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Zombie Apocalypse [NA Version] #1
Zombie Island
Samantha is holed up all alone in her apartment, trying to outlast the zombie apocalypse. During a routine trip into town for supplies, she is chased through the city by vicious Warriors, men that kill zombies, and make women wish they were dead. After being trapped on a roof at gunpoint, she is saved by the brothers Ryder and Reese, and she decides they might be her best chance for survival.
They set out from her apartment in search of a place that they can fortify and have a semi-normal life. Along the way, Samantha helps battle zombies, other survivors, and her growing feelings for both brothers. When they finally reach the island, the group settles in, trying to make the place as livable as possible. However, trouble quickly arises in the form of the Warriors.
They've tracked the group of four down to their new home, and are out for revenge. Warriors, bullets, and fire separate the four survivors from each other, but Samantha can't give up. She has not only herself to think about now, but another group of young girls that need her help. Can Samantha survive the Warriors and reunite her group?
Recommended for ages 15+
They set out from her apartment in search of a place that they can fortify and have a semi-normal life. Along the way, Samantha helps battle zombies, other survivors, and her growing feelings for both brothers. When they finally reach the island, the group settles in, trying to make the place as livable as possible. However, trouble quickly arises in the form of the Warriors.
They've tracked the group of four down to their new home, and are out for revenge. Warriors, bullets, and fire separate the four survivors from each other, but Samantha can't give up. She has not only herself to think about now, but another group of young girls that need her help. Can Samantha survive the Warriors and reunite her group?
Recommended for ages 15+
115 pages, ebook
First published May 17, 2012
317 people are currently reading
4100 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Hoffman
10 books24 followersSamantha’s current books, works and projects include:
The popular blog: Insanity, A Writer’s Commentary On All Things. Her post, Loved By Me, was awarded and featured on the Freshly Pressed Wordpress feature page.
The contemporary romance novel, A Contented Mind, it’s sequel, Chasing Nirvana, as well as the children’s chapter books, Dainty Delaney and the Carnival Shoes and Dainty Delaney and Ol’ Blue. The children’s chapter book series, Dainty Delaney, is being agented by International Rights Agent Sylvia Hayse of the Sylvia Hayse Literary Agency.
Freelance author for FarFaria, an Intuary company. Creators of the revolutionary children’s book app: FarFaria. Published works include: The Christmas Story, Venus Fly Trap, Where Is Ben? (awarded featured story), Santa Has a Toothache, Fighting a Cold, The First Marriage, Being Kind, The Golden Fire Hydrant, St. Patrick’s Viper Vacuum (awarded featured story), Harry Houdini, Nuwa, Billy Goats Gruff, Billy Shakespeare, Monster Veggies, Dogs on the Job, Hug Your Cat and The Hot Dog Dog.
Premiering April 2013, Samantha will be hosting two new BlogTalkRadio shows: The Rich Life with author/speaker Diane Bucci and True2U. Both shows were created by Samantha not only to better establish her as a professional within her field but more importantly as one more way to reach out and help others believe in their true self. The Rich Life is an open, fun discussion about trying to live the life of one’s dreams amidst the perils of everyday life. True2U is a show featuring writers, new and well-established and those in the publishing world. True2U is a place where those who love to write can share their voice.
Samantha is currently at work on the third book in the Dainty Delaney series, as well as her third novel of contemporary romance.
The popular blog: Insanity, A Writer’s Commentary On All Things. Her post, Loved By Me, was awarded and featured on the Freshly Pressed Wordpress feature page.
The contemporary romance novel, A Contented Mind, it’s sequel, Chasing Nirvana, as well as the children’s chapter books, Dainty Delaney and the Carnival Shoes and Dainty Delaney and Ol’ Blue. The children’s chapter book series, Dainty Delaney, is being agented by International Rights Agent Sylvia Hayse of the Sylvia Hayse Literary Agency.
Freelance author for FarFaria, an Intuary company. Creators of the revolutionary children’s book app: FarFaria. Published works include: The Christmas Story, Venus Fly Trap, Where Is Ben? (awarded featured story), Santa Has a Toothache, Fighting a Cold, The First Marriage, Being Kind, The Golden Fire Hydrant, St. Patrick’s Viper Vacuum (awarded featured story), Harry Houdini, Nuwa, Billy Goats Gruff, Billy Shakespeare, Monster Veggies, Dogs on the Job, Hug Your Cat and The Hot Dog Dog.
Premiering April 2013, Samantha will be hosting two new BlogTalkRadio shows: The Rich Life with author/speaker Diane Bucci and True2U. Both shows were created by Samantha not only to better establish her as a professional within her field but more importantly as one more way to reach out and help others believe in their true self. The Rich Life is an open, fun discussion about trying to live the life of one’s dreams amidst the perils of everyday life. True2U is a show featuring writers, new and well-established and those in the publishing world. True2U is a place where those who love to write can share their voice.
Samantha is currently at work on the third book in the Dainty Delaney series, as well as her third novel of contemporary romance.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
July 26, 2024
Read in one sitting, like most zombie books there’s nothing really unique that stands out above all other zombie books, but it’s still an enjoyable read, loved the characters, loved the survival aspect which is the new normal in this new world.
Definitely keen and invested enough to carry on with the series.
Definitely keen and invested enough to carry on with the series.
July 30, 2024
This is a good book with a lot of action and surprises.
It’s worth reading!
It’s worth reading!
March 14, 2024
This was an entertaining Apocolypse book. There are some serious topics addressed in this book, so check any trigger warnings before reading. Sam survives on her own during the beginning of the Zombie Apocalypse, when she meets a maniacal and militaristic leader. With the help of other survivors, Sam strives to build back a semblance of a life in a safe environment. While I wouldn't classify this book as YA, the main character and writing style does start off YA-ish. You do see the development of both by the end of the book, which I feel was a good way to start off where Sam was to where she was going. I'm looking forward to book two!
August 25, 2017
Sam is a 19 year old who has so far survived the zombie apocalypse and a gang of vicious zombie hunters who like to rape women and kill other survivors. We are led to believe that she is smart yet knowing this gang are looking for her, she walks into the most used trap in history-a seemingly injured man lying out in plain sight and yes, she goes to see if she can help and ends up captured until two brothers come to her rescue. Stupid girl! Has she never read a zombie apocalypse book?
Seriously the plot is not the issue with this book. It is well enough written and described, there isn't really anything wrong with it but I don't greatly like the characters. Sam is ok but despite being unable to shoot a gun, she decides to endanger the three of them by tring an armed rescue of another female instead of planning before acting. Then she gets all jealous when the rescued girl turns out to be prettier than her. I really hate this kind of female MC. Ryder is obnoxious and rude and I question the decisions the author makes about him. He is willing to take on a group of armed men to save Sam yet refuses to initially save October who is in the same situation. He spends the rest of his time being an asshat. reese is just too good to be true and all nicey all the time. Add in the lack of zombies in the beginning and the fact that reviews mention a love triangle and I rapidly lost interest in this one.
Not badly written but just not to my taste.
Seriously the plot is not the issue with this book. It is well enough written and described, there isn't really anything wrong with it but I don't greatly like the characters. Sam is ok but despite being unable to shoot a gun, she decides to endanger the three of them by tring an armed rescue of another female instead of planning before acting. Then she gets all jealous when the rescued girl turns out to be prettier than her. I really hate this kind of female MC. Ryder is obnoxious and rude and I question the decisions the author makes about him. He is willing to take on a group of armed men to save Sam yet refuses to initially save October who is in the same situation. He spends the rest of his time being an asshat. reese is just too good to be true and all nicey all the time. Add in the lack of zombies in the beginning and the fact that reviews mention a love triangle and I rapidly lost interest in this one.
Not badly written but just not to my taste.
July 23, 2024
Honestly, 3⭐️ is being overly generous. It’s maybe 2.6 or so.
The Plot: Sam has been surviving the zombie apocalypse in her Detroit apartment alone, growing food on her roof, and avoiding a gang of vicious soldiers. One day the soldiers corner her but she’s saved by two bothers (Reese and Ryder) and they agree to leave the city a build a homestead on an island not far from there. On the way they encounter more dangerous survivors and rescue a girl from the soldiers. As they make their way to the island and have a final showdown, love also blooms in the group.
It wasn’t terrible, but the writing threw me off a few times and reminded me of Wattpad a bit. And sometimes the characters did the dumbest things. Like I’m tweaking at everyone barely escaping and then going back for a DEAD BODY!! WHYYYY?
Also the age gap?!? And Melissa worried about if Reese was cute? When she’s 15 and JUST escaped s*x slavery?!? Idk
I don’t think I’m gonna be able to finish this series. Especially after finishing some pretty good apocalypse series, this one isn’t doing it for me.
The Plot: Sam has been surviving the zombie apocalypse in her Detroit apartment alone, growing food on her roof, and avoiding a gang of vicious soldiers. One day the soldiers corner her but she’s saved by two bothers (Reese and Ryder) and they agree to leave the city a build a homestead on an island not far from there. On the way they encounter more dangerous survivors and rescue a girl from the soldiers. As they make their way to the island and have a final showdown, love also blooms in the group.
It wasn’t terrible, but the writing threw me off a few times and reminded me of Wattpad a bit. And sometimes the characters did the dumbest things. Like I’m tweaking at everyone barely escaping and then going back for a DEAD BODY!! WHYYYY?
Also the age gap?!? And Melissa worried about if Reese was cute? When she’s 15 and JUST escaped s*x slavery?!? Idk
I don’t think I’m gonna be able to finish this series. Especially after finishing some pretty good apocalypse series, this one isn’t doing it for me.
August 4, 2024
Parts I enjoyed and parts I didn’t. Not sure if what I liked is enough to commit to finishing the series.
February 22, 2013
3.8
This is the first zombie novel I have ever read and if others are similar to Zombie Island I intend to read some more. Although, anticipating zombie attacks throughout an entire book can be wearing on one’s heart.
The Goodreads’ synopsis for this book pretty much says it all so I am not going to go into that.
This book has a strong heroine, Sam, who is authentic, practical and relatable to readers. The author does an amazing job placing you in the heroine’s head - you feel her confusion, heartache and concerns.
This novel has your typical love triangle except it is two brother who are fighting over the protagonist – a little Legend of the Falls romance if you may - Reese, the sweet, sentimental, puppy-dog-like younger brother and Ryder, the tough, cocky older brother with a fine body.
Hmm…I wonder which is going to win Sam’s heart. I know which one won mine.
I couldn’t put this book down just because of the anticipating romance then about ¾ of the way in, when the two final admit their feelings, I felt the sparks between them diffuse a little.
The author foreshadows the outcome of the Sam’s love interests in the following passage,
As I go through the small selection of books, I notice that most of them are similar: paranormal romance. I never understood why people enjoy reading those types of books so much. They’re always the same. An ordinary girl meet two sexy, paranormal boys that both fight over her, and there’s always some lame conflict that pushes her closer together with both of them, and then she makes the obvious choice. The choice everyone knew she’d make since the first chapter.
There are some minor typographic errors - “life” for “lift,” but most are easy to figure out while reading.
The ending is abrupt. I kept trying to turn to the next page that wasn’t there. This was probably my greatest disappointment with the book – there is a killing zombie climax and then let’s go to bed and cuddle. Did I miss something?
I also think that authors have dialogue and events happen for a purpose that will later reveal itself in the book. Take for example the dialogue about life before the Zombie Apocalypse – Sam talks about her cousin in NY 2-3 times throughout the book so I was wondering if something would come of that, but no cousin ever showed up and that just seemed random, repeating dialogue.
I found I was very mistrusting of new characters that appeared throughout the story just like I would have been if this did happened to me. But, the good characters remained noble and loyal while the bad characters remained vile and inhumane. I would have liked to see some unpredictable twists.
April 11, 2024
I love an excellent zombie book; I consider them "palette cleanser" reads for me, especially when I've been reviewing a lot of similar genre books for a while. This fell into that category, especially for someone who reads a fair amount of zombie literature.
Although the take of man being the biggest enemy and not the dead being quite common, this take was a good one. The army, yeah those guys, the ones who were supposed to rescue those in the affected areas going rogue and becoming the actual bad guys isn't new, but it was well done. The author did a good job on showing the depravity people can show when chaos rules. That being said, there are some content warnings in this. SA and human trafficking is prevalent in this novel.
I really enjoyed Sam as a main character. She was tough, resilient and resourceful. She fell back on her earliest memories of gardening and was able to keep herself fed with fresh foods. Being able to grow food in times of scarcity is an important skill to have. Up there with general survival skills and medical skills. All things people should know even if zompocs are unlikely to ever happen, lol (but just in case you ever get lost in the woods yanno).
And yes, there is a little bit of romance in the story, but it was well executed and didn't take away from anything. In fact, it added to it. You need a little hope in apocalyptic times.
Over all, well done and I hope to read more by this author.
I received a review copy for free from BookSirens, my review is voluntary.
Although the take of man being the biggest enemy and not the dead being quite common, this take was a good one. The army, yeah those guys, the ones who were supposed to rescue those in the affected areas going rogue and becoming the actual bad guys isn't new, but it was well done. The author did a good job on showing the depravity people can show when chaos rules. That being said, there are some content warnings in this. SA and human trafficking is prevalent in this novel.
I really enjoyed Sam as a main character. She was tough, resilient and resourceful. She fell back on her earliest memories of gardening and was able to keep herself fed with fresh foods. Being able to grow food in times of scarcity is an important skill to have. Up there with general survival skills and medical skills. All things people should know even if zompocs are unlikely to ever happen, lol (but just in case you ever get lost in the woods yanno).
And yes, there is a little bit of romance in the story, but it was well executed and didn't take away from anything. In fact, it added to it. You need a little hope in apocalyptic times.
Over all, well done and I hope to read more by this author.
I received a review copy for free from BookSirens, my review is voluntary.
May 18, 2024
So slightly mixed feelings with this book. It was short enough and engaging enough to keep my attention and I finished it quickly and will definitely be moving on to the next book in the series. Who doesn't love a good zombie book, and the living are always the ones you have to fear more than the zombies. However, I don't feel like I got to know the characters that well, which made it hard to really connect with them, and that's why I didn't rate it higher.
March 20, 2013
A few things stuck out for me in this book.
The first was whenever Sam was feeling all paranoid and self-conscious because after the zombie infection started "trivial things like shaving stopped being important." I was so impressed that the author thought of this. It's such a small silly detail, but I can't count how many movies and books have ignored the fact that with this type of situation, basic hygiene is out the window. I can't stand whenever the main character might have been through hell, but still manages to look perfect; it just irritates me every time. It seems so rare for authors to bring that up - it was really a nice touch. The same whenever Tobe told Sam to grab tampons - it might be the end of the world, but we're still females :)
The second thing that's stuck to me is from the near end of the book. It just upset me how little they investigated the cabin in Kansas. Sam and Ryder just waltz right in and up the stairs. That kind of threw off the whole tone the author had going on. It seemed like it didn't dawn on them someone might be living there and just out hunting or something.
However, I thought the ending was good - a tiny bit rushed maybe. But all in all, it was a pretty good book!
The first was whenever Sam was feeling all paranoid and self-conscious because after the zombie infection started "trivial things like shaving stopped being important." I was so impressed that the author thought of this. It's such a small silly detail, but I can't count how many movies and books have ignored the fact that with this type of situation, basic hygiene is out the window. I can't stand whenever the main character might have been through hell, but still manages to look perfect; it just irritates me every time. It seems so rare for authors to bring that up - it was really a nice touch. The same whenever Tobe told Sam to grab tampons - it might be the end of the world, but we're still females :)
The second thing that's stuck to me is from the near end of the book. It just upset me how little they investigated the cabin in Kansas. Sam and Ryder just waltz right in and up the stairs. That kind of threw off the whole tone the author had going on. It seemed like it didn't dawn on them someone might be living there and just out hunting or something.
However, I thought the ending was good - a tiny bit rushed maybe. But all in all, it was a pretty good book!
April 15, 2013
2/5
Okay, so I got this book for my Nook because it was free and I was looking to kill some time until I could get my paycheck for more books. Well I went through several of the reviews before deciding to download it and only came across one bad review - so it couldn't be horrible.
I was wrong.
The whole story felt like just giant blocks of text that was riddle with spelling errors, grammar errors and very little dialogue. It was literally a play-by-play of every little movement and the action didn't have me on the edge of my seat at all. The character development was weird and I felt like I hardly knew the main character except for the fact that she didn't want to ruin what she "worked so hard for."
On top of that, I never found out how the zombie infection started. It was sort of brought up at one point between Ryder and Sam, but I just couldn't feel it..
The reason I gave it two stars instead of one was simply because the story COULD go somewhere if it were to be re-written and made more personable, the time lapse weren't all over the place and I could get a feel for the settings.
I started it and finished it, but it really wasn't worth the read and I'm glad I didn't spend my money on it.
Okay, so I got this book for my Nook because it was free and I was looking to kill some time until I could get my paycheck for more books. Well I went through several of the reviews before deciding to download it and only came across one bad review - so it couldn't be horrible.
I was wrong.
The whole story felt like just giant blocks of text that was riddle with spelling errors, grammar errors and very little dialogue. It was literally a play-by-play of every little movement and the action didn't have me on the edge of my seat at all. The character development was weird and I felt like I hardly knew the main character except for the fact that she didn't want to ruin what she "worked so hard for."
On top of that, I never found out how the zombie infection started. It was sort of brought up at one point between Ryder and Sam, but I just couldn't feel it..
The reason I gave it two stars instead of one was simply because the story COULD go somewhere if it were to be re-written and made more personable, the time lapse weren't all over the place and I could get a feel for the settings.
I started it and finished it, but it really wasn't worth the read and I'm glad I didn't spend my money on it.
April 3, 2013
Pros: This was a cool idea for a book and the author obviously has a fun imagination
Cons: There were a ton of errors such as "his" instead of "this", "he" instead of "the", the name Ryder was used in one sentence where the author meant Reese, etc. There were a ton of spots, especially in the beginning, where the author had several paragraphs of sentences like, "I picked the tomato off the vine and put the tomato in my pocket. Then I picked a cucumber. I walked across the rooftop. I climbed down the ladder. I kept my eyes peeled for zombies." Etc. etc. The character interactions rang false and they all spoke with much the same voice. None of the characters stood out as independent personalities. The male characters spoke in phrases women wished men would speak in. There are several spots where the author contradicts the internal monologue of the main character (she thinks one thing in one paragraph, then a few paragraphs later, she says, oh, well I never thought of that (same) thing.) If this book had been overhauled by a decent editor(s) to knock out the grammatical errors, clumsy phrasing, character development, and content trackability, it could have been fantastic.
Cons: There were a ton of errors such as "his" instead of "this", "he" instead of "the", the name Ryder was used in one sentence where the author meant Reese, etc. There were a ton of spots, especially in the beginning, where the author had several paragraphs of sentences like, "I picked the tomato off the vine and put the tomato in my pocket. Then I picked a cucumber. I walked across the rooftop. I climbed down the ladder. I kept my eyes peeled for zombies." Etc. etc. The character interactions rang false and they all spoke with much the same voice. None of the characters stood out as independent personalities. The male characters spoke in phrases women wished men would speak in. There are several spots where the author contradicts the internal monologue of the main character (she thinks one thing in one paragraph, then a few paragraphs later, she says, oh, well I never thought of that (same) thing.) If this book had been overhauled by a decent editor(s) to knock out the grammatical errors, clumsy phrasing, character development, and content trackability, it could have been fantastic.
March 4, 2024
I received a free Kindle version of this book through Goodreads and felt obligated to finish and review it. Otherwise, I’d have put it down after the first couple chapters.
Sam is our 20-year old heroine. She’s been living alone in former Chicago after a zombie apocalypse six months ago. Unfortunately, zombies aren’t the worst things out there. It seems the vast majority of earth’s men used the destruction of society to act on their true desires and make the remaining women their sex slaves. So Sam REALLY has to stay away from men. And then a man shows up, and she instantly falls in love with him and would die for him while they try to make their way to an island where they can live zombie-free.
Timelines are a real problem in this book. Six months for the majority of men left in the world to turn into rapists? Surely they’d have better things to do-like kill zombies and find food and shelter. Also, the author did not do her homework into rotting corpses. For example, someone killed six months ago would not be recognizable, especially if the body was left uncovered through the summer.
Sam is our 20-year old heroine. She’s been living alone in former Chicago after a zombie apocalypse six months ago. Unfortunately, zombies aren’t the worst things out there. It seems the vast majority of earth’s men used the destruction of society to act on their true desires and make the remaining women their sex slaves. So Sam REALLY has to stay away from men. And then a man shows up, and she instantly falls in love with him and would die for him while they try to make their way to an island where they can live zombie-free.
Timelines are a real problem in this book. Six months for the majority of men left in the world to turn into rapists? Surely they’d have better things to do-like kill zombies and find food and shelter. Also, the author did not do her homework into rotting corpses. For example, someone killed six months ago would not be recognizable, especially if the body was left uncovered through the summer.
January 13, 2013
WHYYYYYY DON'T PEOPLE HIRE EDITORS? Why?
Also: Trigger warning for rape because WHOA.
Also: Trigger warning for rape because WHOA.
August 26, 2025
Nothing special stood out with this book. It was ??? i don't even know the words. There were a lot of spelling errors so I actually felt bad for the author.
I feel like it started and just was over face paced. I didn't care for the character's. They were ok but wasn't like "infested" in them. I also didn't care for the age gap. It didn't feel like a post apocalyptic book about survival as much as it felt like people trying to run from soldiers who used women.
I almost DNF it but was bored so finished it. Not sure I'd recommend and I won't be continuing the series.
There are some disturbing scenes so check trigger warnings if you do read this.
I feel like it started and just was over face paced. I didn't care for the character's. They were ok but wasn't like "infested" in them. I also didn't care for the age gap. It didn't feel like a post apocalyptic book about survival as much as it felt like people trying to run from soldiers who used women.
I almost DNF it but was bored so finished it. Not sure I'd recommend and I won't be continuing the series.
There are some disturbing scenes so check trigger warnings if you do read this.
November 30, 2023
It's a fast-paced zombie thriller where Man is the real enemy, a good beginning to a series and an improvement over the original. I applaud the author for taking the time to improve on her old work, I know that it's harder to write something a second time. Good for fans of The Walking Dead. It's a little dark for my taste, but I won't hold that against it. Readers should be aware that there are mentions and threats of sexual assault, and of course gore.
I do wish there was a bit more zombie action. Maybe in the next one.
I was given an ARC in exchange for a review.
I do wish there was a bit more zombie action. Maybe in the next one.
I was given an ARC in exchange for a review.
February 3, 2024
Pretty standard zompoc fare. If you like mainlining zombie fiction (or if you're looking for a book that's a cut above all the poorly written stuff out there in that genre), this is definitely worth a try.
Straight up, I'll warn potential readers that if you're triggered by sexual assault, this is NOT the book for you. The sexual assaults are many through the first half of the novel.
Second point I'll make up front is that I saw this tagged as a Young Adult book. It isn't. Not in my humble opinion. Nothing about it is YA. Adult fiction all the way.
What I liked…
The survivalism in this book is solid, detailed and interesting. I'd go as far as to say it's the most interesting thing about it and about the main character's "fight for survival."
The shift in relationship (no spoilers) between two characters is well-handled and credible. Hard thing to pull off but the author does it well.
I'm going to say "Finally!" about two things: 1) in this book, the main character is concerned about accidental infection from getting zombie blood and gunk on herself (FINALLY! None of the silly Walking Dead idea of coating yourself with the stuff without any consequences). 2) Finally, an author acknowledges that her female characters need to deal with menstruation and hygiene. Well handled and a realistic touch.
A couple more things I liked: the editing is solid all the way through, polished and proofread. The action pops: this author is skilled at writing action sequences.
Why it lost a star for me:
1) Dialogue. For the first half of the novel (especially toward the beginning), the way characters speak, the things they speak about and the phrasing they use feels immature and undeveloped. It feels like this book needs a couple more rounds with a critique group to hammer that out and both sharpen up that dialogue AND make every bit of it earn its place on the page. (It does improve in the second half).
2) Formatting. In this day and age, I don't see why an author simply uploads a Word document to Amazon when there are cheap formatting apps that can make it look professional and are easy to use. The book was clunky throughout because of this; it felt as if I was reading someone's draft, not the finished work.
That said, this is a good read for people who inhale post-apocalyptic stories. And there was definitely more good about it than not. Four stars.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Straight up, I'll warn potential readers that if you're triggered by sexual assault, this is NOT the book for you. The sexual assaults are many through the first half of the novel.
Second point I'll make up front is that I saw this tagged as a Young Adult book. It isn't. Not in my humble opinion. Nothing about it is YA. Adult fiction all the way.
What I liked…
The survivalism in this book is solid, detailed and interesting. I'd go as far as to say it's the most interesting thing about it and about the main character's "fight for survival."
The shift in relationship (no spoilers) between two characters is well-handled and credible. Hard thing to pull off but the author does it well.
I'm going to say "Finally!" about two things: 1) in this book, the main character is concerned about accidental infection from getting zombie blood and gunk on herself (FINALLY! None of the silly Walking Dead idea of coating yourself with the stuff without any consequences). 2) Finally, an author acknowledges that her female characters need to deal with menstruation and hygiene. Well handled and a realistic touch.
A couple more things I liked: the editing is solid all the way through, polished and proofread. The action pops: this author is skilled at writing action sequences.
Why it lost a star for me:
1) Dialogue. For the first half of the novel (especially toward the beginning), the way characters speak, the things they speak about and the phrasing they use feels immature and undeveloped. It feels like this book needs a couple more rounds with a critique group to hammer that out and both sharpen up that dialogue AND make every bit of it earn its place on the page. (It does improve in the second half).
2) Formatting. In this day and age, I don't see why an author simply uploads a Word document to Amazon when there are cheap formatting apps that can make it look professional and are easy to use. The book was clunky throughout because of this; it felt as if I was reading someone's draft, not the finished work.
That said, this is a good read for people who inhale post-apocalyptic stories. And there was definitely more good about it than not. Four stars.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 8, 2013
FREE NOW ON NOOK!!!! (Mar 6th, 2013)
OMG, I absolutly loved this book. Why? BECAUSE IT WAS FREE! Well, that's not the only reason, but that was the reason I got it. I was just window shopping on my Nook, and started downloading free stuff. I wasn't going to get this book, because, um, it's about zombies. I felt it would probably be cheesy or stupid or something. But then I thought, 'What the hay. I'll try it.'
I'm so glad I did. This zombie apocalypse kept me on the edge of my seat. The romance, oh the romance, was well played out. I was also pleased that the zombies were real zombies, unlike the current trend in movies that zombies can heal themselves. (Not that I didn't enjoy that movie, but Warm Bodies just didn't have real zombies.)
Anyway, if you do decide to give it a try, be warned that the editing is not the best in the world. I caught at least three grammatical/spelling errors, and there were probably more. Also, so of the dialouge/descriptions were repetitive. For example, we read basically the exact same description of Sam's town outfit twice. Oh, and the author named the main character after herself, which annoyed me, but whatever.
So, if you have a Nook, go check it out now while it's FREE (As of Mar. 6th 2013). If you don't like it, you can always delete it. But you should defiantly give it a try, cause you might be pleasently surprised.
OMG, I absolutly loved this book. Why? BECAUSE IT WAS FREE! Well, that's not the only reason, but that was the reason I got it. I was just window shopping on my Nook, and started downloading free stuff. I wasn't going to get this book, because, um, it's about zombies. I felt it would probably be cheesy or stupid or something. But then I thought, 'What the hay. I'll try it.'
I'm so glad I did. This zombie apocalypse kept me on the edge of my seat. The romance, oh the romance, was well played out. I was also pleased that the zombies were real zombies, unlike the current trend in movies that zombies can heal themselves. (Not that I didn't enjoy that movie, but Warm Bodies just didn't have real zombies.)
Anyway, if you do decide to give it a try, be warned that the editing is not the best in the world. I caught at least three grammatical/spelling errors, and there were probably more. Also, so of the dialouge/descriptions were repetitive. For example, we read basically the exact same description of Sam's town outfit twice. Oh, and the author named the main character after herself, which annoyed me, but whatever.
So, if you have a Nook, go check it out now while it's FREE (As of Mar. 6th 2013). If you don't like it, you can always delete it. But you should defiantly give it a try, cause you might be pleasently surprised.
April 3, 2013
First of all I have to say I LOVE zombies so when I saw this available for free on my nook I jumped on it! Zombie Island did end up on my “to read” shelf for longer than I anticipated but when I did finally get around to it, it was a very good read.
I loved Sam, she was a strong female character, now she’s not your typical zombie hunter that you see, who’s an epic shot and kills zombies basically for a living but she still can kick some ass ;) She really had to work with her group to survive and they basically all survived on luck and the skills that the two men had. Ryder was epic too btw :)
I absolutely loved how the author added in the worry of luxuries that have become trivial such as shaving. You never see someone add that to a book or movie! Definitely made this book more unique.
The other issue I had with this book really is the ending. It seemed a bit rushed and made me wanting more.
Overall, this is a fantastic read and don’t forget it is a self-published novel so don’t get too annoyed with grammar/spelling, it happens ;)
I loved Sam, she was a strong female character, now she’s not your typical zombie hunter that you see, who’s an epic shot and kills zombies basically for a living but she still can kick some ass ;) She really had to work with her group to survive and they basically all survived on luck and the skills that the two men had. Ryder was epic too btw :)
I absolutely loved how the author added in the worry of luxuries that have become trivial such as shaving. You never see someone add that to a book or movie! Definitely made this book more unique.
The other issue I had with this book really is the ending. It seemed a bit rushed and made me wanting more.
Overall, this is a fantastic read and don’t forget it is a self-published novel so don’t get too annoyed with grammar/spelling, it happens ;)
March 5, 2013
I really have mixed feelings on this book. First of all I am not a big zombie fan, but I got the book free from Barnes and Noble for my nook. I liked the overall story, but felt that the ending was too rushed. Up until the last page I was still wondering if this book was going to be a trilogy or at least have a sequel. I would have liked to have known more about their lives after they were settled. I also did not like the use of the "F" word, it was mostly in the beginning and then I believe it was only used once or twice more, but I was very concerned in the beginning. Also I didn't enjoy the talk about the raping of women, although I am aware that this does happen more often in the chaos of disasters and people fighting for their lives. And I very much did not appreciate the scene between the husband and his zombie wife! I give it 3 stars though because I did like the characters and the overall storyline.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2015
I'll admit, the story line itself has good parts that capture the readers attention, however, the bad grammar and misspelling all throughout the book are hard to ignore. it's almost like you couldn't go an entire chapter without finding something... also, the main character, I feel, was way too "Twilighty", meaning she was torn between 2 "loves", and she constantly needed rescuing. At the beginning of the story, she seemed like a strong character, and I had high hopes about this book, but then she turned into this feeble, clumsy, "damsel in distress", and that kind of killed it for me.... there are plot holes in the story, and at times, it felt a bit corny. sorry, but this one just wasn't for me. also, I don't think that the author herself should be allowed to rate her own book on goodreads... just seems too biased.
April 17, 2024
overall a good book but a lot of triggers throughout
Overall, this book is well written. It has a steady pace that keeps you reading. I enjoyed the characters. Sometimes it felt like conversations ended too quickly. My biggest struggle with this book was all the near rape scenes and discussion of them. It felt like more of an avoid being raped book than a zombie book. There is also a disturbing scene between some man and his recently turned zombie wife that I could have done without. Due to those things, I wouldn’t read this book again but the writing is good enough that I plan to read book two in hopes that the story evolves away from a topic that is hard for me to deal with personally. Had it been mentioned once or even more casually, I’d probably have enjoyed the book more and it would be a book that I’d return to.
Overall, this book is well written. It has a steady pace that keeps you reading. I enjoyed the characters. Sometimes it felt like conversations ended too quickly. My biggest struggle with this book was all the near rape scenes and discussion of them. It felt like more of an avoid being raped book than a zombie book. There is also a disturbing scene between some man and his recently turned zombie wife that I could have done without. Due to those things, I wouldn’t read this book again but the writing is good enough that I plan to read book two in hopes that the story evolves away from a topic that is hard for me to deal with personally. Had it been mentioned once or even more casually, I’d probably have enjoyed the book more and it would be a book that I’d return to.
January 11, 2021
Read : January 11, 2021
Rating : 1,5 Stars
DNF
I tried really hard to finish this but I simply can't torture myself anymore.
What finally made me quit it was
The fact that we started with an female mc that had all the potential of being a bad ass zombie killer but then a "good guy" gets introduced and suddenly it's all "oh save me" "he protects me" without him I can't survive" like, bitch you were doing that for 6 months without the help of some random dude...
What a letdown this was, especially since it could've been so freaking good!
Rating : 1,5 Stars
DNF
I tried really hard to finish this but I simply can't torture myself anymore.
What finally made me quit it was
The fact that we started with an female mc that had all the potential of being a bad ass zombie killer but then a "good guy" gets introduced and suddenly it's all "oh save me" "he protects me" without him I can't survive" like, bitch you were doing that for 6 months without the help of some random dude...
What a letdown this was, especially since it could've been so freaking good!
April 4, 2024
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway for my honest review. I can't say I really liked this one much. I guess it stems from the fact that over the last ten years of zombie overkill on everything lately. Some things in this book just didn't fit for me. Still recognizing corpses after six months didn't comprehend in my brain, they would be unrecognizable after a month. I understand a few of the men may be psychopaths that turned into serial rapists after the world fell apart, but 90% of them???? Seems a stretch. Wouldn't things like survival be top priority at this point? Killing the undead, finding shelter, finding food, weapons, a community? Just far fat fetched. I hope our heroine Sam mentally survives her ordeals though.
June 1, 2017
This was my first zombie book that I have ever read. I probably won't do it again. Nothing against this book or the author, I really don't enjoy reading about zombies. I get very emotional when I read and even though this wasn't a very long book, at one point I wasn't sure that I was gong to finish it. Zombies are horrific mindless creatures, that make me sick to my stomach. There is no glamor to them although I didn't expect there to be. I guess I prefer the bad guys to have more substance. Less zombies and more zombie warriors.
The book had wonderful characters and was the only reason I finished the book.
The book had wonderful characters and was the only reason I finished the book.
June 12, 2012
I love being pleasantly surprised by authors. Especially authors who are virtually unknown. I am not a fan of zombie fiction as I find their extreme scientific improbability off-putting. Plus they're just plain gross. Have you ever smelled decaying flesh? It's not pleasant let me tell you. Anyway at times Ms. Hoffman showed her inexperience, but overall I liked it. I do think that with a little practice Ms. Hoffman could be a very good writer indeed.
December 10, 2012
Awesome book! It's a one shot too, but of course, like with every book, I'd love more. LOL I did post a warning that it reference rape, but it's done in a realistic way and not romanticized like in the last book I read. In a zombie apocalypse, bad guys would do things to girls, but it's properly used in this book. I also like some of the snarky comments about books incorporated into the storyline. Great story that I wish was longer, just because I didn't want to leave the world.
July 1, 2013
I really enjoyed this. Its really hard to find really good Zombie books but this had me. I loved the charaters and the plot. Tons of action and a great romance! I was really hoping for them to come out on top because there for awhile I wasnt sure if they were. I have this four stars only because the writing was a bit repettive. But my favorite part was the Charaters, they were well deveoped and I just enjoyed this book.
September 13, 2012
Loved this book from the beginning to end and everywhere in between. The characters were amazing and I fell in love with them right away. I was on the edge of my seat from the first page, and I couldn't turn the virtual pages fast enough. A must read. I can't wait to read more books by this author if this is a taste of what she has to offer!
March 12, 2013
I really enjoyed this book, it was a quick read and had me captured on the first page. I recommend this to anyone who likes zombie stories. There is some strong language here and there but it's bearable. This book is not for those with a weak stomach as there is some rather graphic zombie fighting scenes.
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