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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
When I finished reading Rot & Ruin, I knew I had to read Dust & Decay as soon as possible. And even that wasn't soon enough. I was so happy to have a copy to read and I dove right into it. If it was at all possible, Dust & Decay was even better than Rot & Ruin.
Months after coming back from their first trip in the Rot and Ruin, Benny and Nix are back in Mountainside to train to go back in the Ruin. Only this time they are leaving for good, hoping to find the jet they saw flying over their heads seven months ago. But as they set out to leave, nothing seems to go as planned and things get stranger the further into the Ruin they get. When things couldn't possibly be getting any worse, Chong disappears, Benny and Nix get separated from Tom and Lilah just seems to vanish. And then things go from bad to worse. Everyone comes to find that the horror that is Gameland has been rebuilt and is more terrible than ever. But that's only the beginning of all the horrific things Benny and his friends are going to be facing. And much like last time, zombies may not be the worst monsters out there.
One way to describe Dust & Decay is epic. But not epic in the traditional sense. I mean, for me, zombies and child killers aren't the first thing that come to mind when I think epic. But his book was epic in its own way and that made it that much better. Once again, the post-apocalyptic world Jonathan Maberry created was amazing and felt completely real. Though I do hope I don't come across any zombies any time soon no matter how real they felt in the books. Everything about Dust & Decay was absolutely amazing, so much so that I'm having trouble putting it all into words. And there was that ending. I saw it coming to a certain extent but it still completely took me by surprise. I could not help the tears and even now, just thinking about it makes me feel like tearing up all over again.
This time around I liked Benny right from the start because he was actually a decent person and not a first class jerk. And his relationship with Nix is just adorable. What is particularly amazing about their relationship is that it is so much more than a first love because of everything they've gone through together. I also really liked that we got to see more of Chong and Lilah. Sure, at times their actions were questionable at best, but they were still good people. And Tom was just as great as ever and he is easily my favorite character in the book. The way he is with Benny and his friends really says a lot about him. And once again he was always ready to help those he cared about and do just about anything for them. As for the rest, I didn't think it was possible but the villains were even more villainous this time around.
Dust & Decay was an amazing read. I didn't think it would be possible, but it was even better than Rot & Ruin. If you are looking for a zombie book, this is definitely the one you will want to read.
Months after coming back from their first trip in the Rot and Ruin, Benny and Nix are back in Mountainside to train to go back in the Ruin. Only this time they are leaving for good, hoping to find the jet they saw flying over their heads seven months ago. But as they set out to leave, nothing seems to go as planned and things get stranger the further into the Ruin they get. When things couldn't possibly be getting any worse, Chong disappears, Benny and Nix get separated from Tom and Lilah just seems to vanish. And then things go from bad to worse. Everyone comes to find that the horror that is Gameland has been rebuilt and is more terrible than ever. But that's only the beginning of all the horrific things Benny and his friends are going to be facing. And much like last time, zombies may not be the worst monsters out there.
One way to describe Dust & Decay is epic. But not epic in the traditional sense. I mean, for me, zombies and child killers aren't the first thing that come to mind when I think epic. But his book was epic in its own way and that made it that much better. Once again, the post-apocalyptic world Jonathan Maberry created was amazing and felt completely real. Though I do hope I don't come across any zombies any time soon no matter how real they felt in the books. Everything about Dust & Decay was absolutely amazing, so much so that I'm having trouble putting it all into words. And there was that ending. I saw it coming to a certain extent but it still completely took me by surprise. I could not help the tears and even now, just thinking about it makes me feel like tearing up all over again.
This time around I liked Benny right from the start because he was actually a decent person and not a first class jerk. And his relationship with Nix is just adorable. What is particularly amazing about their relationship is that it is so much more than a first love because of everything they've gone through together. I also really liked that we got to see more of Chong and Lilah. Sure, at times their actions were questionable at best, but they were still good people. And Tom was just as great as ever and he is easily my favorite character in the book. The way he is with Benny and his friends really says a lot about him. And once again he was always ready to help those he cared about and do just about anything for them. As for the rest, I didn't think it was possible but the villains were even more villainous this time around.
Dust & Decay was an amazing read. I didn't think it would be possible, but it was even better than Rot & Ruin. If you are looking for a zombie book, this is definitely the one you will want to read.
Loved this book. I had high hopes for this book and was a bit iffy about reading it, I figured there was no way he could continue on after rot&ruin and still keep me on edge with surprises but he did just that and I loved it all!!
Nooooooo way, my favorite character died ;w; I'm sad. Pretty sad. :(
I hate you, Jonathan Maberry! :D
I hate you, Jonathan Maberry! :D
I know that this is a YA book and that I'm maybe a bit too old for it, but that shouldn't be the only explanation why I cringed so much and wanted this book to end. I had the same problem with Rot and Ruin, so let me begin...
Firstly, I must say that the idea is quite interesting not only for this book but for the complete series. The idea of a zombie infested world that focuses more on the life in a society, the problems of (new) socialization and the potential anarchy and criminal activities that would probably occur if the outbreak actually happened. However, the realization of the idea was catastrophic.
The worst thing about this book is the characters and the way they are presented. Ok, they are teenagers and teenagers are annoying, but they are not this plastic, shallow or cringy. I don't have a problem about the teen dramas in general or silly love issues, but the ones mentioned here and in the previous book are just idiotic and can't think of another word. They are so stupid that you can't even understand it let alone relate. Tbh, zombies are probably the most realistic part of this novel, sadly.
The plot is a bit more dynamic than the one in R&R, but it's the same thing with poorly delivered plot-twists that resemble Spanish soap-operas. And the repetition - you could just read this one without the Rot and Ruin, because, trust me, author repeats everything from the previous book SEVERAL TIMES.
And the Nix's journal extracts are insulting, like I really didn't have to read what a katana is or rigor mortis definitions copied from wikipedia. We still have internet in this pre-apocalypse world.
And lastly, the Greenman. I don't know if he is supposed to be like this Buddha/Dr.Phil figure so that readers "learn" something or quote it like they are reading Coelho, but it would be at list 5% less cringy without him.
Definitely not continuing the series.
Firstly, I must say that the idea is quite interesting not only for this book but for the complete series. The idea of a zombie infested world that focuses more on the life in a society, the problems of (new) socialization and the potential anarchy and criminal activities that would probably occur if the outbreak actually happened. However, the realization of the idea was catastrophic.
The worst thing about this book is the characters and the way they are presented. Ok, they are teenagers and teenagers are annoying, but they are not this plastic, shallow or cringy. I don't have a problem about the teen dramas in general or silly love issues, but the ones mentioned here and in the previous book are just idiotic and can't think of another word. They are so stupid that you can't even understand it let alone relate. Tbh, zombies are probably the most realistic part of this novel, sadly.
The plot is a bit more dynamic than the one in R&R, but it's the same thing with poorly delivered plot-twists that resemble Spanish soap-operas. And the repetition - you could just read this one without the Rot and Ruin, because, trust me, author repeats everything from the previous book SEVERAL TIMES.
And the Nix's journal extracts are insulting, like I really didn't have to read what a katana is or rigor mortis definitions copied from wikipedia. We still have internet in this pre-apocalypse world.
And lastly, the Greenman. I don't know if he is supposed to be like this Buddha/Dr.Phil figure so that readers "learn" something or quote it like they are reading Coelho, but it would be at list 5% less cringy without him.
Definitely not continuing the series.
This book is way more action packed than the first book in this series [b:Rot and Ruin|7157310|Rot and Ruin (Benny Imura, #1)|Jonathan Maberry|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1264898635s/7157310.jpg|7443037]. Lots of zombie action going on and something weird is starting to go on with the Zom's. They are beginning to act and react differently than in the first book.
You still have some of the teenage angst that the first one had but it didn't bother me as much as it did in the first one. I guess because well I was kinda fangirling on Tom Imura's character.
Picture Glenn from the Walking Dead a thousand times cooler.
You also get some light moments in the zombie killing with a pair of bounty hunters named Dr. Skillz and J-Dog. Who I kept picturing as a bulked up version of these guys.
I'm hoping this series continues with improving with each book.
You still have some of the teenage angst that the first one had but it didn't bother me as much as it did in the first one. I guess because well I was kinda fangirling on Tom Imura's character.
Picture Glenn from the Walking Dead a thousand times cooler.
You also get some light moments in the zombie killing with a pair of bounty hunters named Dr. Skillz and J-Dog. Who I kept picturing as a bulked up version of these guys.
I'm hoping this series continues with improving with each book.
Just finished this. Wow, just wow. There's romance and heartbreak. There's a peek into the souls of good men and bad. There's heros and villans. The funny thing is, the villans aren't the zombies.
But, Maberry, damn. Why'd you have to go and do that?
But, Maberry, damn. Why'd you have to go and do that?
MABERRY, YOU BASTARD!!! I knew you would do this to me!! ::sobbity sob::
Review to follow when anger and choking tears subside.
In the first book [b:Rot & Ruin|7157310|Rot & Ruin (Benny Imura, #1)|Jonathan Maberry|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1264898635s/7157310.jpg|7443037], Maberry spends a lot of time putting us into the world as it exists almost 15 years after a zombie apocalypse. We need to know about how things are now, how people live and how they relate to one another. This is Benny's world. Maberry also spends a lot of time and care developing a cast of characters he wants us to fall in love with before he puts any of them in peril. In this he shows a keen talent for details. I know I fell in love almost immediately, and when peril does descend I was sick with anxiety for everyone's safety and survival.
[b:Rot & Ruin|7157310|Rot & Ruin (Benny Imura, #1)|Jonathan Maberry|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1264898635s/7157310.jpg|7443037] has its moments of high octane action, but it is primarily an emotional story about two estranged brothers who must learn to bridge the gulf of misunderstanding that separates them. In a lot of ways it is a coming-of-age story focused on 15 year old Benny as he learns about the world around him and what it is that his brother does out there in the Rot and Ruin beyond the safety of the fences. Benny discovers nothing is what it seems – cowards become heroes and heroes reveal themselves as villains. And zombies aren’t nearly as monstrous as living men
Because Maberry did such a fantastic job in the first book creating a convincing world peopled with convincing characters, he is able to let loose and go full throttle with Dust & Decay, which is dizzying in its action sequences. It is a white-knuckle read through and through, peril at every corner, imminent death sitting on the shoulders of every character we’ve come to know and love. I was an absolute MESS reading this. I just knew something horrible would happen, I just didn’t know what and how bad it would be. The very few quiet or tender moments in this installment work because they are in such stark contrast to the otherwise absolute chaos.
Dust & Decay has a very Western feel; the lawless and perilous Rot and Ruin is very much reminiscent of the American Wild West where heroes are made and villains thrive. The vast, emptied landscape is the backdrop for a battle waged among the good, the bad and the ugly. It is nail-biting, nerve-wracking stuff -- dramatic, cinematic, and totally epic.
Maberry still has a lot of story left to tell, and I’m definitely looking forward to that, but I will never, EVER, be able to forgive him
Review to follow when anger and choking tears subside.
In the first book [b:Rot & Ruin|7157310|Rot & Ruin (Benny Imura, #1)|Jonathan Maberry|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1264898635s/7157310.jpg|7443037], Maberry spends a lot of time putting us into the world as it exists almost 15 years after a zombie apocalypse. We need to know about how things are now, how people live and how they relate to one another. This is Benny's world. Maberry also spends a lot of time and care developing a cast of characters he wants us to fall in love with before he puts any of them in peril. In this he shows a keen talent for details. I know I fell in love almost immediately, and when peril does descend I was sick with anxiety for everyone's safety and survival.
[b:Rot & Ruin|7157310|Rot & Ruin (Benny Imura, #1)|Jonathan Maberry|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1264898635s/7157310.jpg|7443037] has its moments of high octane action, but it is primarily an emotional story about two estranged brothers who must learn to bridge the gulf of misunderstanding that separates them. In a lot of ways it is a coming-of-age story focused on 15 year old Benny as he learns about the world around him and what it is that his brother does out there in the Rot and Ruin beyond the safety of the fences. Benny discovers nothing is what it seems – cowards become heroes and heroes reveal themselves as villains. And zombies aren’t nearly as monstrous as living men
Because Maberry did such a fantastic job in the first book creating a convincing world peopled with convincing characters, he is able to let loose and go full throttle with Dust & Decay, which is dizzying in its action sequences. It is a white-knuckle read through and through, peril at every corner, imminent death sitting on the shoulders of every character we’ve come to know and love. I was an absolute MESS reading this. I just knew something horrible would happen, I just didn’t know what and how bad it would be. The very few quiet or tender moments in this installment work because they are in such stark contrast to the otherwise absolute chaos.
Dust & Decay has a very Western feel; the lawless and perilous Rot and Ruin is very much reminiscent of the American Wild West where heroes are made and villains thrive. The vast, emptied landscape is the backdrop for a battle waged among the good, the bad and the ugly. It is nail-biting, nerve-wracking stuff -- dramatic, cinematic, and totally epic.
Maberry still has a lot of story left to tell, and I’m definitely looking forward to that, but I will never, EVER, be able to forgive him
Spoiler
for killing my Tom – NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Why oh why?
Good entry for the middle book in a series. It took place over just two days but was filled with action, adventure, tragedy, humor, good and evil, and zombies.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character