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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
”We let fear rule us and guide us, and that’s never the way to win.”
I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It’s darker than as expected coming from YA and I love how it progresses.
Normally, I’m not into the whole HUMANS ARE THE REAL MONSTERS ALL ALONG shtick. It’s been done over and over again. What do you have to offer me?
Well. Tom. For one.
Tom is the calm, sexy, badass samurai wielding compassionate closer of this new Z world. But he’s not the main character. What?? What’s sexier than Tom?
Why it’s Benny, Tom’s brother of course! The unsexy, less-Asian, younger half brother. The book is in the third POV - switches a little but not too much that it gets confusing- and Benny is the star. Not gonna lie, he was unbearable at the start. Looking down at his brother, being all teenagery, but the book succeeded in keeping me hooked precisely for Benny’s growth. It was gradual and natural.
World building. Ah yes, this also kept me going. It starts with Benny having to find a job and exploring different options. Despite the chunk, the journey was fast paced.
It didn’t change my world. It didn’t make me go WOW THATS A COOL TRICK (me watching World War Z and the magazine to hand scene) but it was enjoyable to read. Maberry had themes in his mind and he cemented them by repeating it (ZOMBIES BAD. HUMANS WORSE)
I will say this: the epilogue was beautifully handled. Even though everything is written in 3rd pov, I felt close to Benny and understood how he felt/what he was going through
I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It’s darker than as expected coming from YA and I love how it progresses.
Normally, I’m not into the whole HUMANS ARE THE REAL MONSTERS ALL ALONG shtick. It’s been done over and over again. What do you have to offer me?
Well. Tom. For one.
Tom is the calm, sexy, badass samurai wielding compassionate closer of this new Z world. But he’s not the main character. What?? What’s sexier than Tom?
Why it’s Benny, Tom’s brother of course! The unsexy, less-Asian, younger half brother. The book is in the third POV - switches a little but not too much that it gets confusing- and Benny is the star. Not gonna lie, he was unbearable at the start. Looking down at his brother, being all teenagery, but the book succeeded in keeping me hooked precisely for Benny’s growth. It was gradual and natural.
World building. Ah yes, this also kept me going. It starts with Benny having to find a job and exploring different options. Despite the chunk, the journey was fast paced.
It didn’t change my world. It didn’t make me go WOW THATS A COOL TRICK (me watching World War Z and the magazine to hand scene) but it was enjoyable to read. Maberry had themes in his mind and he cemented them by repeating it (ZOMBIES BAD. HUMANS WORSE)
I will say this: the epilogue was beautifully handled. Even though everything is written in 3rd pov, I felt close to Benny and understood how he felt/what he was going through
I do my reviews in the form of answering questions
What made me pick this book up:
I had originally picked it up because the cover is amazing and creepy. I love the colors and the eye. But also we had it signed at a book convention a few years back.
What did I like about the cover:
Ugh, everything. The colors are perfect and creepy, I love the eye and the color pops there. Honestly it's creepy and perfect for the book.
What made me read this book:
Well this is my second time reading it. I read it originally because we had it signed and because zombies.
I read it the second time because zombies... oh and because I never made it past the first one and I really want to finish the series out. So I started at the beginning again because I didn't remember it.
What did I like the most:
I really like that it's about zombies, but also more than that. It's about family, and friendship. And of course survival.
I like books that show how the apocalypse started, but I also really like books that show years after the apocalypse starts. I love being able to read about how they've lived and survived and made a life for themselves. I think the town that they have going for them is pretty cool, and the idea that they could actually rebuild civilization is really cool.
The characters are well written, Benny, the main character is a little whiny at first, but he's like 15. I'm pretty sure every 15 year old is kind of whiny at some point. But he really grows up, he does what he needs to do to survive and to help other people.
Part of why he is so whiny is the fact that he's been sheltered. While he knows about the zombies and what's going on, he really doesn't. He doesn't really understand it until his brother, Tom, takes him out on a bounty and he can really show him and make him understand what's out there.
On that note, Tom is my favorite character. He's so badass, and he really loves Benny. Reading about how Tom takes down zombies, really made me want to love him. You'll have to read the book to understand.
I also really loved reading about the Lost Girl. It's amazing how she survived the way she did.
What didn't I like:
There was a few parts that just made me so mad. Again, I won't tell you why or what it is. But it made me mad.
And like I said, Benny is kind of whiny, but again he grows up.
Other than that, the book is amazing.
Would I read the rest of the series/more from this author?
Uh yes.
Overall I loved this book so much! I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
“There was a sliver of moon and a splash of stars, and the light outlined her face and glistened on the tears that ran like mercury down her cheeks.” ― Jonathan Maberry, Rot & Ruin
What made me pick this book up:
I had originally picked it up because the cover is amazing and creepy. I love the colors and the eye. But also we had it signed at a book convention a few years back.
What did I like about the cover:
Ugh, everything. The colors are perfect and creepy, I love the eye and the color pops there. Honestly it's creepy and perfect for the book.
What made me read this book:
Well this is my second time reading it. I read it originally because we had it signed and because zombies.
I read it the second time because zombies... oh and because I never made it past the first one and I really want to finish the series out. So I started at the beginning again because I didn't remember it.
What did I like the most:
I really like that it's about zombies, but also more than that. It's about family, and friendship. And of course survival.
I like books that show how the apocalypse started, but I also really like books that show years after the apocalypse starts. I love being able to read about how they've lived and survived and made a life for themselves. I think the town that they have going for them is pretty cool, and the idea that they could actually rebuild civilization is really cool.
The characters are well written, Benny, the main character is a little whiny at first, but he's like 15. I'm pretty sure every 15 year old is kind of whiny at some point. But he really grows up, he does what he needs to do to survive and to help other people.
Part of why he is so whiny is the fact that he's been sheltered. While he knows about the zombies and what's going on, he really doesn't. He doesn't really understand it until his brother, Tom, takes him out on a bounty and he can really show him and make him understand what's out there.
On that note, Tom is my favorite character. He's so badass, and he really loves Benny. Reading about how Tom takes down zombies, really made me want to love him. You'll have to read the book to understand.
I also really loved reading about the Lost Girl. It's amazing how she survived the way she did.
What didn't I like:
There was a few parts that just made me so mad. Again, I won't tell you why or what it is. But it made me mad.
And like I said, Benny is kind of whiny, but again he grows up.
Other than that, the book is amazing.
Would I read the rest of the series/more from this author?
Uh yes.
Overall I loved this book so much! I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
“There was a sliver of moon and a splash of stars, and the light outlined her face and glistened on the tears that ran like mercury down her cheeks.” ― Jonathan Maberry, Rot & Ruin
So it's not the worst book I've ever read.
1. It's not very well-written. Sounds like fan fic, or someone trying to be a writer by publishing this on their blog.
2. The romance is awkward and out of place and takes away from the story.
3. There is I think one plot twist, and then there's a surprise at the end of the story, except that the plot twist is obvious and everyone expects it and the surprise would be a surprise if it weren't so obvious.
4. I finished this book wondering what the point (or the plot) was. They find some things they're looking for, they stop some stuff they hate, but they wanted to bring down something bigger and they didn't accomplish it. Now I understand why this was book one, but honestly it wasn't good enough for a book two and if it weren't free online I wouldn't even consider reading the second. I have considered reading it, but decided against it, bc there is no one and nothing about the story that is appealing or makes me want to come back.
5. Sad parts weren't sad. Happy parts weren't happy. The characters weren't compelling, so I didn't feel anything for them, even when they lost someone.
6. There weren't any likeable characters. The main ones are obviously good guys and don't do wrong things without questioning whether they should and without feeling huge guilt after they do, and then realizing yk it's honestly not wrong if we're doing it to baddies, so then they feel good about themselves. Which is fine, but their emotions were boring and stereotypical and I skimmed when they started crying or talking about feelings, bc their feelings weren't interesting or relatable or understandable or even confusing but you feel like you get where they're coming from.
7. For people always talking about closure, this book was surprisingly unsatisfying. There wasn't any closure at the end, even though the author is trying to wrap things (like their relationship) up.
8. A good author should be able to take an unrealistic, impossible situation and make it seem realistic and possible. They should be able to take emotions about that unrealistic, impossible event and make those emotions relatable, even though the circumstances are unrelatable. This author does none of that and I was bored and tired of the main character by the middle of the book.
However, Tom does have some good things he points out, and a few of their conversations were interesting to read because they were talking about things true in any world.
If I had to choose, I'd probably go with reading it on Webtoons.
Quotes I liked that were too long to fit in an update:
read online: https://novels80.com/243770-rot-and-ruin.html
1. It's not very well-written. Sounds like fan fic, or someone trying to be a writer by publishing this on their blog.
2. The romance is awkward and out of place and takes away from the story.
3. There is I think one plot twist, and then there's a surprise at the end of the story, except that the plot twist is obvious and everyone expects it and the surprise would be a surprise if it weren't so obvious.
4. I finished this book wondering what the point (or the plot) was. They find some things they're looking for, they stop some stuff they hate, but they wanted to bring down something bigger and they didn't accomplish it. Now I understand why this was book one, but honestly it wasn't good enough for a book two and if it weren't free online I wouldn't even consider reading the second. I have considered reading it, but decided against it, bc there is no one and nothing about the story that is appealing or makes me want to come back.
5. Sad parts weren't sad. Happy parts weren't happy. The characters weren't compelling, so I didn't feel anything for them, even when they lost someone.
6. There weren't any likeable characters. The main ones are obviously good guys and don't do wrong things without questioning whether they should and without feeling huge guilt after they do, and then realizing yk it's honestly not wrong if we're doing it to baddies, so then they feel good about themselves. Which is fine, but their emotions were boring and stereotypical and I skimmed when they started crying or talking about feelings, bc their feelings weren't interesting or relatable or understandable or even confusing but you feel like you get where they're coming from.
7. For people always talking about closure, this book was surprisingly unsatisfying. There wasn't any closure at the end, even though the author is trying to wrap things (like their relationship) up.
8. A good author should be able to take an unrealistic, impossible situation and make it seem realistic and possible. They should be able to take emotions about that unrealistic, impossible event and make those emotions relatable, even though the circumstances are unrelatable. This author does none of that and I was bored and tired of the main character by the middle of the book.
However, Tom does have some good things he points out, and a few of their conversations were interesting to read because they were talking about things true in any world.
If I had to choose, I'd probably go with reading it on Webtoons.
Quotes I liked that were too long to fit in an update:
Spoiler
"I hear you when you say you’d kill Charlie, and for the most part I believe you, but there’s a little hesitation in your voice. If I’d have asked the same question last night, you’d have said yes without the slightest hesitation, because the hurt was immediate. It was right there in your face. But this is hours later. The blood cools, and the more distance you put between the heat of passion and any act of commission makes something like killing much harder to do. When people talk about killing in cold blood, they’re referring to something someone does even after they’ve calmed down and had time to think. If it takes us a month to find Charlie, you might not want him dead at all. You might want to see him put on trial, you might want to see the system work instead of getting blood on your own hands."
.
On their first trip into the Ruin, Tom had said that fear makes you smart, but Benny understood now that his brother had been talking about caution rather than fear. These zoms, every last one of them—even the smallest child—would kill him if they could, but not one of them meant him harm. Meaning, intention, will … None of that was part of their makeup. There was no more malice there than in a lightning strike or bacteria on a rusted nail, and as he sat there, he felt his terror of them give way to an awareness of them as something merely dangerous. The intense hatred of the dead he had once harbored was gone completely; burned out of him in Harold Simmons’s house. Only the fear had remained, and now that, too, was wavering in its intensity.
.
Sometimes you have to go to some pretty extreme lengths to make a point and to make it stick. Otherwise you find yourself having to make the same point over and over again.
.
He set his sword down and used his thumb and fore-finger to lift a bit of the fabric, and as he did, he understood what this was. The rags were the remnants of clothes—a brown uniform trimmed with gold cord. An old flat-brimmed hat lay under the remains. A tarnished badge was pinned to the crown. Benny had never met one, but he’d seen pictures of forest rangers in books. This was the ranger. Had he been bitten and crawled in here to die? No … that made no sense. He’d have turned. Then Benny considered the pistol, and he understood. The man had been bitten, and he’d come in here to do what was necessary to keep himself from becoming a monster. Even though Benny knew this sort of thing had probably happened hundreds of thousands of times around the world, seeing it here, firsthand, made it almost unbearably sad.
read online: https://novels80.com/243770-rot-and-ruin.html
dark
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm not a big zombie book reader, but this story has action, mystery and romance. It was reallly good!
The characters are very well-written and the story makes you think. Always good traits in a book.
Rot & Ruin is a fitting read for October, dystopia, ruin, zombies, fierce females and family.
This review was originally posted to my blog Bookish as a part of the MEN in YA event
Jonathan Maberry + zombies = fan-freakin'-tastic post apocalyptic thrill ride! Seriously, this book is impossible to put down! I was sucked into the zombie-infested world of Benny Imura right from the get-go. All I wanted was to be left alone so I could sit down and read. Or even stand and read, doesn't matter. I could even read this book while hanging up-side-down from the tallest sky-scrapper in the city and I honestly wouldn't care! It's that good! I loved every second of it. It's not just a zombie book, it's a phenomenal, thought-provoking, insanely emotional wonder of a story. Pure awesomeness!!!
“There are moments that define a person's whole life. Moments in which everything they are and everything they may possibly become balance on a single decision. Life and death, hope and despair, victory and failure teeter precariously on the decision made at that moment. These are moments ungoverned by happenstance, untroubled by luck. These are the moments in which a person earns the right to live, or not.”
Benny Imura is almost fifteen, which means soon he's going to have to find a job, otherwise his food rations will get cut in half and he'll probably end up starving to death. Ideally he'd like an interesting, but not too physically demanding (or dangerous) job, but oh-well, the world he lives in is far from anyone's definition of perfect. Benny ends up working for his older brother, Tom (a half-Japanese, badass zombie hunter ). He's not particularly happy about it, in fact, ever since the night when his mother was killed on their eyes by their virus-infected father, Benny hates and despises Tom. He believes Tom to be nothing more than a pathetic coward, who, instead of trying to save their mother, turned and ran. Their relationship is very complicated and heavy with all sorts of overwhelming emotions. The lack of civilized communication between these two doesn't really help improve it, either. It isn't until Tom takes Benny with him to Rot and Ruin (which basically is the world beyond the fence surrounding the city, a dangerous, zombie-ridden place) that he's beginning to understand how meaningful and important Tom's job is. Benny has a lot to learn, a lot to discover and understand. The world he sees from behind the fence is different from what he imagined. So is the world and the people on the inside.
“Closure isn't closure until someone's ready to close the door.”
To say that I loved this book would be a major understatement. Rot & Ruin literally swept me off my feet. You may be wondering what's so special about this book that makes it stand out from the crowd of all the other zombie-apocalypse-sort-of-books. How different can it possible be? Oh, it's different, alright! This isn't anything like 28 Days Later or Resident Evil, although the premise might be similar. It's soooooo much more than that! Maberry's zombies are not vicious, evil beasts who will do everything to get their hands (or teeth rather) on your brains. These are tragic, sad, lost creatures, victims of a freak virus outbreak (of unknown origins), who, even though their human lives ended, can not rest in peace. The pages of Rot&Ruin are dripping with the overwhelming and omnipresent feeling of hopelessness and desperation. That's not to say that this books isn't scary, because it is. It's absolutely terrifying. But it's a different kind of fear than the one you'd expect from a zombie book. It's the kind of fear that slowly creeps up on you, get's deep under your skin and paralyzes you for a long, long time. Not the "OMG-zombies-are-chasing-me" kind of thrill, because, let's face it, that ceased to be scary long time ago. Rot & Ruin is horrifying for totally different reasons. In this book, Jonatham Maberry addresses our most basic fears: of being lost, abandoned by the society, lonely, misunderstood, of not living your life but merely existing. The zombies are not the bad guys here.. Sure they can hurt you and turn you into one of them. They'll follow you and try to get a bite of your yummy body, but it's not a conscious decision, or them wanting to harm you, that drives them. It's the disease. These zombies are more like plants, they follow the living just like plants follow the sun. It's a grim, depressing reality. I found myself emotionally wrapped up in this book. It's powerful and unforgettable. Brilliant. I can't emphasize enough how much I loved it.
I loved all the characters, especially Tom. He was wise, brave, patient, forgiving and ready to sacrifice himself for others. Benny was a great MC and, although I didn't care much for him at the beginning, as the story progressed he definitely grew on me. He went from a stubborn, slightly annoying brat who acted like he knew everything about the world around him, to a mature, thoughtful, understanding young man. I loved the transformation! All the characters in Rot&Ruin are three dimensional and complex like that, and it's impossible not to care about them.
Overall, Rot&Ruin made a huge impression on me and I'm definitely planning on re-reading it in the future. This is an absolute must-read, no doubt about it. I'm so happy that there will be not three but four books in the Benny Imura series - the more the better!
Jonathan Maberry + zombies = fan-freakin'-tastic post apocalyptic thrill ride! Seriously, this book is impossible to put down! I was sucked into the zombie-infested world of Benny Imura right from the get-go. All I wanted was to be left alone so I could sit down and read. Or even stand and read, doesn't matter. I could even read this book while hanging up-side-down from the tallest sky-scrapper in the city and I honestly wouldn't care! It's that good! I loved every second of it. It's not just a zombie book, it's a phenomenal, thought-provoking, insanely emotional wonder of a story. Pure awesomeness!!!
“There are moments that define a person's whole life. Moments in which everything they are and everything they may possibly become balance on a single decision. Life and death, hope and despair, victory and failure teeter precariously on the decision made at that moment. These are moments ungoverned by happenstance, untroubled by luck. These are the moments in which a person earns the right to live, or not.”
Benny Imura is almost fifteen, which means soon he's going to have to find a job, otherwise his food rations will get cut in half and he'll probably end up starving to death. Ideally he'd like an interesting, but not too physically demanding (or dangerous) job, but oh-well, the world he lives in is far from anyone's definition of perfect. Benny ends up working for his older brother, Tom (a half-Japanese, badass zombie hunter ). He's not particularly happy about it, in fact, ever since the night when his mother was killed on their eyes by their virus-infected father, Benny hates and despises Tom. He believes Tom to be nothing more than a pathetic coward, who, instead of trying to save their mother, turned and ran. Their relationship is very complicated and heavy with all sorts of overwhelming emotions. The lack of civilized communication between these two doesn't really help improve it, either. It isn't until Tom takes Benny with him to Rot and Ruin (which basically is the world beyond the fence surrounding the city, a dangerous, zombie-ridden place) that he's beginning to understand how meaningful and important Tom's job is. Benny has a lot to learn, a lot to discover and understand. The world he sees from behind the fence is different from what he imagined. So is the world and the people on the inside.
“Closure isn't closure until someone's ready to close the door.”
To say that I loved this book would be a major understatement. Rot & Ruin literally swept me off my feet. You may be wondering what's so special about this book that makes it stand out from the crowd of all the other zombie-apocalypse-sort-of-books. How different can it possible be? Oh, it's different, alright! This isn't anything like 28 Days Later or Resident Evil, although the premise might be similar. It's soooooo much more than that! Maberry's zombies are not vicious, evil beasts who will do everything to get their hands (or teeth rather) on your brains. These are tragic, sad, lost creatures, victims of a freak virus outbreak (of unknown origins), who, even though their human lives ended, can not rest in peace. The pages of Rot&Ruin are dripping with the overwhelming and omnipresent feeling of hopelessness and desperation. That's not to say that this books isn't scary, because it is. It's absolutely terrifying. But it's a different kind of fear than the one you'd expect from a zombie book. It's the kind of fear that slowly creeps up on you, get's deep under your skin and paralyzes you for a long, long time. Not the "OMG-zombies-are-chasing-me" kind of thrill, because, let's face it, that ceased to be scary long time ago. Rot & Ruin is horrifying for totally different reasons. In this book, Jonatham Maberry addresses our most basic fears: of being lost, abandoned by the society, lonely, misunderstood, of not living your life but merely existing. The zombies are not the bad guys here.. Sure they can hurt you and turn you into one of them. They'll follow you and try to get a bite of your yummy body, but it's not a conscious decision, or them wanting to harm you, that drives them. It's the disease. These zombies are more like plants, they follow the living just like plants follow the sun. It's a grim, depressing reality. I found myself emotionally wrapped up in this book. It's powerful and unforgettable. Brilliant. I can't emphasize enough how much I loved it.
I loved all the characters, especially Tom. He was wise, brave, patient, forgiving and ready to sacrifice himself for others. Benny was a great MC and, although I didn't care much for him at the beginning, as the story progressed he definitely grew on me. He went from a stubborn, slightly annoying brat who acted like he knew everything about the world around him, to a mature, thoughtful, understanding young man. I loved the transformation! All the characters in Rot&Ruin are three dimensional and complex like that, and it's impossible not to care about them.
Overall, Rot&Ruin made a huge impression on me and I'm definitely planning on re-reading it in the future. This is an absolute must-read, no doubt about it. I'm so happy that there will be not three but four books in the Benny Imura series - the more the better!
