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aseel_reads's review
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was such a fun plot/premise! I'm impressed with how a whole plot started and finished properly, in less than 300 pages. I loved sunshine, they were such a great character. I do think the characters and their interactions weren't as developed, like we got dumped in their world and there are all these tensions and we just have to role with it. I think because the plot was so fast paced and interesting, it didn't too much, but I think it would have been nice to get to know these characters more
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Police brutality
Minor: Sexism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
hennie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
4.0
this was disgusting. and chaotic. and so much fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gore
Moderate: Police brutality
etinney's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This novel is silly and a bit convoluted, but the author does not try to make the narrative seem anything other than silly and a bit convoluted. I'm not mad about it, but I wouldn't say that this is a favorite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Homophobia, and Police brutality
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Suicide and Abortion
the_vegan_bookworm's review
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A dark comedy slash horror featuring a full cast of messy queers. I really enjoyed this satirical horror about the commercialization of pride.
My main critique is that the messaging around police abolition was strong at parts and weaker at others, and the role of race in the message around saviorism could have been tightened up. With this being said, I thought it was compelling and addressed many of the challenges of queer community today.
My main critique is that the messaging around police abolition was strong at parts and weaker at others, and the role of race in the message around saviorism could have been tightened up. With this being said, I thought it was compelling and addressed many of the challenges of queer community today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Homophobia, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fatphobia and Toxic relationship
Minor: Pregnancy
just_one_more_paige's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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? No
4.0
This book came at me from all sides - an early physical copy from the library and an audiobook ALC from Libro.fm - and honestly this summer has been so much busier than normal (which is to say, way busier than I have wanted it to be), so, a quirky queer zombie novel felt just right. The vibes from the cover and description had me in mind of a B-level horror flick and with that in mind, this novel delivered.
A bit estranged from her family, recently broken up with her ex-girlfriend, and trying to find a new path and community in life after moving to San Lazaro, AZ, Wendy's life is a bit messy. When Pride events that should have been fun, celebratory escapes turn deadly as an infection that is turning people into mindless, violent husks seems to be spreading, Wendy's life gets even messier. What to do? Well, try to stop the zombie outbreak, I suppose. Together with a small group of other queers - "drag queen Logan, silver fox Beau, sword lesbian Aurelia and her wife Sam, mysterious pizza delivery stoner Sunshine, and, oh yeah, Wendy’s ex-girlfriend Leah" - she jumps into tracking the outbreak to its source and trying to save Pride, the community, and their lives.
Oh this was messssssyyyyyyy, in all the ways: relationships, sex, life choices, blood and violence, drama. Big yes. That's what I was looking for. It was absurdist, but in a good way. There was so much gore and body horror and death, and all the apocalypse staples of homemade weapons and souped up cars and chaotic fight scenes. And the pizza van situation gave me real horror-humor s4 Stranger Things vibes and I didn't hate that at all. I also enjoyed, and got similar vibes from, the everyday things that still happened/needed to happen during a zombie apocalypse (like getting Plan B and making coffee). It was just wild the way that things ended up so out of control, and fairly quickly, and like, not a single single character acted more surprised by the descent into chaos and violence from regular people/people they know, definitely played into those absurdist vibes. I feel like IRL, I (or just people in general) would step back and be like, "this is abnormal and wtf is going on?!" much sooner. Then again, the world is kind of falling to pieces, so maybe not...
Outside of the spot on horror-humor vibes, the plot was simple but held up. I guessed pretty early what the source of the outbreak was, but even with that it was entertaining to read through the "how" and "why" of it. Really, a solid, if ridiculous, commentary on capitalism and corporate greed and the blinders that those who have high ambitions can have. There were some basic, convenient aspects to the wrap up, but it was smooth, so it felt alright. And I actually did really appreciate the open-endedness of the ending (there is no way something this messy gets wrapped up quick and easy). That, and the fact that the author honestly acknowledged on-page that there wasn’t time to process the trauma, because it kept happening, were both well done and necessary for me to swallow the story (even bizarre as it was). I also want to mention the interesting, kind of off-the-wall, but also weirdly serious, moral questions about killing zombies, especially knowing there’s an antidote (while killing zombies). It presented a sort of ludicrous morality that really fit the vibe and also actually felt like it carried a real message. An unexpected and pleasant surprise.
Overall, the dramatics of this novel were perfect. It was such a funny, weird, entertaining, offbeat, queer, character-driven, zombie-horror story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia and Grief
katclaybaugh's review
DNF’d at 125 pages… this book was cringe. I picked it up for a sapphic book club at the local book store… and it’s just not giving.
Something about the way this author writes just feels kind of desperate and needy - like the kid who just learned to swear. Most of the characters felt unlikable. I’m not much for gore so I think this was just not for me on a lot of levels. Also… the need to be not like other girls was just hard to read… this is paraphrased… but the general vibe of “I ordered an IPA in a sea of seltzer drinkers… the bartender gave an appreciative nod” makes me want to scream. Second hand embarrassment the house boots…
Something about the way this author writes just feels kind of desperate and needy - like the kid who just learned to swear. Most of the characters felt unlikable. I’m not much for gore so I think this was just not for me on a lot of levels. Also… the need to be not like other girls was just hard to read… this is paraphrased… but the general vibe of “I ordered an IPA in a sea of seltzer drinkers… the bartender gave an appreciative nod” makes me want to scream. Second hand embarrassment the house boots…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Gun violence and Sexual content
llams's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
amaranth_wytch's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, and Grief
Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, and Car accident
jennireadsmaybe's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
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? Yes
Thank you to Libro.fm for the ALC <3
Zombieland but make it gay as hell!! I've loved Zombieland long enough to have suffered through the decade long wait for Double Tap, so when this came up on my IG feed I immediately knew I had to read it. And let me tell y'all, I didn't disappoint!!! Lindsay King-Miller captured all the gritty, gory, and gut-punching elements of a zombie outbreak better than ever before. Add in the unbearable heat of an Arizona summer and The Z Word was sickening.
Wendy and her queer friend group are messy as hell. It's a hilarious and delightfully honest portrayal. So much of the book surrounds Wendy as she struggles to find her place after a messy break up. Honestly, I was obsessed with her from start to finish because of the mess (relatable!!!). Also, I'm always here for chaotic, imperfect queer people, because we're allowed to be just as flawed as cishet people.
Read this if you've been craving a book about zombie outbreaks, messy queer friend groups, queer people fighting against awful government officials, and gritty, campy horror.
A special shout out to Del from @booksbeyondthebinary over on Instagram for putting this on my radar!!
Zombieland but make it gay as hell!! I've loved Zombieland long enough to have suffered through the decade long wait for Double Tap, so when this came up on my IG feed I immediately knew I had to read it. And let me tell y'all, I didn't disappoint!!! Lindsay King-Miller captured all the gritty, gory, and gut-punching elements of a zombie outbreak better than ever before. Add in the unbearable heat of an Arizona summer and The Z Word was sickening.
Wendy and her queer friend group are messy as hell. It's a hilarious and delightfully honest portrayal. So much of the book surrounds Wendy as she struggles to find her place after a messy break up. Honestly, I was obsessed with her from start to finish because of the mess (relatable!!!). Also, I'm always here for chaotic, imperfect queer people, because we're allowed to be just as flawed as cishet people.
Read this if you've been craving a book about zombie outbreaks, messy queer friend groups, queer people fighting against awful government officials, and gritty, campy horror.
A special shout out to Del from @booksbeyondthebinary over on Instagram for putting this on my radar!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Homophobia, Police brutality, and Grief
librariancat's review
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Police brutality
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Gore, Blood, and Religious bigotry