have everything nicely wrapped up in a neat little package at the end of every story.

Since zombies have been "resurrected" and are the new trend, and we can't seem to get enough of them, why not dive into this action/survival story? The writing and story telling are on point and move you through the action seemlessly. And that's what you want when you read this genre, never a dull moment in this book. Even though its written from a young adult perspective, it's not too teeny-bopperish like certain other popular book series that shall remain nameless at the moment. I can appreciate a book that tells a good story and doesn't take itself too seriously at the same time. Read the reviews, but don't base your decision to venture in or not on that alone. Worth trying and seeing for yourself.

I started this book kind of thinking, "another zombie story".....but it was much more than that!!

It had such a good story, and I immediately fell in love with all the characters when they were introduced.

My ONLY problem with these books, #1 and #2 is that there are quite a few words left out and typos and such things as this. I am no English teacher and I don't have perfect grammar but sometimes it does make it hard to read when there are many mishaps. But, I know conversion to a Kindle book can also cause this and I'm assuming that is what happened because I'm reading her other books and they read perfectly fine.

Aside from the grammar stuff, I barely finished the last word in this one before I moved my fingers quickly over my kindle to get to the store to buy the second one.

It may be "another zombie story", but its a darn good one and I fell in love with it from the beginning!

I was very impressed with the story and characters. I liked how the main character is a girl and she just does what she can to get by and tries her best to do what she needs too without all the superpowers that other authors add into their characters. It makes it more realistic and entertaining. I found this book while browsing my Kindle reccomendations and it was an excellent zombie book with love and courage added into it. One of the best books I've read lately. I got it for free on my Kindle but I would willingly pay for it. It also didn't have a bunch of typing mistakes like other Kindle books I have read. So thank you! Can't wait for the second book Hollowmen!!!

I bought this book because I had read Amanda Hocking's book Switched then I saw this book and its amazing reviews so I one-clicked. Boy was I disappointed to realize it was a zombie book. I love reading and love a variety of genres but zombies is not amongst my favored genres. Because of her book Switched and because I had already bought it I decided to stick with it... It took me a little longer to get into then her other books, but I ended up really enjoying it. It was a fun read with interesting characters that won me over despite my dislike of the zombies... And yes I realize I should have read the reviews or even the summary in which case I would have known to dl the sample instead, but then I might not have ended up buying it.

Hollowland is the first book in The Hollows series. The world is over-run with the lyssavirus that turns people into zombies. Remy and her brother were in quarantine compound when it is infiltrated by zombies (who seem to be getting smarter). Her brother, 8 year old Max, is immune to the virus. He is evacuated to a different compound while Remy and many others are left to fend for themselves.

Remy makes her escape and is determined to get across country to the compound her brother was taken to.

Hollowland is a great read! So many things happen on her way to the compound to find her brother. I really enjoyed this book and will be reading the next book shortly.

Hollowland is all about the trials and tribulations that the main character Remy King goes through in her quest to find her younger brother Max. In my mind the world in this book most resembles what the world in "I am Legend" was, evil zombie like creatures included, except in Hollowland they are not afraid of the sun. Remy starts of in a quarantine where her and her brother are "safe" even though she never really gets to see her brother because you are led to believe he is special. Right in the beginning of the book you see how tough life is in this new world when the zombies attack the quarantine, and everyone is pretty much left to die, except for Remy's brother who is air flighted out to safety. Which makes you question right away what is going on with this kid that the army would save one sick kid, and leave hundreds of healthy others.

Remy survives the zombie quarantine attack along with her 13 year old friend Harlow, and the adventure starts from there. The lone 2 soon becomes a group that includes a medical student named Blue, a rock star named Lazlo, and a zombie killing lion Remy affectionately names Ripley. In her quest to find her brother, this group of survivors encounter everthing from a creepy ranch led by a cult leader, the empty casinos of Vegas, to a ghost town that isn't so empty when they are attacked by survivors who believe that why should zombies be the only ones getting to do all the killing?

Along the way there are many ups and downs in their journey that invloves Remy's tough outer shell being cracked bit by bit when she stops long enough to realize that there is more to Lazlo than just a spoiled rock star. Remy and Lazlo's growing relationship gives you hope that they will survive this in the end and everything just might be ok. The group ends up in the biggest quarantine that Remy has ever seen, and learn that Remy's brother is here as well. You also learn the truth about Remy's brother as well as Remy herself, and Remy makes a very tough decision that has you screamming in the end, but understanding why she made it as well.

Oh when oh when is book 2 coming out!!!

This book reminded me of the walking dead. But with a twist. The zombies are evolving? Now that's strange and interesting. But the heart felt moment is when Remy decided that though the world was basically coming to an end she wanted her brother to live like a child should. As much as he could in the world they now lived in.

This is quite simply one of the best zombie books out there. It nicely balances high adventure, terror, and dark humor without coming off as silly or overdone. Our unlikely hero, a teenage girl, is on a quest to find her brother and ends up leading a small band of mismatched people through a series of adventures that not always has a happy ending. This book is obviously targeted at the 'young adult' market, but like The Hunger Games, if you dismiss it because of that, your going to miss out on one of the better zombie/end of the world/apocalypse books written. Give it a read....and thank me later!

I am a huge fan of post-apocalyptic novels (particularly ones about the undead), and I was intrigued to find one that is classified as a Young Adult novel. I started the book and finished it in one sitting. From the first page onwards it kept me pulling me in. There was no bland moment in the entire book, from start to finish.

PROS:

The characters all have unique personalities (although at times they are a bit cliche, but that's rather hard to get around nowadays), and I liked that, for the most part, the relationships between the characters were created and strengthened throughout the length of the book, particularly the romance between Remy and Lazlo. I liked that there was chemistry at the beginning, but it was not enough to be distracting from the main action of the story. I thought it was refreshing in a teen romance to have them gradually build their relationship up, rather than just have them fall in love at first sight. I found myself caring about the fates of all (well, most) of the characters.

CONS:

The book could have done with some more proof-reading before being published. There's either a spelling or grammatical error on almost every page of the entire book, and at times it can be distracting and I would have to go back and reread a sentence. At times it also read like fanfiction, and Remy, while a unique heroine, is also a very unrealistic heroine and at times even displayed "Mary-Sue" tendancies. In real life (if zombies were to take over the world), a couple months of training would not give her the ability to gain as much combat skills as she displayed in the books. And the fact that they lived on very little food (and mostly junk food at that) she would not have had enough strength to do a lot of the things she did. Her body would not have been able to hold up the way it did without proper nutrition. Of course, this is a fictional book so obviously the author can create her character any way she wishes.

And obviously there are several other unrealistic errors related to the science of things, particularly relating to the animals. I did like how the author decided to make the virus similar to Rabies that infected living humans, and did not raise the dead.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy "end of the world" fiction. I am thinking about getting the second novel, "Hollowmen", but after reading the reviews I am rather hesitant because it sounds like a Twilight knockoff, only involving zombies. Plus one of my biggest pet peeves is when prominent characters in one novel are not given appropriate time in later novels, or are given flimsy excuses as to what happened to them.

Fairly awesome zombie apocalypse story with a kick-a$$ female lead. Remy encounters various entertaining effed-up things on her journey, and Hocking deals with gender issues in some interesting, subtle ways. I do wish that there were a little more explanation for Remy became such a bad-a$$ though, as the action starts on page one and never stops, and we don't hear much about life before zombies. But all told, this book was a lot of fun.

Once again I downloaded a free book thinking.."Ok wonder how long before I am thoroughly disgusted with this since it is about zombies..." I am pleased to admit that I got hooked. I began to dread that Remy might not find her brother, then I began to cheer her on as she remained determined that nothing, including zombies was going to stop her from her journey to find her eight year old brother Max. I was completely shocked at the ending, because I did not expect it, so now I am fixing to purchase the sequel since I am eager to continue the story. Read this book and you will enjoy it.

The action and characters in this book were okay, and I did read to the end, but the numbers of typos and other errors were ridiculous. It's offensive that the author can't take the time to clean up material before putting it up for sale. I also didn't appreciate the cliff-hanger ending. It's a cheap stunt, but I will not bother to read the following book. Not good enough to warrant interest in the story or characters and way too sloppy.

I admit to being a zombie enthusiast and have been since my poor misguided parents let me watch my first zombie movie as a way-too-young child. I still remember watching a woman opening the door for her son when she should have known better and the appalling and fascinating horror I felt as he bit into the tender, soft flesh of her heavyset arm. Thankfully CPS was never informed of my TV viewing habits. This has left me with a real soft spot for zombie gore. Hollowland crept right into that soft spot and let me feed my dirty, dirty habit. I enjoyed the main character, Remy, who is tough, stubborn, and undeterrable. She is hard and emotionally closed-off, just as I would expect someone who has faced the loss and horror of a zombie-infested world to be. She does what she needs to do to survive and I like that. She is a bad***, which I like that even more. The book was well-written enough and had some satisfying zombie violence. Others may have found the addition of a lion to cast of characters unbelievable but I accepted it with open arms and was quite happy when kitty started chewing on some Deaders. Good book to read if you like zombies or emotionally unavailable women who are good at killing things.

Four and a half stars.

Hollowland follows a group of young adults as they travel through the post-apocalyptic, zombie-filled world. They are led by a headstrong girl, Remy, who also serves as the narrator of the story. Remy is motivated by one thing and one thing only: to find and save her younger brother.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's an easy read set in a darkly enticing world. The writing is simple but effective. The storyline is clear and consistent. I found Hocking's descriptions of the horror's that faced her characters were the perfect amount of grotesque without becoming sickening.

However, I thought the characterization in this book fell short. Most of the characters do not go past simple stereotypes. Remy herself was the most disappointing. She takes zombies down with her bare hands, kills corrupt human survivors, and risks her life at any opportunity. She remains unrealistically calm and focused, no matter what situation she's in.

As a reader, I wasn't convinced about a lot of the relationships in the novel either. I felt like Remy's motivation to get to her brother could have been better established (the reader never experiences their relationship since the novel picks up after they have already been separated). Remy and her love interest, Lazlo, don't make too much sense to me either. He loves her because she's saved his life. She loves him because... Well, she just gets butterflies. I guess it works for a YA novel, but it left me wanting more depth.

I loved this book for its action and directness. While personally I prefer a lot more character and relationship development in books, Amanda Hocking has crafted a good book that's perfect for a quick read. I will most likely be purchasing the second novel.

WOW!!! Couldn't put this book down! I myself have a very real fear of zombies. i downloaded it for free, thought i'd see what it was like whenever i got around to it. I only opened it by accident and thought it was another book. OMG! SOOOO glad i did!!! once i started reading it i really couldnt put it down!!!
the charaters were so easy to imagine getting along with. and the main Heroine? Kick-Ass!!! :) about time there was a real fighter instead of some wimpy chick dragging tail behind everyone else! I cannot WAIT until the next one in the series is released! MUST HAVE MORE!!!!

Obviously, I have a thing for romance and gory action, and this book doesn't disappoint a hopeful for such indulgences. It's fun, thrilling, and even sexy at points, but more than anything, it's blood heartbreakingly sweet in the sense of selflessness. Ignoring that there are missing words here and there, spelling errors, and inconsistencies with the main character, it is a good book to pass time on those lazy Mondays. For those of us with a insatiable appetite for gory romances, this book is more than satisfying.

-Katt

Amanda Hocking's HOLLOWLAND was a fun read and kept me entertained, although It didn't have near as much zombie action as I'd expected in a post-apocalyptic society. Some of the plot was a little unbelievable, given the setting the story takes place in (befriending a lioness, charging into buildings without being overly cautious, and discarding a much-needed gun simply because it 'misfired', for example).

I fumbled over some of the wording, but, overall I am content with the story. Hocking's books take up a large piece of real-estate on my book shelf, and I'm glad to have added this one to it simply because it kept me entertained. It wasn't my favorite, but still a decent read. Perhaps the characters in her next book will have more dimension to them - I felt a little disconnected with Remy, the heroine of the Hollows.

I also disliked the way her and Lazlo's relationship progressed. One minute he's a sniveling worm of a man, and she thinks he's totally unsalvageable, and the next minute there's an unbelievable attraction and she's all over him? The only reason I was okay with that was because I had a really good looking Lazlo pictured in my head...which is shallow, but, meh, it's the truth.

Ariana Zamora
Author of YA Novel: THE DREAMER
The Dreamer (The Dreamer Series)

As an avid reader of zombie books, especially those in YA, this is another win on the zombie front in YA. Not only was this well thought out and nicely written, it also had the gumption to include themes rarely seen in YA. Although I am an adult, it has always made little sense to me to not include the dark underbelly of end of world scenarios. It is these sorts of things that readers are seeking in this genre and Hollowland delivers.

Now all I need to do is wait patiently for the next in the series.
Happy reading!
My indie, my tea and me

Hocking's follow-up novel to Hollowmen is an attempt to throw out all the character development of the first book and start again. The only thing that could save this novel would be a fantastic editor. The text includes various grammatical errors and missing phrases. However, if you want an easy to read story that focuses on a zombie apocalypse, this is your book.

Very interesting concept. It had a bit too much swearing for my taste, but besides that it was a really good story. Instead of being your same old zombie apocalypse, Hocking came up with an explanation that was both plausible and intriguing. If you like quest fiction, combined with a bit of romance (there was one scene which I skipped because it started getting too risque for me), you'll probably like this book.

This series is short and sweet. It has great imagery and great characters. The books were priced pretty low and I think this writer may be under rated, she deserves more than those prices and I hope she keeps writing. Of course this book was not perfect but it was good and worth the read. The story is a zombie story but I think it was done right. Would love to have more from this author.

First, this book is free, so definitely give it a shot. It's a fun, entertaining read. One of the better free reads. The characters are likeable, there is a ton of action and gore, a little romance, and a little comedy. The bad news is that it is riddled with grammatical and spelling errors. So much that it really detracts from the story. There are also parts that are a little hard to believe, but I don't mind that. Also, it seemed a lot like Zombieland. So, I guess if you liked Zombieland you will like this book. I will probably eventually buy the second book in the story, and I plan on reading Amanda Hockings other books. Her storytelling is very good, just needs an editor.

Love your natural zombies at the end of the world? If you do, read Hollowland and read it good, the start is thrill packed and followed more through with Remy the heroine followed by her followers and her intent drive to get to her brother. Zombies, blood, crazy cult majors and a... lion? Ready for this and your ready for it all!!!
Read the fast tracked book and I guarantee you wont be able to put it down :)

So here's the recipe for Hollowland: one part "I Am Legend" plus one part "Shaun of the Dead." Stir in one kick-ass heroine a la Hunger Games and you've got yourself a predictable e-book! Yes, this book was flawed in plot. There were so many crazy close-calls and life-saves that I had to roll my eyes many times. There were TONS of grammatical errors - well, not so much errors as much as words omitted from sentences. Sometimes it really confused the action or dialogue. But hey, this book was free, so for free I definitely got my money's worth. However, I don't think I care that much to buy the next in the series.

This book was good. characters were good, the story starts out at a fast pace. You could see this becoming a movie for the YA crowd. I enjoyed this, I'm in my mid 30s and sometimes I just like to read something where I don't have to think I can just sit back and enjoy it, it's worth a read if you like zombie/apocalyptic stories. I think this writer has a knack for making the story progress, keeping a good rhythm getting to the heart of the story sooner rather than later.

I finallly decided to read some Amanda Hocking because I have heard some of the buzz about her. I didn't really have any expectations, but I was very entertained and engrossed in the story from the beginning. Yeah, there are some grammatical errors, doesn't bother me. The zombie theme has been done before many times, so it's not exactly original, but her take on it is very interesting. The book is a page turner. As soon as it ended, I had to buy the next one and am reading it now.

I am really starting to realize that Young Adult books are just not for me. While the book did keep my attention for the first half of the story, I simply could not get into it as I would have liked. There was not much going on as far as action was concerned to make me want to finish reading it and find out what happens with the characters.

I think after trying this one I will stick to my crime books....

I was pleasantly surprised at how engaging this story was - and I would have to watch something silly on TV before going to bed after reading each night. I'm in my 30's but I didn't feel the young characters or the story too juvenile to thoroughly enjoy. Incredible imagery and character development - great suspense and action. The main character Remy is wonderfully heroic while she's realistically (given the situation)flawed and jaded. I can't wait for the author to write the next story in this series!

A friend with a similar interest in books recommended this to me. I'll admit, I was a little let down with the quality. It's no vividly detailed Harry Potter yet I had no problem seeing what I was reading as a movie. Many more discriptive details could have been included and I would not have felt the story was rushed. The characters are developed well, but there is definitely room for more. The outbreak and survival are as "real" as you can get in my opinion. With Walking Dead on it's mid season break, this was the zombie fix I needed and I plan on reading the next one. I do recommend it to anyone.

This author seems to rely on cliff hangers to keep you reading and I did love parts of this book and the few that I read after but she has the policy that no character is safe from getting killed off much like the TV show "The Walking Dead" and I think the TV show did it better.
After a while I just got tired of characters that I liked and would have read more about getting torn apart and eaten.

Surprisingly good YA/Zombie adventure. Little twist on zombies - super speed and strength that withers with 'maturity' aka crazy, adrenaline-fueled anger, that starts to level off, leaving bloated mush. They also start pack-hunting! Quarantines are few, and the search for the cure is almost past the tipping point to save humanity.

I was pleasantly surprised when this book grabbed my attention on the first page. I read the whole thing just this morning. The main character reminds me a lot of Katniss from the Hunger Games, strong, bad ass, private, protective, etc...I was thrilled this wasn't some starcrossed lover story with zombies. And I was also glad that zombies weren't undead ghouls but that it had a more science fiction take on it. The worst part was getting to the end and realizing the sequel hadn't come out yet!! While there were quite of few errors in the writing (spelling and grammar), it was easy to overlook with such an exciting story. I finally found something interesting! Worth the read! And definitely worth the $0.99 for the kindle user.

Hallowland is a great novel. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. This book easily met my expectations and climbed the list of my favorite books. I hate to knock off a star, but I hated how the author introduced two new characters in the middle of the story, both of whom die some chapters later. They had no real impact in the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. If you're looking for a good fantasy book to read, choose this one.

This book is very underrated! I love all of Amanda Hocking's novels. They have inspired me to write my own stories. This one definitely didn't disappoint. The main character, Remy, is someone I would definitely love to group up with during the zombie apocalypse! I can say without a doubt that this is the best teen zombie novel I have read to date. And it's also very fast paced, which I loved!

Amanda Hocking has become one of my favorite authors. I was never a huge paranormal fan but after reading the first two books in the Trylle trilogy I had to try out this one too. I'm so happy I did!

This book, like her others, hooks you right away. I was able to connect with the heroine. Then the book kept adding things peaking my interest making it hard to put down, the cult scene, the lion. I loved it all, she made it work well. The book is a mix of Resident Evil and Zombieland. I loved the rabies idea.

For those who may be thinking of buying this book for their children there is a sex scene in it. Its not graphic by any means. But it is there. Fairly short but it helps put the story together.

The only reason why I only gave this book 4 stars is because of the ending. It left you hanging a little too much. Way to many unanswered questions. At this point it doesn't appear that this book is part of a series, but if Amanda decides to make it one I would be extremely happy to continue with Remy's story.

In Hollowland, we follow a young woman by the name of Remy who wants nothing more than to find out where the military took her brother so she can personally oversee his safety. Her journey starts in southern California where she will encounter zombies, a lioness, other survivors, a cult, more zombies, mauraders, and more zombies until she reaches a secure military base in the northern states. She will stop at nothing to find her brother and she won't let anything or anyone stop her, including herself.

Very engaging! I had never read a zombie book before this and I liked this one. My one complaint was about the descriptions. They were somewhat repetitive. It seemed every single house they went into had blood splatter on the walls. Well, yeah, that's sort of what happens. I kind of wished it would get changed up a bit for the sake of variety, but still a good book.

Underwhelming with no understanding for details. For example, one character wears combat boots that are two sizes too big so she can stomp on zombies or something as she traverses the world. Anyone with common sense knows that a person would not last a day in combat boots two sizes too big; within an hour they would have huge blisters and hardly be able to walk.

Characters all static

I have to applaud Hocking's story telling skills... HOLLOWLAND starts off on the very first page with heroin Remy engaged in a tumultuous battle for her life with attacking and out numbering zombies and is able to successfully hold on to that feverish tension and excitement throughout the entire story.

Having very limited experience with stories involving zombies, usually avoiding them weary of the overly graphic and high gross-out factor of walking corpses eating people; I'm pleasantly surprised to find my worries were for not...at least in this case. HOLLOWLAND is much more a story about a kick-butt chick and her will to protect those she cares about against unspeakable odds and not all the expected gruesome display that zombie movies are famous for. Now don't get me wrong, there is a ton of gooey and detailed action packed fight scenes with zombie foe to keep the readers blood pumping, but nothing even the most squeamish (that being me) can't handle.

Hocking has created an impressive zombie infused end-of-the-world scenario with a diverse band of character that find each other in a believable way and is brave enough as a author, to kill a few off along the way in an equally believable manor. I absolutely fell in love with Remy's tough spunk and focus and cannot wait to see what the future holds for her and the others that are still left as their story continues in HOLLOWMEN (The Hollows #2).

I absolutely loved this book. I have recommended it to several friends and family members who are just as in love with it as I am. The heroine is great....love that she is able to take care of herself - and the guys! Girl power is always good and resonates throughout this book. Love the Walking Dead so this was right up my alley. So glad that there was a second book.

Sometimes Zombie books irritate me. Perhaps because the thought of the end of the world has to have zombies. Amanda Hocking does great and making Zombies realistic and the book is amazing. Starts with a bang, I read almost the whole thing over New Years Eve ( home with two little ones) and I am THRILLED to see that there is a second book. Bought it with out a second thought. LOVE THIS SERIES. I will continue to watch this author, she is amazing.

Hollowland is the first book in the series The Hollows by Amanda Hocking. The book follows Remy as she travels across a post-apocalyptic Earth to save her brother. The book is written from her perspective, and handles the often generalized zombie survival genre with tact and intelligence. Maybe due to watching the entire first season while reading the book, but I drew some heavy parallels between Hollowland and AMC's series The Walking Dead.

What struck me most about the novel was how easily it roped me into a world with no prior knowledge. This isn't a world with magic and superhumans. It's a very accurate take of how our very own country would look if a major zombie outbreak happened right now. (And just in time for Halloween, how convenient.)

The characters are believable, the pain they feel genuinely grabs your heart from within the pages and makes you feel sympathetic for their cause and their loss. Remaining spoiler-free, I can tell you that all the way until the end, Hollowland has you intrigued about the next step, afraid for the character's well-being, and hopeful for their victory, all at once. Also, if you aren't the reading type (be aware, however, that you're reading a book blog), Amanda Hocking has announced that she is releasing Hollowland as a comic series with Dynamite Entertainment, to be released in 2012. Even though I've read the book, I'm super excited for this series, and you'll definitely hear from me again when it comes out. (Or not, you know, if I'm totally absorbed by them.)

It was a very quick read for me, which left me craving more of the tale that Amanda wove.

Clearly, the author does not need another review. There are plenty of reviews to tell you how wonderful this book is. Quite honestly, I bought it because 1.)It was free, 2.)It was zombies and 3.)It was Amanda Hocking. I had never read anything she had written before, but as an indie author hoping to one day make it big, I thought I should look and see what the fuss was all about.

I wasn't sucked into the book from the first few words. When I first started reading, I was analyzing the writing style, which is different from my own, but then when Remmy began traveling with two of her friends, searching for her brother Max, it began to get interesting. I admit, I wasn't sure about the addition of the zombie eating lion...at first, but then I actually grew to love him. A lion isn't your usual zombie killer and the fact that he was there wasn't all that surprising, considering that they were in Las Vegas at the time.

I was rooting for Lazlo, the dummy guy, who obviously fell in love with Remmy and then the twist at the end left me stunned.

I would have liked to see a little more characterization fleshed out with Blue and Lazlo, but I think that may happen in the second book. (I have already bought it, so I will know soon enough.) I think she did a great job showing Harlow as a 13 year old would be, even during the Zombie apocalypse. I also enjoyed the reason the zombies exist. I look forward to reading more about how they seem to be evolving and how that will play out in the next book.

Bottom line, if you love a good zombie story, this is it. The author approached this with a fresh idea and characters that you will be rooting for. I read this through in one sitting, which is saying a lot.

Four stars instead of five basically for two reasons:

1> I really do not like zombie fiction
2> Characters are one step above cliche

As I write this review the Kindle version of this title is free. It should not be. This book is well written enough that people seeking it out really should be paying for it. There are many Kindle books going for seven or eight dollars that do not even come close to this one in terms of entertainment value and the quality of writing.

Ms. Hocking's prose is tight, concise, and more than descriptive enough to dispel reality for a little while. The story is not exactly a suspense-filled page turner, but then, it doesn't need to be. There is a small cast of central characters and, as expected, anyone added to the central cast is eventually left behind or destroyed. One of my personal pet peeves about this book is that none of the central cast seem quite real. They are one very small step above cliche: Remy - the hard-fighting Alice wannabe, Blue - the aptly named psuedo-medic, Harlow - the dingy blonde screamer at the first sign of danger, and Lazlo - the former rockstar Larry Underwood wannabe. Despite their shallow nature, the characters are likable enough that as a reader I really wanted to see them reach their goal.

In this book their main goal is locating Remy's brother Max. At first, Max is a shadowy non-character who serves a sort of holy grail role to keep the plot moving along when any sane batch of people would have stopped and set up a defensible perimeter. Eventually we learn that Max is the only person known to have a natural immunity to the corrupted rabies virus responsible for this particular zombie apocalypse. Shortly after that, Remy is bitten by a zombie and low and behold, she too is immune.

As far as zombie stories go, the quality of this one is a small but decisive step above the run of the mill. Ms. Hocking is a skilled writer, allowing her to overcome many of the limitations and failures of most zombie writers. Her ability to move the story along, keep her characters likable, and provide descriptions which are both vivid and concise, makes this story well worth reading for fans of shuffling, mindless, undead cannibals. If you're not a zombie lover, well, it is a free title, making it a far better value than just about half of the novels you'll spend real money on. Use your money to buy a latte and read this one for free.