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travelgirlut 's review for:
Rot & Ruin
by Jonathan Maberry
(2.5 stars rounded up because I wasn't really in the mood to read it in the first place so don't want to dock it for my lack of zombie mood.)
I thought I was in the mood for a zombie book. I had just finished watching Warm Bodies again and thought, "I need more of that fun zombie action." And then I started reading Rot & Ruin and realized I really wasn't in the mood after all. But I had already started, and I didn't have anything better waiting in the wings, so I just plodded on through.
My biggest gripe with the book is the immaturity of the main character, Benny. Boy, is he a whiner. He makes up his mind about things, often incorrectly, and then moans and groans when people don't conform to his beliefs. He does get better as the book goes along, but the beginning ruined him for me.
There's also a lot of talk and philosophizing going on in the book, often at the expense of the zombie action. This makes the story feel slower than you would expect from an apocalyptic zombie novel. There are some interesting life lessons that could be learned, I guess, but it wasn't what I wanted for my zombie fix.
However, I can 100% see how this book would appeal to the teenage crowd. There's the dashing older brother who's a super ninja. There's zombies. There's a love story. I enjoy reading YA books that don't pander to the perceived lower intelligence of the YA crowd, but this one panders. It is written in a tone that makes it obvious from the beginning that, yep, this is a YA book.
And as a final note, there was a major discrepancy in the book that I just couldn't let go for the last third of the story.
So if you don't mind a book that talks down to you a bit and has more talking than fighting, this wasn't a bad story overall. Just not quite my cup of tea. Will I read the next one? Maybe, if the zombie mood strikes again and the stars align just right and the book falls into my lap. It could happen.
I thought I was in the mood for a zombie book. I had just finished watching Warm Bodies again and thought, "I need more of that fun zombie action." And then I started reading Rot & Ruin and realized I really wasn't in the mood after all. But I had already started, and I didn't have anything better waiting in the wings, so I just plodded on through.
My biggest gripe with the book is the immaturity of the main character, Benny. Boy, is he a whiner. He makes up his mind about things, often incorrectly, and then moans and groans when people don't conform to his beliefs. He does get better as the book goes along, but the beginning ruined him for me.
There's also a lot of talk and philosophizing going on in the book, often at the expense of the zombie action. This makes the story feel slower than you would expect from an apocalyptic zombie novel. There are some interesting life lessons that could be learned, I guess, but it wasn't what I wanted for my zombie fix.
However, I can 100% see how this book would appeal to the teenage crowd. There's the dashing older brother who's a super ninja. There's zombies. There's a love story. I enjoy reading YA books that don't pander to the perceived lower intelligence of the YA crowd, but this one panders. It is written in a tone that makes it obvious from the beginning that, yep, this is a YA book.
And as a final note, there was a major discrepancy in the book that I just couldn't let go for the last third of the story.
Spoiler
When Benny is off saving Nix there are repeated mentionings of her bare footprints and her running barefoot across a field, etc., etc. However, nowhere afterwards are we ever told that she acquires a pair of shoes, and they continue to run all over the forests and mountains and fight the bad guys, apparently all with no shoes!! She must have feet lined with leather.So if you don't mind a book that talks down to you a bit and has more talking than fighting, this wasn't a bad story overall. Just not quite my cup of tea. Will I read the next one? Maybe, if the zombie mood strikes again and the stars align just right and the book falls into my lap. It could happen.