Sundered (Anniversary Edition) (The Nevermore Trilogy Book 1)

I enjoyed the author's unique twist on the 'zombie' apocalypse and the fact that the story is set on Vancouver Island, just a stone's throw from where I live. An enticing introduction to a series which I intend to read to its conclusion.

This was one of those books I downloaded because it was free,howeve,I definitely would of purchased it! This was a really good 'zombie-ish' book! It did get a little "trash read" like the cheesey romance novels but overall it was a great read! I am looking forward to part 2!

I love zombie books and zombie-ish books, but this was just awful. (Sorry author. I hope you don't see this.) Love conquerors all? Even mindless man eating beasts? Seriously? Enough intelligence to form a pack with a social structure but not smart enough to manipulate a simple latch on a gate or to to even knock it down? Seriously?! And as I'm praying and hoping it redeems itself somehow-- I don't know how, just somehow-- the book is over. On a cliffhanger no less!! SERIOUSLY?!?! To heck with the cliffhanger. I don't care what happens next. What a terrible book.

Unable to conceive, a married couple's dreams come true with the arrival of a new drug said to cure infertility, obesity, and a slew of other imperfections/diseases. Their prayers have been answered. Little do they know that the side effect of taking this "miracle" drug will turn their romance into a horror.

I give it five stars. I cheered for the main character the whole way through, held my breath at times, and let out a loud gasp at the conclusion. Thanks so much Shannon for a great read! --L.A. Sherman, Author of Bengali Girls Don't

I love romance with a paranormal or apocalyptic vibe. This was very good not long enough though it ended quickly but I was very satisfied with this series. I will more than likely reread it again just because it was that good to me:)

Greetings! Another wonderful series of zombies, that is original and refreshing! I love stumbling unto books by accident and then reading them all! This writer is refreshing and realistic! A must read for zombie fans with a refreshing twist! Enjoy!

I love romance with a paranormal or apocalyptic vibe. This was very good not long enough though it ended quickly but I was very satisfied with this series. I will more than likely reread it again just because it was that good to me:)

Greetings! Another wonderful series of zombies, that is original and refreshing! I love stumbling unto books by accident and then reading them all! This writer is refreshing and realistic! A must read for zombie fans with a refreshing twist! Enjoy!

Some things are basic, right? Eating, loving, overeating ...

Hand on your heart, haven't you ever wished for a wonder drug that would let you eat as much as you want while losing weight? In the book SUNDERED, that drug has been discovered. Within two months, ninety percent of the North American population has received the shot. Oh, and by the way, the drug also solves fertility problems, blocks cancer formation, cures parkinsons, osteoporosis and a few other majors.

If you think something goes horribly wrong with this wonder drug, you're right. Too late, the authorities discover it turns normal people into feral humans who will eat anything and who cannot stop eating. Scenes are shown on TV of a crazed feral human attacking and eating first the TV reporter and then the cameraman.

Mara, the narrator, can't take the drug because of an allergy. Still setting up their new home in the country, she and her husband Sebastian watch the people around them turn into wolf-packs of clumsy cannibalistic hunters. So clumsy they are unable to climb over the stout fence running around the property. Not surprisingly, within a short time, the other normal humans who have survived are just as vicious as the ferals.

Mara has to confront this hostile world on her own more and more often. Her husband proves unreliable, a common theme in literature. Her neighbors even more so. The book is well written and well structured, with an ending that is neither predictable nor sentimental.

Sundered takes our obsession with food cravings to an extraordinary new level. I like the way this book plumbs the depths of human nature. If you had to choose, would you kill or be killed? Would you take a wonder drug? Most chilling question of all: are there drugs we are taking now which promise relief but are in fact slowly turning us into monsters?

A great twist to the zombie theme with a believable, interesting main character. Strong but honest in the way she faces the devastating twists in the story this is a character that can sustain a long series. And I hope it lots more books follow. I am glad there are already two more books so I don't have to wait to read more! Well done Ms. Mayer! Keep bringing us more!

..very different Zombie tale, I loved this book, will definitely read on. The fact that we live in a society, where everyone takes supplements and looks for infomercial type quick fixes, makes this even better.. gets you to think.

I devoured Sundered in two sittings. The day I purchased my e-copy I read the first chapter, and I was immediately hooked by Shannon Mayer's fluid writing style and her likeable protagonist's fresh, witty voice. But at the time, I was near the end of an ARC I needed to review, so with reluctance I bookmarked my place and closed the e-book. Today I fired back up my Kindle and, unable to put it down, read straight through Sundered's last, cliffhanger scene.

I enjoyed Sundered's premise, in which a miracle drug called Nevermore is offered to the public amidst claims it will cure disease, eliminate infertility, and result in fast, effortless weight loss. I would have been first in line! But when the drug's nasty side effects emerge, the world population is splintered into two groups: drug-affected mutants devoid of their humanity, and those who weren't administered the drug and are now hunted by the Nevermores. It was fun to see how Mayer envisioned how society's fabric would tear as people realized they were on their own, left to survive the breakdown of everyday life and each other.

This fast-paced story kept me turning pages. Mara was the best kind of main character: smart, loving, fiercely loyal, and independent at her core. I cheered for her from page one. I liked that she held her own during every stressful scene and indulged in her wry sense of humor, despite the perils she faced. Her passionate love for Sebastian was inspiring and heightened the tension in this romance novel. The other major players were vivid and brilliantly portrayed, including Dan the mountain militia-man, and Scout, the Nevermore who I thought mirrored, in a quirky, alternate-universe-sort-of-way, the personality of Nero, Mara's new puppy.

Only a few points cause me to rate this story with four, rather than five stars. I thought there were moments when my suspension of disbelief was interrupted, for example when the puppy hid quietly with Mara despite malicious intruders in the same room, or when Mara brought homemade baked cookies to another character, even though there was no electricity. Also, I found myself a little distracted by punctuation and typographical errors.

However, the quality of the story, the enjoyable narration, and the constant hum of tension from chapter to chapter kept me fully engaged and rooting for the characters. I look forward to the second installment of the Nevermore Trilogy, set to release very soon!

I devoured this series in two days. Shannon's writing is spot on, not too much, not too little. My first zombie-ish series to read, and I LOVED it! Complex characters, a good love story, and something different around every corner. No spoilers from me, but it's a good read and worth every second I spent reading it (even late at night!!).

Be forewarned that this book is novella-length, not novel-length; it's a really quick read. But that's a good thing! Why? Because once you start reading it you'll just keep reading it and if it was any longer you'd be cursing the author for making you lose too much sleep. I haven't read any paranormal romances before, but this felt more like an urban fantasy to me anyway. Of course, if you are a romance reader, don't be scared away by my last comment because the emotional bond between the heroine and her husband is romantic to the extreme. The cliffhanger ending almost knocked it down to 4 stars for me, but since the opening of the sequel was included I wasn't actually left hanging. And then I immediately bought the sequel, which is what I think everyone else who reads Sundered will do.

This is not your typical zombie book full of gloom, doom and gore. I like those books, but I also like how she developed the zombies characters and brought another scenario than the typical "government virus theory." The story and plot line itself, I really enjoyed and found hard to put down. There was never a dull moment and found myself biting my nails for the characters. When buying this book, I saw it was one of three. The thing I would have liked to know was just how short it was. It stopped dead center in the middle of an action scene and I read it in just over an hour. I was not a happy reader when I realized I had to go buy the other 3 "books" at a more expensive price just to finish the one story line. Great to make money for the author, but irritating for a reader. So the story its self is exciting and a good read, but do I think the 3 basically short stories are worth the 7$?? I'm not sure.

I started reading this book because Shannon's Mum was bugging me and I thought I'd better get it done. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I actually was enjoying it. Shannon had me from the first page, although for a while, I wondered what she was eating before she went to bed that gave her these ideas. Once I got started, I couldn't put it down and only did so because of a massive headache and the need for sleep. I marveled at the immense love affair between these two young people and the terror that came with the drug consequences. Then there's the fact that this all takes place here on our beautiful island. I was so caught up in the characters that when I finished the book I sat and cried, I was deeply moved and wanted more. I thought the book was well written. I congratulate Shannon and wish her much success with future books.

Be forewarned that this book is novella-length, not novel-length; it's a really quick read. But that's a good thing! Why? Because once you start reading it you'll just keep reading it and if it was any longer you'd be cursing the author for making you lose too much sleep. I haven't read any paranormal romances before, but this felt more like an urban fantasy to me anyway. Of course, if you are a romance reader, don't be scared away by my last comment because the emotional bond between the heroine and her husband is romantic to the extreme. The cliffhanger ending almost knocked it down to 4 stars for me, but since the opening of the sequel was included I wasn't actually left hanging. And then I immediately bought the sequel, which is what I think everyone else who reads Sundered will do.

This is not your typical zombie book full of gloom, doom and gore. I like those books, but I also like how she developed the zombies characters and brought another scenario than the typical "government virus theory." The story and plot line itself, I really enjoyed and found hard to put down. There was never a dull moment and found myself biting my nails for the characters. When buying this book, I saw it was one of three. The thing I would have liked to know was just how short it was. It stopped dead center in the middle of an action scene and I read it in just over an hour. I was not a happy reader when I realized I had to go buy the other 3 "books" at a more expensive price just to finish the one story line. Great to make money for the author, but irritating for a reader. So the story its self is exciting and a good read, but do I think the 3 basically short stories are worth the 7$?? I'm not sure.

I started reading this book because Shannon's Mum was bugging me and I thought I'd better get it done. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I actually was enjoying it. Shannon had me from the first page, although for a while, I wondered what she was eating before she went to bed that gave her these ideas. Once I got started, I couldn't put it down and only did so because of a massive headache and the need for sleep. I marveled at the immense love affair between these two young people and the terror that came with the drug consequences. Then there's the fact that this all takes place here on our beautiful island. I was so caught up in the characters that when I finished the book I sat and cried, I was deeply moved and wanted more. I thought the book was well written. I congratulate Shannon and wish her much success with future books.

This novella has all the character depth and plot development of Left 4 Dead, without the humor. The protagonist is by turns annoying and unbelievable, and the plot is so cliched as to be almost a parody. I've given it a second star only because the author has avoided most of the hideous spelling and grammar errors that generally plague self-published works.

Really enjoyed this novel. Downloaded it on my Smart Phone, and every chance I got, I was reading it. I usually don't have time to read much, but I found myself so engrossed in the book, I was sneaking a page or two in even during work. I definitely will be getting the next book, and hopefully Shannon will keep them coming. Thanks, Shannon for getting me back into reading more then just a book a year.

WOW!!! Fantastic book. This book is fantastic and I couldn't put it down.Shannons writing leaves you captivated and entranced in this book. I hope that her second in and third books are out soon as I cant wait to see where she takes us in this great trilogy. Well done Shannon a great read.

Initially, I thought, "not another post-apocalyptic read!". However, I got into it rather quickly. It's rather like Susan Beth Pfeffer's "Life As We Knew It" but with "zombies" (Nevermores, in this case). These aren't exactly zombies as they behave more like a pack of wolves/coyotes than mindless undead. Plus, they're not dead, just changed through the Nevermore drug. Told in first person, Mara is capable (she manages to kill some bad guys) but is very much affected by the unfolding events.