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wxnniele 's review for:
Hearts Still Beating
by Brooke Archer
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rory’s eyes find mine, and in an instant, I see a million different versions of the girl in front of me. The Aurora I met and lost and loved, and the Rory I found on the other side.
Brooke Archer is to be blamed for the chokehold on my brain, several days after I finished her book Hearts Still Beating. Rory and Mara’s story is unforgettable in this fast-paced book that puts a twist on the zombies in an apocalypse trope. We’re greeted into their grim world as our story oscillates between Rory and Mara’s POV throughout the book. I appreciated Archer's story for her ability to show the reader’s what it’s like to lose your humanity as an Altered (Ticks - humans that have been infected - are given serums to help them delay their transformation to full blown Zombies) and the inner dialogue that occurs when your brain is in a constant fight with the Tick trying to gain full control of your body. I’m not a huge fan of zombies or apocalypse, but the characters in this book won me over with their flaws and messy relationships with one another. Instead of seeing the loss of humanity as a death sentence, some of the characters treat being a Tick as a flaw, like an annoying habit you can’t break or an illness that is now a part of your life, whereas others believe you are no longer you when you’re infected.
As I mentioned previously, some relationships are messier than others, and the majority of these characters have conflicting emotions about the new world and their “new” friends and family. It’s never black and white, and the greyness that these characters exist in creates riveting situations where they have to confront their feelings about living in the past or accepting the truth that things will never be the same again. Some of the themes in this book include coming-of-age, toxic family, questioning and accepting sexualities, found family versus blood family, and morality. There was never a moment where I felt that things were too bizarre or unrealistic - in fact, most of the time, I was too anxious to even pretend what I would do if I was in anyone’s position in this book.
Archer’s flashback anecdotes to a pre-apocalypse Rory and Mara when memories are triggered in interacting with something from the past worked effectively in giving context to their actions in the present. Even though the world they live in is grim, these little tidbits to their past gives hope that not everything has been terrible for these characters. It also gives insight for our character’s motivations and goals for moving on. This next part is more of a personal gripe rather than an objective criticism, but I absolutely loathe “enemies to lovers” tropes and more specifically in this case - you got infected and now we can’t be old and grey together so I’m super angry towards you. The majority of our book revolves around unpacking Rory’s feelings towards Mara turning, and though it’s obvious these two are in love with one another, we do have to accept Rory’s initial hostility towards Mara.
It inevitably pays off in the end, but I hate that Mara couldn’t help literally being infected, and her attempts of reconnecting and continuing their relationship after their first kiss, pre-apocalypse, was pushed back heavily for a majority of the book. As we uncover truths about the past, we’re rewarded with the passionate love these two have for one another and are welcomed with a found family that knows no boundaries.
This book is easily in first place as my favorite read of the year, though it’s only a little under half way done with the year, I’m both sad and content with it being a one and done (though I’m not going to be opposed if Archer decides to make a sequel(s)). Don’t let this book being categorized as YA fool you into thinking it’s only for teens and young adults, because it packs a punch that easily K.O’s many Adult books I have read throughout the years. It’s simply delightful, grim, and a whole lot of gay.