You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
You can read more of my reviews at my blog The Book Chick.
How can I explain why I only gave four stars to a book I more or less loved, without spoilers and trashing the book completely? It almost feels impossible but I will give it a try.
This is the second book about Benny Imura. The series is not an stand alone and I do recommend to read it in order. The first books name is Rot & Ruin and hereyou can read my review of it. I did love the first book. I have experience of Jonathan Maberry from his Joe Ledger series and this series is much easier than Ledgers. Probably because it is written more towards young and young adults. Ledger series is not.
The book starts off about 8 months (or so) after the first book ended and it started off quite slow. Then it really did pick itself up on both speed and action. We get to follow Tom, Benny, Nix, Lilah and Chong when they venture out in the wasteland in the search of the flying jet. Then off course everything goes to shit, as expected, and then it is one action filled event after the other.
And it is here my problem starts. The book is action filled and quite exciting. But when you have read 400 pages of "the same thing" you are starting to get a little bored. It is bad decisions after bad decisions and events so big, horrific and not survivable that at some point, my mind just shuts off. I read the story but I did not feel it anymore. It is like seeing one of those really bad, cheep, slasher movies that you just can't take serious. Then it all changed again. And the ending really pissed me off. That is not how it was supposed to end. Come on! But now when I have had some time to think on it, I do see that it was the only possible end. And it only made a mystery even bigger, the mystery that is going through the Rot & Ruin. Because something is not right, and right now, no one know what or why.
So after taking everything in account, the book ended on a weak four star. I would have giving a five if not for the end. I know it was the only possible end, but still, I did not like it at all.
I do not read a lot of male authors. It is not a conscious choice, it is just because there are really few male authors who write in genres that I prefer to read. But god damn, Maberry is and probably always will be one of my favorites. I still have a lot of his books to read and I can hardly wait.
How can I explain why I only gave four stars to a book I more or less loved, without spoilers and trashing the book completely? It almost feels impossible but I will give it a try.
This is the second book about Benny Imura. The series is not an stand alone and I do recommend to read it in order. The first books name is Rot & Ruin and hereyou can read my review of it. I did love the first book. I have experience of Jonathan Maberry from his Joe Ledger series and this series is much easier than Ledgers. Probably because it is written more towards young and young adults. Ledger series is not.
The book starts off about 8 months (or so) after the first book ended and it started off quite slow. Then it really did pick itself up on both speed and action. We get to follow Tom, Benny, Nix, Lilah and Chong when they venture out in the wasteland in the search of the flying jet. Then off course everything goes to shit, as expected, and then it is one action filled event after the other.
And it is here my problem starts. The book is action filled and quite exciting. But when you have read 400 pages of "the same thing" you are starting to get a little bored. It is bad decisions after bad decisions and events so big, horrific and not survivable that at some point, my mind just shuts off. I read the story but I did not feel it anymore. It is like seeing one of those really bad, cheep, slasher movies that you just can't take serious. Then it all changed again. And the ending really pissed me off. That is not how it was supposed to end. Come on! But now when I have had some time to think on it, I do see that it was the only possible end. And it only made a mystery even bigger, the mystery that is going through the Rot & Ruin. Because something is not right, and right now, no one know what or why.
So after taking everything in account, the book ended on a weak four star. I would have giving a five if not for the end. I know it was the only possible end, but still, I did not like it at all.
I do not read a lot of male authors. It is not a conscious choice, it is just because there are really few male authors who write in genres that I prefer to read. But god damn, Maberry is and probably always will be one of my favorites. I still have a lot of his books to read and I can hardly wait.
This was one of the best books I ever read. That is except the ending. I'm bawling right now.
Spoiler
WHY DID TOM HAVE TO DIE?! MY FAVORITE CHARACTER. :(Spoiler
I MUST KILL MABERRY RIGHT NOW!Spoiler
NEWS FLASH: I WILL FOREVER BE IN DENIAL OF TOM IMURAS DEATH!Spoiler
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lilah and Chong feel forced
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Read for Fun!
Challenges: Zombies, Read for Fun
Overall Rating: 4.50
Story Rating: 4.75
Character Rating: 4.50
First Thought when Finished: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (Don't ask I am not going to tell you why)
What I Loved: I am not going to give spoilers so while I LOVED almost everything about this book, I can't really be specific. Dust & Decay is about journey, leaving the comfort (even in a Zombie infested world) of what you know and seeking out something better. This book really pulled at my heartstrings and made EVERYONE grow up! Dust & Decay reminded us that this is a world filled with bad people, interesting people, and really no answers as to what makes a Zombie tick. Perhaps it is the fact that once you think you have figured out how to live in a Zombie world, the rules change. I laughed, cried, and was seriously thinking about reading the last chapter way before I got there!
What I Liked: Jonathan kept it real! People got hurt, killed, treated badly, and unfortunately not everyone got what was coming to them! This just made Dust & Decay more gripping. He also introduced quite a few new characters that were perfect fits to the story. You just got the feeling that the crew was in for an adventure of epic proportions whether they were ready or not!
Final Though when Finished: Seriously September? *stamps foot*
Challenges: Zombies, Read for Fun
Overall Rating: 4.50
Story Rating: 4.75
Character Rating: 4.50
First Thought when Finished: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (Don't ask I am not going to tell you why)
What I Loved: I am not going to give spoilers so while I LOVED almost everything about this book, I can't really be specific. Dust & Decay is about journey, leaving the comfort (even in a Zombie infested world) of what you know and seeking out something better. This book really pulled at my heartstrings and made EVERYONE grow up! Dust & Decay reminded us that this is a world filled with bad people, interesting people, and really no answers as to what makes a Zombie tick. Perhaps it is the fact that once you think you have figured out how to live in a Zombie world, the rules change. I laughed, cried, and was seriously thinking about reading the last chapter way before I got there!
What I Liked: Jonathan kept it real! People got hurt, killed, treated badly, and unfortunately not everyone got what was coming to them! This just made Dust & Decay more gripping. He also introduced quite a few new characters that were perfect fits to the story. You just got the feeling that the crew was in for an adventure of epic proportions whether they were ready or not!
Final Though when Finished: Seriously September? *stamps foot*
Four stars. The fifth is lacking because my favorite character died-and I couldn't read the last page because of the tears blurring my eyes-a rare embarrassment.
The book basically takes up where Rot & Ruin left us-Tom is training the kids to be "modern samurai" and they want to pursue the jet (see the first book).
The action (and zombie violence) stars right up, but this time we have a more mature Benny (and emotionally damaged Nix) to confront it.
The authentic maturity of the characters is a breath of fresh air, far beyond most other YA fiction. I really have to hand it to Mr. Maberry-a zombie novel with mature characters, deep themes, and touch-you-so-deeply you cry moments? Now that, in an incredible achievement. Oh, and for writing a sequel that kept up with a first-another rare thing.
A worthwhile read whatever your stance on zombies, or your age (although I recommend that no one under 12 read this)
The book basically takes up where Rot & Ruin left us-Tom is training the kids to be "modern samurai" and they want to pursue the jet (see the first book).
The action (and zombie violence) stars right up, but this time we have a more mature Benny (and emotionally damaged Nix) to confront it.
The authentic maturity of the characters is a breath of fresh air, far beyond most other YA fiction. I really have to hand it to Mr. Maberry-a zombie novel with mature characters, deep themes, and touch-you-so-deeply you cry moments? Now that, in an incredible achievement. Oh, and for writing a sequel that kept up with a first-another rare thing.
A worthwhile read whatever your stance on zombies, or your age (although I recommend that no one under 12 read this)
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
Pretty, pretty good. Maberry does a great of keeping the plot moving forward in a pretty long (500+ pages) book. Lilah the Lost Girl's character development was a fun sideplot. I was a little concerned when the story split away from following just Benny to five different pov's, but it worked out fine. A strong successor to Rot and Ruin. The annoying thing about a YA series is the year-long wait between installments.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Benny's leaving this time, for real. Benny, Tom, Nix, and Lilah are headed east to get away from the town that doesn't care about getting back their land.
This book was a really good sequel. I love the important topics that are discussed in this book in a way that is actually really interesting. The characters feel very human and so do their actions. The continuation of the world-building is super interesting. Though part of this book made me cry I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
This book was a really good sequel. I love the important topics that are discussed in this book in a way that is actually really interesting. The characters feel very human and so do their actions. The continuation of the world-building is super interesting. Though part of this book made me cry I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated