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IRL
Something is wrong in Bunker, Illinois.
Nora Grace Moon thought the toughest challenge this semester would be surviving crippling bouts of OCD, but when her deceased roommate turns up as a reanimated corpse, her world starts to collapse.
Nora has an uncanny, heated connection to fellow gamer Wesley. She finds out he's a US Marshal with real-life skills for tactical survival, not just in-game. They uncover a plot involving an ancient archeology society who will stop at nothing until they have what Nora has - an ancient artifact that will unleash a new world order of the undead.
IRL is a sci-fi thriller about leaving the online world and dealing with things "In Real Life."
Nora Grace Moon thought the toughest challenge this semester would be surviving crippling bouts of OCD, but when her deceased roommate turns up as a reanimated corpse, her world starts to collapse.
Nora has an uncanny, heated connection to fellow gamer Wesley. She finds out he's a US Marshal with real-life skills for tactical survival, not just in-game. They uncover a plot involving an ancient archeology society who will stop at nothing until they have what Nora has - an ancient artifact that will unleash a new world order of the undead.
IRL is a sci-fi thriller about leaving the online world and dealing with things "In Real Life."
- GenresScience Fiction
Unknown Binding
First published July 18, 2023
3 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
E.A. Field
6 books45 followersEmily lives in the Midwest where she struggles to escape the humid summers every year. While there are no official credentials to list for why she’s an expert on fantasy worlds, she has gotten lost in so many, she assumes that experience will speak for itself. She is the author of paranormal thriller IRL: In Real Life in which cursed zombies are hunted by an ancient archeological society and two gamers. She’s also written a short story that is a spin-off of IRL in Through the Aftermath anthology. She loves to blend genres with science fiction and fantasy being her favorites. She’s an avid cosplayer, animal rescuer, reader, and baker.
Please visit her at http://emilyafield.com
*Blue Moon is written under pen name Anne Bourne*
Please visit her at http://emilyafield.com
*Blue Moon is written under pen name Anne Bourne*
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 4, 2023
Thank you to NetGallery and Rising Action Publishing for providing me with this early copy of this book in exchange for a spoiler-free, book review. All opinions are my own!
The Premise:
Nora Grace Moon thought the toughest challenge this semester would be surviving crippling bouts of OCD, but when her deceased roommate turns up as a reanimated corpse, her world starts to collapse.
Nora has an uncanny, heated connection to fellow gamer Wesley. She finds out he's a US Marshal with real-life skills for tactical survival, not just in-game. They uncover a plot involving an ancient archaeology society who will stop at nothing until they have what Nora has - an ancient artifact that will unleash a new world order of the undead...
Anyone who knows me, will know that my favourite kinds of fiction are: fantasy, sci-fi and a good horror novel! So when I was browsing through book submissions and found 'IRL' by E.A. Field, I felt that the premise fit perfectly with the kind of story that I enjoy - who doesn't like a good zombie story?!
Thankfully my request to read the book was approved and with that, I got myself a large cup of tea and began to read...
Spoiler Free Summary
The story is written in 3rd person narration, focusing through the eyes of the two central characters - Nora and Wesley. Nora Moon is a student/game fanatic who is suffering from a combination of OCD and PTSD, due to an accident that she was not involved in. Wesley is also a gamer/US Marshal that has recently been questioning his career/life choices due to a work incident that landed him in trouble - whilst also dealing with a host of childhood traumas.
The two main characters have never met in real life (or 'IRL' for short!) but are forced to find and help each other when a curse causes the spread of a zombielike pandemic across the world. Along the way they not only deal with trying to stay alive, but they must also face up to their past if they are ever to move forward...
What I Liked!
The characters: Firstly I really loved the two main characters in the novel! They both have believable backgrounds and I felt it really important that the story included the issues that we face with PTSD. A lot of the time, it's misconceived that only people involved in the incident can suffer long-term PTSD - but that is absolutely not true, and through the character of Nora, we see first hand these struggles.
Wesley was a good counterpart to Nora I felt, especially given that throughout the novel he helps counteract the anxiety and OCD tics that Nora deals with. I think it was intriguing to include a domestic violence background, particularly from the angle of the women aggressor, because Field once again has explored a branch of this issue that usually has many misconceptions.
I felt that Field was brave with her character and world building, and I really felt that the characters were her absolute strongest success in this novel!
The story: I thought the story was awesome and innovative! I liked how it didn't go generic "zombie apocalypse = everyone eventually dies" route, this story had an issue and a solution: A curse that has been caused by an artifact that aims to revive a cult-like leader from over hundreds of years ago, in an attempt to achieve immortality.
I find with a lot of zombie stories, I struggle with the knowledge that things will never get better, and that post-novel how will that character ever live? In this story however, there is hope and it keeps you routing for the characters because of it!
Final thoughts
Overall i found 'IRL' to be an enjoyable reading experience. It ventures away from other cliché zombie stories and embraces both horror, romance and comedy - whilst also tackling some quite intense themes. I happily give this book a 4 out of 5 rating!
Many thanks again to NetGallery, Rising Action Publishing and E.A. Field for allowing me to read and review this book before publication! I had a great time reading it and look forward to future novels from the author!
#IRL
The Premise:
Nora Grace Moon thought the toughest challenge this semester would be surviving crippling bouts of OCD, but when her deceased roommate turns up as a reanimated corpse, her world starts to collapse.
Nora has an uncanny, heated connection to fellow gamer Wesley. She finds out he's a US Marshal with real-life skills for tactical survival, not just in-game. They uncover a plot involving an ancient archaeology society who will stop at nothing until they have what Nora has - an ancient artifact that will unleash a new world order of the undead...
Anyone who knows me, will know that my favourite kinds of fiction are: fantasy, sci-fi and a good horror novel! So when I was browsing through book submissions and found 'IRL' by E.A. Field, I felt that the premise fit perfectly with the kind of story that I enjoy - who doesn't like a good zombie story?!
Thankfully my request to read the book was approved and with that, I got myself a large cup of tea and began to read...
Spoiler Free Summary
The story is written in 3rd person narration, focusing through the eyes of the two central characters - Nora and Wesley. Nora Moon is a student/game fanatic who is suffering from a combination of OCD and PTSD, due to an accident that she was not involved in. Wesley is also a gamer/US Marshal that has recently been questioning his career/life choices due to a work incident that landed him in trouble - whilst also dealing with a host of childhood traumas.
The two main characters have never met in real life (or 'IRL' for short!) but are forced to find and help each other when a curse causes the spread of a zombielike pandemic across the world. Along the way they not only deal with trying to stay alive, but they must also face up to their past if they are ever to move forward...
What I Liked!
The characters: Firstly I really loved the two main characters in the novel! They both have believable backgrounds and I felt it really important that the story included the issues that we face with PTSD. A lot of the time, it's misconceived that only people involved in the incident can suffer long-term PTSD - but that is absolutely not true, and through the character of Nora, we see first hand these struggles.
Wesley was a good counterpart to Nora I felt, especially given that throughout the novel he helps counteract the anxiety and OCD tics that Nora deals with. I think it was intriguing to include a domestic violence background, particularly from the angle of the women aggressor, because Field once again has explored a branch of this issue that usually has many misconceptions.
I felt that Field was brave with her character and world building, and I really felt that the characters were her absolute strongest success in this novel!
The story: I thought the story was awesome and innovative! I liked how it didn't go generic "zombie apocalypse = everyone eventually dies" route, this story had an issue and a solution: A curse that has been caused by an artifact that aims to revive a cult-like leader from over hundreds of years ago, in an attempt to achieve immortality.
I find with a lot of zombie stories, I struggle with the knowledge that things will never get better, and that post-novel how will that character ever live? In this story however, there is hope and it keeps you routing for the characters because of it!
Final thoughts
Overall i found 'IRL' to be an enjoyable reading experience. It ventures away from other cliché zombie stories and embraces both horror, romance and comedy - whilst also tackling some quite intense themes. I happily give this book a 4 out of 5 rating!
Many thanks again to NetGallery, Rising Action Publishing and E.A. Field for allowing me to read and review this book before publication! I had a great time reading it and look forward to future novels from the author!
#IRL
March 29, 2023
I really enjoyed this story, and the writing is fantastic! Every chapter was immersive, and I loved the relationship between Nora and Wesley. A great read--and I don't normally gravitate toward zombie stories! But this was about so much more than that, and I was rooting for Nora and Wesley the entire time.
IRL is a thrilling story full of action, ancient curses, and black magic in an almost-apocalyptic setting that takes us from the online gaming world to real-life crazy circumstances. Gamers Nora and Wesley meet IRL when the world starts going sideways after an ancient curse is revived, turning humans into zombies--but this isn't your typical zombie story because it's not a virus that brings on the undead; it's a curse. Nora's uncle was part of a small group of people who knew—and believed in—a hidden ancient city with a deadly ruler. Nora and Wesley must determine who to trust in order to save the world from certain death—and raging undeath. It's a race against time as they've got a powerful society on their tail who wants an important piece of the puzzle Nora's uncle entrusted to her, and the clock is ticking down until the curse is fully engaged.
IRL is a thrilling story full of action, ancient curses, and black magic in an almost-apocalyptic setting that takes us from the online gaming world to real-life crazy circumstances. Gamers Nora and Wesley meet IRL when the world starts going sideways after an ancient curse is revived, turning humans into zombies--but this isn't your typical zombie story because it's not a virus that brings on the undead; it's a curse. Nora's uncle was part of a small group of people who knew—and believed in—a hidden ancient city with a deadly ruler. Nora and Wesley must determine who to trust in order to save the world from certain death—and raging undeath. It's a race against time as they've got a powerful society on their tail who wants an important piece of the puzzle Nora's uncle entrusted to her, and the clock is ticking down until the curse is fully engaged.
March 28, 2023
5/5 stars! Fun, weird, and dark in equal measure. I currently live in Illinois, so the setting was model-made for me. This book was what would happen if Zombieland made a baby with the Last of Us video game. I loved it. I am a huge nerd and so the dark, edgy gamer vibes worked for me. Nora is kind of ridiculous as a character, but Wesley more than makes up for it. I would read more books by this author. Just weirdly satisfying to read.
I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
October 15, 2023
You know the friends episode where they put the books in the freezer? IRL is one of those books for me. The amount of times this book gave me heart palpitations where I had to put it down for days, only to be so immersed in the characters and story that I needed to come back to it to find out what happened had me overcoming my horrible fear of zombies to continue reading.
This is a great book that merges the fantastical with realities. And the fact there’s an archeological aspect to it all makes it even better in my book!
This is a great book that merges the fantastical with realities. And the fact there’s an archeological aspect to it all makes it even better in my book!
March 6, 2025
I really loved the pacing, twists, and how the situation kept escalating. This was well done and I can’t wait to read what the author writes next.
May 6, 2023
I admit upfront I’m not a huge fan of “zombie” books, but this blurb struck me as interesting, so I requested it. First of all, I loved how both Nora and Wesley have issues like regular people. They were a little more believable to me that way. Add in the fact that Wesley is the result of female abuse which is a real thing and about time it’s shown, and I felt they were very relatable. With the great writing, the engaging plot, non-stop action, and the actual wrap up of the story and not a huge cliffhanger, I really enjoyed this book. There were a couple of not really believable plot twists (yes, I know, it’s a zombie book; what’s not believable?!?), but I can’t really go into those as I would spoil it. This is a very good book. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.
July 30, 2024
This book was given to me by my brother, who bought it as a blind-book from a local bookstore. He figured the code words on the outside of the wrapping would be something I'm into. I decided to give it an honest shot, even though zombie books and action novels are not my usual style. However, I did like this book.
Some of the writing seemed a bit immature, but I believe this book falls under a teen or preteen category (I could be totally wrong), and there were some grammar errors I saw throughout the story. I wish Nora and Wesley's connection was explored a bit more, or with more romantic scenes, but there is still a decent bit of action between them. The ending was nice, it tied everything together and I was satisfied with how their story concluded. So, thanks Jacob for buying me this book, it wasn't a bad read!
Some of the writing seemed a bit immature, but I believe this book falls under a teen or preteen category (I could be totally wrong), and there were some grammar errors I saw throughout the story. I wish Nora and Wesley's connection was explored a bit more, or with more romantic scenes, but there is still a decent bit of action between them. The ending was nice, it tied everything together and I was satisfied with how their story concluded. So, thanks Jacob for buying me this book, it wasn't a bad read!
April 20, 2023
If you want a story about love, personal healing, and growth all while the apocalypse happens this is the book for you. The story is about two unlikely heroes who meet up with each other and try to save the world from the apocalypse. Throughout the story they have to fight against the undead as well as their fellow humans, They struggle to stay ahead of an ancient society that is trying to bring the apocalypse all while going through their own trauma. They both have to fight to go against their norms and break down the walls they have put up to protect themselves. They each realize that the walls they use to shield their hearts and minds are the walls that are stopping them from becoming great.
October 17, 2023
IRL was a wonderful spin on a zombie story, fresh and modern. The heart of the book was the interaction between two people who had already seen too much... long before the undead start attacking. The book explored deep themes of loss, anxiety, and trauma and gave life to two nuanced, unlikely heroes. The interweaving of modern gaming and ancient myths, internal struggles and an impending apocalypse will keep you hooked until the end
September 20, 2023
Great writing. I had to keep reading to know what happened next! Love the character development - and especially loved the relationship between Nora and Wesley.
November 16, 2023
Loved this book! Im not usually one to write a review but It was a real page turner and I was really invested in the characters. I also really liked how the zombies had a twist to them as well.
December 30, 2024
Great read! Nerdy action thriller with zombies. Didn’t want to put the book down.
May 2, 2023
Gaming colliding with real life. BAM! It came one of my highly anticipated book. And I was not wrong. It became one of my favorite.
It is a normal school day to Nora until my roommate came back one night acting really strange. Not only that, she keeps seeing people walking strangely with their flesh decaying. Obviously, that is a sign for something terrible. Adding to that, her uncle left her a message with something to do with the gift he gave her the last time he visited. With everything coming down, Nora have no choice but to face everything herself. With no friends and family left in this world, will she be able to handle everything....especially the mobs.
I fell in love with the story. It is a total instant hook. No slowing down yet not too rapid fire fast pace either. And the romance.... guys, the ROMANCE between Nora and Wesley is H.O.T.
It is a normal school day to Nora until my roommate came back one night acting really strange. Not only that, she keeps seeing people walking strangely with their flesh decaying. Obviously, that is a sign for something terrible. Adding to that, her uncle left her a message with something to do with the gift he gave her the last time he visited. With everything coming down, Nora have no choice but to face everything herself. With no friends and family left in this world, will she be able to handle everything....especially the mobs.
I fell in love with the story. It is a total instant hook. No slowing down yet not too rapid fire fast pace either. And the romance.... guys, the ROMANCE between Nora and Wesley is H.O.T.
January 7, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing for access to an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
This book was such a wild, fun ride. Nora Moon has been struggling for years with the sudden deaths of her parents, leaving her somewhat agoraphobic and with more than a few OCD traits under her belt. But when things go horribly wrong one night and her roommate dies just as suddenly as her parents and then she receives a troubling call from her uncle, Nora can't help but worry over what she needs to do next. Things on the news aren't looking pretty, and she ends up calling in the help of an online friend who she plays videogames with, Wesley, knowing that he can get to her uncle to help more easily than she can. From there, the world continues to fall apart as the curse-disease-virus spreads and Nora and Wesley struggle to figure out the origin of the zombie hordes and how it all ties back to her uncle. They only have to much time to figure things out before it's too late, after all, and they aren't the only ones out there working the problem. Watching Nora and Wesley deal with their own personal traumas all while trying to solve the origin of the quickly spreading zombie apocalypse and save the world before it's too late was interesting and kept the pace of the book fast and action-packed.
With gamer friends meeting up in real life, archaeological side plots, a shady and violent agency stalking them, translation-turned-puzzle-solving, an end-of-the-world curse, an evil demon overlord summoning, a harrowing race against the clock, people being horribly in the apocalypse as they always are, and a genuinely sweet love story underneath it all, it had so, so much going for it. But it did sometimes start to feel like a bit too much for me to stay rooted in the story, and in more than one instance, *very* complex , potentially triggering themes were covered and almost felt a little glossed over? A few of these pieces felt like they didn't even need to be there because they were thrown in and then gotten over within a handful of pages, which I can understand due to the breakneck speed nature of the story, but it would have been nice to see the fallout of a few issues carry through if you were going to go so far as to use them in the first place, considering they aren't the kinds of things people just get over the way they're moved on from in the book.
**TRIGGER WARNINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR**
Rape, Suicide, Murder, Violence, Mentions of Abuse, Death of a family member.
This book was such a wild, fun ride. Nora Moon has been struggling for years with the sudden deaths of her parents, leaving her somewhat agoraphobic and with more than a few OCD traits under her belt. But when things go horribly wrong one night and her roommate dies just as suddenly as her parents and then she receives a troubling call from her uncle, Nora can't help but worry over what she needs to do next. Things on the news aren't looking pretty, and she ends up calling in the help of an online friend who she plays videogames with, Wesley, knowing that he can get to her uncle to help more easily than she can. From there, the world continues to fall apart as the curse-disease-virus spreads and Nora and Wesley struggle to figure out the origin of the zombie hordes and how it all ties back to her uncle. They only have to much time to figure things out before it's too late, after all, and they aren't the only ones out there working the problem. Watching Nora and Wesley deal with their own personal traumas all while trying to solve the origin of the quickly spreading zombie apocalypse and save the world before it's too late was interesting and kept the pace of the book fast and action-packed.
With gamer friends meeting up in real life, archaeological side plots, a shady and violent agency stalking them, translation-turned-puzzle-solving, an end-of-the-world curse, an evil demon overlord summoning, a harrowing race against the clock, people being horribly in the apocalypse as they always are, and a genuinely sweet love story underneath it all, it had so, so much going for it. But it did sometimes start to feel like a bit too much for me to stay rooted in the story, and in more than one instance, *very* complex , potentially triggering themes were covered and almost felt a little glossed over? A few of these pieces felt like they didn't even need to be there because they were thrown in and then gotten over within a handful of pages, which I can understand due to the breakneck speed nature of the story, but it would have been nice to see the fallout of a few issues carry through if you were going to go so far as to use them in the first place, considering they aren't the kinds of things people just get over the way they're moved on from in the book.
**TRIGGER WARNINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR**
Rape, Suicide, Murder, Violence, Mentions of Abuse, Death of a family member.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews