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curiosityboughtthebook's review
5.0
Usually, zombie books bore me to death (no pun intended). I used to love watching and reading all the Resident Evil movies/novelizations, but at some point the whole trope was overdone. Zombies just popped up here and there, and it wasn’t anything new anymore. This isn’t the case with River of Souls, in fact, it might be the best dang zombie novel I’ve ever read.
Here, we get the story from the zombies’ perspective, and they really have it rough. Being treated like second class citizens, they have to register themselves and give up their entire life - all while still being conscious like any other human. The government also makes them take drugs and forces them to be supervised by someone at all times. It sucks for them.
That’s when we meet Davin, and his sister Zoe. The two of them have to take care of their dead father, and it isn’t long until Davin also becomes a living dead citizen. He realizes he can no longer trust the government, and remains unregistered. Along the way he meets more unregistered Undead and might just make a friend or two.
I could go on and on about how much I loved this book, but you’ll just have to read it for yourself. I can’t wait to read the second book!
Thanks to the author for the review copy.
Here, we get the story from the zombies’ perspective, and they really have it rough. Being treated like second class citizens, they have to register themselves and give up their entire life - all while still being conscious like any other human. The government also makes them take drugs and forces them to be supervised by someone at all times. It sucks for them.
That’s when we meet Davin, and his sister Zoe. The two of them have to take care of their dead father, and it isn’t long until Davin also becomes a living dead citizen. He realizes he can no longer trust the government, and remains unregistered. Along the way he meets more unregistered Undead and might just make a friend or two.
I could go on and on about how much I loved this book, but you’ll just have to read it for yourself. I can’t wait to read the second book!
Thanks to the author for the review copy.
avalonroselin's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ericarobyn's review
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Review up soon!
uncanny_lynx's review
5.0
I picked this up after a long reading slump, and it was so refreshing. A zombie story more about the pain of life than the horrors of death, it’s a novel about hope for the hopeless and how one sharp moment can change who you are and what you’re fighting for.
It’s a book with action and danger and loss, but I still found it a comfortable read, something to settle into with a mug of hot cocoa. Maybe it could have been more stressful, more intense, but I liked that it wasn’t what I expected.
Mild spoilers: The ending left me looking for more, in a good way. The story feels unfinished, but it just means I’m hoping for a sequel.
It’s a book with action and danger and loss, but I still found it a comfortable read, something to settle into with a mug of hot cocoa. Maybe it could have been more stressful, more intense, but I liked that it wasn’t what I expected.
Mild spoilers: The ending left me looking for more, in a good way. The story feels unfinished, but it just means I’m hoping for a sequel.
findingmontauk1's review
4.0
I am extremely picky when it comes to reading any sort of book about zombies because between movies, TV, and books, we are definitely in a saturated world. For decades. So when I chose to read this one, it was because I saw in it something special and unique. And I was not wrong! T.L. Bodine has crafted a world where being infected/being undead has been "somewhat cured" by a drug called Lazarus. But you have to keep taking your meds or you might go off the deep end. There are also "home" and facilities for those infected to get better care/attention than they may receive at home with their loved ones trying to do their own 9-to-5 jobs, schools, etc.
We take a huge turn when a son who has put his life on hold to care for his undead father has a car wreck and ends up in the same place. Dead. This story has compassion. It has heart. It is unique and also can be seen as a reflection for some current political times.
4 stars to River of Souls as it kept me entertained and ready for more the whole time I was reading.
We take a huge turn when a son who has put his life on hold to care for his undead father has a car wreck and ends up in the same place. Dead. This story has compassion. It has heart. It is unique and also can be seen as a reflection for some current political times.
4 stars to River of Souls as it kept me entertained and ready for more the whole time I was reading.
exorcismofemilyreed's review
4.0
"They don't feel pain, either, or get tired, and bodies that no longer have the limitation of pain are capable of doing amazing, terrible things."
I've been exhausted by zombie stories for a while now, but River of Souls interested me from the beginning. This book has an interesting take, and it stands out from other zombie story options.
I thought the story was creative, and it kept my attention throughout the entire book. However, the thing that frustrated me was that monsters were positioned like actual real-life minorities in the book, and this frustrates me. It seems to be a bit of a trend in horror books sometimes, and it's getting old.
That wasn't a major factor throughout the entire book, but it was still in the back of my head. Besides that aspect, I enjoyed the book, and it was a unique and intriguing zombie story (I never thought I would say that).
I've been exhausted by zombie stories for a while now, but River of Souls interested me from the beginning. This book has an interesting take, and it stands out from other zombie story options.
I thought the story was creative, and it kept my attention throughout the entire book. However, the thing that frustrated me was that monsters were positioned like actual real-life minorities in the book, and this frustrates me. It seems to be a bit of a trend in horror books sometimes, and it's getting old.
That wasn't a major factor throughout the entire book, but it was still in the back of my head. Besides that aspect, I enjoyed the book, and it was a unique and intriguing zombie story (I never thought I would say that).
brennanlafaro's review
Forget everything you know about zombie stories...okay, good work. Well, maybe not everything. Can you get some of that back? Look, a lot of people are sick of zombies. Brian Keene did something with The Rising almost twenty years ago and the Walking Dead captures audiences when it premiered but it's been all downhill since. Sure there have been some bright spots in all the darkness, but overall - pass.
Enter T.L. Bodine with River of Souls. The novel promises a fresh spin on zombie tropes and lo and behold, it absolutely delivers. By the time we enter the story, the world has already been established. The dead began to come back to life, so here begins the apocalypse, right? Nope. Instead a vaccine dubbed "Lazarus" is developed which curbs the trademark taste for flesh and allows deceased loved ones to remain among their family.
Davin Montoya, our main character, is dealing with the death, resurrection, and ultimately the commitment to a nursing home of his father. That's when his life gets flipped, turned upside down. I'd consider it spoiler territory to give any more synopsis, but Bodine makes a bold and surprising choice that makes the novel very effective.
River of Souls is injected with social commentary throughout. Depending on how you read into it, you can see statements about racism, immigration, or even care/respect for our elderly. If that's not your thing, no worries. The characterization is the strongest suit. Davin is a complete three-dimensional character whose head we get to spend 200 pages in, and he's not even the best part. The most endearing part of the story is Davin's sister, Zoe. She's a firecracker, a lot of fun to read, and has a very complete arc to boot.
If you like a good zombie story, but you feel like you've been there, done that, give River of Souls a shot.
I was given a e-copy by the author for review consideration.
kjacques's review
5.0
It's hard to find a fresh spin on zombies, but T. L. Bodine nails it with the River of Souls which features complicated family relationships. Davin is a guy who is just trying to get by and keep his small family afloat. Without spoiling anything, I love how this novel treats Undeath as both an inconvenience and anti-climatic. We learn in the first few chapters how the dead are reviving, and what an absolute hassle it is, particularly as Davin attempts to juggle his undead father and rebellious teenage sister.
Davin's 'life' only goes from bad to worse, and you can't help feeling he is just experiencing one long no good very bad day. He is an every day average Joe thrust into a crazy world, and it's the perfect perspective to connect to this world.
Davin's 'life' only goes from bad to worse, and you can't help feeling he is just experiencing one long no good very bad day. He is an every day average Joe thrust into a crazy world, and it's the perfect perspective to connect to this world.
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