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lovestory26's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
zellian's review against another edition
4.0
I had picked up this book because of the cover, zombies and a hockey stick. I hadn't read Rot and Ruin and hadn't heard of the author before so I was going in with fresh eyes and mind.
It centers around three people, from what I gathered one new character, a character from the Rot and Ruin series and another character who was mentioned (I may be wrong about this).
Gutsy (Or Gabriella) lives in New Alamo and seems to be the new character to the series. It seems like she's supposed to be this teen who's rough around the edges and slightly void of emotion, the book mostly seems to center around her and her story line of trying to find out why her mother appears on her doorstep twice - having buried her when she passed and again after she reanimated.
Benny is a character that the series Rot and Ruin seem to be centered around and picks up after their massive battle, there are enough mentions and general background that I felt like you got an idea of the hell they'd gone through and the closeness that the events gave them. Benny and his team decide to take matters into their own hands once again when another town they were in contact with goes dark. Benny comes across as the unspoken leader of the fearless teens who has a big heart but also comes across as the one who always seems to get himself in trouble.
The final character remains unnamed for quite a bit of the book, a hunter in a forest who has isolated himself from anything and everything for years and continues to keep it that way. It's only after a chance meeting that he suddenly breaks out of his hermit shell and we see his connection to everyone else. I felt like they didn't focus too heavily on this character but tied in enough so that you still felt like he would be important even if you hadn't read Rot and Ruin. He seems to slightly mirror Gutsy in the fact that he's very stoic and has all the loner vibes to him.
The chapters in the book aren't especially long but seem to flesh out all the important information you need, which I feel like is because of the book being aimed mostly at teens. The most important thing I think needs to be mentioned, which I have mentioned many times throughout is that you don't need to read the series Rot and Ruin - that being said I am definitely going to read the books before I continue on with Broken Lands because I actually enjoyed this book. I'm a sucker for zombie books of all types and like the takes on the zombies of Broken Lands when it came to people using different names and then the different types. I started reading this book in March but ended up stopping and trying to read/finish other books, when I did end up picking this up again it was easy to just go straight back into.
I couldn't really say I had any bad points with the book, at times I did feel like I couldn't really connect with Gutsy and I felt one character seemed a bit either over the top or unrealistic (I can't quite word it) but really I thought it was a book I would continue on with and recommend to others.
It centers around three people, from what I gathered one new character, a character from the Rot and Ruin series and another character who was mentioned (I may be wrong about this).
Gutsy (Or Gabriella) lives in New Alamo and seems to be the new character to the series. It seems like she's supposed to be this teen who's rough around the edges and slightly void of emotion, the book mostly seems to center around her and her story line of trying to find out why her mother appears on her doorstep twice - having buried her when she passed and again after she reanimated.
Benny is a character that the series Rot and Ruin seem to be centered around and picks up after their massive battle, there are enough mentions and general background that I felt like you got an idea of the hell they'd gone through and the closeness that the events gave them. Benny and his team decide to take matters into their own hands once again when another town they were in contact with goes dark. Benny comes across as the unspoken leader of the fearless teens who has a big heart but also comes across as the one who always seems to get himself in trouble.
The final character remains unnamed for quite a bit of the book, a hunter in a forest who has isolated himself from anything and everything for years and continues to keep it that way. It's only after a chance meeting that he suddenly breaks out of his hermit shell and we see his connection to everyone else. I felt like they didn't focus too heavily on this character but tied in enough so that you still felt like he would be important even if you hadn't read Rot and Ruin. He seems to slightly mirror Gutsy in the fact that he's very stoic and has all the loner vibes to him.
The chapters in the book aren't especially long but seem to flesh out all the important information you need, which I feel like is because of the book being aimed mostly at teens. The most important thing I think needs to be mentioned, which I have mentioned many times throughout is that you don't need to read the series Rot and Ruin - that being said I am definitely going to read the books before I continue on with Broken Lands because I actually enjoyed this book. I'm a sucker for zombie books of all types and like the takes on the zombies of Broken Lands when it came to people using different names and then the different types. I started reading this book in March but ended up stopping and trying to read/finish other books, when I did end up picking this up again it was easy to just go straight back into.
I couldn't really say I had any bad points with the book, at times I did feel like I couldn't really connect with Gutsy and I felt one character seemed a bit either over the top or unrealistic (I can't quite word it) but really I thought it was a book I would continue on with and recommend to others.
cindeereads's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book it exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds the best Rot and Ruin book yet and now I really want the sequel in my hands now. I really loved the characters Benny and his group I really liked Gutsy and her group so much too I liked the LGBT part too pairing Gutsy with Alice. I liked how well the characters have developed so far and I really liked the new characters. I loved the story starting with Gutsy and then picking up right where we left off with Benny the story was so well written I really want that sequel so much. So overall I loved this book and I really want to read the sequel.
ragin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
dtaylorbooks's review
Where did I stop reading? Page 74
Why? It just wasn’t doing a whole lot for me. It was okay enough, but the pages I read were heavy in exposition that really didn’t do a whole lot to launch me into the story. I think Gutsy is a captivating enough character, but especially because this is a continuation of a world, I didn’t need much about the world itself but still got it. I would have much rather just been launched forward into the story. Maybe when I do finish the Rot & Ruin series (I think I have a book or two left) maybe I’ll come back to this one. But right now I’m not anxious to keep reading.
Why? It just wasn’t doing a whole lot for me. It was okay enough, but the pages I read were heavy in exposition that really didn’t do a whole lot to launch me into the story. I think Gutsy is a captivating enough character, but especially because this is a continuation of a world, I didn’t need much about the world itself but still got it. I would have much rather just been launched forward into the story. Maybe when I do finish the Rot & Ruin series (I think I have a book or two left) maybe I’ll come back to this one. But right now I’m not anxious to keep reading.
notcatpee's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
For context, I read the Rot and Ruin series in highschool, between around 2015-2016. I loved them. I still have a soft spot in my heart for the characters, and it was a pleasant surprise that they're back in this new series.
Unfortunately the new set of characters just don't resonate the same. Maybe I'm older now (and am too old). They just feel very forced and flat. I love the attempt at diversity, and that maybe more teens will relate to the new characters. But... it all seems forced. Very clumsy, ham-fisted, and spattered everywhere and anywhere throughout. I don't need to be reminded that a character is "curvy" in the final battle. I already know she is.
Still, a very good action-forward read. Maberry never disappoints with that.
I only hope that the current teens reading this connect to the new characters as much as I did with the first crew. It's hard to objectively step back to assess, now that I'm older.
Also I have beef with how a certain ending bit was tied off and from which perspective it was shown but I'm not going to spoil exactly what.
Unfortunately the new set of characters just don't resonate the same. Maybe I'm older now (and am too old). They just feel very forced and flat. I love the attempt at diversity, and that maybe more teens will relate to the new characters. But... it all seems forced. Very clumsy, ham-fisted, and spattered everywhere and anywhere throughout. I don't need to be reminded that a character is "curvy" in the final battle. I already know she is.
Still, a very good action-forward read. Maberry never disappoints with that.
I only hope that the current teens reading this connect to the new characters as much as I did with the first crew. It's hard to objectively step back to assess, now that I'm older.
Also I have beef with how a certain ending bit was tied off and from which perspective it was shown but I'm not going to spoil exactly what.
sensitivemuse's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
3.5
amandalee0429's review against another edition
3.0
Classic zombie story with great characters and lots of action.
mftaylor's review
3.0
This was my second read from Maberry. I really liked the 1st one I read, "Dead of Night", so I had high hopes for this one. Don't get me wrong, it was good but just not my kind of story. It's a zombie/end of the world story but the main characters are teenagers so more for young adults. Also, it is book 6 of the Rot & Ruin series, although it read fine as a stand-alone I think it may be better to read the entire series in order.
I was really hyped with the short book description and chapter 1. It drew me in but I found it starting to lose my interest and it was feeling too long. Gabriella "Gutsy" Gomez just had to bury her Mother, twice. That's the world they live in now. A world of zombies, fear, fighting, and survival. Benny Imura and his friends set out on a journey to hopefully find their friend and check on a neighboring town where contact has recently been lost.
An entertaining read with lots of action, zombies, death, and even a little dark humor.
I was really hyped with the short book description and chapter 1. It drew me in but I found it starting to lose my interest and it was feeling too long. Gabriella "Gutsy" Gomez just had to bury her Mother, twice. That's the world they live in now. A world of zombies, fear, fighting, and survival. Benny Imura and his friends set out on a journey to hopefully find their friend and check on a neighboring town where contact has recently been lost.
An entertaining read with lots of action, zombies, death, and even a little dark humor.
audrarussellwrites's review
5.0
This was a LONG book but it never lacked in action which is why it took me almost two weeks to read it. I had to give myself breaks from all the zombies. These were no ordinary zombies, either. I don't want to spoil anything for you so I won't go into detail about them, but they were CREEPY.
A very good book and the ending, of course, was a cliff hanger. I'm trying to decide if I want to read the rest of the books in this series. I think I need some time to recover from this one first. :-)
A very good book and the ending, of course, was a cliff hanger. I'm trying to decide if I want to read the rest of the books in this series. I think I need some time to recover from this one first. :-)