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Death & Decay #1
Devour
An alternate cover edition exists here.
St. Louis is falling to pieces. In the midst of rioting, a dangerous new disease has sprung pushing an already dire situation over the edge. Those who are infected suddenly become extremely aggressive, attacking and even eating those around them. And Olivia "Liv" Bennett is caught right in the middle of it.
Liv’s hectic life of school, work, and motherhood grind to a halt as the city around her begins to devour itself. Forced to flee from her car with nothing but a diaper bag and her eighteen-month-old daughter, Elli. Liv must trek forty miles on foot across the feral infested suburbs of St. Louis to a safe haven that may not even be safe.
What other hope does she have?
As her world begins to crumble, Liv is left clinging to the hope that Slag Stead, a two hundred and fifty acres, self-sufficient farm, remains a beacon of light and not another slaughter. But getting there just might kill her.
St. Louis is falling to pieces. In the midst of rioting, a dangerous new disease has sprung pushing an already dire situation over the edge. Those who are infected suddenly become extremely aggressive, attacking and even eating those around them. And Olivia "Liv" Bennett is caught right in the middle of it.
Liv’s hectic life of school, work, and motherhood grind to a halt as the city around her begins to devour itself. Forced to flee from her car with nothing but a diaper bag and her eighteen-month-old daughter, Elli. Liv must trek forty miles on foot across the feral infested suburbs of St. Louis to a safe haven that may not even be safe.
What other hope does she have?
As her world begins to crumble, Liv is left clinging to the hope that Slag Stead, a two hundred and fifty acres, self-sufficient farm, remains a beacon of light and not another slaughter. But getting there just might kill her.
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 30, 2016
88 people are currently reading
559 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
February 3, 2017
First lines: The branches of the trees reached for Olivia like sharpened claws. Each one tore at her matted, coffee-colored hair and the protective layers of clothing that covered her body. They scratched at her face as she crashed through the forest of silver maple and black oak in an attempt to escape the ferals.
Our story begins 5 days into the zompoc, with our heroine Olivia racing through the woods, her 18 month old daughter Ellie strapped to her back. She's been trying to reach the safe harbor of a friend's outlying farm, safe from the death and decay of the big city of St. Louis. Overall, Liv is a badass supermom, and she makes the right, smart decisions as the world falls apart around her. With child strapped to her back, Liv has no problems taking out the ferals with a sledgehammer, cleaning up blood and gore, creating personal body armor out of duct tape and magazines and a turtleback shell for her daughter out of a sled and bungee cords. Hell, she even ambushes a zombie cop for the usefulness of the tools in his dutybelt. Yup, she's a regular McGyver type. I had to like her, despite some of the annoying things she did.
Yes, she did do some annoying things, but I need to learn to live with the fact that fictional characters are human, too, and allowed to make mistakes. And Liv had her freak out moments. Yes, you are allowed to freak out during the zombie apocalypse. You can scream and cry and have a melt down. You can break the phone in a fit of anger. You can have a panic attack after you ambush the zombie cop and bash his head in with a sledgehammer. You can jump out of a perfectly safe house once the danger (a murderous and suicidal Nate) is gone, but you're freaking out. Because, overall, Liv is a Badass. Despite the fact that she's carting around an 18 month old who screams so loudly I'm surprised that there isn't a loud announcement about the Blue Light Special in Aisle Ten for the zombies, Liv keeps on keeping on. Yes, some weird things happen (the flaming zombie who suddenly appears on the doorstep and sets the azaleas on fire comes to mind), but Liv perserveres. She is SuperMom and SuperZombieKiller. With deft agilitity, she swiftly switches the sledgehammer from right to left hand, reaches behind her and pops a pacifier into the screaming mouth of the toddler strapped to her back. You know that's a good binkie!
And so, as I sit here on a cold January day with two warm dogs at my feet and ponder the awesomeness that is Olivia, I find I must change my star rating from 3 to 4 stars. Go, Liv. And, of course, Kudos to the Author!
Our story begins 5 days into the zompoc, with our heroine Olivia racing through the woods, her 18 month old daughter Ellie strapped to her back. She's been trying to reach the safe harbor of a friend's outlying farm, safe from the death and decay of the big city of St. Louis. Overall, Liv is a badass supermom, and she makes the right, smart decisions as the world falls apart around her. With child strapped to her back, Liv has no problems taking out the ferals with a sledgehammer, cleaning up blood and gore, creating personal body armor out of duct tape and magazines and a turtleback shell for her daughter out of a sled and bungee cords. Hell, she even ambushes a zombie cop for the usefulness of the tools in his dutybelt. Yup, she's a regular McGyver type. I had to like her, despite some of the annoying things she did.
Yes, she did do some annoying things, but I need to learn to live with the fact that fictional characters are human, too, and allowed to make mistakes. And Liv had her freak out moments. Yes, you are allowed to freak out during the zombie apocalypse. You can scream and cry and have a melt down. You can break the phone in a fit of anger. You can have a panic attack after you ambush the zombie cop and bash his head in with a sledgehammer. You can jump out of a perfectly safe house once the danger (a murderous and suicidal Nate) is gone, but you're freaking out. Because, overall, Liv is a Badass. Despite the fact that she's carting around an 18 month old who screams so loudly I'm surprised that there isn't a loud announcement about the Blue Light Special in Aisle Ten for the zombies, Liv keeps on keeping on. Yes, some weird things happen (the flaming zombie who suddenly appears on the doorstep and sets the azaleas on fire comes to mind), but Liv perserveres. She is SuperMom and SuperZombieKiller. With deft agilitity, she swiftly switches the sledgehammer from right to left hand, reaches behind her and pops a pacifier into the screaming mouth of the toddler strapped to her back. You know that's a good binkie!
And so, as I sit here on a cold January day with two warm dogs at my feet and ponder the awesomeness that is Olivia, I find I must change my star rating from 3 to 4 stars. Go, Liv. And, of course, Kudos to the Author!
January 15, 2017
I won Devour on GoodReads in exchange for an unbiased review.
Blalock has done a fairly decent job at putting you in the shoes of a scared young mother going through the first days of the zombie apocalypse. In some ways the novel seems like a how to guide in survival, which is fine, but can make for a bit of dry reading in the beginning. Once our protagonist starts her journey is when the story smooths out for me.
On a side note, I only recently stopped watching Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead. For whatever reason the shows have begun to lose my interest and I wonder if I've burned out on the genre.
Keeping that in mind, I bumped the stars up a bit to compensate for any genre bias that I might be experiencing at this time.
One of the things I love about reading is being transported into a new world. A world where I get to immerse myself and see, feel, smell everything that is going on. When I'm reading and I catch myself thinking "Hey, this reads like a book"... it means that I haven't managed to lose myself in the novel. I hit that point several times in this one.
Blalock, I think you did a heck of a job... and you definitely raised the tension in some places, but I just wasn't there. Sorry
Blalock has done a fairly decent job at putting you in the shoes of a scared young mother going through the first days of the zombie apocalypse. In some ways the novel seems like a how to guide in survival, which is fine, but can make for a bit of dry reading in the beginning. Once our protagonist starts her journey is when the story smooths out for me.
On a side note, I only recently stopped watching Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead. For whatever reason the shows have begun to lose my interest and I wonder if I've burned out on the genre.
Keeping that in mind, I bumped the stars up a bit to compensate for any genre bias that I might be experiencing at this time.
One of the things I love about reading is being transported into a new world. A world where I get to immerse myself and see, feel, smell everything that is going on. When I'm reading and I catch myself thinking "Hey, this reads like a book"... it means that I haven't managed to lose myself in the novel. I hit that point several times in this one.
Blalock, I think you did a heck of a job... and you definitely raised the tension in some places, but I just wasn't there. Sorry
June 20, 2019
I read and enjoyed the prequel which followed a police officer as the outbreak began so I was disappointed to see him relegated to small bit part in this book. Instead we follow Olivia and her 18 month old daughter as they flee a traffic jam when the zombies come. Liv is not the sharpest tool in the box. I can get her initially being scared to leave the car and in two minds for helping someone or fleeing, but really she needs to MOVE. She has a destination in mind, a farm outside of the city but it takes her ages to get moving towards it, spending too many days arsing about in the houses getting things ready for her next move. She should be preparing her stuff at night, ready to get going at first light and getting to the farm in a few days instead of taking forever. I was also wondering why she gave her 18 month old daughter a screwdriver to 'help' her with a DIY project she was doing.
I was driven mad by Elli. Seriously, all she does is scream and cry on every page and my patience was wearing thin with it. Go into house, Elli cries, Liv calms her, Liv leaves room, Elli wails, Liv returns cooing about being 'sorry baby', Liv does something else, Elli screams, Liv says sorry. It was driving me up the bloody tree. The kid is like a spoiled brat that has tantrums every time Liv moves two steps away from her. She screams in her car seat, she screams when being carried, she screams in every room she goes into...ARRGGHH! Liv also drives me mad doing stupid stuff. She sees a man outside being pursued by zombies and decides to help him by distracting the zombies. She creates a loud diversion which scares the man into stopping and he gets eaten. Nice one Liv and it brings the zombie to your door where Elli is screaming again. *sigh*
The story could have been a decent one if it didn't have the screaming kid freaking out on every page and Liv constantly saying 'sorry baby' every time she has to do something away from the kid. And I can't forgive Liv for not trying harder to persuade Papoose the dog to come with her or at least leaving the poor dog food and water if leaving it behind! This had potential but was way too annoying to continue.
I was driven mad by Elli. Seriously, all she does is scream and cry on every page and my patience was wearing thin with it. Go into house, Elli cries, Liv calms her, Liv leaves room, Elli wails, Liv returns cooing about being 'sorry baby', Liv does something else, Elli screams, Liv says sorry. It was driving me up the bloody tree. The kid is like a spoiled brat that has tantrums every time Liv moves two steps away from her. She screams in her car seat, she screams when being carried, she screams in every room she goes into...ARRGGHH! Liv also drives me mad doing stupid stuff. She sees a man outside being pursued by zombies and decides to help him by distracting the zombies. She creates a loud diversion which scares the man into stopping and he gets eaten. Nice one Liv and it brings the zombie to your door where Elli is screaming again. *sigh*
The story could have been a decent one if it didn't have the screaming kid freaking out on every page and Liv constantly saying 'sorry baby' every time she has to do something away from the kid. And I can't forgive Liv for not trying harder to persuade Papoose the dog to come with her or at least leaving the poor dog food and water if leaving it behind! This had potential but was way too annoying to continue.
September 13, 2016
Being trapped in a car has become one of Olivia “Liv” Bennett’s worst nightmares since the day the world came to a halt. Liv and her eighteen month old little girl, Elli was on their way back home from a visit with her husband and Elli’s daddy where he worked for lunch. They had just crossed the bridge when traffic suddenly came to a dead stop. Liv is looking around trying to see what the problem is when she sees a paramedic helping his partner walk across the street when all of a sudden the guys partner just torn into him and started biting him. Liv looked around her and all she saw was people biting people. So Liv grabbed her baby girl from her car seat and took off as fast as she could.
After she got Elli away from there and to a place where they were somewhat safe for the moment Liv tried to call her family to see if they knew what was going on and if they were safe. The only person she was able to talk to was her sister. Her sister told her about a farm, Slag Stead that they were going to and told Liv they would meet her there.
So now Liv has to get her little girl, Elli and herself to a farm that might still be safe and not over run with all these crazy sick people without getting herself or Elli bit. How was she going to do this all by herself? Liv is scared so Elli picks up on her mother being scared and so that makes Elli scared and the only way Elli can let her mother know she is scared is to cry which alerts the zombies or feral as Liv calls them and they come a running right to the sound of Elli crying.
Liv and Elli get lucky on the way to the farm they meet up with a couple more people when they get into a little trouble with the ferals and they help them out of a situation that could potentially be bad. They all become fast friends and Liv is glad to have someone else around not only to help watch the feral but she now has someone to talk to while they are trying to make their way to the farm and hopefully safety.
Will Liv and Elli make it to Slag Stead safely? Will they get eaten by the feral? Will her family make it to safety? Will the farm the still be a safe heaven? To find out all the answers grab a copy of Devour to find out.
I think I read Devour like I had feral on my butt and I was running for my life. If you love shows like The Walking Dead then you are going to absolutely love Devour I know I definitely did and can’t wait for more.
After she got Elli away from there and to a place where they were somewhat safe for the moment Liv tried to call her family to see if they knew what was going on and if they were safe. The only person she was able to talk to was her sister. Her sister told her about a farm, Slag Stead that they were going to and told Liv they would meet her there.
So now Liv has to get her little girl, Elli and herself to a farm that might still be safe and not over run with all these crazy sick people without getting herself or Elli bit. How was she going to do this all by herself? Liv is scared so Elli picks up on her mother being scared and so that makes Elli scared and the only way Elli can let her mother know she is scared is to cry which alerts the zombies or feral as Liv calls them and they come a running right to the sound of Elli crying.
Liv and Elli get lucky on the way to the farm they meet up with a couple more people when they get into a little trouble with the ferals and they help them out of a situation that could potentially be bad. They all become fast friends and Liv is glad to have someone else around not only to help watch the feral but she now has someone to talk to while they are trying to make their way to the farm and hopefully safety.
Will Liv and Elli make it to Slag Stead safely? Will they get eaten by the feral? Will her family make it to safety? Will the farm the still be a safe heaven? To find out all the answers grab a copy of Devour to find out.
I think I read Devour like I had feral on my butt and I was running for my life. If you love shows like The Walking Dead then you are going to absolutely love Devour I know I definitely did and can’t wait for more.
September 15, 2016
I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What I liked about this book
Character's Internal Journey
I really enjoyed Liv's changes in perspective while she ventures through the shredded landscape of the St. Louis suburbs. I also saw some interesting mechanics within the story. An aspect that makes Devour a great apocalyptic story is the use of an extreme scenario to exaggerate and juxtapose the mundane. Blalock uses these conditions to criticize society's more selfish values and priorities. This voice however, does not present in an overbearing fashion.
One thing that I have been dwelling on is Liv's perceptions of her liabilities and assets. Her daughter is a source of obvious disadvantages when attending college, working a job, or even evading a horde of zombies. Her husband is her rock and shelter. When Liv's challenges threaten to overwhelm her, he is always there with the right words and actions to rejuvenate her spirit. In the telling of this story, I was presented with an idea: Our burdens may be the center of our fortitude, and we often see when shelters have become snares.
Suspenseful and Immersive
Of course it was suspenseful! It wouldn't be a very good zombie book if it wasn't, right? But beyond that, this story gripped my attention in a vice with the details of these relatable and abject characters. The scenes are illustrated well. In many instances I could place myself along Liz as she move through various environments.
What I disliked about this book
Editing and Ending
These are actually minor and petty points. The issues I have with the edit is in proofreading. They were very rare. But as I was so engrossed in this read, the distraction was less forgiveable than usual.
Saying that I dislike the end may not be entirely fair, as it was solidly executed, strong, and reasonable. However, it was also frustratingly tragic. So, it's criticism will remain for screwing with my emotions.
What I liked about this book
Character's Internal Journey
I really enjoyed Liv's changes in perspective while she ventures through the shredded landscape of the St. Louis suburbs. I also saw some interesting mechanics within the story. An aspect that makes Devour a great apocalyptic story is the use of an extreme scenario to exaggerate and juxtapose the mundane. Blalock uses these conditions to criticize society's more selfish values and priorities. This voice however, does not present in an overbearing fashion.
One thing that I have been dwelling on is Liv's perceptions of her liabilities and assets. Her daughter is a source of obvious disadvantages when attending college, working a job, or even evading a horde of zombies. Her husband is her rock and shelter. When Liv's challenges threaten to overwhelm her, he is always there with the right words and actions to rejuvenate her spirit. In the telling of this story, I was presented with an idea: Our burdens may be the center of our fortitude, and we often see when shelters have become snares.
Suspenseful and Immersive
Of course it was suspenseful! It wouldn't be a very good zombie book if it wasn't, right? But beyond that, this story gripped my attention in a vice with the details of these relatable and abject characters. The scenes are illustrated well. In many instances I could place myself along Liz as she move through various environments.
What I disliked about this book
Editing and Ending
These are actually minor and petty points. The issues I have with the edit is in proofreading. They were very rare. But as I was so engrossed in this read, the distraction was less forgiveable than usual.
Saying that I dislike the end may not be entirely fair, as it was solidly executed, strong, and reasonable. However, it was also frustratingly tragic. So, it's criticism will remain for screwing with my emotions.
June 9, 2017
So much zombie action! Loved every second! Kept me on the edge of my bed lol Can't wait to read the next book!!!
September 14, 2016
An excellent zombie book! Looking forward to seeing what happens in book 2.
October 10, 2016
I was totally surprised by this book. After reading The Darkest Days, a prequel or side story to this one, I expected one of the stories main characters to be Wyatt ( and said as much in my review of that book). By no means was I disappointed though. R.L. took Olivias character, made her seem present and likable. I couldn't help but hang on to the edge of my seat as she journeyed to the farm, a place of her hope.
The realism, the world building and character development were outstanding.
Fast paced. Lots of action. It was an emotional journey.
If you're a fan of zombies, this is a must read!
The realism, the world building and character development were outstanding.
Fast paced. Lots of action. It was an emotional journey.
If you're a fan of zombies, this is a must read!
September 16, 2016
A very good, involving read.
I love finding new authors in this genre. I don't consider these "zombie" books, but books of human nature in time of crisis. This author kept me interested from page one. The main character was motivating. The writing was well done and I will definitely be reading more.
I love finding new authors in this genre. I don't consider these "zombie" books, but books of human nature in time of crisis. This author kept me interested from page one. The main character was motivating. The writing was well done and I will definitely be reading more.
October 14, 2016
Loved it
Awesome book. I championed on the survivors, and heroine of the book. Liv starts out as all do, in an apocalyptic journey, unsure of her surroundings and strength. You see her come in to herself in a grueling world. I like reading about how a woman can be her own hero. This book has it in spades.
Awesome book. I championed on the survivors, and heroine of the book. Liv starts out as all do, in an apocalyptic journey, unsure of her surroundings and strength. You see her come in to herself in a grueling world. I like reading about how a woman can be her own hero. This book has it in spades.
October 21, 2016
Liv is in her car, with her daughter. As she pulls up to a bridge the traffic stops, and the people seem to be attacking each other. Forced to flee from her car with nothing but a diaper bag and her eighteen-month-old daughter, Elli. Liv must trek forty miles on foot across the feral infested suburbs of St. Louis to a safe haven that may not even be safe.
Grab this book!
Grab this book!
January 27, 2017
More please
Like the prequel, this book leaves this reader wantIng more. To know what happens next. Love the main characters. Well done. My son will want to read this or at the very least listen. Text to speak. Recommended 15 and up. Little younger if the are used to Zombie books.
Like the prequel, this book leaves this reader wantIng more. To know what happens next. Love the main characters. Well done. My son will want to read this or at the very least listen. Text to speak. Recommended 15 and up. Little younger if the are used to Zombie books.
October 29, 2016
Really good
If you like zombie books, this is the one for you. One woman and her child battle through armies of zombies to reach a safe haven. Great characters and gory story, but very good.
If you like zombie books, this is the one for you. One woman and her child battle through armies of zombies to reach a safe haven. Great characters and gory story, but very good.
September 12, 2016
This is a fantastic book that I enjoyed reading very much. It is very well written and I loved the characters.
October 31, 2016
Awesome!!!
A woman and her 2 year old fighting to safety in the zombie apocalypse!!! It was exciting from the beginning and kept you coming back for more! I read it too fast!
A woman and her 2 year old fighting to safety in the zombie apocalypse!!! It was exciting from the beginning and kept you coming back for more! I read it too fast!
November 6, 2016
Loved this book!
This story is about a young woman alone with her baby at the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. Follow her as she seeks to get them both to safety.
This story is about a young woman alone with her baby at the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. Follow her as she seeks to get them both to safety.
May 11, 2017
Liv is in her car with her 18 month-old daughter Ellie when the world falls apart. Liv heard the disturbing news of riots on the radio and saw it on TV, but never expected it to be this bad. When the infected are closing in fast, Liv has no other choice but to flee from her car with Ellie. She has to find a safe place and she has to find it fast. Her husband went to work, but Liv has no way of getting to him since he works in the city. The city is filled with infected and Liv not only has to make sure she's safe herself, she has to protect Ellie as well. Will she be able to keep herself and her daughter alive?
In the early days Liv had a few opportunities to contact her family and her husband. They agreed on trying to get to a secluded farm, which hopefully will still be safe. Liv has to be very careful if she wants to reach that farm. The infected are doubling their number each minute. They're everywhere and Liv also needs to protect her daughter. Luckily Liv is not entirely alone and finds help along the way. Did her husband make it out of the city in time? How many of her loved ones will make it to safety?
Liv is a true heroine. The world is falling apart and she has to fight or die. Liv is a mom first and I loved how incredibly resourceful she is when it comes to protecting her daughter. She's smart and thinks things through. This made me genuinely believe in the possibility of her and Ellie staying alive. Liv is so strong and has to make some difficult decisions. I'm in awe of her as a person and I hope that if the apocalypse would ever happen I'll be just as strong as she is.
Devour is a zombie story that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Being a mom of two young children myself I instantly connected with Liv. I know that I'll probably be on the losing side if a zombie outbreak would happen. Getting to safety with one small child is a challenge, but maybe doable, however, with a baby and a three-year-old I don't stand a fighting chance. The only way I could keep everybody safe is to protect my house and keep the zombies outside. When I was reading about the challenges that Liv and Ellie had to face I could easily picture their journey and the story kept making me think about my own situation and what I would do if a zombie attack would ever happen. The fantastic ending had me close to tears. Devour is everything I wish for in a zombie story and I can't wait to start reading Divided, the next book in the Death & Decay series.
In the early days Liv had a few opportunities to contact her family and her husband. They agreed on trying to get to a secluded farm, which hopefully will still be safe. Liv has to be very careful if she wants to reach that farm. The infected are doubling their number each minute. They're everywhere and Liv also needs to protect her daughter. Luckily Liv is not entirely alone and finds help along the way. Did her husband make it out of the city in time? How many of her loved ones will make it to safety?
Liv is a true heroine. The world is falling apart and she has to fight or die. Liv is a mom first and I loved how incredibly resourceful she is when it comes to protecting her daughter. She's smart and thinks things through. This made me genuinely believe in the possibility of her and Ellie staying alive. Liv is so strong and has to make some difficult decisions. I'm in awe of her as a person and I hope that if the apocalypse would ever happen I'll be just as strong as she is.
Devour is a zombie story that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Being a mom of two young children myself I instantly connected with Liv. I know that I'll probably be on the losing side if a zombie outbreak would happen. Getting to safety with one small child is a challenge, but maybe doable, however, with a baby and a three-year-old I don't stand a fighting chance. The only way I could keep everybody safe is to protect my house and keep the zombies outside. When I was reading about the challenges that Liv and Ellie had to face I could easily picture their journey and the story kept making me think about my own situation and what I would do if a zombie attack would ever happen. The fantastic ending had me close to tears. Devour is everything I wish for in a zombie story and I can't wait to start reading Divided, the next book in the Death & Decay series.
May 13, 2018
I was given a free copy of this book as part of a zombie book club. I am leaving an honest review.
This book grabbed my attention from the very beginning. It opens five days into a zombie apocalypse, with a mother and her young daughter running from zombies toward what they hope is a safe haven. Then the book goes back to the beginning to tell the story of how they got there.
On a seemingly ordinary day, a mother and her daughter are going about their daily lives when they are suddenly trapped in their car on a bridge during the opening hours of a zombie outbreak. There have been a few news reports in the preceding days of odd behavior and random "terrorist attacks", but nobody seems to have figured out what is really going on.
They are forced to abandon their car and flee through the countryside, all the while being chased by "ferals". In sporadic contact with her family, Liv forms a plan to try to get to a farm outside of town where she can meet up with family members, if she can survive that long.
Relying on her wits and ingenuity, she makes her way across once familiar neighborhoods that are now more like war zones. She meets other survivors along the way, and they help each other through the chaos.
I really enjoyed the way Liv's character developed as the story progressed. She goes from being confused and terrified of everything, to being a strong and confident woman determined to survive and protect her daughter no matter what obstacles she has to face.
There is plenty of zombie mayhem, and the thrills and suspense are off the charts!! There is blood and gore, but also sadness, like when Liv has to face the reality of zombie children.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read book two!
This book grabbed my attention from the very beginning. It opens five days into a zombie apocalypse, with a mother and her young daughter running from zombies toward what they hope is a safe haven. Then the book goes back to the beginning to tell the story of how they got there.
On a seemingly ordinary day, a mother and her daughter are going about their daily lives when they are suddenly trapped in their car on a bridge during the opening hours of a zombie outbreak. There have been a few news reports in the preceding days of odd behavior and random "terrorist attacks", but nobody seems to have figured out what is really going on.
They are forced to abandon their car and flee through the countryside, all the while being chased by "ferals". In sporadic contact with her family, Liv forms a plan to try to get to a farm outside of town where she can meet up with family members, if she can survive that long.
Relying on her wits and ingenuity, she makes her way across once familiar neighborhoods that are now more like war zones. She meets other survivors along the way, and they help each other through the chaos.
I really enjoyed the way Liv's character developed as the story progressed. She goes from being confused and terrified of everything, to being a strong and confident woman determined to survive and protect her daughter no matter what obstacles she has to face.
There is plenty of zombie mayhem, and the thrills and suspense are off the charts!! There is blood and gore, but also sadness, like when Liv has to face the reality of zombie children.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read book two!
August 25, 2017
“Devour” by R. L. Blalock is the second of the “Death & Decay” Series, a book you’ll love having in your hands. The “zombie” genre is highly crowded and in consequence, very difficult to find a good book.
This plot tells us about a pure survivor, Liv, who runs through a terrible battle so save her baby’s life. Races, fights, lots of blood with the objective of getting to a “safe” farm. The story starts with a very quick scene which turns into a flashback to locate the reader at the origin of the thread and goes on from that point.
Blalock doesn’t only develop a thriller. She dives in the hate and passion of a mother to protect her daughter. That’s exactly what makes the reader go through sadness and fierceness as you dive in every chapter because many of us can relate to that, or even have thought what would we do in that situation with our own children.
Characters are changing and evolve along the book. Their personality is deep and we can follow their struggles and thoughts, making us trust some of them, creating twirls along the book.
What I personally loved, in special, about the author, is the way she doesn’t drown us into endless descriptions but perfectly transports us to the scenarios and every single corpse. Scenes are fast, sharp and full of action. The book is well edited and I love, love the art cover of the three books.
I recommend this book to, of course, all zombie-genre lovers but also to those readers who look for an intense and touchy story to break their thoughts and release their minds. Congratulations to the author.
This plot tells us about a pure survivor, Liv, who runs through a terrible battle so save her baby’s life. Races, fights, lots of blood with the objective of getting to a “safe” farm. The story starts with a very quick scene which turns into a flashback to locate the reader at the origin of the thread and goes on from that point.
Blalock doesn’t only develop a thriller. She dives in the hate and passion of a mother to protect her daughter. That’s exactly what makes the reader go through sadness and fierceness as you dive in every chapter because many of us can relate to that, or even have thought what would we do in that situation with our own children.
Characters are changing and evolve along the book. Their personality is deep and we can follow their struggles and thoughts, making us trust some of them, creating twirls along the book.
What I personally loved, in special, about the author, is the way she doesn’t drown us into endless descriptions but perfectly transports us to the scenarios and every single corpse. Scenes are fast, sharp and full of action. The book is well edited and I love, love the art cover of the three books.
I recommend this book to, of course, all zombie-genre lovers but also to those readers who look for an intense and touchy story to break their thoughts and release their minds. Congratulations to the author.
September 15, 2017
Devour is one of the books that sparks imagination and reality on the fabulous topic, Zombies. As a teenager I used to be obsessed with zombies and wanted to use the word anywhere and on anyone but I never got the opportunity. Now my curiosity is fulfilled. As the main character Liv drives towards the highway with her baby Elli, panic breaks out as zombies begin to emerge and infect the public. Liv and Elli’s struggle to find Collin, Liv’s sweet love and Elli’s dad, lead them to seek shelter in already attacked houses. Liv never gave up and met so many brave heros who named the zombies, ferrals. Most of the cities were now infected with zombies and Liv knew that the human world would never be the same again. She attacked the zombies with any metal or wood she got and hit them on their heads with it. Finally she crosses the highway and arrives at Slag Stead, a farm where every family member planned to meet. What made me cry out in love for the book, when Collin too becomes a feral and Liv had to hit him too and she took him in her arms and cried severely, thinking he was only few moments from being safe. If you are not afraid of zombie bites and the sudden shrieking and slashing of limbs, then this is the book to pick up and read. Because I loved it and more so gained so much on what a zombie is truly about. Many congratulations to R L Blalock for proving that she is a truly talented writer of the famous Zombies!
May 27, 2020
Full review: https://girlswithguns.org/devour-r-l-...
In the cyclical nature of horror, I can’t help wondering if we have passed Peak Zombie, as it were. The Walking Dead has now completed its eighth season, and seems increasingly to be struggling to keep things fresh. This goes back to the roots of the sub-genre: rather than man vs. man (or woman), against a zombie backdrop, the story here is almost entirely woman vs. zombie. Or, rather, zombieS, for the pack nature of the infected here is part of what makes them devastatingly lethal. They’re also fast, rather than the classic, slow-moving shufflers of the George A. Romero universe: zombie purists may be less than happy with that choice.
However, this approach does lead to a relatively repetitious approach to the story here: Sneak, slay, hide, rinse, repeat. There’s really only so many times you can describe Liv’s chosen weapon of a mallet, whacking a “feral” upside the head. While occasionally, Liv and Elli do cross paths with other survivors, I rarely felt that the subsequent interactions provided much in the way of additional depth: these additional characters felt dropped in merely to serve the plot. I did like Liv, and appreciated her relentless survival instincts – though for someone supposedly training to be a nurse, she seemed curiously squeamish, especially during the early stages [admittedly, she gets over it, and by the end is wielding that mallet with something bordering on enthusiasm].
In the cyclical nature of horror, I can’t help wondering if we have passed Peak Zombie, as it were. The Walking Dead has now completed its eighth season, and seems increasingly to be struggling to keep things fresh. This goes back to the roots of the sub-genre: rather than man vs. man (or woman), against a zombie backdrop, the story here is almost entirely woman vs. zombie. Or, rather, zombieS, for the pack nature of the infected here is part of what makes them devastatingly lethal. They’re also fast, rather than the classic, slow-moving shufflers of the George A. Romero universe: zombie purists may be less than happy with that choice.
However, this approach does lead to a relatively repetitious approach to the story here: Sneak, slay, hide, rinse, repeat. There’s really only so many times you can describe Liv’s chosen weapon of a mallet, whacking a “feral” upside the head. While occasionally, Liv and Elli do cross paths with other survivors, I rarely felt that the subsequent interactions provided much in the way of additional depth: these additional characters felt dropped in merely to serve the plot. I did like Liv, and appreciated her relentless survival instincts – though for someone supposedly training to be a nurse, she seemed curiously squeamish, especially during the early stages [admittedly, she gets over it, and by the end is wielding that mallet with something bordering on enthusiasm].
August 9, 2017
R.L. Blalock’s Devour (Death & Decay) (Volume 1) is the third zombie/survivalist book I’ve read this week. Zombie stories tend to hit two of my soft spots: bio-thrillers and gritty horror. One of the fun aspects of reading three in a row is that I get to do the compare-and-contrast thing. For instance, the two earlier this week ended up being a two-star and a three-star, while this is a four-star. One of the biggest differences is the characters. I got tense when the characters were threatened. I didn’t want them to die and empathized with the situations they were in. For some of the less likable characters I could still empathize with their viewpoints. That’s pretty impressive considering some people tend to get stripped down to their worst in bad situations. This was more of a story of people vs. zombies rather than people vs. people. Also while there were definitely survivalist elements, the main character wasn’t a survivalist, hadn’t trained for the end of the world, and was going on gut instinct. As much as I like following survivalist plots, I’ll take characters I can empathize with over that any day.
First posted on my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2017/08/r...
First posted on my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2017/08/r...
June 7, 2017
I purchased this series after reading The Darkest Days, the short story that accompanies the Death & Decay series. While I was a bit disappointed that I didn't witness Officer Wyatt Ward from the short story connect with Liv and Elli, I very much enjoyed bearing witness to Liv's strength and determination to save herself and her 18-month-old daughter.
This first novel of the series is action-packed from beginning to end with relatable characters, especially Liv. She's a mother and wife doing her best to stay alive when the zombie apocalypse collides with her ho-hum world. As a nurse-in-training, she has enough knowledge to know what to expect and what to do in certain situations, and it feels natural.
Though the book needs another pass by an editor or proofreader, it's a solid start to the series, with plenty of twists. Reading things like "houses address" instead of "house's address," "their face ranged," "more cumbersome that helpful," and "no idea what is going I on," were distracting; however, I was caught up in Liv's story, and couldn't not finish the novel.
I know there are a lot of zombie novels floating out there, but I do recommend this one to any fans of the genre. It's action-packed, fast-paced, and entertaining.
This first novel of the series is action-packed from beginning to end with relatable characters, especially Liv. She's a mother and wife doing her best to stay alive when the zombie apocalypse collides with her ho-hum world. As a nurse-in-training, she has enough knowledge to know what to expect and what to do in certain situations, and it feels natural.
Though the book needs another pass by an editor or proofreader, it's a solid start to the series, with plenty of twists. Reading things like "houses address" instead of "house's address," "their face ranged," "more cumbersome that helpful," and "no idea what is going I on," were distracting; however, I was caught up in Liv's story, and couldn't not finish the novel.
I know there are a lot of zombie novels floating out there, but I do recommend this one to any fans of the genre. It's action-packed, fast-paced, and entertaining.
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May 10, 2018Holy Moley !!!!
Ok.... this book is absolutely amazing!!! I read a lot of zombie books and this is now one of my favorite series! It is so full of action and suspense that you CANNOT put it down!! I love that Liv kept Elli alive and and the crazy protection Liv takes to make sure she isn’t in harms way. If you can, read Darkest Days first and it kind of gives you a sense of what’s going on but it doesn’t have to be read first. The ending is definitely a cliffhanger but luckily you can jump right to book two. This is a definite must read!!!! I really do hope the series is continued past book two. Thank you for writing such an amazing book RL Blalock and I’m definitely look forward to the second book on the series!!
Ok.... this book is absolutely amazing!!! I read a lot of zombie books and this is now one of my favorite series! It is so full of action and suspense that you CANNOT put it down!! I love that Liv kept Elli alive and and the crazy protection Liv takes to make sure she isn’t in harms way. If you can, read Darkest Days first and it kind of gives you a sense of what’s going on but it doesn’t have to be read first. The ending is definitely a cliffhanger but luckily you can jump right to book two. This is a definite must read!!!! I really do hope the series is continued past book two. Thank you for writing such an amazing book RL Blalock and I’m definitely look forward to the second book on the series!!
May 10, 2018
This book was my first of this author but won't be the last. The story about a mom surviving the zombie apocalypse with a 18-month old toddler on her back was very gripping and intense. The writing was detailed, the tension never really left as it was action packed but still the description of the situations and actions meticulous and realistic. The characters are very real with a lot of depth.
The opening chapter of Day 5 was clever as I first thought all is given away but there are things happening inbetween and you wonder what happens. I only wonder how this little girl was quiet for most of the time and how much her mum could carry all the whole time.
The opening chapter of Day 5 was clever as I first thought all is given away but there are things happening inbetween and you wonder what happens. I only wonder how this little girl was quiet for most of the time and how much her mum could carry all the whole time.
November 16, 2017
Great book
This book has it all! Zombies,action, one woman with her baby trys to make it somewhere safe on her own. Liv goes through alot of turmoil with the zombie apocalypse breathing down her neck all she wants is to get herself and her baby girl to a safe place.and hopes her husband colin is alive and well and she hopes to met up with him.this book has everything you find yourself rooting for liv and her baby elli.will they make it to a safe place? If your into zombie books this one is awesome!!!
This book has it all! Zombies,action, one woman with her baby trys to make it somewhere safe on her own. Liv goes through alot of turmoil with the zombie apocalypse breathing down her neck all she wants is to get herself and her baby girl to a safe place.and hopes her husband colin is alive and well and she hopes to met up with him.this book has everything you find yourself rooting for liv and her baby elli.will they make it to a safe place? If your into zombie books this one is awesome!!!
September 18, 2021
Breathtaking Read
Everything about this book is gripping. You’ll find yourself tensing up along with Liv and company as you read, anxious to hear what lies around the next corner. The gory descriptions are almost stomach turning in their vividness and the fleeting, hard won moments of respite are so well written, the relief for the characters ends up feeling like your own. Can’t wait to jump into the next book in the series, Divided!
Everything about this book is gripping. You’ll find yourself tensing up along with Liv and company as you read, anxious to hear what lies around the next corner. The gory descriptions are almost stomach turning in their vividness and the fleeting, hard won moments of respite are so well written, the relief for the characters ends up feeling like your own. Can’t wait to jump into the next book in the series, Divided!
September 16, 2017
I don't usually read Zombie books (although I love The Walking Dead television series), but Devour's description and cover captured my attention. I'm glad I bought the book. A solid plot with believable characters complemented the fast-pace the story kept. I look forward to the next book in the series.
May 24, 2020
Fantastic read
This is the second book in the series. It’s much longer than the first so the characters really develop.
The story is non-stop action. Some fantastic ideas - never thought about the armour.
The book ends on a cliff hanger. What does the last sentence mean?
I cannot wait to read the next book.
This is the second book in the series. It’s much longer than the first so the characters really develop.
The story is non-stop action. Some fantastic ideas - never thought about the armour.
The book ends on a cliff hanger. What does the last sentence mean?
I cannot wait to read the next book.
September 12, 2017
Read It in One Sitting
Well developed characters and an interesting storyline kept my interest peaked. I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read the other books in the series.
Well developed characters and an interesting storyline kept my interest peaked. I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read the other books in the series.
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