Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Z Word

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Z Word by Lindsay King-Miller

20 reviews

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

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britnygottalent's review

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

I’m not usually one to publish a negative book review. Books are hugely subjective, even more so than other media, and it rarely serves anyone to trash an author’s work.

But this was one of the worst books I’ve ever read, and in this case, I feel a duty to protect others.

The premise is great! Some of the things it’s trying to do are compelling! But from the moment a character was described as “a lushly proportioned woman with … tits and belly and thighs to spare” (page 5) to when I predicted the story’s Big Twist (page 11), I knew it was awful. I only kept reading to give it the benefit of the doubt, and I kept doing that until it was too late to quit.

It is, at least, short.

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the_vegan_bookworm's review

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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.

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just_one_more_paige's review

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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.

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llams's review

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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

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jjyork's review against another edition

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dark funny sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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amaranth_wytch's review

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adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

4.0

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ishymuu's review

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adventurous dark funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

When I first started this book, I didn’t think I was going to like it, but I am glad I stuck with it. The book is your zombie horror romp from the 2000s but make it involve queer community and pride. If you like that genre, you will enjoy this book. I like the slight changes made for the zombies all while keeping them pretty classic and loved the character and all their flaws. They are all messes, but in a way that is real for lots of folks. I wouldn’t say it is a life changing story, but it was definitely a fun zombie thriller!

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booksbeyondthebinary's review

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4.0

When I read “queer Zombieland” in the book description, I was immediately sold.

“Chaotic bisexual Wendy is trying to find her place in the queer community of San Lazaro, Arizona, after a bad breakup—which is particularly difficult because her ex is hooking up with some of her friends. And when the people around them start turning into violent, terrifying mindless husks, well, that makes things harder. Especially since the infection seems to be spreading.

Now, Wendy and her friends and frenemies—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—have to team up to stay alive, save Pride, and track the zombie outbreak to its shocking source. Hopefully without killing each other first.”

This book is, at the forefront, a campy romp about a zombie apocalypse but don’t let that distract you from the other incredibly compelling elements. This story focuses on rainbow capitalism, grief and loss from losing loved ones to an unidentified disease, and the truly unbreakable bonds of found family.

One thing that I think made this story more authentic was showcasing queer people across the entire morality spectrum. I understand wanting to have “good representation” by seeing wholesome queer characters within the pages of the books we read, however, I also recognize that those are not the only queer characters that should exist. We live in a world where queer people vote and act against their own best interests and against the best interests of their community. It’s heartbreaking and it’s happening more and more.

As a queer trans reader who loves horror, this was right up my alley.

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theoddduckling's review

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dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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