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Mad World #1
Mad World
First love, found family, and zombies.
It’s been seven years since a rabies-like virus decimated the human population. Those who haven’t turned Rabid from the fever are struggling to survive. When Cipher, leader of his band of misfits, encounters a young man digging in his garden in a sunny suburb of South Carolina, he doesn’t know what to make of him. Alone and with all of his limbs intact, the teen seems to be thriving, and yet, there is the matter of the Rabid-like groans emanating from the second-story window.
Joshua doesn’t trust this rag-tag gang of youths who’ve infiltrated his home and nicknamed him “Kitten.” He certainly doesn’t trust the clever, black-eyed killer who’s good with a blade, but he’s tired of waiting for his brother to return home, and he’d rather join this band of scavengers than be left all alone. He’ll journey with them to Atlanta and figure out his next moves from there.
Cipher’s first priority is to protect his found family, which now includes this vexing young man who challenges his authority at every turn. How will he maintain order among his tribe? More importantly, how will he guard his heart?
MAD WORLD is a zombie-esque dystopian for those who crave survivalist stories with a dollop of angst and dash of spice. This new adult MM romance is the first book of a trilogy which will follow the same couple until they reach their hard-won happy ending.
Content warnings for death of a parent; some internalized ableism; violence and gore; young adults in peril, including the recounting and threat of sexual assault; recreational drug and alcohol use; addiction; disordered eating; mention of suicide, overdose, and death of family members; death of an animal (not the cat).
It’s been seven years since a rabies-like virus decimated the human population. Those who haven’t turned Rabid from the fever are struggling to survive. When Cipher, leader of his band of misfits, encounters a young man digging in his garden in a sunny suburb of South Carolina, he doesn’t know what to make of him. Alone and with all of his limbs intact, the teen seems to be thriving, and yet, there is the matter of the Rabid-like groans emanating from the second-story window.
Joshua doesn’t trust this rag-tag gang of youths who’ve infiltrated his home and nicknamed him “Kitten.” He certainly doesn’t trust the clever, black-eyed killer who’s good with a blade, but he’s tired of waiting for his brother to return home, and he’d rather join this band of scavengers than be left all alone. He’ll journey with them to Atlanta and figure out his next moves from there.
Cipher’s first priority is to protect his found family, which now includes this vexing young man who challenges his authority at every turn. How will he maintain order among his tribe? More importantly, how will he guard his heart?
MAD WORLD is a zombie-esque dystopian for those who crave survivalist stories with a dollop of angst and dash of spice. This new adult MM romance is the first book of a trilogy which will follow the same couple until they reach their hard-won happy ending.
Content warnings for death of a parent; some internalized ableism; violence and gore; young adults in peril, including the recounting and threat of sexual assault; recreational drug and alcohol use; addiction; disordered eating; mention of suicide, overdose, and death of family members; death of an animal (not the cat).
270 pages, ebook
First published March 25, 2023
93 people are currently reading
386 people want to read
About the author
Laura Lascarso
30 books499 followersMM+ AUTHOR | Romance so good it hurts
Laura Lascarso wants you to stay up way past your bedtime reading her stories. She aims to inspire more questions than answers in her fiction and believes in the power of storytelling to heal and transform a society.
When not writing, Laura can be found screaming “finish” on the soccer fields, rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender, and trying to convince politicians to act on climate change. She lives in North Florida with her darling husband and two kids. She loves hearing from readers, and she’d be delighted to hear from you.
Join her Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/LaurasLounge
Sign up for her newsletter at www.lauralascarso.com
Laura Lascarso wants you to stay up way past your bedtime reading her stories. She aims to inspire more questions than answers in her fiction and believes in the power of storytelling to heal and transform a society.
When not writing, Laura can be found screaming “finish” on the soccer fields, rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender, and trying to convince politicians to act on climate change. She lives in North Florida with her darling husband and two kids. She loves hearing from readers, and she’d be delighted to hear from you.
Join her Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/LaurasLounge
Sign up for her newsletter at www.lauralascarso.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
July 11, 2023
Dnf at 50%
I really wanted to like this book because I love post apocalyptic stories, especially when there’s romance sprinkled in. It started off promising, the writing and premise kept me interested the first 25 percent and then went downhill from there. Is this book YA? Can YA have detailed smut scenes? I honestly don’t know. The reason I feel this could be considered YA is because of how young Joshua (Kitten) acted, even though he turns 18 in the book. His character threw me off, one second he’s acting like a sheltered child and then the next he’s asking Cipher to “touch his wiener” 😭🤢 Also Cipher kept calling himself old when he’s only 19… calm down. Another thing to mention is how Joshua kept calling Cipher his ‘dad’ as a joke and even said that the way Cipher held him tight reminded him of his father… just why did that have to be written? Joshua also meowed in one scene when he was doing a stripper dance 🤦♂️ Made me want to gouge out my own eyes. And finally the thing that pushed me over the edge was when Joshua starts talking about how he wanted to touch Ciphers dick and says the words “Maybe even put it in my mouth?” 🤮
I really wanted to like this book because I love post apocalyptic stories, especially when there’s romance sprinkled in. It started off promising, the writing and premise kept me interested the first 25 percent and then went downhill from there. Is this book YA? Can YA have detailed smut scenes? I honestly don’t know. The reason I feel this could be considered YA is because of how young Joshua (Kitten) acted, even though he turns 18 in the book. His character threw me off, one second he’s acting like a sheltered child and then the next he’s asking Cipher to “touch his wiener” 😭🤢 Also Cipher kept calling himself old when he’s only 19… calm down. Another thing to mention is how Joshua kept calling Cipher his ‘dad’ as a joke and even said that the way Cipher held him tight reminded him of his father… just why did that have to be written? Joshua also meowed in one scene when he was doing a stripper dance 🤦♂️ Made me want to gouge out my own eyes. And finally the thing that pushed me over the edge was when Joshua starts talking about how he wanted to touch Ciphers dick and says the words “Maybe even put it in my mouth?” 🤮
dnf
April 12, 2025DNF at 44%
I liked the idea, even if it’s nothing particularly new, a group of kids in the middle of the zombie apocalypse traveling toward a very-originally-named Promised Land. I would’ve probably kept going even though the story didn’t particularly grasp me, but the relationship development between Cipher and Joshua doesn’t feel natural and Joshua’s character isn’t really working for me. He’s 18 but at times he reads like a much younger kid, which fits with his life experience, but then there’s the way he’s pushing for a sexual relationship with Cipher and the way things have started and are progressing in that area is giving me very creepy vibes. I’m out.
I liked the idea, even if it’s nothing particularly new, a group of kids in the middle of the zombie apocalypse traveling toward a very-originally-named Promised Land. I would’ve probably kept going even though the story didn’t particularly grasp me, but the relationship development between Cipher and Joshua doesn’t feel natural and Joshua’s character isn’t really working for me. He’s 18 but at times he reads like a much younger kid, which fits with his life experience, but then there’s the way he’s pushing for a sexual relationship with Cipher and the way things have started and are progressing in that area is giving me very creepy vibes. I’m out.
April 12, 2023
2.5 rounded... idk, up? Maybe down?
You know how sometimes you finish a book, and in retrospect it just gets better and better? Yeah, that's not the case with Mad World by Laura Lascarso. A brief synopsis: in a world in which 90% of the population has died or turned to zombies, a small band of teenagers heading south to the Promised Land (capital letters come straight from the book) comes across a boy who acts as if the zombie apocalypse has not occurred. They meet, zombies happen, shenanigans ensue.
Mad World starts very strong - with the exact premise I wrote above. The road trip to a "better place" (here the somewhat unimaginatively named "Promised Land") is an incredibly common trope in post-apocalyptic novels, and in recent years I've noticed it being present in virtually all zombie novels. The thing is, this book steadily goes downhill as soon as they leave Joshua (Kitten)'s home and make their way to Promised Land. I had trouble articulating my thoughts while reading/immediately upon completing the novel, but I think I have pinpointed the big issue: for a book taking place in the zombie apocalypse, it sorely lacks action. Sure, the characters come across raiders, the occasional zombie, and even wildlife (more on that in a moment), but the stakes just don't feel very high. Everything that they have to lose - family members, body parts, the modern world itself - is missing within the first thirty pages. And even the modern world is not really lost - when they reach a certain destination they discover that restaurants and Coca Cola factories are still functioning! Like, what? And yeah, sure, you could argue that they could lose their lives, but that's not something to worry about if they're never in danger. In other words, the plot is a big nothing.
The next issue I have is identifying the audience for this book. Who is it? Is this book YA? A romance? There are waaay too many spicy scenes for this to be YA, but in many ways, the characters make this read like YA. The characters are actually my next concern (annoyance? Frustration?), so let's move onto that. The characters are all roughly 15-19 years old; the protagonists Cipher and Kitten are 19 and 17 (and then 18) respectively. Killer teenagers is not an unusual conceit in YA fiction, so I don't mind that. Half the characters are honestly kind of useless (why is Gizmo there? What's the point of Teresa besides being a traumatized female version of Kitten?), and the protagonists are... not much better. My biggest issue is that Kitten reads as incredibly immature and young, but a very oversexualized young. He can't possibly take care of himself; he is too innocent and pure for this world; because he grew up sheltered he doesn't understand The Real World - I'm paraphrasing the text right now. Since he has been so sheltered he has next to no sexual experience, knowledge, or even a means to gain said knowledge. Despite this, he flirts with Cipher, initiates sex (frequently), and reads as weirdly sexually mature. To be quite honest: I don't feel comfortable reading about this character. Very icky vibes. Someone in the editing process needed to tell the author to drop the sheltered thing or age everyone up a few years.
Finally - and I haven't seen anyone else talking about this, so maybe it's just me - this book reads weirdly similar to All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown. Two teenage boys meet in the apocalypse (one stumbling upon the other's very nicely outfitted home); they go on a road trip to some sort of promised land in the southeast US; and perhaps most egregiously, they stumble across a form of wildlife that is not, shall we say, native to the US. I may be reaching here, but Mad World kinda reads like a poor man's version of ATLITW and that bothers me.
I have some other complaints about this book, but I think I'll just end here. The book has a lot of wasted potential and some very strange plotting/characterization choices that really mess up the book for me. I don't think I'll read more in this series, but based on the strength of the first sixty-ish pages I'm open to reading more by this author. I don't think I recommend this book, but I do recommend ATLITW.
You know how sometimes you finish a book, and in retrospect it just gets better and better? Yeah, that's not the case with Mad World by Laura Lascarso. A brief synopsis: in a world in which 90% of the population has died or turned to zombies, a small band of teenagers heading south to the Promised Land (capital letters come straight from the book) comes across a boy who acts as if the zombie apocalypse has not occurred. They meet, zombies happen, shenanigans ensue.
Mad World starts very strong - with the exact premise I wrote above. The road trip to a "better place" (here the somewhat unimaginatively named "Promised Land") is an incredibly common trope in post-apocalyptic novels, and in recent years I've noticed it being present in virtually all zombie novels. The thing is, this book steadily goes downhill as soon as they leave Joshua (Kitten)'s home and make their way to Promised Land. I had trouble articulating my thoughts while reading/immediately upon completing the novel, but I think I have pinpointed the big issue: for a book taking place in the zombie apocalypse, it sorely lacks action. Sure, the characters come across raiders, the occasional zombie, and even wildlife (more on that in a moment), but the stakes just don't feel very high. Everything that they have to lose - family members, body parts, the modern world itself - is missing within the first thirty pages. And even the modern world is not really lost - when they reach a certain destination they discover that restaurants and Coca Cola factories are still functioning! Like, what? And yeah, sure, you could argue that they could lose their lives, but that's not something to worry about if they're never in danger. In other words, the plot is a big nothing.
The next issue I have is identifying the audience for this book. Who is it? Is this book YA? A romance? There are waaay too many spicy scenes for this to be YA, but in many ways, the characters make this read like YA. The characters are actually my next concern (annoyance? Frustration?), so let's move onto that. The characters are all roughly 15-19 years old; the protagonists Cipher and Kitten are 19 and 17 (and then 18) respectively. Killer teenagers is not an unusual conceit in YA fiction, so I don't mind that. Half the characters are honestly kind of useless (why is Gizmo there? What's the point of Teresa besides being a traumatized female version of Kitten?), and the protagonists are... not much better. My biggest issue is that Kitten reads as incredibly immature and young, but a very oversexualized young. He can't possibly take care of himself; he is too innocent and pure for this world; because he grew up sheltered he doesn't understand The Real World - I'm paraphrasing the text right now. Since he has been so sheltered he has next to no sexual experience, knowledge, or even a means to gain said knowledge. Despite this, he flirts with Cipher, initiates sex (frequently), and reads as weirdly sexually mature. To be quite honest: I don't feel comfortable reading about this character. Very icky vibes. Someone in the editing process needed to tell the author to drop the sheltered thing or age everyone up a few years.
Finally - and I haven't seen anyone else talking about this, so maybe it's just me - this book reads weirdly similar to All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown. Two teenage boys meet in the apocalypse (one stumbling upon the other's very nicely outfitted home); they go on a road trip to some sort of promised land in the southeast US; and perhaps most egregiously, they stumble across a form of wildlife that is not, shall we say, native to the US. I may be reaching here, but Mad World kinda reads like a poor man's version of ATLITW and that bothers me.
I have some other complaints about this book, but I think I'll just end here. The book has a lot of wasted potential and some very strange plotting/characterization choices that really mess up the book for me. I don't think I'll read more in this series, but based on the strength of the first sixty-ish pages I'm open to reading more by this author. I don't think I recommend this book, but I do recommend ATLITW.
August 5, 2024
3.5 stars. There was something a little off about the relationship between the two younger MCs. Their interactions didn’t quite fit their respective backgrounds (language/dialogue, physical behavior, etc.), but I enjoyed the overall story.
December 28, 2025
This was so sweet and cute, I loved it.
I love post apocalyptic stories and this is the first book in a trilogy.
Cipher and his group find Kitten one day and invite him to come along with them to a place they can be free and happy. Cipher tries to resist him at first but there is no use. They like each other and denying it doesn't change that.
Kitten was the purest thing there was and I loved how be took charge sometimes, he wanted Cipher and he did all he could to get him.
I loved the whole group, such various personalities and a found family trope so sweet.
I can't wait to read more from these series
I love post apocalyptic stories and this is the first book in a trilogy.
Cipher and his group find Kitten one day and invite him to come along with them to a place they can be free and happy. Cipher tries to resist him at first but there is no use. They like each other and denying it doesn't change that.
Kitten was the purest thing there was and I loved how be took charge sometimes, he wanted Cipher and he did all he could to get him.
I loved the whole group, such various personalities and a found family trope so sweet.
I can't wait to read more from these series
May 9, 2023
3.5 Stars
What’s my favorite weapon to find in an end-of-the-world read?
I think every zombie read should wield one. And I’m happy to say, I get to see one in action here. SOOO….that’s my way of saying “Hell, yeah! I liked this book. :)
Welcome to Rabid Country! Where fear, guns, blades, and running are a way of life. Seven years ago, a rabies like virus turned most of the population into stumbling, groaning, zombie-like creatures. The “Rabids” roam the new post-apocalyptic landscape biting, killing, and spreading the sickness. And they’re not the only danger out there. It’s a mad, mad world all around. Trust is hard to come by. Your only hope is to band together and fight! This story is about one such group trying to find a place to call home. But how can anyone think and plan for the future in a world with zero guarantees you’ll live to see tomorrow?
“Life is short. You know that better than anyone else. You blink and another one of your friends or family is gone. Why not enjoy what we have when we have it?”
I love this crew! Artemis, Macon, Teresa, Gizmo, Cipher, and Kitten make up the traveling band. Each one offers a new element or skill. Artemis has power in her words and ways. Macon. Haha… I love the big guy. He’s the muscle and humor of the bunch, who says things like—“right as rain”. And Gizmo! You have to meet Gizmo. This story alternates between Kitten and Cipher’s points of view though.
19-year-old, Cipher is the killer in the bunch. He’s the intimidating, grumpy, scowling one. That is…until he meets Kitten. A ball of light in a dark, dark world. Kitten is a young 17 with innocence shining oh-so bright. Pair that light with Cipher’s badass, tightly wound energy and worry and you get one fun, sweet, and sexy mixture. The chemistry between these two is immediate. With the whole gang actually! I loved how all of them talked, shared, and supported each other right from the get-go. It felt like a family.
My only hiccup here was the sexual energy. Kitten acted very young. He was just beginning to explore his horniness. But some scenes felt ridiculous and almost bow-chicka-wow-wow like. The sweet energies of the characters didn’t really gel with the mood of some of the interactions. It felt off. What made these two work for me was the heart. You’ll feel how much they want to be there for each other.
Ms. Lascarso paints a harsh world. The pages capture the blood, gore, and muck of the attacks and kills in sounds, smells, and more. Thumbs up to the bone crushing, brain splatter! She brought in some new elements that made me think and itch too. But maybe, just maybe this small band of misfits finds something special in the midst of all the blood, danger, and death.
A strong first book in a trilogy. I’m looking forward to more.
April 12, 2023
✰ 3.25 stars ✰
“It’s a mad, mad world, Kitten, but I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe.”
I have read a couple of books by Laura Lascarso, so I was slightly hopeful that Mad World wouldn't be a disappointing read - and yeah, it wasn't - especially, since I've recently seen the tv series The Last of Us, this was an enjoyable read to breeze through. Yet funnily enough, for a story about a zombie virus that's decimated the population, there really was a scarcity of them. But, it was nicely balanced with an energetic lovable group of friends, who at the start of the book, stumble into the home of Joshua aka Kitten, as he takes care of his ailing zombie mother.
Cipher, a reaper, one designated with the job of ending these zombie lives takes it upon himself to put her out of his misery, despite Kitten's many protests. 🪓 Sheltered his whole life and now with nothing left keeping him tethered to his home, Kitten joins this strange rag-muffin group of individuals on their journey to Atlanta, the self-proclaimed Paradise, and also in the hopes of finding his long-lost older brother there.
This was honestly just a fun light-hearted (surprisingly so!) read. It was cute and fun to see Cipher refuse Kitten's many romantic overtures, despite being annoyingly attracted to him. ✨ Their group was so lovable, so supportive, so very interactive and jovial with each other, with such a healthy diverse representation to boot. Honestly, the found family trope is very strong here and rightfully so. Despite the imminent threat and danger they were facing, they would find the time to bring some happiness into their little mad world. 💞💞
“You’re the first person I’ve ever fallen asleep with, Kitten. In case you hadn’t noticed, my armor has armor.”
Kitten and his own pet cat were adorable together - so very irresistible, that when Cipher eventually succumbed to his advances, it was actually very wholesome! 😊 Because, Cipher has his own inner demons that he can't ignore - it was traumatic for what he had to do to save his own life and stop the disease from spreading. How Kitten's sexy but soft advances charmed their way into his tough exterior of heart was also so very sweet, that it was just so nice to see some fluff in these dangerous survival times! 😺
And with the familiarity with Ms.Lascarso's writing, I'm cautiously curious to see what lies in store for our intrepid group of teenagers. 🧟
“It’s a mad, mad world, Kitten, but I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe.”
I have read a couple of books by Laura Lascarso, so I was slightly hopeful that Mad World wouldn't be a disappointing read - and yeah, it wasn't - especially, since I've recently seen the tv series The Last of Us, this was an enjoyable read to breeze through. Yet funnily enough, for a story about a zombie virus that's decimated the population, there really was a scarcity of them. But, it was nicely balanced with an energetic lovable group of friends, who at the start of the book, stumble into the home of Joshua aka Kitten, as he takes care of his ailing zombie mother.
Cipher, a reaper, one designated with the job of ending these zombie lives takes it upon himself to put her out of his misery, despite Kitten's many protests. 🪓 Sheltered his whole life and now with nothing left keeping him tethered to his home, Kitten joins this strange rag-muffin group of individuals on their journey to Atlanta, the self-proclaimed Paradise, and also in the hopes of finding his long-lost older brother there.
This was honestly just a fun light-hearted (surprisingly so!) read. It was cute and fun to see Cipher refuse Kitten's many romantic overtures, despite being annoyingly attracted to him. ✨ Their group was so lovable, so supportive, so very interactive and jovial with each other, with such a healthy diverse representation to boot. Honestly, the found family trope is very strong here and rightfully so. Despite the imminent threat and danger they were facing, they would find the time to bring some happiness into their little mad world. 💞💞
“You’re the first person I’ve ever fallen asleep with, Kitten. In case you hadn’t noticed, my armor has armor.”
Kitten and his own pet cat were adorable together - so very irresistible, that when Cipher eventually succumbed to his advances, it was actually very wholesome! 😊 Because, Cipher has his own inner demons that he can't ignore - it was traumatic for what he had to do to save his own life and stop the disease from spreading. How Kitten's sexy but soft advances charmed their way into his tough exterior of heart was also so very sweet, that it was just so nice to see some fluff in these dangerous survival times! 😺
And with the familiarity with Ms.Lascarso's writing, I'm cautiously curious to see what lies in store for our intrepid group of teenagers. 🧟
March 27, 2023
A fun alternative for those who don’t like the gore that usually accompanies post apocalyptic stories.
If you’re a fan of fluff with a side of world building and character development then this is definitely one for you.
I really enjoy Laura’s writing. It certainly appears as though it comes easy to her to create new worlds and people who know her work, also know that she has a soft spot for the more gentle characters and we get some more of that in this book.
Curious to see what is in store for this band of misfits in the next 2 books.
If you’re a fan of fluff with a side of world building and character development then this is definitely one for you.
I really enjoy Laura’s writing. It certainly appears as though it comes easy to her to create new worlds and people who know her work, also know that she has a soft spot for the more gentle characters and we get some more of that in this book.
Curious to see what is in store for this band of misfits in the next 2 books.
April 1, 2023
Imagine an apocalypse world after a virus that cost a lot of lives of the human race.
Cipher and his crew are traveling south to Atlanta, at a stopover to restock he discovers a lonely boy, Cipher already nicknamed him Kitten. He seems to have survived the virus.
Kitten will join them on their journey to Atlanta. Kitten hopes to find his brother. Cipher can’t do any good in Kitten’s eye. Kitten is feisty and Cipher grumpy.
“And if anyone tried to dim the light in his eyes, I would absolutely break them.“
The journey is dangerous, there are not only Rabids crossing their path.
Cipher is the protector of the group, keeping them safe at all costs.
Feelings change, Kitten is smitten with Cipher and Cipher tries to keep him at arm's length, even if he wants to jump him. Kitten is such an adorable tease, Cipher’s walls just crumbled down.
The group of six teenagers is wonderful, fierce, battered, in short, a real team, a family, and survivors!
I’m not really a zombie fan, but I trusted the author’s skills enough to know it will be a good one.
There is some gore but not too heavy, there’s some sweetness, a bit of romance, and action to survive.
A sweet (yes, sweet) captivating story, with great world-building and as always excellently written.
Cipher and his crew are traveling south to Atlanta, at a stopover to restock he discovers a lonely boy, Cipher already nicknamed him Kitten. He seems to have survived the virus.
Kitten will join them on their journey to Atlanta. Kitten hopes to find his brother. Cipher can’t do any good in Kitten’s eye. Kitten is feisty and Cipher grumpy.
“And if anyone tried to dim the light in his eyes, I would absolutely break them.“
The journey is dangerous, there are not only Rabids crossing their path.
Cipher is the protector of the group, keeping them safe at all costs.
Feelings change, Kitten is smitten with Cipher and Cipher tries to keep him at arm's length, even if he wants to jump him. Kitten is such an adorable tease, Cipher’s walls just crumbled down.
The group of six teenagers is wonderful, fierce, battered, in short, a real team, a family, and survivors!
I’m not really a zombie fan, but I trusted the author’s skills enough to know it will be a good one.
There is some gore but not too heavy, there’s some sweetness, a bit of romance, and action to survive.
A sweet (yes, sweet) captivating story, with great world-building and as always excellently written.
April 17, 2025
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.5 stars
Mad World is the first book in Laura Lascarso’s post-apocalyptic Mad World trilogy and I really enjoyed this one. The story has a bit of a different slant than many of the zombie apocalypse-type stories I have read in that we pick up years into the aftermath of the disaster, rather than during the outbreak. Also, while there are plenty of high intensity situations, this story is much more about the road trip and the bond between Cipher, Kitten, and the rest of the group than it is about fighting the Rabids or terrifying battle scenes. I love a good road trip story, as well as found family tales, and this one combines the two really nicely.
This book is part one of the trilogy, so the story definitely doesn’t end here. However, we wrap up at a place that feels like it closes this book out well. The trilogy will follow Cipher and Kitten throughout, and I am really eager to see how things develop over the next two books.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
4.5 stars
Mad World is the first book in Laura Lascarso’s post-apocalyptic Mad World trilogy and I really enjoyed this one. The story has a bit of a different slant than many of the zombie apocalypse-type stories I have read in that we pick up years into the aftermath of the disaster, rather than during the outbreak. Also, while there are plenty of high intensity situations, this story is much more about the road trip and the bond between Cipher, Kitten, and the rest of the group than it is about fighting the Rabids or terrifying battle scenes. I love a good road trip story, as well as found family tales, and this one combines the two really nicely.
This book is part one of the trilogy, so the story definitely doesn’t end here. However, we wrap up at a place that feels like it closes this book out well. The trilogy will follow Cipher and Kitten throughout, and I am really eager to see how things develop over the next two books.
Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.
April 24, 2023
Do I like Laura Lascarso? YES tbh I do, even if I don't always fully jam with her novels. I still think she can write, and I do buy her work when it comes out.
Did I like this particular book? Yes and no?
I mean, is this a Fallocaust fanfic? If it is, Laura, please, there's nothing wrong with being fans of Quil Carter. Quil is honestly quite brilliant, and the Fallocaust series is absolutely amazing (that is, before it goes to shit with the proxy worms and whatnot).
So yeah, I was a little bit disconcerted by the NUMEROUS Fallocaust parallels. Seemed to me that this tried to be a more PC, more YA, gentler version of Reaver and Killian. Which per se it's a mistake, as I don't think Reaver and Killian can exist in a PC, YA world.
Anyway, I digress. I liked this book nonetheless, I feel. Mostly, because I am a very anxious person who hates post-apocalyptic dystopia. I absolutely struggle to read the genre (I don't count the Fallocaust series into the genre, as that is absolutely so unbelievably bullshitty that my not suspended suspension of disbelief saved me from the anxiety) even in its mildest form. I have had months of nightmares after watching one (ONE) episode of The Walking Dead, and only the trailer of The Last of Us almost gave me a panic attack. This is to say, yeah, I'm sensitive to this shit. And I feel like Laura Lascarso wrote this book for all of us anxious messes. Because I've read this one just fine, and the only things I felt from it were care, found family, gentleness and a sweet vulnerability that comes from sorrow, and love. I kinda teared up at the end, when Cipher finally tells his story to Kitten (I'd written Killian before. Duh).
So, then. Did I like it? I think in the end, I did. Is this a masterpiece? No, and it does read a little like fanfic for a without a doubt better book (which is the Fallocaust book 1). Still, I'm curious to see where it will end up. I kinda am attached to these boys now and I want them to live.
So yeah. That's kinda it really.
bye now
Did I like this particular book? Yes and no?
I mean, is this a Fallocaust fanfic? If it is, Laura, please, there's nothing wrong with being fans of Quil Carter. Quil is honestly quite brilliant, and the Fallocaust series is absolutely amazing (that is, before it goes to shit with the proxy worms and whatnot).
So yeah, I was a little bit disconcerted by the NUMEROUS Fallocaust parallels. Seemed to me that this tried to be a more PC, more YA, gentler version of Reaver and Killian. Which per se it's a mistake, as I don't think Reaver and Killian can exist in a PC, YA world.
Anyway, I digress. I liked this book nonetheless, I feel. Mostly, because I am a very anxious person who hates post-apocalyptic dystopia. I absolutely struggle to read the genre (I don't count the Fallocaust series into the genre, as that is absolutely so unbelievably bullshitty that my not suspended suspension of disbelief saved me from the anxiety) even in its mildest form. I have had months of nightmares after watching one (ONE) episode of The Walking Dead, and only the trailer of The Last of Us almost gave me a panic attack. This is to say, yeah, I'm sensitive to this shit. And I feel like Laura Lascarso wrote this book for all of us anxious messes. Because I've read this one just fine, and the only things I felt from it were care, found family, gentleness and a sweet vulnerability that comes from sorrow, and love. I kinda teared up at the end, when Cipher finally tells his story to Kitten (I'd written Killian before. Duh).
So, then. Did I like it? I think in the end, I did. Is this a masterpiece? No, and it does read a little like fanfic for a without a doubt better book (which is the Fallocaust book 1). Still, I'm curious to see where it will end up. I kinda am attached to these boys now and I want them to live.
So yeah. That's kinda it really.
bye now
April 10, 2023
I'm not especially a YA or even NA reader but I couldn't find anything I wanted to read and I like Laura Lascarso.... So here I've been, reading a YA/NA zombie dystopian. Oh, I'm also not fond of zombie books or movies. But I bought this in spite of some potential hurdles. I'm glad I did.
This is slow to get going. It has much promise from the get go but it's still slow. It's part of a trilogy so the author can't shoot their load too soon. However, there has to be something that grabs you to make you want to wait for the next book. Truth be told I put the book down because of the pace, because I wasn't sure about the characters, I'm an older reader and these kids are sixteen up, the MCs are (newly turned) eighteen and turning twenty, and then I picked it up again after I kept thinking about the characters, they clearly wanted me to read their story. I obliged by picking Mad World back up again and this time I had renewed interest because the characters really gelled with me. Then I found myself slowing down because I didn't want to leave the gang, the newly named Assholes, and the world in which Cipher, Kitten (Joseph), Macon, Artemis, Gizmo and Teresa inhabited.
There's some gore and heavy themes in this book but the book isn't weighed down because of it. It is YA/NA after all.
Gripping the knife handle tightly, I took a deep breath and dragged the razor-sharp edge across her throat, making sure to exert enough pressure to slice through her internal jugulars in one go. A quick death. They tore like rubber bands, and she emitted a wet gurgle right before blood began pouring out of her mouth, mingling with the blood from her neck. I drew back both hands to avoid the spill.
There is a sweetness as well - Kitten is guileless, Teresa still loves dollies and stuffed animals, but all of them have lived things no teen should have to. The group is diverse and it has POC, LGBTQ+ and disability and neurodivergent rep. The main romance is slow to build but that doesn't mean there isn't an insta-attraction. It works.
I loved sweet Kitten's advances, tough guy Cipher's reluctance to be vulnerable with him but his internal understanding that Kitten is everything, he would do anything to protect him. To give him a better life.
“I don’t want anyone else,” he said, frowning. “Do you want someone else?”
“No,” I said with absolute certainty. “Then kiss me, Cipher. I’m eighteen years old, and I’ve never been kissed. Isn’t that a shame?”
He closed his eyes and leaned in, and I thought, fuck it. I deserved something good, if only for a little while.
If you're looking for a gay/queer YA/NA dystopian novel that has interesting characters, ones you want to live and travel alongside of, good world building, the potential to be anything as it progresses, then Mad World is a good start to a trilogy.
Blog Review at-
This is slow to get going. It has much promise from the get go but it's still slow. It's part of a trilogy so the author can't shoot their load too soon. However, there has to be something that grabs you to make you want to wait for the next book. Truth be told I put the book down because of the pace, because I wasn't sure about the characters, I'm an older reader and these kids are sixteen up, the MCs are (newly turned) eighteen and turning twenty, and then I picked it up again after I kept thinking about the characters, they clearly wanted me to read their story. I obliged by picking Mad World back up again and this time I had renewed interest because the characters really gelled with me. Then I found myself slowing down because I didn't want to leave the gang, the newly named Assholes, and the world in which Cipher, Kitten (Joseph), Macon, Artemis, Gizmo and Teresa inhabited.
There's some gore and heavy themes in this book but the book isn't weighed down because of it. It is YA/NA after all.
Gripping the knife handle tightly, I took a deep breath and dragged the razor-sharp edge across her throat, making sure to exert enough pressure to slice through her internal jugulars in one go. A quick death. They tore like rubber bands, and she emitted a wet gurgle right before blood began pouring out of her mouth, mingling with the blood from her neck. I drew back both hands to avoid the spill.
There is a sweetness as well - Kitten is guileless, Teresa still loves dollies and stuffed animals, but all of them have lived things no teen should have to. The group is diverse and it has POC, LGBTQ+ and disability and neurodivergent rep. The main romance is slow to build but that doesn't mean there isn't an insta-attraction. It works.
I loved sweet Kitten's advances, tough guy Cipher's reluctance to be vulnerable with him but his internal understanding that Kitten is everything, he would do anything to protect him. To give him a better life.
“I don’t want anyone else,” he said, frowning. “Do you want someone else?”
“No,” I said with absolute certainty. “Then kiss me, Cipher. I’m eighteen years old, and I’ve never been kissed. Isn’t that a shame?”
He closed his eyes and leaned in, and I thought, fuck it. I deserved something good, if only for a little while.
If you're looking for a gay/queer YA/NA dystopian novel that has interesting characters, ones you want to live and travel alongside of, good world building, the potential to be anything as it progresses, then Mad World is a good start to a trilogy.
Blog Review at-
March 27, 2023
WOW
Laura Lascarso does it again with this amazing post-apocalypse new adult romance!
The world, the characters, the action…I couldn’t put this down and read it in a day!
After a zombie-like virus has taken over the country, a nineteen year-old named Cipher has led a band of friends from DC to the south in search of a better life for them all. On a scouting mission is South Carolina, he finds a teen boy celebrating a patch of potatoes in his garden. Cipher is wary and aloof towards the beautiful boy, but he knows he can’t leave him alone.
Joshua, who quickly becomes Kitten in the crew, is a ray of light and innocence in Cipher’s drab world. Small and inexperienced for his age, he’s also brave and resilient. He’s also not as innocent as everyone thinks!
This is a really cool story with an exciting plot, a grumpy/sunshine first love romance, and an intriguing cast of characters. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for the next book!!
Thank you so much to Laura for this amazing arc!!
Laura Lascarso does it again with this amazing post-apocalypse new adult romance!
The world, the characters, the action…I couldn’t put this down and read it in a day!
After a zombie-like virus has taken over the country, a nineteen year-old named Cipher has led a band of friends from DC to the south in search of a better life for them all. On a scouting mission is South Carolina, he finds a teen boy celebrating a patch of potatoes in his garden. Cipher is wary and aloof towards the beautiful boy, but he knows he can’t leave him alone.
Joshua, who quickly becomes Kitten in the crew, is a ray of light and innocence in Cipher’s drab world. Small and inexperienced for his age, he’s also brave and resilient. He’s also not as innocent as everyone thinks!
This is a really cool story with an exciting plot, a grumpy/sunshine first love romance, and an intriguing cast of characters. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for the next book!!
Thank you so much to Laura for this amazing arc!!
April 3, 2025
Esse livro podia ter sido mil vezes melhor. Foi decepcionante ver o potencial desperdiçado. A escrita da Laura é ok e o plot é interessante, eu amo distopias, amo luta pela sobrevivência, amo apocalipse zumbi. Mas tudo é tão apressado. Eu amo "amor a primeira vista/obsessão a primeira vista" e eu não gosto de slow burn, não é isso. Mas todo acontecimento nesse livro é super apressado, sinto como se estivesse lendo o resumo da história, um esboço. Tantos acontecimentos que foram mal aproveitados, é frustrante demais. Cadê a exploração do mundo? Cadê a emoção? Eles se amam? Ok, eu senti isso. Mas Cadê a interação com os outros personagens? Não me conectei com nenhum deles. Eles estão lutando pela sobrevivência? Pareceu tudo fácil demais. Faltou tudo nesse livro. É uma pena porque eu amo o potencial de codependencia do casal.
March 26, 2023
Such a wonderful story! I love found family stories as well as having an especially protective MC. We’re blessed with both here. Generally I don’t watch zombie themed shows but just a look at this cover and I had to know their story. I’m glad I did. Cipher, Kitten and the rest are all likeable, relatable characters. The love story is handled very well for their age and their sexual exploration is done in a gentle but sexy way. Just perfect for these characters and their setting. I enjoyed seeing Kitten learn that he has some claws as well as the soft spots. There is action and adventure, some gore and some surprises and plenty of humor. I loved the moments where they had a change to take a break from their world and just play a little. Express themselves in a way they would have before their world crumbled. Would love to see more from them.
March 24, 2023
A strangely darling take on a zombie apocalypse! Cipher, a slightly feral, badass leader of a group of teens savaging their way through the world, finds a sweet and sheltered but fiery Kitten and the two end up drawn to each other despite their better judgement. Like many of the couples in Laura’s books, they have a little bit of an age-gap, protector-protected relationship, though their actual ages aren’t very far apart. I loved Cipher’s abrupt fall into doing anything to keep Kitten safe, and how Kitten supported Cipher in turn. Full of bittersweet and tender moments, the plot wasn’t as dark as I was expecting. A sweet and fun read, and I’m excited for the rest of the series!
April 3, 2023
4.25 stars
March 17, 2023
I just finished reading Mad World by Laura Lascarso and you must add this to your TBR!!
Now, I will honestly state that I am not a fan of dystopian fiction. I was not a Walking Dead fan at all (I'm a chicken when it comes to anything remotely scary).
With that said, this book pulled me in from page one. The focus was mainly on the relationship between Cipher, tough leader of the scavengers and Kitten, a soft boy always left behind, which was beautiful and pure in this world that was anything but.
I loved their group (I won't tell you what Kitten named them) and the bonds they created while they tried to search a safe home for their family. This is just part 1 of 3..... I cannot wait till the next part!
Oh, and wait till you meet the cat!!!
This book is available March 25th. BUY IT!
Now, I will honestly state that I am not a fan of dystopian fiction. I was not a Walking Dead fan at all (I'm a chicken when it comes to anything remotely scary).
With that said, this book pulled me in from page one. The focus was mainly on the relationship between Cipher, tough leader of the scavengers and Kitten, a soft boy always left behind, which was beautiful and pure in this world that was anything but.
I loved their group (I won't tell you what Kitten named them) and the bonds they created while they tried to search a safe home for their family. This is just part 1 of 3..... I cannot wait till the next part!
Oh, and wait till you meet the cat!!!
This book is available March 25th. BUY IT!
May 15, 2023
This was not very good. I love zombie stories, but this can hardly be called one. There was hardly any tension and definitely not because the world-as-we-know-it ended. Any suspense or tension that did occur was VERY quickly resolved. If you want something really low stakes, low angst, low anything, this book is it. At least it’s fast-paced, so there’s not much to finishing it.
It read much more YA than NA, with one pretty unrealistically cutesy/innocent (childish) MC, while the other was cartoonishly “tough”. Unfortunately, the childish, naïve (kid-like!!) MC was also very overly sexual and sexualised, which was awkward and uncomfortable to read. As some of the other reviews have said, this seems like a sanitised Fallocaust, badly executed. The side characters might as well have been left out of this completely, for all the impact they made?
I don’t think there’s anyone I’d recommend this to, really 🤷🏼♀️
It read much more YA than NA, with one pretty unrealistically cutesy/innocent (childish) MC, while the other was cartoonishly “tough”. Unfortunately, the childish, naïve (kid-like!!) MC was also very overly sexual and sexualised, which was awkward and uncomfortable to read. As some of the other reviews have said, this seems like a sanitised Fallocaust, badly executed. The side characters might as well have been left out of this completely, for all the impact they made?
I don’t think there’s anyone I’d recommend this to, really 🤷🏼♀️
March 22, 2025
I was excited to pick this up and was super into it for the first hundred pages or so, but gradually it lost me. I was very excited about the premise, and I honestly think we could use some more dystopian MM, but this wasn't very well thought out and frequently contradicted itself. The world-building was kinda all over the place and not great in comparison to other dystopian MM. It felt like everything was played for cheap laughs, most of which didn't land for me, and wasn't in keeping with the supposedly tragic events I was reading about.
The writing was kind of juvenile, which initially I didn't mind because the characters were young, but it got incredibly annoying after a while. The character of Kitten and the MCs dynamic was very weird-- Kitten has an adorable name and has somehow grown up in a dystopian world to be incredibly sheltered and innocent. I normally like inexperienced or virgin MCs, and I'm not particularly bothered about him being 17 at the start, but the way Kitten is presented is disconcerting. He's incredibly flirtatious and suggestive, and rather pushy about it. To the point it kinda comes off as sexual harassment, except it's fine because he talks a big game but doesn't actually know what he's doing, right? It kinda comes off like kids of say 12-15, where they're trying out sexuality for the first time, experimenting with clothes and makeup and trying to get attention, but they're still not ready for anything and you're not supposed to actually take them up on it. Of course Cipher does take Kitten up on his flirtation, and even though he's now got a boyfriend and some experience, Kitten continues to act in an incredibly childlike way, both in and out of the bedroom, and the sex scenes get stranger and stranger because of it. I've read age play where the MC was less childlike, in all honesty, and the whole dynamic was rather uncomfortable.
This gets a generous 3 stars, only because I was into it to start with and I managed to read it all the way through, which is unusual these days. I'm really sad it didn't work out for me.
The writing was kind of juvenile, which initially I didn't mind because the characters were young, but it got incredibly annoying after a while. The character of Kitten and the MCs dynamic was very weird-- Kitten has an adorable name and has somehow grown up in a dystopian world to be incredibly sheltered and innocent. I normally like inexperienced or virgin MCs, and I'm not particularly bothered about him being 17 at the start, but the way Kitten is presented is disconcerting. He's incredibly flirtatious and suggestive, and rather pushy about it. To the point it kinda comes off as sexual harassment, except it's fine because he talks a big game but doesn't actually know what he's doing, right? It kinda comes off like kids of say 12-15, where they're trying out sexuality for the first time, experimenting with clothes and makeup and trying to get attention, but they're still not ready for anything and you're not supposed to actually take them up on it. Of course Cipher does take Kitten up on his flirtation, and even though he's now got a boyfriend and some experience, Kitten continues to act in an incredibly childlike way, both in and out of the bedroom, and the sex scenes get stranger and stranger because of it. I've read age play where the MC was less childlike, in all honesty, and the whole dynamic was rather uncomfortable.
This gets a generous 3 stars, only because I was into it to start with and I managed to read it all the way through, which is unusual these days. I'm really sad it didn't work out for me.
January 9, 2024
Ok sooo when the author said YA/NA some angst and little spice… ummm what do you consider spicy?! Lol 😆 I was picturing some fade to black scenes and all that, the kind I read around that age, not the full on descriptions and dirty stuff! Now I’m a fully certified smut reader and been reading romances since I was in Jr high so no judgment, but I did clutch my pearls a little not gonna lie. I was not expecting that at all! I probably would not want my 16-17 year old reading this if I’m being honest. The stuff I read at that age was more flowery I guess like Nora Roberts, Jude Devereux, Susan Elizabeth Phillips etc. I meaaaaaan I’m only 32 so I’m not trying to be an Ole biddy here but idk I just feel like the YA should be taken out all together because I picture 16-18yr olds, NA is like 18-20 range for me and more appropriate for that level of love scene IMO. That being said I loved this book, kept me engaged and I love Cipher. I thought it was super cute calling him Dad and old man and that one scene he said to Kitten “young man” to chastise him was hilarious. I do feel like it was a little higher up on the sexual scale for their age range though, I mean realistically I know that’s the age stuff happens like 17+ but setting Kitten up as a naive guy who was young when the outbreak happened so he didn’t finish school or have a lot of social exposure to kids his age, it was a pretty massive jump from immature foundling to chapter 11’s (if ya know, yah know) scene. I think there’s a bit of a continuity issue with setting his character up like that, especially coming from a religious family even one that was open idk it just was such a big shift for me in a short time span. I do recommend this book and absolutely enjoyed it and will read books 2 and 3 when out but I did feel the need to be fully honest on the review so this is like a 4.8/5 for me.
April 4, 2023
Lorsque j'ai vu que Laura Lascarso allait sortir un roman sur fond dystopique avec zombies, j'ai été vraiment très curieuse.
Le monde tel que nous le connaissons n'est plus... Un virus se rapprochant de celui de la rage décime la population, depuis près de sept ans. La fièvre tue et l'être humain disparaît, laissant la place à une forme de zombie, cherchant à tuer les survivants. Nous faisons la connaissance de Cipher, survivant et membre d'un petit groupe, qui tombe sur Joshua, seul. Très vite, Cipher va comprendre que Joshua, qu'il surnomme Kitten, habite avec sa maman, gravement malade.
Kitten et Cipher vont faire un bout de chemin ensemble, accompagné bien sûr des autres amis de Cipher. J'ai aimé le côté survivalisme du roman. Ces jeunes s'entraident comme ils peuvent, en fonction des capacités de chacun. Ce roman se rapproche plutôt du young adult voire new adult, donc il ne faut pas craindre de passages trop gore.
Je me suis attachée à ces jeunes. Kitten est adorable, on ne peut que se prendre d'affection pour ce jeune à la recherche de son grand-frère, et venant de perdre sa maman. On le voit se familiariser avec ce nouveau groupe, qui l'adopte facilement. Avec Cipher, les choses ne vont pas être faciles au début, étant donné les circonstances, mais surtout avec le caractère bien trempé de Cipher.
Cipher, c'est un peu le protecteur du groupe. Je ne vais pas dire meneur, mais il s'y rapproche de très près. Leur petite romance est mignonne comme tout. J'ai aimé le côté un peu provocateur de Kitten. Cipher, quant à lui, malgré ce qu'il tente de démontrer, s'attache beaucoup à son petit Kitten, il est très protecteur envers lui, c'est adorable comme tout. Leurs petits moments à eux deux sont trop choupinou ^^ Les moments où Cipher se dévoile un peu plus sur sa vie, son passé, sont très touchants, c'est un personnage si secret et discret...
J'ai vraiment aimé tous ces adolescents. La vie n'est pas facile, mais ils ont un vrai esprit d'équipe, d'entraide. Ils se serrent les coudes coûte que coûte, personne n'est laissé pour compte.
J'attends la suite de la saga avec grande impatience !
Le monde tel que nous le connaissons n'est plus... Un virus se rapprochant de celui de la rage décime la population, depuis près de sept ans. La fièvre tue et l'être humain disparaît, laissant la place à une forme de zombie, cherchant à tuer les survivants. Nous faisons la connaissance de Cipher, survivant et membre d'un petit groupe, qui tombe sur Joshua, seul. Très vite, Cipher va comprendre que Joshua, qu'il surnomme Kitten, habite avec sa maman, gravement malade.
Kitten et Cipher vont faire un bout de chemin ensemble, accompagné bien sûr des autres amis de Cipher. J'ai aimé le côté survivalisme du roman. Ces jeunes s'entraident comme ils peuvent, en fonction des capacités de chacun. Ce roman se rapproche plutôt du young adult voire new adult, donc il ne faut pas craindre de passages trop gore.
Je me suis attachée à ces jeunes. Kitten est adorable, on ne peut que se prendre d'affection pour ce jeune à la recherche de son grand-frère, et venant de perdre sa maman. On le voit se familiariser avec ce nouveau groupe, qui l'adopte facilement. Avec Cipher, les choses ne vont pas être faciles au début, étant donné les circonstances, mais surtout avec le caractère bien trempé de Cipher.
Cipher, c'est un peu le protecteur du groupe. Je ne vais pas dire meneur, mais il s'y rapproche de très près. Leur petite romance est mignonne comme tout. J'ai aimé le côté un peu provocateur de Kitten. Cipher, quant à lui, malgré ce qu'il tente de démontrer, s'attache beaucoup à son petit Kitten, il est très protecteur envers lui, c'est adorable comme tout. Leurs petits moments à eux deux sont trop choupinou ^^ Les moments où Cipher se dévoile un peu plus sur sa vie, son passé, sont très touchants, c'est un personnage si secret et discret...
J'ai vraiment aimé tous ces adolescents. La vie n'est pas facile, mais ils ont un vrai esprit d'équipe, d'entraide. Ils se serrent les coudes coûte que coûte, personne n'est laissé pour compte.
J'attends la suite de la saga avec grande impatience !
March 12, 2025
**********Contains Spoilers**********
I rated this book 3.5 stars, so I rounded it up to 4 stars. This is the first book that I’ve read by Laura Lascarso and even though it wasn’t my favourite I’m definitely going to check out more of their books isn’t future but maybe stick to books with older characters considering how young the characters are during this book. I thought the premise of this book was interesting and thought that this was a good start to Mad World Series. I enjoyed immersing myself in this world that Laura has created but I would’ve loved to see more depth to the apocalyptic nature of the world considering they didn’t really deal with a lot of danger on their travels and they always seemed to have food. I liked Cypher and Kitten as characters and thought their romance was sweet.
It made me uncomfortable that Kitten’s character was described as innocent, sheltered and young looking but then he was pretty sexual as soon as they left his house to travel to Atlanta, like where did that come from? He was also 17 years old for a portion of the book but seemed a lot younger, whereas Cipher was only 19 years old but called himself old probably because him and his found family of Artemis, Macon, Gizmo & Teresa have been living hard lives and have been through a lot of sh*t that no doubt made them grow up fast. Cipher is a tough nut to crack but he eventually opens up to Kitten about his past. Even though I found some faults with this book I’m still interested in reading the Promised Land next, as well as more books by Laura Lascarso in the future.
******I received a complimentary copy of this book through GRR. I would still happily review this book even if I purchased it myself. My thoughts and feelings about this book are completely unbiased******
I rated this book 3.5 stars, so I rounded it up to 4 stars. This is the first book that I’ve read by Laura Lascarso and even though it wasn’t my favourite I’m definitely going to check out more of their books isn’t future but maybe stick to books with older characters considering how young the characters are during this book. I thought the premise of this book was interesting and thought that this was a good start to Mad World Series. I enjoyed immersing myself in this world that Laura has created but I would’ve loved to see more depth to the apocalyptic nature of the world considering they didn’t really deal with a lot of danger on their travels and they always seemed to have food. I liked Cypher and Kitten as characters and thought their romance was sweet.
It made me uncomfortable that Kitten’s character was described as innocent, sheltered and young looking but then he was pretty sexual as soon as they left his house to travel to Atlanta, like where did that come from? He was also 17 years old for a portion of the book but seemed a lot younger, whereas Cipher was only 19 years old but called himself old probably because him and his found family of Artemis, Macon, Gizmo & Teresa have been living hard lives and have been through a lot of sh*t that no doubt made them grow up fast. Cipher is a tough nut to crack but he eventually opens up to Kitten about his past. Even though I found some faults with this book I’m still interested in reading the Promised Land next, as well as more books by Laura Lascarso in the future.
******I received a complimentary copy of this book through GRR. I would still happily review this book even if I purchased it myself. My thoughts and feelings about this book are completely unbiased******
April 23, 2025
For a dystopic, post-apocalyptic zombie book this was surprisingly… cute?
Joshua (“Kitten”) gets taken in by a group of teens that travel through the remains of North America.
A plague infected people and caused them to become zombie-like, Rabids.
There’s a small introduction into the world and the rest forms as we go through the book.
Like many dystopian books our group heard of a settlement where everything was good, the Promised Land.
The travel itself was a good mixture of scary, horrific scenes and light, happy ones.
They meet Rabids and bad people, and have to kill and flee.
But they also form a great friendship and the moments are on page. They play ball and splash in the water. They talk about all kinds of stuff, and joke around.
Cipher and Kitten become very close very fast.
Even in that cruel world Kitten grew up pretty sheltered. In some things he is very innocent.
But he is also a teenager with a sexual awakening and need. He very explicitly propositions Cipher multiple times to make clear what he wants.
They are inexperienced and take their time to get to know each other in that regard as well. They communicate very clearly, which I think is very important at that age and in New Adult Romance.
It helps that Cipher is a natural caretaker and slows Kitten in some of his over eagerness.
“The stars are out, and I want to look at them with you.”
He stood and held out his hand. I took it. Of course, I took it.
I’m really looking forward to the next book, because obviously who would trust the Promised Land…
May 13, 2024
MM, Post-apocalyptic, Dystopian, 1st Dual POV
Status: KU, Same Couple Series, Third Act Conflict -
Joshua: 17 (Turns 18) Yrs Old, POC (Brazilian-American), Lone Survivor, Sheltered, Asthma, Hard of Hearing (Right Ear), Pet Cat, Curly Hair, Completely Sexually Inexperienced (Never Been Kissed), Pink Painted Nails
Cipher: 19 Yrs Old, POC (Asian Descent), Leader of a Survivor Group, Prosthetic Leg (Right), Smoker, Nightmares, Loves Ziplocs, Traumatized, Recreational Narcotic User (Sleep)
Notes: Post-Apocalyptic America (7 Yrs), Rabies Virus, Zombies, Survival, Found Family, Band of Survivors (4 Men, 2 Women), Antagonists to Lovers, Road Trip (On Foot), Visit to an Abandoned Strip Club, Visit to a City
Rep: Prosthetic Leg (Cipher), Asthma and Hard of Hearing (Joshua)
Sex Notes:
CWs:
Status: KU, Same Couple Series, Third Act Conflict -
Joshua: 17 (Turns 18) Yrs Old, POC (Brazilian-American), Lone Survivor, Sheltered, Asthma, Hard of Hearing (Right Ear), Pet Cat, Curly Hair, Completely Sexually Inexperienced (Never Been Kissed), Pink Painted Nails
Cipher: 19 Yrs Old, POC (Asian Descent), Leader of a Survivor Group, Prosthetic Leg (Right), Smoker, Nightmares, Loves Ziplocs, Traumatized, Recreational Narcotic User (Sleep)
Notes: Post-Apocalyptic America (7 Yrs), Rabies Virus, Zombies, Survival, Found Family, Band of Survivors (4 Men, 2 Women), Antagonists to Lovers, Road Trip (On Foot), Visit to an Abandoned Strip Club, Visit to a City
Rep: Prosthetic Leg (Cipher), Asthma and Hard of Hearing (Joshua)
Sex Notes:
CWs:
April 22, 2025
I haven't read a zombie-esque book in a while and was interested in Cipher and Joshua/Kitten and their band of misfits.
Cipher was the leader of the group, trying to get to the promised land. Joshua was living with his sick mom, his only company was his raggedy cat.
The world building as you follow Cipher and Joshua on their journey, spells out exactly what Cipher and Joshua have to go through to get where they want to go. From page one, you can see the stress that Cipher puts on himself to keep everyone safe and whilst he put on a cold front to strangers, you can see what effect Joshua has over him. Joshua whilst an innocent soul, did not let people walk over him, was quick to call folk out, earning him the nickname.
Given that Joshua comes across as innocent, I was a bit confused with certain scenes, however I did put that down to him talking to some of the older ones of the group.
Whilst this is Cipher and Joshua's story, you also to get to know more about the rest of the group and as soon as I was introduced to Gizmo, he instantly reminded me of Data from The Goonies.
This story kept my interest from page one, expecting the worse when the tension on the page every time they went scavenging. How things we took for granted brought a smile to their faces and how Joshua had his found family the moment they met. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
Cipher was the leader of the group, trying to get to the promised land. Joshua was living with his sick mom, his only company was his raggedy cat.
The world building as you follow Cipher and Joshua on their journey, spells out exactly what Cipher and Joshua have to go through to get where they want to go. From page one, you can see the stress that Cipher puts on himself to keep everyone safe and whilst he put on a cold front to strangers, you can see what effect Joshua has over him. Joshua whilst an innocent soul, did not let people walk over him, was quick to call folk out, earning him the nickname.
Given that Joshua comes across as innocent, I was a bit confused with certain scenes, however I did put that down to him talking to some of the older ones of the group.
Whilst this is Cipher and Joshua's story, you also to get to know more about the rest of the group and as soon as I was introduced to Gizmo, he instantly reminded me of Data from The Goonies.
This story kept my interest from page one, expecting the worse when the tension on the page every time they went scavenging. How things we took for granted brought a smile to their faces and how Joshua had his found family the moment they met. I am looking forward to the rest of the series.
March 26, 2025
I actually really enjoyed this, and after reading the reviews, I was in two minds about whether or not to opt out.
I think, like most people on the planet, I loved The Walking Dead (at the beginning when it was still good), and this YA version was great. The set-up was believable, and the characters were fun. I think they all played a part to make the story interesting.
We know it’s a 3-part series, but the ending isn’t too much of a cliffhanger, so you’re not left irritated.
My only slight criticism is that they’re all young, yes legal, but still young. Especially Joshua/Kitten. He reads and acts young. This is understandable when he was left alone for so long, and he’s only just turned 18. So because of that, the sexual chat coming from him made me a little uncomfortable at times. However, I’m old. I imagine if you’re 20 this won’t matter much.
Having said that, there’s not much of it. It’s not steeped in sexual activities, so if you can accept that (I think) it’s YA, then you can still enjoy the story. The rest of the book is fun, thrilling, sad, and gives you a little trepidation for what’s coming.
I’m looking forward to the next.
——
I received an ARC of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest opinion.
I think, like most people on the planet, I loved The Walking Dead (at the beginning when it was still good), and this YA version was great. The set-up was believable, and the characters were fun. I think they all played a part to make the story interesting.
We know it’s a 3-part series, but the ending isn’t too much of a cliffhanger, so you’re not left irritated.
My only slight criticism is that they’re all young, yes legal, but still young. Especially Joshua/Kitten. He reads and acts young. This is understandable when he was left alone for so long, and he’s only just turned 18. So because of that, the sexual chat coming from him made me a little uncomfortable at times. However, I’m old. I imagine if you’re 20 this won’t matter much.
Having said that, there’s not much of it. It’s not steeped in sexual activities, so if you can accept that (I think) it’s YA, then you can still enjoy the story. The rest of the book is fun, thrilling, sad, and gives you a little trepidation for what’s coming.
I’m looking forward to the next.
——
I received an ARC of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest opinion.
March 30, 2025
It takes quite a lot for me to try a new author these days - not that there aren't a horde of amazing up and coming writers out there, I just...know what I like (it's still a pretty huge and diverse mix) - and I'm comfortable in that space. But I picked this up knowing absolutely nothing about the author, sold simply on the premise - dystopia, new adult, pet names (you had me at 'kitten'), a suspicious brooding type and a ray of innocent sunshine, plus enough spice to place it firmly in adult/new adult and not YA. Let me tell ya, I DEVOURED IT. From page 1 I was hooked and the story only dug its claws more firmly into me with each page. Joshua aka 'kitten', Cipher and his ragtag found family (and let's not forget the actual cat Little Miss Purrfect who - and I think this is crucial to mention in dystopian book even if it counts as a spoiler - does NOT get eaten - are such a delight. It's an easy read, whilst not shying away from dark themes and is set up beautifully for another book (or two) without perching on a cliffhanger. It's definitely spicier than your average NA book - it's explicit from early on, despite something of a slow burn, and oh my goodness, once Kitten is determined to go for what he wants? The pageant dress? The lap dance? DEEEEEELICIOUS. Loved it.
June 5, 2025
really thought this would be my jam. I love dystopia. Having new creative ways to destroy the our normal society, and then the fallout of how life goes on. I love seeing all the interpretations. And at the beginning I thought it was going fit right into my jam.
But, not so much.
Now, let me say, I am not the right demographic for this book. This is YA, and I am not a spring chicken. So I understand that this was not aimed at me for it's target audience.
There was quite a bit of sex for YA. Which I'm okay with that. But, Kitten felt 12. I know he was 18, but he really felt younger. Now, I know it's not just my generation, because my kids also stopped using the word weiner once they hit their teens. I don't think they've even called a hot dog a weiner in the last decade. SO when Kitten referred to it as a weiner, in connection to sex, I was ICKED OUT.
Even Cipher made comments like, what are you ten?
One minute he was a sheltered child, gardening and caring for his sick mother, then he's stripping on a pole with pink booty shorts, making meowing sounds with little claw motions.
Now, I think this had a lot of potential. There are a lot of positive aspects. So maybe if I was younger...
But, not so much.
Now, let me say, I am not the right demographic for this book. This is YA, and I am not a spring chicken. So I understand that this was not aimed at me for it's target audience.
There was quite a bit of sex for YA. Which I'm okay with that. But, Kitten felt 12. I know he was 18, but he really felt younger. Now, I know it's not just my generation, because my kids also stopped using the word weiner once they hit their teens. I don't think they've even called a hot dog a weiner in the last decade. SO when Kitten referred to it as a weiner, in connection to sex, I was ICKED OUT.
Even Cipher made comments like, what are you ten?
One minute he was a sheltered child, gardening and caring for his sick mother, then he's stripping on a pole with pink booty shorts, making meowing sounds with little claw motions.
Now, I think this had a lot of potential. There are a lot of positive aspects. So maybe if I was younger...
March 23, 2025
Mad World is the first book in the Mad World series by Laura Lascarso, and it was a story that had me on the fence. While I am always eager to dive into new post-apocalyptic stories – especially zombie stories – it has been a while since I have found one that has truly grabbed me. Thus, while I went in eager, I also went in with trepidation.
Fortunately, Mad World was a story that instantly grabbed me and had me unable to put the book down. Although not perfect – due to the way the story progressed, the little moments that would have allowed me to appreciate the romance felt like they were missing – it was certainly a story I could not put down. I adored watching the characters progress on their journey, watching as things came together and developed. It had everything necessary to ensure I was eager to see how this part of the journey would come together and leave me eager to see what happens in the future books.
I am certainly eager to see what will come next, and have my fingers crossed for more addictive reads.
Fortunately, Mad World was a story that instantly grabbed me and had me unable to put the book down. Although not perfect – due to the way the story progressed, the little moments that would have allowed me to appreciate the romance felt like they were missing – it was certainly a story I could not put down. I adored watching the characters progress on their journey, watching as things came together and developed. It had everything necessary to ensure I was eager to see how this part of the journey would come together and leave me eager to see what happens in the future books.
I am certainly eager to see what will come next, and have my fingers crossed for more addictive reads.
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