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A review by totalsassreads
Rabid Heart by Jeremy Wagner
4.0
First, and this is not a criticism, I do want to give a warning for sexual violence and threats of sexual violence. It's not overly graphic or anything, but with the world context when I read it (Kavanaugh hearings) I actually had to take a break from the book for a couple days.
Rhonda definitely makes the book worth the read. At first I was worried I was going to get annoyed with her, but we also spend a decent chunk of the book with her and a zombie who can only say Rhonda, and yet I was not bored. A lot happened and a lot was shown during that time and it was really tense. The zombies, referred to by Rhonda as "Cujos" are not all the same and I think that definitely gave this story an edge.
One of my favorite quotes from Jurassic Park is when Dr. Sattler says, "we can discuss sexism in survival situations when I get back." That went through my head because I think it would have been really easy to write Rhonda as helpless, stupid, or weak. In her mind, of course she's freaking out, but how she acts is tough and assured and I enjoyed that about her character. She never falls apart and it definitely kept me turning the page. Sometimes I didn't understand her, but I was always rooting for her. There were definitely men around her that engaged in sexist behavior and attitudes toward her, but it never stopped her. Some of them also learned the error of their ways regarding underestimating her, or negating the emotions that motivated her.
This book will also make you ask yourself questions about the zombie digestion process that you never knew needed answers. I still don't have them, but I'm thinking about them.
The only downside for me is that the ending felt rushed - there's this insane climax and I wanted just a bit more from the resolution afterward. It was still a good ending that fit the story, I just wanted it to be drawn out a bit more.
Fans of badass heroines, girls with guns, and zombie survival stories, will definitely enjoy this book.
Rhonda definitely makes the book worth the read. At first I was worried I was going to get annoyed with her, but we also spend a decent chunk of the book with her and a zombie who can only say Rhonda, and yet I was not bored. A lot happened and a lot was shown during that time and it was really tense. The zombies, referred to by Rhonda as "Cujos" are not all the same and I think that definitely gave this story an edge.
One of my favorite quotes from Jurassic Park is when Dr. Sattler says, "we can discuss sexism in survival situations when I get back." That went through my head because I think it would have been really easy to write Rhonda as helpless, stupid, or weak. In her mind, of course she's freaking out, but how she acts is tough and assured and I enjoyed that about her character. She never falls apart and it definitely kept me turning the page. Sometimes I didn't understand her, but I was always rooting for her. There were definitely men around her that engaged in sexist behavior and attitudes toward her, but it never stopped her. Some of them also learned the error of their ways regarding underestimating her, or negating the emotions that motivated her.
This book will also make you ask yourself questions about the zombie digestion process that you never knew needed answers. I still don't have them, but I'm thinking about them.
The only downside for me is that the ending felt rushed - there's this insane climax and I wanted just a bit more from the resolution afterward. It was still a good ending that fit the story, I just wanted it to be drawn out a bit more.
Fans of badass heroines, girls with guns, and zombie survival stories, will definitely enjoy this book.