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Time of Death #1
Induction
When no one or nowhere is safe, where do you go to escape the monsters?
In a few short days, 37 year old Emma Rossi’s hard work will finally pay off. She will don her cap and gown and graduate with a degree in nursing, but not before she loses her first patient and is confronted with a new reality. In Cape Coral, Florida, a storm approaches. The dead are coming back to life.
And they’re hungry.
Infection ravages the Eastern Seaboard with alarming speed while attempts to contain the spread of infection fail. Within days, a small pocket of panicked survivors are all that remain of civilization. Fighting to survive the zombie apocalypse alongside her husband Jake and their dog Daphne, Emma comes face-to-face with her worst nightmare.
Relying on snarky wit and sheer determination, she is forced to commit atrocious acts to protect her family and avoid joining the ranks of the undead.
In a few short days, 37 year old Emma Rossi’s hard work will finally pay off. She will don her cap and gown and graduate with a degree in nursing, but not before she loses her first patient and is confronted with a new reality. In Cape Coral, Florida, a storm approaches. The dead are coming back to life.
And they’re hungry.
Infection ravages the Eastern Seaboard with alarming speed while attempts to contain the spread of infection fail. Within days, a small pocket of panicked survivors are all that remain of civilization. Fighting to survive the zombie apocalypse alongside her husband Jake and their dog Daphne, Emma comes face-to-face with her worst nightmare.
Relying on snarky wit and sheer determination, she is forced to commit atrocious acts to protect her family and avoid joining the ranks of the undead.
198 pages, Paperback
First published May 26, 2014
18 people are currently reading
895 people want to read
About the author
Shana Festa
8 books147 followersShana Festa was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on October 17, 1976 and grew up in Northboro, Massachusetts. She currently lives in Cape Coral, Florida with her husband and two dogs, Daphne & Casey.
Shana is a registered nurse with clinical experience in mental health, geriatrics, HIV and substance abuse. In addition to her clinical background, Shana possesses over 15 years of experience with project management and data analytics.
She has been heavily involved in the collection and dissemination of the ICD-10 clinical and coding analytics across multiple projects including the NCHICA ICD-10 Pilot, the HIMSS WEDI ICD-10 Pilot and commercial testing programs.
Under her alter ego, The Bookie Monster, Shana reviews horror and paranormal books, with an emphasis on (but not limited to) zombie fiction. With a background in Psych Nursing, Shay brings her unique perspective to the online reading community.
Introducing her own zompoc story to the genre, Shana’s debut novel, Time of Death, is the first in a planned trilogy and is scheduled for release May, 2014.
Shana is a registered nurse with clinical experience in mental health, geriatrics, HIV and substance abuse. In addition to her clinical background, Shana possesses over 15 years of experience with project management and data analytics.
She has been heavily involved in the collection and dissemination of the ICD-10 clinical and coding analytics across multiple projects including the NCHICA ICD-10 Pilot, the HIMSS WEDI ICD-10 Pilot and commercial testing programs.
Under her alter ego, The Bookie Monster, Shana reviews horror and paranormal books, with an emphasis on (but not limited to) zombie fiction. With a background in Psych Nursing, Shay brings her unique perspective to the online reading community.
Introducing her own zompoc story to the genre, Shana’s debut novel, Time of Death, is the first in a planned trilogy and is scheduled for release May, 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
September 14, 2014
A pretty decent option for zombie fans, but a couple areas didn't work as much for me. The action is well written and the author is unafraid of doing anything to anyone, so be ready to be surprised by who dies and how. I liked the side characters enough that it somewhat mattered if they lived or died, but my main problem was that I didn't enjoy the lead character and her husband. They felt too much like Mary Sue type characters, where she and her husband are perfect in sex appeal and relationship. Their faults like her being clumsy or his fighting over the dog came across as obvious efforts to insert conflict, and all were resolved quickly and to little permanent effect. Her narrative sense of humor also didn't really work for me.
Time of Death: Induction is a pretty basic zombie apocalypse story that has solid prose and action, but unfortunately lacked a cast of characters that makes me recommend it among the top tier of zombie options. I hear there is going to be more conflict between the main character and her husband in the next book, so I will probably stick around in hopes of liking that book more.
Time of Death: Induction is a pretty basic zombie apocalypse story that has solid prose and action, but unfortunately lacked a cast of characters that makes me recommend it among the top tier of zombie options. I hear there is going to be more conflict between the main character and her husband in the next book, so I will probably stick around in hopes of liking that book more.
July 21, 2014
When I met Jen, my wife, about twelve or thirteen years ago, I tried to find common ground with her. We were both avid readers, but different kinds of readers. She liked romance while I liked horror. So she found herself reading John Irving (not horror, but nonetheless a favourite of mine), while I, with no particular interest in tackling the romance genre, suggested chick-lit. Back then, the term chick-lit was making its first marketing waves and books, like Bridget Jones’s Diary and the Shopaholic series, were transparent in their new marketing schemes.
What does this have to do with Shana Festa’s debut novel, Time of Death: Induction?
That’s a good question. Picture chick-lit written for a guy like me. You have a woman protagonist, Emma, written in a somewhat light, comedic way with these horrible things happening around her, her husband, and her dog. A zombie virus hits and knocks out civilization pretty quickly and our protagonists find themselves on the run for their lives. All they want is to find a safe place to hold up.
The more they travel and the more people they meet, however, the more they learn that safe is an old-world term, and that to sit in one spot for too long results in tragedy.
As Time of Death: Induction is the first in a series of novels by Jana, it will be really interesting to see where she takes Emma’s character, the dark places she will visit not only within this violent new world, but also within Emma herself as a person.
What I really enjoyed about Induction was recognizing and remembering that chick lit feel to some of those books I read way back when first trying to impress the woman who would become my wife. I guess my scheming worked. I’m not sure how, though. Jen became a John Irving fan where as I left chick lit behind. It’s not that I didn’t like the genre. It’s more like it didn’t really hold anything of value for me.
Jana, however, puts the type of value that gives me my kicks when reading horror novels and fused it well with that old marketing scheme. It’s also a heck of a lot of fun to read. The action almost never stops and is well-written. There are also some pretty awesome gory scenes in here as well.
Well done!
What does this have to do with Shana Festa’s debut novel, Time of Death: Induction?
That’s a good question. Picture chick-lit written for a guy like me. You have a woman protagonist, Emma, written in a somewhat light, comedic way with these horrible things happening around her, her husband, and her dog. A zombie virus hits and knocks out civilization pretty quickly and our protagonists find themselves on the run for their lives. All they want is to find a safe place to hold up.
The more they travel and the more people they meet, however, the more they learn that safe is an old-world term, and that to sit in one spot for too long results in tragedy.
As Time of Death: Induction is the first in a series of novels by Jana, it will be really interesting to see where she takes Emma’s character, the dark places she will visit not only within this violent new world, but also within Emma herself as a person.
What I really enjoyed about Induction was recognizing and remembering that chick lit feel to some of those books I read way back when first trying to impress the woman who would become my wife. I guess my scheming worked. I’m not sure how, though. Jen became a John Irving fan where as I left chick lit behind. It’s not that I didn’t like the genre. It’s more like it didn’t really hold anything of value for me.
Jana, however, puts the type of value that gives me my kicks when reading horror novels and fused it well with that old marketing scheme. It’s also a heck of a lot of fun to read. The action almost never stops and is well-written. There are also some pretty awesome gory scenes in here as well.
Well done!
July 30, 2018
A very straight forward entry into the zombie sub-genre, that is, however, better written than you might expect, Time of Death: Induction is a solid first-up effort from a debut writer.
First person perspectives are often tricky to pull off as they immerse the reader into one character's head exclusively (meaning if you don't like the character, the book falls over), but Festa here mostly pulls it off - even if some of Emma's snarky inner monologue seems a bit forced at times. The worst part of the novel is her too perfect relationship with her husband, Jake, and her extreme love for her dog at the expense of her life and the life of her loved ones. These moments took me right out of the book.
But the zombie mayhem is good, and the side characters are dispatched with a ruthlessness not normally seen in such novels, so Induction keeps you on your toes through its second half and is a better book for doing so.
I'm interested enough to return for the sequel ... even if a major reason for doing so is to see whether the damn dog finally dies!
3 Safe Havens in a Zombie Apocalypse for Time of Death: Induction.
First person perspectives are often tricky to pull off as they immerse the reader into one character's head exclusively (meaning if you don't like the character, the book falls over), but Festa here mostly pulls it off - even if some of Emma's snarky inner monologue seems a bit forced at times. The worst part of the novel is her too perfect relationship with her husband, Jake, and her extreme love for her dog at the expense of her life and the life of her loved ones. These moments took me right out of the book.
But the zombie mayhem is good, and the side characters are dispatched with a ruthlessness not normally seen in such novels, so Induction keeps you on your toes through its second half and is a better book for doing so.
I'm interested enough to return for the sequel ... even if a major reason for doing so is to see whether the damn dog finally dies!
3 Safe Havens in a Zombie Apocalypse for Time of Death: Induction.
January 18, 2016
"A cheerful look at apocalypse by zombie."
-The United Federation of Charles.
That's what I'd put at the top of the book cover if I was trying to summarize this volume. It's not the events of the book are particularly pleasant, it's got one of the larger on-screen body counts I can remember from a zombie novel. Which is saying something. No, it's the irrepressible attitude of its protagonist.
Emma Rossi is a nurse trainee at the outbreak of a zombie apocalypse created by the release of underground gases. Already, I give the author props for explaining how the zombie apocalypse happens. Lately, too many zombie apocalypses have been happening with no explanation whatsoever. While this might work in The Walking Dead, even they take the time to explain it's viral eventually. Underground gasses may not be the most scientific of explanations but it was an explanation and one which worked for me.
The character of Emma is unlike any other protagonist I've read about in zombie fiction. Her ability to maintain good cheer and humor despite the end of the world is amazing. I'm reminded somewhat of Harry Dresden, Wizard P.I. who confronts all manner of horrible things with a quip. Emma Rossi isn't a wizard, though, but a normal person with a husband and dog.
After so many post-apocalypse novels with protagonists fighting off soul-crushing depression, Emma is a stand-out. About the only other character I can think of with a similar attitude is the literary, not the television, Sookie Stackhouse and even she had a mean-streak Emma doesn't.
I admit I may be biased to liking Emma because she's a dog-lover and the character of Daphne the Wonder Yorkie would have won me over even if our heroine didn't. Knowing pet owners, I'm well-aware attempts to separate them from their dogs or cats would go extremely poorly--even in the zombie apocalypse.
The problems of taking care of a small animal and their owners' attachment to them even when their barking might attract the living dead are plot points I enjoyed reading about. Daphne should have her own series. A children's book about a little dog surviving Z-Day with her owners.
What?
Rounding out the characters of Emma and Daphne (who is the real star, dammit!) is Emma's husband Jake. The cheerfulness of Emma wouldn't be nearly so enjoyable or believable this novel if not for Jake acting like every other survivor in a Zombie Apocalypse normally acts.
We see him start off relatively normal only to begin degenerating into the ruthless paranoid survivor which so many others do. Watching Emma try to pull him back from this is something I don't recall seeing very often in this sort of fiction and I approve of Shana Festa going places other authors don't.
There's plenty of other supporting cast members but Shana Festa doesn't hesitate to kill them without warning or hesitation. Characters you think are going to evolve into main cast members die suddenly while others you think are one-offs develop into full-fledged characters.
The author has a keen grasp of the "literary action scene" where they stick in your head, such a woman trapped in a too-small window she's trying to get out of with zombies behind her and our heroes trying to rescue her. These sorts of scenes are simple but effective.
Shana Festa also has a talent for using musical cues, which is not something you expect to see in these sorts of books. One scene had a character sing Brittney Spears' "Oops, I did it again" to distract a horde of zombies. Even characters in-universe looked stunned by that. It's moments like this which separate the Time of Death series from others in its genre. I even like the character's extensive nursing experience, which is put to use in terrifying and sometimes just gross ways.
Which brings me to the book's flaws.
Despite being Shana Festa's freshman effort, there's only one real flaw with this books and it's the same one I had with World War-Z. The novel more or less takes it as a given once the undead start rolling out, the world is going to end. Given the United States military is not portrayed as a bunch of complete boobs and the zombies only spread by bite, I'm not sure how the outbreak is supposed to have destroyed the entire world in the span of a few weeks.
Our heroine reacting to the military bombing her hometown (the start of the outbreak), the President going offline, and so on would have done the book wonders for believability. Instead, our heroes go to stay with the military for a bit then the entire East Coast seems to be depopulated.
It's quite a jump.
This wasn't a deal-breaker for me but I hope we'll see a bit more explanation in future installments of how the government collapsed so quickly as well as what caused the outbreak to become global. I'm also interested in how Emma reacts to the changes in her husband and what other relationships she might develop with her fellow survivors. While not the best zombie novel I've ever read, I think Time of Death: Induction is up there and bound to be considered a literary gem in the future. It's just so darn fun.
9/10
-The United Federation of Charles.
That's what I'd put at the top of the book cover if I was trying to summarize this volume. It's not the events of the book are particularly pleasant, it's got one of the larger on-screen body counts I can remember from a zombie novel. Which is saying something. No, it's the irrepressible attitude of its protagonist.
Emma Rossi is a nurse trainee at the outbreak of a zombie apocalypse created by the release of underground gases. Already, I give the author props for explaining how the zombie apocalypse happens. Lately, too many zombie apocalypses have been happening with no explanation whatsoever. While this might work in The Walking Dead, even they take the time to explain it's viral eventually. Underground gasses may not be the most scientific of explanations but it was an explanation and one which worked for me.
The character of Emma is unlike any other protagonist I've read about in zombie fiction. Her ability to maintain good cheer and humor despite the end of the world is amazing. I'm reminded somewhat of Harry Dresden, Wizard P.I. who confronts all manner of horrible things with a quip. Emma Rossi isn't a wizard, though, but a normal person with a husband and dog.
After so many post-apocalypse novels with protagonists fighting off soul-crushing depression, Emma is a stand-out. About the only other character I can think of with a similar attitude is the literary, not the television, Sookie Stackhouse and even she had a mean-streak Emma doesn't.
I admit I may be biased to liking Emma because she's a dog-lover and the character of Daphne the Wonder Yorkie would have won me over even if our heroine didn't. Knowing pet owners, I'm well-aware attempts to separate them from their dogs or cats would go extremely poorly--even in the zombie apocalypse.
The problems of taking care of a small animal and their owners' attachment to them even when their barking might attract the living dead are plot points I enjoyed reading about. Daphne should have her own series. A children's book about a little dog surviving Z-Day with her owners.
What?
Rounding out the characters of Emma and Daphne (who is the real star, dammit!) is Emma's husband Jake. The cheerfulness of Emma wouldn't be nearly so enjoyable or believable this novel if not for Jake acting like every other survivor in a Zombie Apocalypse normally acts.
We see him start off relatively normal only to begin degenerating into the ruthless paranoid survivor which so many others do. Watching Emma try to pull him back from this is something I don't recall seeing very often in this sort of fiction and I approve of Shana Festa going places other authors don't.
There's plenty of other supporting cast members but Shana Festa doesn't hesitate to kill them without warning or hesitation. Characters you think are going to evolve into main cast members die suddenly while others you think are one-offs develop into full-fledged characters.
The author has a keen grasp of the "literary action scene" where they stick in your head, such a woman trapped in a too-small window she's trying to get out of with zombies behind her and our heroes trying to rescue her. These sorts of scenes are simple but effective.
Shana Festa also has a talent for using musical cues, which is not something you expect to see in these sorts of books. One scene had a character sing Brittney Spears' "Oops, I did it again" to distract a horde of zombies. Even characters in-universe looked stunned by that. It's moments like this which separate the Time of Death series from others in its genre. I even like the character's extensive nursing experience, which is put to use in terrifying and sometimes just gross ways.
Which brings me to the book's flaws.
Despite being Shana Festa's freshman effort, there's only one real flaw with this books and it's the same one I had with World War-Z. The novel more or less takes it as a given once the undead start rolling out, the world is going to end. Given the United States military is not portrayed as a bunch of complete boobs and the zombies only spread by bite, I'm not sure how the outbreak is supposed to have destroyed the entire world in the span of a few weeks.
Our heroine reacting to the military bombing her hometown (the start of the outbreak), the President going offline, and so on would have done the book wonders for believability. Instead, our heroes go to stay with the military for a bit then the entire East Coast seems to be depopulated.
It's quite a jump.
This wasn't a deal-breaker for me but I hope we'll see a bit more explanation in future installments of how the government collapsed so quickly as well as what caused the outbreak to become global. I'm also interested in how Emma reacts to the changes in her husband and what other relationships she might develop with her fellow survivors. While not the best zombie novel I've ever read, I think Time of Death: Induction is up there and bound to be considered a literary gem in the future. It's just so darn fun.
9/10
July 4, 2014
Review copy
Shana Festa is a new author, but make a note of her name. She's going to be big, very big.. You may already know her under her alter ego, The Bookie Monster, a website where Shana reviews horror and paranormal books, with an emphasis on (but not limited to) zombie fiction.
Shana has put all that reading to good use and has written the first in a proposed trilogy of zombie stories, Time of Death: Induction.
Maybe you're thinking what I was thinking; new author, reviewer, how good could this possibly be? Well, it's better than that. Actually, it's really, really good. Shana, doesn't write like a novice, she writes with the skills of a seasoned professional. And she gets right to the point in the prologue, like an arrow shot from the bow of a champion archer.
As I read, I tend to make little notes for myself on things I may or may not include in my review. One such note, "written by a true dog lover." Later, I learned that the lead character's dog, Daphne, shares a name with one of the author's dogs. THAT is a dog lover.
As if dealing with a zombie outbreak isn't bad enough, there is also a category 3 hurricane bearing down on Cape Coral, Florida and Shana manages to combine the two disasters with aplomb and pulls no punches in describing all the horrors found in this changing world. "The wandering corpses had begun to thin out and I wondered if they were migrating elsewhere or if someone else was killing them. I knew they hadn't begun dying off from decay because the ones that wandered into our vicinity looked like they had gone through a meat grinder. The air had a constant rancid odor that I suspected would only get worse as the days passed. Through my rifle’s scope, I got an up close and personal view of the maggot riddled corpses. What I first thought to be the heat creating a rippling effect in the air turned out to be millions of maggots infesting the undead. They writhed in open wounds and fell out in clumps as the zombies moved."
By the way, kudos to the author for allowing bad things to happen to good people. Too often select characters survive when the story would be better served by their demise.
Time of Death: Induction is not fun and games zombies. This is serious business. Every bit as enjoyable as the best episodes of The Walking Dead.
In my opinion, the best zombie stories are ones where the zombies almost become incidental. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of zombie gore and mayhem in this book, but there is also a good story, with romance, pathos and comedy. I loved it.
Time of Death: Induction, from Permuted Press, is available from a wide variety of online retailers in both paperback and eBook formats.
Highly recommended.
Shana Festa is a new author, but make a note of her name. She's going to be big, very big.. You may already know her under her alter ego, The Bookie Monster, a website where Shana reviews horror and paranormal books, with an emphasis on (but not limited to) zombie fiction.
Shana has put all that reading to good use and has written the first in a proposed trilogy of zombie stories, Time of Death: Induction.
Maybe you're thinking what I was thinking; new author, reviewer, how good could this possibly be? Well, it's better than that. Actually, it's really, really good. Shana, doesn't write like a novice, she writes with the skills of a seasoned professional. And she gets right to the point in the prologue, like an arrow shot from the bow of a champion archer.
As I read, I tend to make little notes for myself on things I may or may not include in my review. One such note, "written by a true dog lover." Later, I learned that the lead character's dog, Daphne, shares a name with one of the author's dogs. THAT is a dog lover.
As if dealing with a zombie outbreak isn't bad enough, there is also a category 3 hurricane bearing down on Cape Coral, Florida and Shana manages to combine the two disasters with aplomb and pulls no punches in describing all the horrors found in this changing world. "The wandering corpses had begun to thin out and I wondered if they were migrating elsewhere or if someone else was killing them. I knew they hadn't begun dying off from decay because the ones that wandered into our vicinity looked like they had gone through a meat grinder. The air had a constant rancid odor that I suspected would only get worse as the days passed. Through my rifle’s scope, I got an up close and personal view of the maggot riddled corpses. What I first thought to be the heat creating a rippling effect in the air turned out to be millions of maggots infesting the undead. They writhed in open wounds and fell out in clumps as the zombies moved."
By the way, kudos to the author for allowing bad things to happen to good people. Too often select characters survive when the story would be better served by their demise.
Time of Death: Induction is not fun and games zombies. This is serious business. Every bit as enjoyable as the best episodes of The Walking Dead.
In my opinion, the best zombie stories are ones where the zombies almost become incidental. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of zombie gore and mayhem in this book, but there is also a good story, with romance, pathos and comedy. I loved it.
Time of Death: Induction, from Permuted Press, is available from a wide variety of online retailers in both paperback and eBook formats.
Highly recommended.
May 28, 2014
Shana provided me with an advanced copy for an honest review and I found myself tearing through it as fast as I could. I couldn’t put it down. The plot focuses on a nursing student, her ex-military husband, and her Yorkie Daphne, as they flee the zombie apocalypse in their crumbling hometown in Florida. Shana provides just enough backstory to assuage her audience then plunges into an action packed adventure readers can really sink their teeth into. By the time the dead start to rise the reader is already deeply invested in the main characters survival. Shana creates a convincing hellscape, infuses it with believable, relatable characters, and forces them to make unthinkable choices.
Time of Death Induction isn’t just a tour de force debut novel from a writer well versed in post-apocalyptic fiction, it’s an instant zombie classic with a touch of heart-warming nostalgia born from a deep and sincere love of the genre. Festa capitalizes on her expertise on zompoc fiction to craft an engaging and original storyline, and in the process creates an emotional rollercoaster that will bring the most hardened horror fan to the brink of tears.
Readers will find Shana Festa's work original, poignant, funny, gory, heartbreaking, and above all else totally satisfying. Time of Death showcases a strong new voice in dystopian fiction that will leave you hungry for more.
Time of Death Induction isn’t just a tour de force debut novel from a writer well versed in post-apocalyptic fiction, it’s an instant zombie classic with a touch of heart-warming nostalgia born from a deep and sincere love of the genre. Festa capitalizes on her expertise on zompoc fiction to craft an engaging and original storyline, and in the process creates an emotional rollercoaster that will bring the most hardened horror fan to the brink of tears.
Readers will find Shana Festa's work original, poignant, funny, gory, heartbreaking, and above all else totally satisfying. Time of Death showcases a strong new voice in dystopian fiction that will leave you hungry for more.
September 3, 2016
3.5 stars
Emma, the main character, is the driving force behind this apocalyptic zombie read. With her snarkety attitude, the love of her dog, Daphne, and her adoring husband, Jake, Emma must make choices that can be life or death for herself and others as other survivors come together to survive a horde of the undead.
No one, and I mean no one, is safe.
The story was tight and the writing flowed fluidly, making this an almost perfectly paced piece.
I enjoyed this read and my only hope is that Emma will become more matured as time passes. Shana was not afraid to put her characters in impossible situations which held a lot of appeal for me and kept the surprises/thrills going.
Also, I am not a dog-lover and I wasn't as interested in parts involving Daphne. I'm sure other pet-lovers will find those parts pleasing.
I will definitely be reading the next in this series to see how Shana's skills improve and where the story goes from here.
***Full Disclosure- I know this lady.***
This is her first book. Knowing this and having beta-read it, I think she did a wonderful job. This read is better than a lot of seasoned writers that I have read.
www.HorrorAfterDark.com
Emma, the main character, is the driving force behind this apocalyptic zombie read. With her snarkety attitude, the love of her dog, Daphne, and her adoring husband, Jake, Emma must make choices that can be life or death for herself and others as other survivors come together to survive a horde of the undead.
No one, and I mean no one, is safe.
The story was tight and the writing flowed fluidly, making this an almost perfectly paced piece.
I enjoyed this read and my only hope is that Emma will become more matured as time passes. Shana was not afraid to put her characters in impossible situations which held a lot of appeal for me and kept the surprises/thrills going.
Also, I am not a dog-lover and I wasn't as interested in parts involving Daphne. I'm sure other pet-lovers will find those parts pleasing.
I will definitely be reading the next in this series to see how Shana's skills improve and where the story goes from here.
***Full Disclosure- I know this lady.***
This is her first book. Knowing this and having beta-read it, I think she did a wonderful job. This read is better than a lot of seasoned writers that I have read.
www.HorrorAfterDark.com
April 10, 2017
Review book 1&2
Emma Rossi
is a survivor of the zombie apocalypse…
She lost nearly everyone exept for her husband Jake
and his siblings: Meg and Vinny.
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Mary Jennings may have died under my watch, but she didn't stay dead. Minutes after I left St. Vincent's Hospital, she reanimated and infected anyone unlucky enough to be in her vicinity.
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I enjoyed the book a lot but there was a lot of death in it. It moved fast, lots of action. I would read more of this writer.
November 30, 2015
I don't even know where to begin with this one. The main character is supposed to be a badass yet I lost count of how many times her tripping and bad decisions and hyper immaturity almost get her or other characters killed. There's just so much wrong here. Even the forced attempts at humor were just grating.
I read a ton of zombie books and I know it's not exactly the finest of literary genres but sweet Christ, what the hell is this? I get annoyed with the super testosterone/special ops/military zombie books and this is the opposite side of the spectrum. Giggling Mary Sue zombie book? It's just awful.
I read a ton of zombie books and I know it's not exactly the finest of literary genres but sweet Christ, what the hell is this? I get annoyed with the super testosterone/special ops/military zombie books and this is the opposite side of the spectrum. Giggling Mary Sue zombie book? It's just awful.
July 28, 2014
I received this book to give an honest review.
I honestly do not know what to truly say about this book. It was off the CHAIN! There was humor, love, hope, death, survival all wrapped up into one. This author is on point with a zombie apocalypse, and it felt real in a way that you could see this happening. And watching how the survivors survive it seems surreal. The descriptions of not only the scenes but the zombies, how they looked, smelled, how places that were occupied smelled I could imagine in my head and that made this book 10 times more awesome to me. The author did a great job with that.
When I first started reading the book I was like okay how are zombies going to play a part in this. And then BAM in ya face it happens. Fast forward to Emma working in the hospital and let me just say that I was dying with laughter with the way Emma talks and acts. I am honestly not going to look at poop the same way again without laughing and thinking about what Emma saw in the hospital. I think in a book that has a lot of death you have to find humor somewhere and this author found it in Emma.
Emma comes home from her shift as a student nurse everything seems okay besides the hurricane that is coming down, until she turns on the news and sees something about people eating people. Then she sees with her husband a zombie and someone being ate in front of her. Emma and Jake attempt to find a safe haven but no where seems to be safe until they are picked up by some people who looking for safety as well. I kept thinking well now this story is going to have a happy ending and I was wrong. Tragedy strikes again and it is about survival yet again for Emma and those that have survived.
You can relate to what Emma is going through in way, and we see her evolve into a better character in time with what is going on around her. She learns to shoot and pretty much take care of herself in case anything was to happen she learns to adapt! Which I think is awesome.
When Emma and the survivors find refugee will it last? Will it become over ran with zombies? This is a zombie book like no other it is amazing how the author can write and keep you feeling with all the emotions that is going on with the story. She has characters die that you think would survive which doesn't happen to often in stories like this. The only thing that I kept wondering in the back of my mind was what happened to Ollie. Emma's nursing school buddy. We learn what happens to Kat, but never Ollie. I wonder if we will hear about her later? Or did she just kind of disappear within the cracks of the story being told.
Shana is a new author one that I am for sure keeping my eye on, she has potential like no other. I could keep going on with the review and all that. But I feel as though I will be giving something away. If you are looking for something funky and fresh to the zombie world. Something that seems that it could be real and happen, you want humor with the gore PICK THIS UP!!! You for sure won't be disappointed!
I honestly do not know what to truly say about this book. It was off the CHAIN! There was humor, love, hope, death, survival all wrapped up into one. This author is on point with a zombie apocalypse, and it felt real in a way that you could see this happening. And watching how the survivors survive it seems surreal. The descriptions of not only the scenes but the zombies, how they looked, smelled, how places that were occupied smelled I could imagine in my head and that made this book 10 times more awesome to me. The author did a great job with that.
When I first started reading the book I was like okay how are zombies going to play a part in this. And then BAM in ya face it happens. Fast forward to Emma working in the hospital and let me just say that I was dying with laughter with the way Emma talks and acts. I am honestly not going to look at poop the same way again without laughing and thinking about what Emma saw in the hospital. I think in a book that has a lot of death you have to find humor somewhere and this author found it in Emma.
Emma comes home from her shift as a student nurse everything seems okay besides the hurricane that is coming down, until she turns on the news and sees something about people eating people. Then she sees with her husband a zombie and someone being ate in front of her. Emma and Jake attempt to find a safe haven but no where seems to be safe until they are picked up by some people who looking for safety as well. I kept thinking well now this story is going to have a happy ending and I was wrong. Tragedy strikes again and it is about survival yet again for Emma and those that have survived.
You can relate to what Emma is going through in way, and we see her evolve into a better character in time with what is going on around her. She learns to shoot and pretty much take care of herself in case anything was to happen she learns to adapt! Which I think is awesome.
When Emma and the survivors find refugee will it last? Will it become over ran with zombies? This is a zombie book like no other it is amazing how the author can write and keep you feeling with all the emotions that is going on with the story. She has characters die that you think would survive which doesn't happen to often in stories like this. The only thing that I kept wondering in the back of my mind was what happened to Ollie. Emma's nursing school buddy. We learn what happens to Kat, but never Ollie. I wonder if we will hear about her later? Or did she just kind of disappear within the cracks of the story being told.
Shana is a new author one that I am for sure keeping my eye on, she has potential like no other. I could keep going on with the review and all that. But I feel as though I will be giving something away. If you are looking for something funky and fresh to the zombie world. Something that seems that it could be real and happen, you want humor with the gore PICK THIS UP!!! You for sure won't be disappointed!
May 16, 2014
Welcome back to the classic zombie era! Shana Festa was kind enough to allow me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. This was an unedited version, so I will not be touching on that point (as I often do in Indie book releases) and instead, will focus on the story and why you should grab your own copy right away once the book is available to the public.Here is what you need to know if you wish to avoid reading this entire review...Shana Festa delivers an outstanding old school zombie tale that will keep you up late and remind you why you love this genre.
As a fan of the classic and remake versions of "Dawn of the Dead", I was instantly reminded of Anna (played by Sarah Polley). What makes "Time of Death" really work is how much more depth of character we get. Yes, there is a teaser in the beginning that lets you know something bad is going to happen, but then we get to meet Emma, the central protagonist. We are allowed to watch the unthinkable unfold right in front of her eyes AFTER being given a reason to care about her.
Festa gives up plenty of action in this story, so if you are tired of reading the slow, plodding plot lines that drag in even more awkwardly than the zombies, this is the story you want to read. It moves and delivers the goods in the proper amount of gore without being over the top.
This debut novel is a promise of great things, and I am certain that you will hear more from Shana in the future.
As a fan of the classic and remake versions of "Dawn of the Dead", I was instantly reminded of Anna (played by Sarah Polley). What makes "Time of Death" really work is how much more depth of character we get. Yes, there is a teaser in the beginning that lets you know something bad is going to happen, but then we get to meet Emma, the central protagonist. We are allowed to watch the unthinkable unfold right in front of her eyes AFTER being given a reason to care about her.
Festa gives up plenty of action in this story, so if you are tired of reading the slow, plodding plot lines that drag in even more awkwardly than the zombies, this is the story you want to read. It moves and delivers the goods in the proper amount of gore without being over the top.
This debut novel is a promise of great things, and I am certain that you will hear more from Shana in the future.
June 8, 2014
First paragraph:
Prologue
I’m Lovin’ It
Nick Michaels sipped coffee on his back lanai, savoring the last few minutes of peace before leaving for work. Even in October, Florida was still hot enough to reduce the man to a puddle of sweat.
Kudos to the author on a well-written debut zombie novel - strong female narrative voice, action-driven plot, the requisite blood and guts and gore and vomit, and characters that you can actually care about.
Emma Rossi is a married nursing student living in Cape Coral with her husband and child-surrogate dog when the outbreak happens. I didn't quite like the prologue - a quick, almost clichéd sketch of the origin of the outbreak - but that feeling quickly passed when the main story started. Of course, this is Florida, and you can't have zombies without a some hurricane action followed up by sweltering, humid heat. Suffice to say, the author clearly knows her anatomical realities, because the descriptions of the smell of death, decay, and hell, even the living, in these conditions was not something I would recommend to read while eating your lunch.
Once I started this book I couldn't put it down, even though I was reading two other books at the same time. There was something that drew me to the Emma's voice - she was real, strong yet flawed. (And truthfully, I really wanted that dog of hers to meet the Great Beyond.) Overall, an awesome job and a definite goodread.
Prologue
I’m Lovin’ It
Nick Michaels sipped coffee on his back lanai, savoring the last few minutes of peace before leaving for work. Even in October, Florida was still hot enough to reduce the man to a puddle of sweat.
Kudos to the author on a well-written debut zombie novel - strong female narrative voice, action-driven plot, the requisite blood and guts and gore and vomit, and characters that you can actually care about.
Emma Rossi is a married nursing student living in Cape Coral with her husband and child-surrogate dog when the outbreak happens. I didn't quite like the prologue - a quick, almost clichéd sketch of the origin of the outbreak - but that feeling quickly passed when the main story started. Of course, this is Florida, and you can't have zombies without a some hurricane action followed up by sweltering, humid heat. Suffice to say, the author clearly knows her anatomical realities, because the descriptions of the smell of death, decay, and hell, even the living, in these conditions was not something I would recommend to read while eating your lunch.
Once I started this book I couldn't put it down, even though I was reading two other books at the same time. There was something that drew me to the Emma's voice - she was real, strong yet flawed. (And truthfully, I really wanted that dog of hers to meet the Great Beyond.) Overall, an awesome job and a definite goodread.
April 17, 2014
I read this book as a "beta reader."
This is an excellent zombie apocalypse book. Strong characters and well thought out plot. The author moved the characters through the plot in the way they NEEDED to be moved (I point this out because I am a softie). The book transitioned well. Very well written!
Her question - when no one or nowhere is safe, where do you go to escape the monsters? That in itself is scary! One can see that Festa has a good understanding of fear!
However! Don't read this right before bed - you will be sleeping with the lights on! Festa clearly shows we have more than one kind of monster to worry about - they come in all shapes, forms and sizes!
The female main character is a strong but caring leader. She maintains her humanity and humor while keeping a small contingency safe. She's able to let go when necessary yet also hold firm in her beliefs of love.
I highly recommend this book! I look forward to future books by Shana Festa!
This is an excellent zombie apocalypse book. Strong characters and well thought out plot. The author moved the characters through the plot in the way they NEEDED to be moved (I point this out because I am a softie). The book transitioned well. Very well written!
Her question - when no one or nowhere is safe, where do you go to escape the monsters? That in itself is scary! One can see that Festa has a good understanding of fear!
However! Don't read this right before bed - you will be sleeping with the lights on! Festa clearly shows we have more than one kind of monster to worry about - they come in all shapes, forms and sizes!
The female main character is a strong but caring leader. She maintains her humanity and humor while keeping a small contingency safe. She's able to let go when necessary yet also hold firm in her beliefs of love.
I highly recommend this book! I look forward to future books by Shana Festa!
May 15, 2014
As an author and avid reader of zombie fiction I was recently given the opportunity of being a beta reader for Ms Festa's debut novel, Time of Death: Induction. I don't do spoilers or rehash the story. All I give is my honest opinion. You want to know what Time of Death is about read the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed Time of Death. Lots of action, likable characters, and a smoothly flowing storyline make for a great read. If you're a fan of zombie horror you'll love this one! My advice, buy it! Congratulations to Ms Festa on an excellent first effort.
I thoroughly enjoyed Time of Death. Lots of action, likable characters, and a smoothly flowing storyline make for a great read. If you're a fan of zombie horror you'll love this one! My advice, buy it! Congratulations to Ms Festa on an excellent first effort.
May 21, 2014
Advanced reading copy provided by the author for an honest review.
I'm still looking for something I don't like about this book.
It is a great story, has strong and believable characters and a fast but not frantic pace. I'm truly excited about the skill shown by this author especially considering this is her first novel. All I can say is I'm ready for her next book.
Excellent work Ms.Festa!
I'm still looking for something I don't like about this book.
It is a great story, has strong and believable characters and a fast but not frantic pace. I'm truly excited about the skill shown by this author especially considering this is her first novel. All I can say is I'm ready for her next book.
Excellent work Ms.Festa!
June 10, 2014
Shana has pulled off no mean feat with her first novel. Not only are the characters fun and believable but the story keeps you riveted and the pace is relentless. For zombie fans this is definitely one to add to the reading list.
Definitely looking forward to more
Definitely looking forward to more
July 22, 2014
Well written. Likable characters. A fast read. Just not as exciting as I would like. I did enjoy the humor the main character possessed. And I'm very impressed that this is a debut novel. I will continue the series.
June 21, 2014
Time of Death: Induction introduces the reader to Emma Rossi, a nursing student living in southwest Florida when the zombie apocalypse begins. While the prologue is told in third person and gives a hint as to who patient zero might be, the rest of the tale is told in first person from Emma’s perspective. She works at the hospital that is first hit by the advent of the dead rising, but her shift ends before things get crazy. Still, through the combination of a violent storm and the fast spread of the virus things crash down all around her at home, with her husband Jake and their little dog Daphne fleeing for their lives as their home is overwhelmed by the walking dead.
After a series of narrow escapes, Emma and Jake manage to hook up with a group of soldiers who have claimed a Target superstore as their barricaded base of operations. But it is clear that while the location appears to be secure they are far from safe as the world around them crumbles in the blink of an eye. When Jake disappears on a supply mission and things start to fall apart at the store, Emma is forced to race through one harrowing and tragic event after another.
While Time of Death: Induction doesn’t introduce any new elements to the zombie genre-the zeds here are slow moving, traditional Romero zombies and not the ‘infected’ or have any differing abilities, the author has created a solid, fast moving story of personal survival. There is plenty of gore and death, and the addition of the little dog the main character wants to keep sheltered and protected will add a sense of impending dread for anyone who is an animal lover, since Daphne seems to get herself into more sticky situations than the main character.
The pacing of the story is fast, with the main character and various other survivors she is with dealing with one traumatic event after another as the body count continues to rise and hope becomes fleeting. The writing is smooth with no significant editing concerns. The author provides Emma with a strong voice-she is easy to identify with and appreciate as a regular person thrown into an untenable situation where she is forced to make one difficult decision time after time. The story is heavy on the undead being the main challenge for the survivors rather than human confrontations, with the exception of a rather brief but intense interaction with some desperate outsiders to Emma’s group. Beyond this, there are some arguments but they take a back seat to basic day to day and minute by minute survival against the undead. While Emma and Jake are fleshed out characters, the secondary players were less detailed, which is often a challenge faced when a story is told in first person. We don’t get to know many of the other characters too well before many are obliterated in the apocalypse. This isn’t a stiff criticism but more of an acknowledgement that this is Emma’s tale and the story sticks closely with her worldview and perspective throughout.
This is the author’s first novel and this appears to be the first of a series or trilogy. Shanna Festa has created an exciting, enjoyable tale of desperation and survival, and I look forward to checking out the second book when it becomes available.
After a series of narrow escapes, Emma and Jake manage to hook up with a group of soldiers who have claimed a Target superstore as their barricaded base of operations. But it is clear that while the location appears to be secure they are far from safe as the world around them crumbles in the blink of an eye. When Jake disappears on a supply mission and things start to fall apart at the store, Emma is forced to race through one harrowing and tragic event after another.
While Time of Death: Induction doesn’t introduce any new elements to the zombie genre-the zeds here are slow moving, traditional Romero zombies and not the ‘infected’ or have any differing abilities, the author has created a solid, fast moving story of personal survival. There is plenty of gore and death, and the addition of the little dog the main character wants to keep sheltered and protected will add a sense of impending dread for anyone who is an animal lover, since Daphne seems to get herself into more sticky situations than the main character.
The pacing of the story is fast, with the main character and various other survivors she is with dealing with one traumatic event after another as the body count continues to rise and hope becomes fleeting. The writing is smooth with no significant editing concerns. The author provides Emma with a strong voice-she is easy to identify with and appreciate as a regular person thrown into an untenable situation where she is forced to make one difficult decision time after time. The story is heavy on the undead being the main challenge for the survivors rather than human confrontations, with the exception of a rather brief but intense interaction with some desperate outsiders to Emma’s group. Beyond this, there are some arguments but they take a back seat to basic day to day and minute by minute survival against the undead. While Emma and Jake are fleshed out characters, the secondary players were less detailed, which is often a challenge faced when a story is told in first person. We don’t get to know many of the other characters too well before many are obliterated in the apocalypse. This isn’t a stiff criticism but more of an acknowledgement that this is Emma’s tale and the story sticks closely with her worldview and perspective throughout.
This is the author’s first novel and this appears to be the first of a series or trilogy. Shanna Festa has created an exciting, enjoyable tale of desperation and survival, and I look forward to checking out the second book when it becomes available.
June 30, 2014
For those of you have can’t wait until the next season of The Walking Dead, Shana Festa’s novel is the perfect thing to tide you over. Filled with tension, drama, gore, humor, hungry undead, and more gore, it’s a fun read.
Let’s face it: zombie stories can be a dime a dozen. The ambulance sirens, the collapse of civilization, the rotting neighbors who just won’t go away unless you shoot them in the head. What really matters in this horror subgenre is how the characters react to the situation, more so than how the zombies came to be. Shana’s story has that covered, while giving zombie fans all the viscera, apprehension, and false sense of security we all expect and demand. Though several familiar situations occur in her novel—find the military to see what’s happening, hide out on a boat, encounter a group of organized survivors, deal with children and pregnant women while trying to survive—Shana handles all of these with a realism not often displayed in zombie fiction. Her own medical background shines through in her descriptions of wounds, anatomy, and first aid. It’s hard to think of a better set of skills a zombie writer should possess, and Shana uses them to her full extent. One gets the sense that she has internalized the best zombie stories and films, and this shows in Time of Death. She takes it seriously, while giving you a face full of entrails.
Now for the story itself: Emma, a nursing student nearing graduation, lives happily with her husband, dog, and nice neighbors in Florida. She enjoys her medical work, and has nurse friends who make the hospital life tolerable. As any horror fan knows, this is all setup for the coming cataclysm. Yet, Emma and the other characters feel so natural, grounded in our reality, that they aren’t just zombie fodder. They react to situations in believable ways, sometimes doing questionable things, but always making the reader ask themselves if they would do the same, when faced with zombie hordes.
While a tropical storm rages over Florida, zombies overrun Emma’s town, and she barely escapes with her husband and their dog. The storm added an extra danger element to the novel, something I haven’t seen before in zombie stories. Soon, Emma and her family encounter other survivors, and manage to find some respite. But there is no escape, and just when the characters think is everything is fine…it sure as hell isn’t. There are many ups and downs in Time of Death, and not all of them are predictable. That’s no easy task in a trope that has received mass coverage. This book was entertaining from beginning to end, and once the zombies start shuffling on Emma’s lawn, anxiety never leaves the reader until the final page. I look forward to Shana’s next novel in this series, and I know you will too.
Let’s face it: zombie stories can be a dime a dozen. The ambulance sirens, the collapse of civilization, the rotting neighbors who just won’t go away unless you shoot them in the head. What really matters in this horror subgenre is how the characters react to the situation, more so than how the zombies came to be. Shana’s story has that covered, while giving zombie fans all the viscera, apprehension, and false sense of security we all expect and demand. Though several familiar situations occur in her novel—find the military to see what’s happening, hide out on a boat, encounter a group of organized survivors, deal with children and pregnant women while trying to survive—Shana handles all of these with a realism not often displayed in zombie fiction. Her own medical background shines through in her descriptions of wounds, anatomy, and first aid. It’s hard to think of a better set of skills a zombie writer should possess, and Shana uses them to her full extent. One gets the sense that she has internalized the best zombie stories and films, and this shows in Time of Death. She takes it seriously, while giving you a face full of entrails.
Now for the story itself: Emma, a nursing student nearing graduation, lives happily with her husband, dog, and nice neighbors in Florida. She enjoys her medical work, and has nurse friends who make the hospital life tolerable. As any horror fan knows, this is all setup for the coming cataclysm. Yet, Emma and the other characters feel so natural, grounded in our reality, that they aren’t just zombie fodder. They react to situations in believable ways, sometimes doing questionable things, but always making the reader ask themselves if they would do the same, when faced with zombie hordes.
While a tropical storm rages over Florida, zombies overrun Emma’s town, and she barely escapes with her husband and their dog. The storm added an extra danger element to the novel, something I haven’t seen before in zombie stories. Soon, Emma and her family encounter other survivors, and manage to find some respite. But there is no escape, and just when the characters think is everything is fine…it sure as hell isn’t. There are many ups and downs in Time of Death, and not all of them are predictable. That’s no easy task in a trope that has received mass coverage. This book was entertaining from beginning to end, and once the zombies start shuffling on Emma’s lawn, anxiety never leaves the reader until the final page. I look forward to Shana’s next novel in this series, and I know you will too.
August 4, 2014
Let me say first that I'm an enthusiast of apocalyptic fiction, especially when it comes to the hungry, mobile dead.
I literally cannot get enough of the smelly, stupid-as-turnips, flesh-eating maggot-heads.(Yes, I know. Weird. But remember: Unlike most novels, psychological therapy is expensive.) That should tell you exactly how many zombie-themed books I've perused.
I'm happy to say Shana Festa's TIME OF DEATH: INDUCTION falls squarely into the "Must Own To Enjoy Again" category.
Why, you ask?
At the beginning of ToD the reader is introduced to one Emma Rossi: nursing student and Cape Coral resident. She's married, owns a home, has a yipping, Beenie-Baby sized dog that believes it's a doberman. Now, don't be afraid. Emma's not an antisocial Doomsday prep fan, she doesn't collect shrunken heads, she doesn't use the term "What-ever!" overmuch, and she never worked for the CIA.
You know.
She's normal.
She could be any one of us. Her nursing classes (Code Brown!) stress her out, her husband is a bit of a Germaphobe, and her barking tribble is the one who actually rules the roost. I enjoyed learning all of this, because good character development is vital to a great novel.
Yep, we get a peek into Emma's everyday life and shortly thereafter, the Inevitable Zombie Apocalypse occurs. Then the real fun starts. Right off the bat, Emma an her husband's initial survival is achieved by the liberal use of one of my favorite zombie slaying weapons.
I am, of course, speaking of a crowbar.
Long have I bellowed myself hoarse, shouting the benefits of said simple tool from the rooftops, which is noted by the go-to reference of any zombie fan (The Zombie Survival Guide!), and I can not express how happy I am to see another author give the nigh-forgotten Weapon of Butt-Kickery its proper props.
Now I will admit, halfway through ToD, I found myself grinding my teeth at Emma's fixation with the safety of her canine companion, but then I realized something: I cared enough about what happened to Emma to become irate with her! I had become EMOTIONALLY INVESTED IN THE STORY!!!
To me, that is the highest form of literature.
When the actions of a character make you laugh, sigh, fume, cry... that my friends is a novel worth reading. Big guns, heavily armored vehicles, and atomic bombs used against the shambling dead are nice (and quite entertaining!), but every so often you run across a Humans vs. Zombies story that gives you hope for humanity as a whole.
Because of all this, TIME OF DEATH: INDUCTION gets a solid 4.5 stars.
Buy it, read it, get sucked into Emma's world for a while as I did, and keep one eye open for the next installment.
I know I will.
I literally cannot get enough of the smelly, stupid-as-turnips, flesh-eating maggot-heads.(Yes, I know. Weird. But remember: Unlike most novels, psychological therapy is expensive.) That should tell you exactly how many zombie-themed books I've perused.
I'm happy to say Shana Festa's TIME OF DEATH: INDUCTION falls squarely into the "Must Own To Enjoy Again" category.
Why, you ask?
At the beginning of ToD the reader is introduced to one Emma Rossi: nursing student and Cape Coral resident. She's married, owns a home, has a yipping, Beenie-Baby sized dog that believes it's a doberman. Now, don't be afraid. Emma's not an antisocial Doomsday prep fan, she doesn't collect shrunken heads, she doesn't use the term "What-ever!" overmuch, and she never worked for the CIA.
You know.
She's normal.
She could be any one of us. Her nursing classes (Code Brown!) stress her out, her husband is a bit of a Germaphobe, and her barking tribble is the one who actually rules the roost. I enjoyed learning all of this, because good character development is vital to a great novel.
Yep, we get a peek into Emma's everyday life and shortly thereafter, the Inevitable Zombie Apocalypse occurs. Then the real fun starts. Right off the bat, Emma an her husband's initial survival is achieved by the liberal use of one of my favorite zombie slaying weapons.
I am, of course, speaking of a crowbar.
Long have I bellowed myself hoarse, shouting the benefits of said simple tool from the rooftops, which is noted by the go-to reference of any zombie fan (The Zombie Survival Guide!), and I can not express how happy I am to see another author give the nigh-forgotten Weapon of Butt-Kickery its proper props.
Now I will admit, halfway through ToD, I found myself grinding my teeth at Emma's fixation with the safety of her canine companion, but then I realized something: I cared enough about what happened to Emma to become irate with her! I had become EMOTIONALLY INVESTED IN THE STORY!!!
To me, that is the highest form of literature.
When the actions of a character make you laugh, sigh, fume, cry... that my friends is a novel worth reading. Big guns, heavily armored vehicles, and atomic bombs used against the shambling dead are nice (and quite entertaining!), but every so often you run across a Humans vs. Zombies story that gives you hope for humanity as a whole.
Because of all this, TIME OF DEATH: INDUCTION gets a solid 4.5 stars.
Buy it, read it, get sucked into Emma's world for a while as I did, and keep one eye open for the next installment.
I know I will.
July 26, 2015
This was fan- freakin- tastic!!! I loved everything about it.
Emma was such an awesome heroine. She is fun loving, smart and snarky as hell. She goes from being a trainee nurse to surviving the Zombie apocalypse in the matter of days but she keeps her sense of self and does everything in her power to keep herself, her dog and her husband safe. I really loved her strength!
We have a lot of amazing secondary characters too. We have Emmas' husband Jake. When the Zombies start coming, he enters military mode and makes the hard decisions, though they may not always be for the best. Along the way to finding safety, both encounter plenty of people, all of whom add something extra to the story and then we have Daphne, Emmas dog. Emma does all she can to keep the dog safe, despite what Jake thinks! There is a certain scene that had me crying when Jake does what he does to Daphne!! My heart was in my mouth. Every single character was well written and developed, even those we only meet for a short time!
We are basically thrown straight into the action and it's pretty much non stop from there. The outbreak happens in a matter of days and it spreads so quickly that it seems only a handful of people survive. The author isn't afraid of gore but it's not overly gory so even the most squeamish will enjoy it!
This book will absolutely break your heart! The author is in no way afraid of writing people off. She isn't afraid to take chances and make bad things happen to good people! SO many times I was left gasping at the deaths that were happening and in the way they happened. Im not going to say too much more in case I spoil something so all I'll say is be prepared with plenty of tissues because this book will make you cry.
Anyway, in all, this is a fantastic Zombie Apocalypse book. It's well written, fast paced and has lovable characters. This book will grab you from the very first page and not let you go. So many times I was crying and yet so many times I was laughing out loud too. The authors ability to wrench your heart out in one scene and yet make you laugh in another was phenomenal. Emmas wit was astounding and added much needed levity to the story.
I listened to the audio of this, and let me tell you that it was fantastic. The narrator, Sarah Tancer, did an amazing job of Emma. She portrayed her snarkiness and wit perfectly. She knew how to ramp up the tension when needed and had me biting my nails so many times. I'd highly recommend the audio because it really brings you into the story.
An amazing book and one I can't recommend enough. I can not wait to read the next one!!
Emma was such an awesome heroine. She is fun loving, smart and snarky as hell. She goes from being a trainee nurse to surviving the Zombie apocalypse in the matter of days but she keeps her sense of self and does everything in her power to keep herself, her dog and her husband safe. I really loved her strength!
We have a lot of amazing secondary characters too. We have Emmas' husband Jake. When the Zombies start coming, he enters military mode and makes the hard decisions, though they may not always be for the best. Along the way to finding safety, both encounter plenty of people, all of whom add something extra to the story and then we have Daphne, Emmas dog. Emma does all she can to keep the dog safe, despite what Jake thinks! There is a certain scene that had me crying when Jake does what he does to Daphne!! My heart was in my mouth. Every single character was well written and developed, even those we only meet for a short time!
We are basically thrown straight into the action and it's pretty much non stop from there. The outbreak happens in a matter of days and it spreads so quickly that it seems only a handful of people survive. The author isn't afraid of gore but it's not overly gory so even the most squeamish will enjoy it!
This book will absolutely break your heart! The author is in no way afraid of writing people off. She isn't afraid to take chances and make bad things happen to good people! SO many times I was left gasping at the deaths that were happening and in the way they happened. Im not going to say too much more in case I spoil something so all I'll say is be prepared with plenty of tissues because this book will make you cry.
Anyway, in all, this is a fantastic Zombie Apocalypse book. It's well written, fast paced and has lovable characters. This book will grab you from the very first page and not let you go. So many times I was crying and yet so many times I was laughing out loud too. The authors ability to wrench your heart out in one scene and yet make you laugh in another was phenomenal. Emmas wit was astounding and added much needed levity to the story.
I listened to the audio of this, and let me tell you that it was fantastic. The narrator, Sarah Tancer, did an amazing job of Emma. She portrayed her snarkiness and wit perfectly. She knew how to ramp up the tension when needed and had me biting my nails so many times. I'd highly recommend the audio because it really brings you into the story.
An amazing book and one I can't recommend enough. I can not wait to read the next one!!
August 7, 2014
Time of Death is the debut novel from author Shana Festa, and I'm kind of...okay, okay, I'm really jealous. Why? Because this is a book that I wish I could write.
Emma Rossi and her husband aren't teenagers or even young adults. Emma is 37 and on her way to becoming a nurse. She's at ground zero of the outbreak. She, Jake, and their dog, Daphne, flee the undead and meet up with a group of survivors. And they just keep surviving. It's absolutely brutal what these characters are put through.
What I LOVED about Time of Death: Induction was the humor. It was snarky, and dark and right up my alley.
The gore was absolutely breathtakingly disgusting. When I jump into a book I read it every chance I get. I literally had to put ToD:I down one night as I was eating. I could feel my supper making it's way back up to the surface. I know you don't know me, but I have to tell you that's pretty impressive considering as kids my sister and I used to talk about pus at the dinner table to gross my mom out.
The zombies are absolutely freaking scary. I thought for sure I was going to have zombie nightmares. I feared falling asleep after reading this book. I tossed and turned all night for like 3 days because of this book. :/
Well edited, well written, engaging, great characters, great visuals. This book has it all. Time of Death: Induction has moved into a 'classic' zombie novel that I will recommend to my friends and family.
The only that I can think of that I wasn't sold on from this book would be the opening scene. It was well written, it was show not tell, but it pushed my personal limit of believability a bit too far. Maybe because it's not the story I'm used to so I'm not comfortable with it. And yes, I realize how ridiculous that sounds considering I subconsciously hoard canned food, and consider the possible pros and cons of defending almost every building I set foot into against an undead mob. But I pushed past it, and sort of embraced it as I read, because while this book is definitely a classic, it's still it's own thing. And it's own thing is pretty freaking awesome.
Thank you Shana for the review copy. I was super excited to purchase a copy of the book for my mom who will probably hate all the gore, but still love the characters. ;-)
Emma Rossi and her husband aren't teenagers or even young adults. Emma is 37 and on her way to becoming a nurse. She's at ground zero of the outbreak. She, Jake, and their dog, Daphne, flee the undead and meet up with a group of survivors. And they just keep surviving. It's absolutely brutal what these characters are put through.
What I LOVED about Time of Death: Induction was the humor. It was snarky, and dark and right up my alley.
The gore was absolutely breathtakingly disgusting. When I jump into a book I read it every chance I get. I literally had to put ToD:I down one night as I was eating. I could feel my supper making it's way back up to the surface. I know you don't know me, but I have to tell you that's pretty impressive considering as kids my sister and I used to talk about pus at the dinner table to gross my mom out.
The zombies are absolutely freaking scary. I thought for sure I was going to have zombie nightmares. I feared falling asleep after reading this book. I tossed and turned all night for like 3 days because of this book. :/
Well edited, well written, engaging, great characters, great visuals. This book has it all. Time of Death: Induction has moved into a 'classic' zombie novel that I will recommend to my friends and family.
The only that I can think of that I wasn't sold on from this book would be the opening scene. It was well written, it was show not tell, but it pushed my personal limit of believability a bit too far. Maybe because it's not the story I'm used to so I'm not comfortable with it. And yes, I realize how ridiculous that sounds considering I subconsciously hoard canned food, and consider the possible pros and cons of defending almost every building I set foot into against an undead mob. But I pushed past it, and sort of embraced it as I read, because while this book is definitely a classic, it's still it's own thing. And it's own thing is pretty freaking awesome.
Thank you Shana for the review copy. I was super excited to purchase a copy of the book for my mom who will probably hate all the gore, but still love the characters. ;-)
October 14, 2015
Hard to believe this is a debut novel! This a fast, action-packed, pull no punches, guts and glory female character driven zombie thriller. Emma, our heroine, is a Florida medical student who narrowly escapes the outbreak when she goes home from a long shift in the ER at midnight. Over the next few days, she and her husband Jake (and their little Yorkie, Daphne) watch in terror as the world around them goes to hell. They have to abandon their house to escape the shambling hordes, and eventually meet up with a group of other survivors. No where is safe, and no one is safe, as even a single bite is 100% positive to turn a human into a zombie.
This is a classic zombie tale - there is no cure, no political or evil premise behind the outbreak, and the zombies just keep coming at you until you blow their brains out. There's blood and gore and vomit, but Emma and Daphne still manage to lend a little humor and sweetness to the unbearable tension. There's no poetry to be found in this tale, and I was so pleased to read a zombie tale that wasn't a YA romance in disguise! There are several character deaths, but not a ton of emotion. The action is intense, so you rarely get a chance to relax and think about the hard sad stuff as our humans fight to survive. The book is well paced and decently well plotted. It's fun escapism for sure. Can't wait to read the next book!
The audiobook narration by Sarah Tancer was very well done. She narrates the pace and fear well. The book is likewise very well sound-edited. It's a pleasure to listen to and would eat up the miles on a long car trip!
NOTE: I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
This is a classic zombie tale - there is no cure, no political or evil premise behind the outbreak, and the zombies just keep coming at you until you blow their brains out. There's blood and gore and vomit, but Emma and Daphne still manage to lend a little humor and sweetness to the unbearable tension. There's no poetry to be found in this tale, and I was so pleased to read a zombie tale that wasn't a YA romance in disguise! There are several character deaths, but not a ton of emotion. The action is intense, so you rarely get a chance to relax and think about the hard sad stuff as our humans fight to survive. The book is well paced and decently well plotted. It's fun escapism for sure. Can't wait to read the next book!
The audiobook narration by Sarah Tancer was very well done. She narrates the pace and fear well. The book is likewise very well sound-edited. It's a pleasure to listen to and would eat up the miles on a long car trip!
NOTE: I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
August 23, 2015
How do I review?! I forgot how to review!
Not really, but my brain just kinda feels like... "What. just. happened?"
*insert missing Grease "This wasn't suppose to happen GIF*
That ending!!
Now that that bit is out of the way, can I just say "Whoa!" This book was bloody brilliant! Loved it is a understatement. I really loved everything about this book. From the start it really sucks you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The characters were PERFECTION! The. Humor. Oh my gosh, the humor in this story had me rolling, I was laughing so hard. I have to admit, it's that kind of crude humor, which is perfectly fine with me! Why? Because this is actually the kind of humor I have myself. So while others might say "Ew..", I'm the one with tears streaming down my cheeks from laughing so hard. This book completes me. Haha just kidding, but really though. I was NOT expecting that ending... at all. I kinda had to sit there sunk into the couch like "What... Why... But.." Not even my mind could process it fully. Haha. I believe someone has been taking lessons from John Green! "Ohhh you love this character? ... be a shame is they die. *character dies horribly*"
While I'm then left in a puddle of my own tears. Lol I can't wait to start book two! I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!
Not really, but my brain just kinda feels like... "What. just. happened?"
*insert missing Grease "This wasn't suppose to happen GIF*
That ending!!
Now that that bit is out of the way, can I just say "Whoa!" This book was bloody brilliant! Loved it is a understatement. I really loved everything about this book. From the start it really sucks you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The characters were PERFECTION! The. Humor. Oh my gosh, the humor in this story had me rolling, I was laughing so hard. I have to admit, it's that kind of crude humor, which is perfectly fine with me! Why? Because this is actually the kind of humor I have myself. So while others might say "Ew..", I'm the one with tears streaming down my cheeks from laughing so hard. This book completes me. Haha just kidding, but really though. I was NOT expecting that ending... at all. I kinda had to sit there sunk into the couch like "What... Why... But.." Not even my mind could process it fully. Haha. I believe someone has been taking lessons from John Green! "Ohhh you love this character? ... be a shame is they die. *character dies horribly*"
While I'm then left in a puddle of my own tears. Lol I can't wait to start book two! I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!
May 28, 2014
This review is from: Time of Death: Induction (Kindle Edition)
My number one genre is zombie post apocalypse stories and this book was 5/5 just for originality. This book has a well written prologue, very gripping. Character building again is 5/5 especially the main character being shes a nurse in training wich in itself seemed very believable the way she was written. Each character seemed human enough and not just briefly mentioned to fill each paragraph. 5/5 for there being a beginning and an end to each chapter and not just the carrying on and use of endless filler to stretch out each paragraph. The author chooses her content very well and is not overly concerned with a large word count, I feel the author was more about content of what made up the story, I feel that's a sign of a talented author. The zombies portrayed were a 5/5 as a mixture of slow and fast movers. The delivery of the virus had a refreshing feel to me and broke away from conventional norm im used too. The overall plight of the main character and her husband had me really caring for their well being so 5/5 for suspense and dramatic appeal. Next 5/5 for keeping me wanting a continuation of the story at the end of this book. There was just enough to give me closure of the story while knowing and hoping for more. All this being said im no writer, I consider myself grammatically challenged. This author knows her way around suspense, zombies, strong women and small dogs so win win for me
My number one genre is zombie post apocalypse stories and this book was 5/5 just for originality. This book has a well written prologue, very gripping. Character building again is 5/5 especially the main character being shes a nurse in training wich in itself seemed very believable the way she was written. Each character seemed human enough and not just briefly mentioned to fill each paragraph. 5/5 for there being a beginning and an end to each chapter and not just the carrying on and use of endless filler to stretch out each paragraph. The author chooses her content very well and is not overly concerned with a large word count, I feel the author was more about content of what made up the story, I feel that's a sign of a talented author. The zombies portrayed were a 5/5 as a mixture of slow and fast movers. The delivery of the virus had a refreshing feel to me and broke away from conventional norm im used too. The overall plight of the main character and her husband had me really caring for their well being so 5/5 for suspense and dramatic appeal. Next 5/5 for keeping me wanting a continuation of the story at the end of this book. There was just enough to give me closure of the story while knowing and hoping for more. All this being said im no writer, I consider myself grammatically challenged. This author knows her way around suspense, zombies, strong women and small dogs so win win for me
June 23, 2014
Ssh! I'm Reading!
My family got really irritated with me yesterday. I was at my mom's house. The kids were all there. And I started reading Time of Death by Shana Festa. For the next couple of hours, I hushed everyone who tried to talk to me. I think I even growled at one particularly untimely interruption.
I was getting my zombie on.
I did eventually stop reading for a bit, but continued in bed later. And didn't go to sleep until I had finished the very last word.
It was that good.
This is traditional zombie lore told with flair, humor, and a whole lot of violence. The book is non-stop action and has characters I cared about and grieved for. I appreciated that zombies were simply zombies, and that the humans were sometimes more dangerous.
Festa pulls no punches. Fair warning - the body count is high and painful! But it also has a butt kicking main character, her equally butt kicking husband (and dog), and a real sense of humor throughout. I think another reviewer mentioned the CPR scene - it was hilarious and there's more humor throughout.
Zombie-Lit has been overrun by too many poorly written books. It's gotten to the point where I approach even the free zombie books with some trepidation. Well no worries here. This book brings the fun back to the genre. I want more!
* ARC provided by the author for review purposes.
My family got really irritated with me yesterday. I was at my mom's house. The kids were all there. And I started reading Time of Death by Shana Festa. For the next couple of hours, I hushed everyone who tried to talk to me. I think I even growled at one particularly untimely interruption.
I was getting my zombie on.
I did eventually stop reading for a bit, but continued in bed later. And didn't go to sleep until I had finished the very last word.
It was that good.
This is traditional zombie lore told with flair, humor, and a whole lot of violence. The book is non-stop action and has characters I cared about and grieved for. I appreciated that zombies were simply zombies, and that the humans were sometimes more dangerous.
Festa pulls no punches. Fair warning - the body count is high and painful! But it also has a butt kicking main character, her equally butt kicking husband (and dog), and a real sense of humor throughout. I think another reviewer mentioned the CPR scene - it was hilarious and there's more humor throughout.
Zombie-Lit has been overrun by too many poorly written books. It's gotten to the point where I approach even the free zombie books with some trepidation. Well no worries here. This book brings the fun back to the genre. I want more!
* ARC provided by the author for review purposes.
January 19, 2015
Well, this was a pleasant little breath of fresh air in a usually grim genre. Rather than a dour, haunted, Rick Grimes-clone, Festa's protagonist is a usually chipper, definitely scatalogically-obsessed nursing student. As the zombie apocalypse strikes the Florida coastline the characters proceed to behave like fairly well-adjusted adults trying to make do in an emergency, sparing us the usual scenes of hysterics and dick-measuring that have become all but de rigueur for zombie stories. We're then treated to a tornado, which is also something I've never seen before. Overall, the word of the day is: originality.
I do have one complaint. This horrible, horrible dog that the main character, Emma, insists on taking with her everywhere. I don't know if the dog was supposed to be charming or what, but it was just such a freaking liability I have no idea why anyone would tolerate keeping it around. I cheered the first time the zombies caught it, but, sadly, it escaped. Think of the cat from Alien on metaphorical steroids.
Still, even the dog was not distracting enough to deduct a star, and I suppose dog fanciers might even enjoy that part. So, five stars for a clever, unusual tour-de-force from first-time author Shana Festa. This is as good as horror fiction gets.
I do have one complaint. This horrible, horrible dog that the main character, Emma, insists on taking with her everywhere. I don't know if the dog was supposed to be charming or what, but it was just such a freaking liability I have no idea why anyone would tolerate keeping it around. I cheered the first time the zombies caught it, but, sadly, it escaped. Think of the cat from Alien on metaphorical steroids.
Still, even the dog was not distracting enough to deduct a star, and I suppose dog fanciers might even enjoy that part. So, five stars for a clever, unusual tour-de-force from first-time author Shana Festa. This is as good as horror fiction gets.
May 12, 2014
I received this book as a beta reader and am providing an honest review before publication.
Time of Death: Induction, is Shana Festa's debut zombie apocalypse novel and it does not disappoint.
With depth to the characters and realism beyond most zom-poc fiction, she has created a masterpiece in which the reader completely immerses and doesn't come up for air until the very end.
Her writing style is fresh and not overly descriptive; I was never bored and nothing was ever black and white- there's definitely a lot of color all over the place.
You follow the main character Emma on a journey from every day life to total chaos and with her on this wild ride is her husband Jake, their yorkie Daphne and a multitude of other survivors that all band together in a seemingly endless struggle against the hordes of undead that have overrun Cape Coral, Florida.
The ending is brutal and holds absolutely nothing back, you will be begging for the follow up to ToD: Induction in no time.
My 5 star rating is well deserved for Festa and I cannot wait to read what she has in store for Emma and the gang next.
Time of Death: Induction, is Shana Festa's debut zombie apocalypse novel and it does not disappoint.
With depth to the characters and realism beyond most zom-poc fiction, she has created a masterpiece in which the reader completely immerses and doesn't come up for air until the very end.
Her writing style is fresh and not overly descriptive; I was never bored and nothing was ever black and white- there's definitely a lot of color all over the place.
You follow the main character Emma on a journey from every day life to total chaos and with her on this wild ride is her husband Jake, their yorkie Daphne and a multitude of other survivors that all band together in a seemingly endless struggle against the hordes of undead that have overrun Cape Coral, Florida.
The ending is brutal and holds absolutely nothing back, you will be begging for the follow up to ToD: Induction in no time.
My 5 star rating is well deserved for Festa and I cannot wait to read what she has in store for Emma and the gang next.
September 21, 2014
*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*
I loved this book. Hands down. With the Walking Dead coming back to tv in a few weeks this was the perfect book to get me ready for it. If you are a fan of zombie books then this book is a must read.
Where to start? I liked how we were told how the zombie's came into being, although the characters themselves didn't know. I feel the pace of the story was great, things moved along in a great progression and all the issues the characters were dealt seemed logical given their situation. Emma is a great character to follow and was very easy for me to relate too.
I really can't stress enough just how much I liked this book. This book is very well written and has a great plot and story arch, well developed characters and even though zombie stories are popular in our culture now, this story does a great job standing on it's own.
I loved this book. Hands down. With the Walking Dead coming back to tv in a few weeks this was the perfect book to get me ready for it. If you are a fan of zombie books then this book is a must read.
Where to start? I liked how we were told how the zombie's came into being, although the characters themselves didn't know. I feel the pace of the story was great, things moved along in a great progression and all the issues the characters were dealt seemed logical given their situation. Emma is a great character to follow and was very easy for me to relate too.
I really can't stress enough just how much I liked this book. This book is very well written and has a great plot and story arch, well developed characters and even though zombie stories are popular in our culture now, this story does a great job standing on it's own.
June 1, 2014
Real Characters. Real fun. LOTS of zombies!
Shana Festa has done something incredibly difficult: she's written a zombie novel with real people in it-- you know these people. Emma is a nursing student who acts like so much more than a cut-out; her life is fully drawn and the hectic pace of Florida is perfectly described. The author (thankfully!) doesn't give in to the temptation to create a standard "girl power" heroine, and the story is much better for it. Instead, you get capable people in an absolutely bizarre disaster, and they navigate the landscape in much the same way you or I might.
This book appeals to both men and women; that's how much fun the story is. Definitely one to add to your shelf.
Shana Festa has done something incredibly difficult: she's written a zombie novel with real people in it-- you know these people. Emma is a nursing student who acts like so much more than a cut-out; her life is fully drawn and the hectic pace of Florida is perfectly described. The author (thankfully!) doesn't give in to the temptation to create a standard "girl power" heroine, and the story is much better for it. Instead, you get capable people in an absolutely bizarre disaster, and they navigate the landscape in much the same way you or I might.
This book appeals to both men and women; that's how much fun the story is. Definitely one to add to your shelf.
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