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bookgirl4ever's review
4.0
Nix is determined to find out where the jet came from and Benny is determined to remain in Nix's life. Tom is willing to take them out to find the jet, but then Chong decides he wants to be part of the team, despite his lack of courage or experience with zombies. Chong soon finds that he isn't cut out for the life of a zombie hunter and makes some decisions that put the group in peril. Also, the group finds out a fanatical cult that sees the zombies as perfect beings is growing and rumors of a new Gameland have risen. I think Gameland has been shut down for good but if book three has yet another Gameland open, then I will be so disappointed.
HS
HS
sqeeker's review
5.0
- This book has a lot more action and horror than the first one. It is a rush! The characters go from bad to worse to chaos really fast. It is amazing that this whole story takes place in only a couple of days.
- I think Benny might be going schizo on us.
- There is a lot of swearing in these books, and it isn't too light.
- I love that Lilah, Benny, Nix, and especially Chong learn more about who they are and what they're made of. The character development for these 4 characters is amazing. They each have to face their own personal demons at some point, and they are some tough decisions!
- I'm not trying to give anything away, but the ending is sad. Justice is served, but it is sad. I'm a little mad about it.
- If the trading cards for these books ever become a real thing, I want to collect!!
- There were places in the book that were kind of thought provoking. Some dialogue and situations just made me stop and think about them for a minute.
- It was fun to get to meet some more of the bounty hunters. Each one was unique, fun, and creative. I hope we get to see more of them in the remaining books.
- Overall this was a wonderful read. The story, the characters, and even the writing are all really well done!
- I think Benny might be going schizo on us.
- There is a lot of swearing in these books, and it isn't too light.
- I love that Lilah, Benny, Nix, and especially Chong learn more about who they are and what they're made of. The character development for these 4 characters is amazing. They each have to face their own personal demons at some point, and they are some tough decisions!
- I'm not trying to give anything away, but the ending is sad. Justice is served, but it is sad. I'm a little mad about it.
- If the trading cards for these books ever become a real thing, I want to collect!!
- There were places in the book that were kind of thought provoking. Some dialogue and situations just made me stop and think about them for a minute.
- It was fun to get to meet some more of the bounty hunters. Each one was unique, fun, and creative. I hope we get to see more of them in the remaining books.
- Overall this was a wonderful read. The story, the characters, and even the writing are all really well done!
stephikat's review
4.0
There were moments of, "SERIOUSLY, JONATHAN MABERRY? SERIOUSLY?" but it was just as riveting as the first book, Rot & Ruin, and I can't wait to see what happens in Flesh and Bone. Hopefully, though, Benny's "inner voice" doesn't make so many appearances in the rest of the series. If there was one thing that almost ruined the book for me, that would have been it.
andreathereader's review
5.0
Man, oh man, what a ride. It’s been half a year since the events of Rot & Ruin took place and the kids have grown into little fighters. They’re ready to head out and find that plane they saw near the end of that book. Not even the horrors from their last venture out could prepare them for what they found this time.
The plot was similar to the previous book in that the group went back into the zombie-infested Rot & Ruin, but there were differences as well. Someone new was with them: the non-athletic Chong, who had a mad crush on Lilah. Plus, they were more prepared for battle this time, since Tom had been training them. And they had a new goal: find that plane.
I didn’t think it was possible, but the action had been turned up even more for this installment. I tell you, Maberry has a gift for creating these intense and scary scenes where you just don’t know what will happen next.
The characters that we already knew were expounded upon, so we learned much more about them. More of their background, and their life at Mountainside. The new characters that we were introduced to were great, and had depth. The dialogue was again perfect – to the point with a touch of dry humor. There was a little romance, but again, it was most definitely not the focus of the story.
Some of my lingering questions from the first book were answered, some questions I didn’t even know I had. A few new questions were posed that I can’t wait to find out the answers to in the next book. And I don’t mind admitting I cried.
The plot was similar to the previous book in that the group went back into the zombie-infested Rot & Ruin, but there were differences as well. Someone new was with them: the non-athletic Chong, who had a mad crush on Lilah. Plus, they were more prepared for battle this time, since Tom had been training them. And they had a new goal: find that plane.
I didn’t think it was possible, but the action had been turned up even more for this installment. I tell you, Maberry has a gift for creating these intense and scary scenes where you just don’t know what will happen next.
Benny drew his bokken and they stood back to back with no clear way out. There had to be two dozen of the monsters. No…more than that. Much more. Others were climbing like gray sligs over fallen logs or out of depressions in the ground. Fifty of them. Sixty. All those dusty eyes and black mouths and rotted teeth. The dead cried out in rusted voices as they pulled themselves toward the smell of fresh meat and flowing blood. The terrible need, the awful hunger in that moan made Benny’s blood turn to ice water in his veins. It was such an ancient sound, old as all the pain and misery in the world.
The characters that we already knew were expounded upon, so we learned much more about them. More of their background, and their life at Mountainside. The new characters that we were introduced to were great, and had depth. The dialogue was again perfect – to the point with a touch of dry humor. There was a little romance, but again, it was most definitely not the focus of the story.
Some of my lingering questions from the first book were answered, some questions I didn’t even know I had. A few new questions were posed that I can’t wait to find out the answers to in the next book. And I don’t mind admitting I cried.
mirable's review
5.0
SLJ review:
Gr 8 Up—In Jonathan Maberry's sequel (2011) to Rot & Ruin (2010, both S & S), teens Benny, Nix, Lilah, and Chong set out on a quest to find the jet spotted at the conclusion of the first book. Benny's brother, Tom, a closure specialist, guides them out into the Rot & Ruin (the land populated by zombies east of Mountainside, their home in California), in search of that jet and, hopefully, civilization. But the zombies aren't the only—or the worst—things in the Rot & Ruin. Preacher Jack and White Bear are at the heart of a subculture of zombie pit fighting that has become a cruel entertainment. Maberry writes with an incredible visual style, multiple points of view, and greater character depth in this sequel to make for a more nuanced and expanded universe. Excerpts from Nix's journal are intercut with the narrative, giving listeners brief respites from the almost non-stop action. With his quick-paced style and unique setting, Maberry makes you care about the characters and their quest. A very open ending leaves plenty of room for a sequel. Brian Hutchison does a fine job of voicing the large cast of characters. In an ever-growing field of zombie books, teens will be drawn to this series—Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI
Gr 8 Up—In Jonathan Maberry's sequel (2011) to Rot & Ruin (2010, both S & S), teens Benny, Nix, Lilah, and Chong set out on a quest to find the jet spotted at the conclusion of the first book. Benny's brother, Tom, a closure specialist, guides them out into the Rot & Ruin (the land populated by zombies east of Mountainside, their home in California), in search of that jet and, hopefully, civilization. But the zombies aren't the only—or the worst—things in the Rot & Ruin. Preacher Jack and White Bear are at the heart of a subculture of zombie pit fighting that has become a cruel entertainment. Maberry writes with an incredible visual style, multiple points of view, and greater character depth in this sequel to make for a more nuanced and expanded universe. Excerpts from Nix's journal are intercut with the narrative, giving listeners brief respites from the almost non-stop action. With his quick-paced style and unique setting, Maberry makes you care about the characters and their quest. A very open ending leaves plenty of room for a sequel. Brian Hutchison does a fine job of voicing the large cast of characters. In an ever-growing field of zombie books, teens will be drawn to this series—Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI
kristi_starr35's review
5.0
A fantastic sequel to Rot & Ruin. Meet new characters and revisit the old. Unexpected characters reappear (reanimate). Creepy. And I've got to hand it to Maberry - out in the Rot & Ruin, no one is safe.
caitcoy's review
5.0
What I loved about [b:Rot and Ruin|7157310|Rot and Ruin (Benny Imura, #1)|Jonathan Maberry|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1264898635s/7157310.jpg|7443037] was the emotional complexity of the zombies and the way in which the characters treated them. Happily, Dust and Decay does this even better. While Rot and Ruin introduced us to the new world after the zombie apocalypse, or First Night, as everyone in the book calls it, Dust and Decay gets into the heads of its characters and pushes them to their emotional limits. Tom, Benny, and his friends Nix, Lilah and Chong, decide to leave the walled town of Mountainside and attempt to find the jet they glimpsed at the end of Rot and Ruin. But Mountainside and the Rot and Ruin are not quite ready to let them go. Maberry does an excellent job in allowing you to see into the heads of each of the main characters, much more so than in Rot and Ruin which was primarily in Benny's POV. The growth of the characters was compelling and the tension was so well done that I never wanted to put the book down. And the villains! They were believable, nuanced and awesome! No cardboard figures here, thank God. As much as I enjoyed Rot and Ruin, Dust and Decay delivered on its promise and made me hungry for more. The language is still at times overdramatic, but less so and as heartbreaking (it's definitely one you see coming) as this part of the story is, I can't wait to see where Maberry takes them next!
kevinscorner's review
5.0
This book was just an AMAZING read. It completely exceeded my expectations and lived up to Rot & Ruin. It is well-written with relatable characters that you will just fall in love with. My favorite character dies and this has probably been the most affected I have ever been by a death in a book. Can't wait for the next book!
bookworm151719's review
4.0
Absolutely loved this book! Would give it 5 stars but..... the ending made mw mad. REALLY mad. The wrong person died, and I really can't get into Benny & Nix as a couple. They just seem..... wrong together, somehow.