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Estranged
Kalei hates touching. Especially if it is a hug. After all, her mother was killed by one.
Kalei was born and raised in Celan, the first city to have an Estranged problem. It was seventeen years ago when they appeared, and the citizens learned the hard truth: that it only takes a bit of skin-on-skin contact to turn their loved ones into corpses, or Estranged. No one really knows why some people turn and some people die, they just know that anyone touched is gone.
And Kalei wants them to stay gone. But, being a police officer in the city, she witnesses every day the damage done by Estranged. Black nails mark these harbingers of death. Seeking the high they get from every piece of skin they touch, the Estranged crush the lives of Celan's citizens with alarming ease.
They killed her mother for a high, and now Kalei wants to wipe them out of existence before they can seek another. But she can't. Only the Wardens are equipped to do so, and she will do anything to be inducted into their ranks.
But will they accept her now that she has turned Estranged?
Kalei was born and raised in Celan, the first city to have an Estranged problem. It was seventeen years ago when they appeared, and the citizens learned the hard truth: that it only takes a bit of skin-on-skin contact to turn their loved ones into corpses, or Estranged. No one really knows why some people turn and some people die, they just know that anyone touched is gone.
And Kalei wants them to stay gone. But, being a police officer in the city, she witnesses every day the damage done by Estranged. Black nails mark these harbingers of death. Seeking the high they get from every piece of skin they touch, the Estranged crush the lives of Celan's citizens with alarming ease.
They killed her mother for a high, and now Kalei wants to wipe them out of existence before they can seek another. But she can't. Only the Wardens are equipped to do so, and she will do anything to be inducted into their ranks.
But will they accept her now that she has turned Estranged?
231 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2015
1 person is currently reading
238 people want to read
About the author
Alex Fedyr
1 book8 followersI am an author who writes things, and a person who spends way too much time at the computer. What can I say? The internet is a glorious place.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 5, 2016
For this and other reviews, visit RaeleighReads.
I really wanted to like this one more. The premise is fantastic — a different approach to zombie-mania. Estranged are effectively dead and mostly immortal, surviving on the high of a touch. Well, most of them. The virus that releases a darkness within each person separates the world into the Estranged and the Untouched. Of course, these things are never that simple. There is always a patient zero or a tinkering madman who brought the whole thing about. And Estranged is no different in that regard.
For the first few chapters I was saying to myself, “Self, I would love to write the screenplay for this!” The book was set up with definite scenes, and I could just picture the young, tough cop, Kalei, played by Daisey Ridley (or anther up-and-comer).
So, good premise…check!
Good writing…almost:/
The first quarter of this book is really great, and had I given it a rating at that point, it would have been four coffee cups. However, as soon as the character Shenaia is introduced, it’s like a different writer takes over. The change is gradual at first:
Okay, Shenaia is full of personality and confident in her own skin. She provides a nice counter-balance to Kalei’s semi-uptight countenance.
Around the 50% mark, this seemingly-new author's voice is in full swing. It likes street slang, large breasts, and bad action films.
Where was my dark, gritty, post-apocalyptic novel that tugged a little on my heart strings? Why was it suddenly replaced by a B-rated action film with bikini clad heroines…whose slang and forced dialogue gets worse and worse as time wears on?
I have to be honest, around this half-way point I started to speed read just to get through the book. Things evened out around the 80% mark, but inconsistencies like saying a person’s room is on the third floor in one chapter, and two chapters later saying it’s on the fifth floor…are sloppy and easily avoided.
I fear what happened here is what happens with a lot of creative works. The first sections of something are the best because they are the ones that have been edited, revised, rehashed the most…because they are first.
That said, if you like immortalish creatures, post-apocalyptic worlds, urban fantasy, sister drama, etc…this might be a book you’ll enjoy.
I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to like this one more. The premise is fantastic — a different approach to zombie-mania. Estranged are effectively dead and mostly immortal, surviving on the high of a touch. Well, most of them. The virus that releases a darkness within each person separates the world into the Estranged and the Untouched. Of course, these things are never that simple. There is always a patient zero or a tinkering madman who brought the whole thing about. And Estranged is no different in that regard.
For the first few chapters I was saying to myself, “Self, I would love to write the screenplay for this!” The book was set up with definite scenes, and I could just picture the young, tough cop, Kalei, played by Daisey Ridley (or anther up-and-comer).
So, good premise…check!
Good writing…almost:/
The first quarter of this book is really great, and had I given it a rating at that point, it would have been four coffee cups. However, as soon as the character Shenaia is introduced, it’s like a different writer takes over. The change is gradual at first:
“Hiii, Kalei! How’s it crackin’, sista!”
Okay, Shenaia is full of personality and confident in her own skin. She provides a nice counter-balance to Kalei’s semi-uptight countenance.
Around the 50% mark, this seemingly-new author's voice is in full swing. It likes street slang, large breasts, and bad action films.
“Eh, good guys, bad guys, they all’s out fo’ us now. Whatevs, let’s jus’ get outta here.”
Where was my dark, gritty, post-apocalyptic novel that tugged a little on my heart strings? Why was it suddenly replaced by a B-rated action film with bikini clad heroines…whose slang and forced dialogue gets worse and worse as time wears on?
I have to be honest, around this half-way point I started to speed read just to get through the book. Things evened out around the 80% mark, but inconsistencies like saying a person’s room is on the third floor in one chapter, and two chapters later saying it’s on the fifth floor…are sloppy and easily avoided.
I fear what happened here is what happens with a lot of creative works. The first sections of something are the best because they are the ones that have been edited, revised, rehashed the most…because they are first.
That said, if you like immortalish creatures, post-apocalyptic worlds, urban fantasy, sister drama, etc…this might be a book you’ll enjoy.
I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
October 17, 2015
I liked Estranged, by Alex Fedyr.
Kalei is a great character. I loved that she strove head first into danger, much to her detriment, to save those around her, from running into the store to help the little boy hurt by falling store shelves to jumping out of her car to try to save her husband and nieces.
This is an unexpected view of the Estranged, or a new kind of zombie. They don't have to bite you. A touch is all it takes to turn someone into a curse, how scary. Kalei's parents are turned by a hug, which is usually an act of kindness.
I hope there are sequels. I read this one so fast I need to reread to thoroughly enjoy the story-line.
I was given the opportunity to read Estranged by Alex Fedyr in exchange for an honest review.
Kalei is a great character. I loved that she strove head first into danger, much to her detriment, to save those around her, from running into the store to help the little boy hurt by falling store shelves to jumping out of her car to try to save her husband and nieces.
This is an unexpected view of the Estranged, or a new kind of zombie. They don't have to bite you. A touch is all it takes to turn someone into a curse, how scary. Kalei's parents are turned by a hug, which is usually an act of kindness.
I hope there are sequels. I read this one so fast I need to reread to thoroughly enjoy the story-line.
I was given the opportunity to read Estranged by Alex Fedyr in exchange for an honest review.
December 26, 2017
The book is somewhat difficult to characterize. It's described by some as a zombie book, but I think it's actually an "opposite zombie" book. I suppose I should explain.
A virus (or something) came to this city on this planet seventeen years ago. If a person with the virus touches another person, the second person either dies or becomes Estranged. Why Estranged? Because the people that survive are sent to live behind walls to keep them separate from the rest of the population. In regular zombie books, the people not infected are the ones that stay behind walls for protection.
Kalei is the main character in the book. Her family was killed by the Estranged when she was young. She is now a police officer, but it doesn't seem like the police in this world have much to do. If an Estranged person somehow gets into the uninfected population, the police have to keep that person separated from everyone else until he/she is taken away by the Wardens, a seemingly elite police force. Kalei wants to join the Wardens, but her applications are always denied.
Kalel's family is attacked and she is transformed into an Estranged. She goes through a transformation and wakes up two years later behind the walls. She wants to see her family and whines about this a lot, but she can't see them because doing so would put them in danger. Kalel meets the other Estranged who have formed a community behind the walls. There she finds out the secrets of the Estranged and is exposed to a very different way of life.
The virus is described as a darkness within each person, and Kalei has to learn how to control the darkness to be able to function. How do people know if someone is Estranged? Their fingernails turn black or form patterns of blackness. The Estranged person is in control of the darkness when the patterns are formed.
Kalei goes through "darkness training" and turns out to be very gifted in doing so. She meets other Estranged who seem to have mastered it and some who don't even try. All the while she is being integrated into this society, so she really isn't Estranged any longer. She just has a new community of friends and teachers and family. She finds out that being Estranged gives her power she never imagined and also leaves her vulnerable to others whose darkness is stronger than hers.
The reason I said this was kind of an "opposite" zombie book is not only because the Estranged live behind the walls instead of the population. The Estranged have powers the uninfected do not and have very little to be fearful of, as opposed to the uninfected who have to constantly live in fear of being infected and are just ordinary people. Becoming Estranged can be a good thing, depending on how well the darkness is handled.
I liked the transposition of the zombie genre and how the virus is described, but I did have some issues with the book. The characters are not likable. Kalei herself is annoying and whiny and she is in just about every scene of the story. It gets old. There's another character that is described as laughing all the time, but that's all we know about him, although he is very powerful (did he create the virus?). He's annoying. The people Kalei trains with are annoying for a bunch of different reasons. They are bitter or angry or addicts, which is understandable, I suppose, because they have the darkness flowing through them constantly. It just gets tedious after a while.
That's because the story moves very slowly. Things seem to take an awfully long time to happen and there are things that happen that seemingly make no sense. Maybe they will be described better in the next book, but in this one, I was just left bored. There are things set up to be mysterious, but there is no payoff to the mystery.
The book isn't bad. There are some very good parts, but overall, it did not leave me excited or eager for the next book. Probably the best part of the book is how the Estranged are not really estranged at all, having formed new relationships behind the walls and may actually be better off than uninfected people. That's probably a good enough reason to read the book.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, through Reading Deals, and I gave an honest review.
A virus (or something) came to this city on this planet seventeen years ago. If a person with the virus touches another person, the second person either dies or becomes Estranged. Why Estranged? Because the people that survive are sent to live behind walls to keep them separate from the rest of the population. In regular zombie books, the people not infected are the ones that stay behind walls for protection.
Kalei is the main character in the book. Her family was killed by the Estranged when she was young. She is now a police officer, but it doesn't seem like the police in this world have much to do. If an Estranged person somehow gets into the uninfected population, the police have to keep that person separated from everyone else until he/she is taken away by the Wardens, a seemingly elite police force. Kalei wants to join the Wardens, but her applications are always denied.
Kalel's family is attacked and she is transformed into an Estranged. She goes through a transformation and wakes up two years later behind the walls. She wants to see her family and whines about this a lot, but she can't see them because doing so would put them in danger. Kalel meets the other Estranged who have formed a community behind the walls. There she finds out the secrets of the Estranged and is exposed to a very different way of life.
The virus is described as a darkness within each person, and Kalei has to learn how to control the darkness to be able to function. How do people know if someone is Estranged? Their fingernails turn black or form patterns of blackness. The Estranged person is in control of the darkness when the patterns are formed.
Kalei goes through "darkness training" and turns out to be very gifted in doing so. She meets other Estranged who seem to have mastered it and some who don't even try. All the while she is being integrated into this society, so she really isn't Estranged any longer. She just has a new community of friends and teachers and family. She finds out that being Estranged gives her power she never imagined and also leaves her vulnerable to others whose darkness is stronger than hers.
The reason I said this was kind of an "opposite" zombie book is not only because the Estranged live behind the walls instead of the population. The Estranged have powers the uninfected do not and have very little to be fearful of, as opposed to the uninfected who have to constantly live in fear of being infected and are just ordinary people. Becoming Estranged can be a good thing, depending on how well the darkness is handled.
I liked the transposition of the zombie genre and how the virus is described, but I did have some issues with the book. The characters are not likable. Kalei herself is annoying and whiny and she is in just about every scene of the story. It gets old. There's another character that is described as laughing all the time, but that's all we know about him, although he is very powerful (did he create the virus?). He's annoying. The people Kalei trains with are annoying for a bunch of different reasons. They are bitter or angry or addicts, which is understandable, I suppose, because they have the darkness flowing through them constantly. It just gets tedious after a while.
That's because the story moves very slowly. Things seem to take an awfully long time to happen and there are things that happen that seemingly make no sense. Maybe they will be described better in the next book, but in this one, I was just left bored. There are things set up to be mysterious, but there is no payoff to the mystery.
The book isn't bad. There are some very good parts, but overall, it did not leave me excited or eager for the next book. Probably the best part of the book is how the Estranged are not really estranged at all, having formed new relationships behind the walls and may actually be better off than uninfected people. That's probably a good enough reason to read the book.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, through Reading Deals, and I gave an honest review.
July 18, 2015
Alex Fedyr’s debut novel, Estranged is a resilient and unexpected genre-bender of a book. It’s as much steeped in crime thrillers as it is paranormal horror. It’s half-zombie and half-vampire. Though Estranged suffers from a few problems that, I think, might be debut-author missteps, on the whole the book is a solid effort.
Kalei Distrad is a cop in Celan, where she works clean up on Estranged attack sites. The Estranged can kill Untouched people with a brush of skin-to-skin contact, and Kalei lost her parents to them. All she wants is to become a Warden—a member of SWORDE, the front line against the Estranged. That’s who Kalei is when we first meet her. By the end of the first chapter, Kalei is someone completely, wholly different. By the end of the book, Kalei is reincarnated one over again.
Suffice to say Fedyr keeps the plot moving. Plot and pacing are used to excellent effect; Fedyr juggles multiple plot arcs, each well-paced, each unifying at the end of the book to good effect. There was one major twist I felt was unbelievable1, but otherwise, each twist was satisfying and surprising.
The Estranged themselves are innovative, interesting horror creatures: Fedyr takes elements from both zombies and vampires, but makes them something else entirely. Like most monsters, the Estranged are posited to interrogate something about human nature, and the Estranged raise a host of questions about addiction. Anyone who has struggled with addiction or has lived with or loved someone who has dealt with addiction will engage with this book on a whole deeper level; I know I did. The complexities of addiction are on display here, most especially that addicts are still people, even in the throes of their addiction, even when it makes them do terrible things, and while that doesn’t absolve what they do it does complicate what it means to be human.
Some of that lovely nuance gets lost in spots where Fedyr’s choices as an author distract from the plot and the characters. For example, I was confused by two characters with almost exactly the same name who are allies to Kalei (hint: Mar and Marley are not the same person). A more problematic example is the use of what reads like feigned African American Vernacular English (AAVE) to code at least one White character as sketchy and low class. Later in the book, this character essentially code-switches between AAVE and Standard English. Given that this character is White, this is deeply appropriative of Black culture, and the character traits Fedyr was trying to communicate to the reader about this character using code-switching and AAVE to begin with were not necessarily positive. I am a White reader, but there is a good chance that a reader of color, especially a Black reader, could see this as a major race fail.
In sum, Estranged is an engaging and thoughtful horror novel, and a solid first effort from Fedyr albeit with some missteps. It ends with a chilling cliffhanger, and I hope Fedyr is writing a sequel so I can see what happens next!
1To my point about Estranged being a debut book, this particular plot twist would have flown better with more foreshadowing and groundwork laid earlier in the book.
Kalei Distrad is a cop in Celan, where she works clean up on Estranged attack sites. The Estranged can kill Untouched people with a brush of skin-to-skin contact, and Kalei lost her parents to them. All she wants is to become a Warden—a member of SWORDE, the front line against the Estranged. That’s who Kalei is when we first meet her. By the end of the first chapter, Kalei is someone completely, wholly different. By the end of the book, Kalei is reincarnated one over again.
Suffice to say Fedyr keeps the plot moving. Plot and pacing are used to excellent effect; Fedyr juggles multiple plot arcs, each well-paced, each unifying at the end of the book to good effect. There was one major twist I felt was unbelievable1, but otherwise, each twist was satisfying and surprising.
The Estranged themselves are innovative, interesting horror creatures: Fedyr takes elements from both zombies and vampires, but makes them something else entirely. Like most monsters, the Estranged are posited to interrogate something about human nature, and the Estranged raise a host of questions about addiction. Anyone who has struggled with addiction or has lived with or loved someone who has dealt with addiction will engage with this book on a whole deeper level; I know I did. The complexities of addiction are on display here, most especially that addicts are still people, even in the throes of their addiction, even when it makes them do terrible things, and while that doesn’t absolve what they do it does complicate what it means to be human.
Some of that lovely nuance gets lost in spots where Fedyr’s choices as an author distract from the plot and the characters. For example, I was confused by two characters with almost exactly the same name who are allies to Kalei (hint: Mar and Marley are not the same person). A more problematic example is the use of what reads like feigned African American Vernacular English (AAVE) to code at least one White character as sketchy and low class. Later in the book, this character essentially code-switches between AAVE and Standard English. Given that this character is White, this is deeply appropriative of Black culture, and the character traits Fedyr was trying to communicate to the reader about this character using code-switching and AAVE to begin with were not necessarily positive. I am a White reader, but there is a good chance that a reader of color, especially a Black reader, could see this as a major race fail.
In sum, Estranged is an engaging and thoughtful horror novel, and a solid first effort from Fedyr albeit with some missteps. It ends with a chilling cliffhanger, and I hope Fedyr is writing a sequel so I can see what happens next!
1To my point about Estranged being a debut book, this particular plot twist would have flown better with more foreshadowing and groundwork laid earlier in the book.
February 14, 2016
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I thought this book was a really interesting idea. While I've seen a lot of zombies in popular culture, I thought that the Estranged were a unique take on the zombie theme. And it was especially interesting that it took the form of an addiction... but I didn't really see much evidence of Kalei's reluctance about physical contact.
I did feel that the start of the book was really strong. I found Kalei really easy to relate to and empathise with... and her memories of what had happened to her family made her attempted crusade against the Estranged believable.
I would have liked to see a bit more of Kalei's relationships with the other characters before she was infected. There were only a couple of short snippets of her life before and those made it harder for me to connect emotionally with some of the minor characters.
I liked a lot of the Estranged characters Kalei met, in particular Terin and Shenaia. Both of them were really intriguing characters and there was a lot of mystery surrounding them. I wasn't actually sure any of them could be classed as 'good' characters, but I felt that the struggle they experienced with the darkness was detailed especially well.
I did feel that there was a lot that was glossed over. For instance, a lot of Kalei's interactions with people weren't mentioned until right before the character showed up at an important moment. And for all that Kalei was a police officer... I felt that she didn't really put things together very well. Or make connections I felt she should have done.
I really liked the idea of the darkness in the nails and how they formed different patterns depending on the personality of the Estranged. I also really liked the descriptions of how the darkness worked... and how it was something the Estranged had to battle against.
Although I was left with more questions by the end of the book (and would have liked to know more of the history of the Estranged), I am curious enough to want to read the next book in the series, since this did end on something of a cliffhanger.
(This review may contain spoilers).
I thought this book was a really interesting idea. While I've seen a lot of zombies in popular culture, I thought that the Estranged were a unique take on the zombie theme. And it was especially interesting that it took the form of an addiction... but I didn't really see much evidence of Kalei's reluctance about physical contact.
I did feel that the start of the book was really strong. I found Kalei really easy to relate to and empathise with... and her memories of what had happened to her family made her attempted crusade against the Estranged believable.
I would have liked to see a bit more of Kalei's relationships with the other characters before she was infected. There were only a couple of short snippets of her life before and those made it harder for me to connect emotionally with some of the minor characters.
I liked a lot of the Estranged characters Kalei met, in particular Terin and Shenaia. Both of them were really intriguing characters and there was a lot of mystery surrounding them. I wasn't actually sure any of them could be classed as 'good' characters, but I felt that the struggle they experienced with the darkness was detailed especially well.
I did feel that there was a lot that was glossed over. For instance, a lot of Kalei's interactions with people weren't mentioned until right before the character showed up at an important moment. And for all that Kalei was a police officer... I felt that she didn't really put things together very well. Or make connections I felt she should have done.
I really liked the idea of the darkness in the nails and how they formed different patterns depending on the personality of the Estranged. I also really liked the descriptions of how the darkness worked... and how it was something the Estranged had to battle against.
Although I was left with more questions by the end of the book (and would have liked to know more of the history of the Estranged), I am curious enough to want to read the next book in the series, since this did end on something of a cliffhanger.
June 8, 2023
Set in dystopian/post-apocalyptic urban surroundings, Kalei is a police officer who keeps trying to gain entrance into SWORDE - a crack team who deals with Estranged. Kalei lost her parents and sister to the Estranged, and so she wants nothing more. This all changes one evening when her home is attacked and she becomes Estranged too. Now she not only has to deal with losing her family, but becoming the very person she has sworn to kill.
This is an enjoyable story that is full of action. It became a bit difficult to read halfway through, simply due to the amount of action that was taking place, plus the 'street talk' that was prevalent. It did even itself out though, and once again, became a thrilling read. With plenty of twists and turns, you don't ever see what is coming before the author wants you to.
This story is all wrapped up in this book, but it has been left open for a sequel. I hope that the story does continue as I would love to carry on with Kalei's story. Definitely recommended.
* Verified Purchase on Amazon *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 2, 2016
This is an enjoyable story that is full of action. It became a bit difficult to read halfway through, simply due to the amount of action that was taking place, plus the 'street talk' that was prevalent. It did even itself out though, and once again, became a thrilling read. With plenty of twists and turns, you don't ever see what is coming before the author wants you to.
This story is all wrapped up in this book, but it has been left open for a sequel. I hope that the story does continue as I would love to carry on with Kalei's story. Definitely recommended.
* Verified Purchase on Amazon *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 2, 2016
February 17, 2016
Officer Kalei Dristrad in the city of Celan. She's tasked with protecting the citizens from Estranged. She's already been reprimanded for her behavior regarding the infected but she feels that it's her duty as human to help them any way. Despite that Kalei has always had an unreasoning hate of the Estranged since the murder of her parents and sister Jenna eighteen years ago. She's applied for SWORDE every quarter like clockwork only to be denied. When Kalei's family is attacked and her becoming Estranged sets up a chain of events no one expected Estranged or Untouched. All Kalei wants is to find her family and make sure they're safe from harm. Kalei falls into a world she doesn't really understand yet does so any way. Will Kalei be reunited with her family? Can Kalei accept her new reality? Your answers await you in Estranged.
This new to me author has created a fascinating and wholly unique universe. The story and characters are flawed and unique in a good way as well as compelling, intriguing, raw, and real. Definitely looking forward to more from this author in the future.
This new to me author has created a fascinating and wholly unique universe. The story and characters are flawed and unique in a good way as well as compelling, intriguing, raw, and real. Definitely looking forward to more from this author in the future.
did-not-finish
March 4, 2016Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
DNF around 10%
This was another one I just couldn't get into. I thought the characters were hard to immediately relate to and we jumped into the story without much of an explanation about anything. The pacing was a tad abrupt for me as well.
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
DNF around 10%
This was another one I just couldn't get into. I thought the characters were hard to immediately relate to and we jumped into the story without much of an explanation about anything. The pacing was a tad abrupt for me as well.
Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
September 1, 2017
Wow what a little gem. I really enjoyed this book. It has a different kind of spin on immorality. The story focuses on a cop Kalei, who is married to Fenn, that lives in a city that one day was overrun with people the refer to as Estranged. Kalei wants to be part of SWORDE, which is a type of police force that's sole purpose is to protect the citizens of Celan. Kalei soon gets more than she wished for and finds herself in the middle of chaos in her city. Even though there was not a single sex scene in this book I loved it. This is a first read by the author for me and I will read the rest to find out what happens to Kalei. Will Kalei be able to control the darkness? Have to find out that and more.
June 16, 2016
We are proud to announce that ESTRANGED by Alex Fedyr is a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!
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September 7, 2016Read for #SPFBO
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