The End

(Abnormal/Variant, #1) #1

by M. Rose Flores

On Cate Mortensen’s seventeenth birthday, her family is scattered in a fight for survival, and she and her sister Melody are catapulted headfirst into a world where their phones are just hunks of plastic, they must scavenge for every bite, and they sleep with weapons in their hands. Traveling alone, and then not so alone, they follow the route their family planned to Alcatraz Island where the hope of safety and a real life awaits.

After more than a year on the road, Cate has found three things to be true. One: Zombies are a thing now. Two: Not all zombies are just zombies. Three (the game changer): Cate is immune to the infection.

Genres: Zombies, LGBT, Horror, Young Adult

236 pages, ebook

Published April 16, 2018

About the author

M. Rose Flores has enjoyed writing since she learned how to string letters together. She grew up in the vast green Pacific Northwest of the United States, which with its dense forests, four seasons, and proximity to the ocean made a perfect setting for The End. When she isn’t writing on her computer or in a notebook (though scraps of paper and the palm of her hand will do in a pinch), she works as a professional dog trainer and loves every part of it, even the copious amounts of drool. She believes everyone should be represented in literature and all other media. The End is her first novel.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*thank you to Netgalley and NineStar Press, LLC for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

This book has restored my faith in decent Zombie books and has reminded me why I enjoy them so much. This YA story was amazing! I enjoyed every bit of it. It is left open to a sequel which I'm really very excited about and while I dont know if there will be a sequel, I'm definitely crossing my fingers for it. This story is told in 2 different time frames. One of 'Then' and the other being 'Now'. It worked really well and I liked how they wove together. It's hard to believe that this was the authors first novel! First novels are not usually this good. I really liked the main character, Cate and her sister Melody. Plus Cate's relationship with Marco. I would have liked to have had more about Samantha and Cate's relationship. Overall, this book is a definite must if you are in the mood for a good YA Horror or Zombie story. M. Rose Flores is definitely an author to watch out for.

[Tonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cate was happy with her life, the only thing upsetting her was the fact that the school dance had been canceled. Something about people getting sick or something, but her dress matched her girlfriend's hair, that's what really mattered. But then the riots started, and the power went off, and the trick-or-treaters began to crave more than just candy. As the world turned to chaos, her adopted cousin was the only one who seemed to know what was going on.
When their sweet old neighbor came over complaining that a neighborhood kid had taken a bite out of her, no one expected her to just die. And they REALLY didn't expect the fact that she didn't stay that way.
Cate's life is thrown into the apocalypse, a new world populated by the living dead, and the living that wanted her dead, or worse. Armed with only an axe, can she make it to safety with her sister before they all wind up as zombie chow?

This is a well thought out book that depends on intelligence and logic to survive. If you aren't smart enough to avoid conflict, then you'd better be ready to fight. The End is well written and leaves you on the edge of your seat wondering who's gonna make it through, and how.

[Scott Berk · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her first published work, M. Rose Flores shows incredible potential! Her writing style, prose and cadence are those of seasoned best-selling authors. I am impatiently awaiting her next addition to this thrilling and compelling series. Nine Star Press found a gem when they chose this author.
A must read for any YA, LGBT Thriller fan!

[Mutated Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads Synopsis:
On Cate Mortensen’s seventeenth birthday, her family is scattered in a fight for survival, and she and her sister Melody are catapulted headfirst into a world where their phones are just hunks of plastic, they must scavenge for every bite, and they sleep with weapons in their hands. Traveling alone, and then not so alone, they follow the route their family planned to Alcatraz Island where the hope of safety and a real life awaits.

After more than a year on the road, Cate has found three things to be true. One: Zombies are a thing now. Two: Not all zombies are just zombies. Three (the game changer): Cate is immune to the infection.

My Review:
In all honesty, this was another end of the world zombie story. They're everywhere, due to a virus outbreak, and the main characters are constantly and easily fighting them off. The book comes from the point of view of a late teenage girl named Cate who has a lot of memories to share.

The book starts off with an entire hoard of zombies closing in on the main characters, Mel and Cate. They say, how did we not see this coming, and then kill them and continue on their way with their truck and their dog. The chapters switch between then, and now, in Cate's mind. There's a lot of pop culture references, and backstory for the characters. I felt like this book really told me about things instead of showing me them. Although I knew a lot about the characters, I didn't really feel like I got to know them. It also brought up random topics like self harm out of the blue, and the characters did insane tricks with their weapons for seemingly no reason other than to be flashy. It really reminded me of a certain popular tv show that I'm not into, also about zombies.

I wanted to give it three stars, but brought it up to four because I did like how easy it was to read, even if it wasn't the most unique. I really thought that there was going to be more of a mystery to this book, but it's really just some characters thrown into an apocalypse setting and seeing how they survive. I liked the cover. Check it out and see what you think.

Here's a link to the book on Amazon, and another link to the author's twitter.

https://www.amazon.ca/End-M-Rose-Flor...

https://twitter.com/writemod

Thanks for reading! Check out this review and more at my blog.
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ARC were provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The End is a post-apocalypse book set in a world were zombies started to walk the streets - just as unexpected as ever. The story follows the past and presente of this character named Cate and her journey to Alcatraz - where, she hopes, there will be hope to build a safe house to fight this terrible nightmare that the world became.

The characters were really cool. A little cliché, I have to say; their personalities weren't the most developed or creative for this kind of worldbuilding, but enjoyable. I liked following their survivor journey - specially Cate. There's nothing better then understanding a main character and sympathize with her struggles; she was a real girl, with real fears and dreams and humor. It was a easy story to follow because I felt connected with the narrator. I wish I had seen the characters go into some deep feelings, tho. Considerating the situation, you could use some shadows and desperation to build more complex personalities.

The whole Now/Then scenario created a great dinamic and the development was interesting. I felt curious to understand what happened in the past so the characters would be here in this moment, doing whatever they were doing. The tension was well built.

"That’s one universally reliable factoid from zombie lore: head shot equals kill. The rest of it is a mixed bag of facts and fabrications."

The action scenes were a little to... easy, let's call it that. Almost like the zombies weren't a real threat; I expected more realism in this area, more like the gang from Fear The Walking Dead struggling in the beginning of the apocalypse. Ok, here they knew they were fighting zombies, but still... Too easy.

That said, even with the "easy" part, the descriptions were good, it was nice to read. Nothing too much, just the right amount of kicks and punchs and knives in the head. (I really hoped for a zombie bear scene, but it remained in Z Nation...).

I recomend this book for those who, like me, love and want a new fresh story about another zombie apocalipse. I just can't have enough of those. I thought the author set a interesting atmosphere and the right amount of desperation and hope to create a nice story to follow.

[Polly Krize · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With a unique writing style, M. Rose Flores gives a YA zombie book unlike many others in this genre. Sisters Cate and Melody must journey through their dystopian world in order to reach a safe zone arranged previously with their absent parents. To get to Alcatraz Island, the sisters battle each and every step, against zombies and other hazards. Well-written.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

"That’s one universally reliable factoid from zombie lore: head shot equals kill."

I enjoyed this zombie offering a lot. For one thing, it takes place in areas I'm familiar with. The story starts in Spokane, Washington and winds south, ending up in San Francisco. I live in southern Oregon and one minor snafu - I can't figure out why the journey went south to the Medford, Oregon area and then backtracked to Grants Pass, Oregon to get to the coast. Oh well, it won't matter to people that aren't familiar with the area.

Cate and her sister, Melody, survive the initial pandemic and onslaught of zombies. With the help of their foster cousin Marco they get headed towards Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay.

The tale spreads over many months as they travel by vehicle, by bicycle, and on foot, meeting many people, some good and some bad.

The story was well written. The characters were believable. The survival skills used made sense. This was a fun story.

I received this book from NineStar Press through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

[Candace · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book because my wife likes zombie stories and this purported to be one with a lesbian heroine. Not really. The main character _had_ a girlfriend, before the book began, but we never see her. She seems to have a crush on a guy, and her preferred zombie-fighting outfit is a cute dress. So I guess she’s bisexual? Anyway, the story cranks along until a certain point, whereupon the plotting becomes flimsier, there’s a long, pointless memory-dream scene that probably should have stayed on the cutting room floor, and the ending feels extremely rushed and fairly pointless. My overall opinion? Meh.

[Ceh131973 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The End is a well paced zombie book. The main characters of Cate and Melody are fairly developed and fit well with the plot. I would like to find out what happens to the characters so I really would like to see a sequel.. I think the characters, especially Cate, can be developed more in future books.

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The End started off as a standard zombie-apocalypse tale, but featuring YA characters of Cate and her sister Mel. Everything is pretty much by the book of zombie lore from how the outbreak begins, the slow progression, and then the eventual (though quick!) mass consumption and ultimately humans just trying to survive the hordes of undead. Everything was fairly standard fare that has been done a hundred times before. However, at one point the author does shake things up and introduces an "evolved" zombie. This ratchets up the tension and horror exponentially and just when I thought the story was going to transition from rote zombie tale to something new tackling an evolving virus--that aspect of the story was merely glossed over and allowed to simmer in the background. That ended up being the only thing I cared about while reading the last half and never came to fruition. By the last handful of chapters, I felt the characters themselves became hum drum and boring, new characters were quickly introduced without not much more than a job description and a name (classic zombie-food setup), and with a rushed final chapter that just sort of ends it's clear the author is intending for a series. Maybe more of the actual story and disease progression would come out in later books, but there wasn't enough here for me to have much interest in continuing on. Also, this was grossly miscategorized as an LGBT title. The main character is supposedly a lesbian, or at least had a girlfriend, but we never see this girlfriend and she spends more time mooning over the male characters than any female. That was a bit of a head scratcher.

ARC provided by NetGalley

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story switches from present to past and is done extremely smoothly. Generally, when books do this, I have issues keeping track of what is happening and where. Wasn't the case with this story. The characters were built up really way because of this, you got to see what made them into the people they had become.

The story has great action scenes, women, and men both kicking zombie butt. But it also touches on some real-life things like depression, self-harming and just struggling to get up in the morning to survive. Before the zombie stuff hit the fan you could tell Cate had some issues beforehand, she has just learned and is learning to deal with it. Which is what makes her relationship with Marco so real, he gets her, he understands her pain.

That ending, god the emotions not going to lie, I started tearing up.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end by M Rose Flores.
On Cate Mortensen’s seventeenth birthday, her family is scattered in a fight for survival, and she and her sister Melody are catapulted headfirst into a world where their phones are just hunks of plastic, they must scavenge for every bite, and they sleep with weapons in their hands. Traveling alone, and then not so alone, they follow the route their family planned to Alcatraz Island where the hope of safety and a real life awaits. After more than a year on the road, Cate has found three things to be true. One: Zombies are a thing now. Two: Not all zombies are just zombies. Three (the game changer): Cate is immune to the infection.
A slow start but after a few chapters it starts to get good. I liked Mel Catherine and Calvin. I didn't like Marco. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.  5*.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went on a NSP binge after a sale, been a while for me to catch up on these zombie books. It's ironic that the End is the first book and the most recent book in this series is called The Beginning. But anyway, it has a serviceable plot with likeable characters. Nothing new here, but it's not going to make you role your eyes at how derivative/ripoff it is from series like The WalkingDead or World War Z.

If you like zombie books give it a shot. Also diverse characters and relationships.

[Peter Herold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed, horrid zombies, great human characters incl. main character who‘s coming to terms with being bisexual, sequel would be good ;)

[AnExuberantRaccoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The End” is a book with a strong voice and a focused plot. If you’re itching for a zombie thriller, the biggest strength of this novel is that it’s everything you expect it to be. Unfortunately, its biggest weakness is that it’s everything you expect it to be.

My first few moments with The End had me jumping back to the book’s listing to check for a Young Adult tag. The End is not shelved as a young adult novel, and I honestly believe that was an error on the press’s part. The age of the characters notwithstanding, the narrative is highly colloquial and felt geared toward a younger reader. Or, at the very least, for someone looking to read YA.

The book is told on two timelines: “THEN” and “NOW”. This works well for the piece, and helps give the reader momentum. It was a saving grace at times, as the catch 22 for this novel becomes apparent very early: this book will give you the zombie story you think you want, but it will almost never surprise you.

We’ve seen zombie stories plenty: The Walking Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, Day of the Living Dead... you get the picture. We know the rhythm and tropes by now. This novel follows them almost to a T, which made some of it fall just this side of boring. I could guess how things would play out, what would be introduced next, etc. Unfortunately, the hook the author promises in the synopsis—zombies who aren’t “just zombies”, and an immune MC—makes almost no impact on the narrative. Yeah, fighting the abnormal zombies is a bit rough, but they don’t do anything truly jarring or horrifying, and you never find out the how or the why behind them. For the most part, there’s not even speculation. Cate and her comrades handle them the way they handle all the rest, and they move on. I wanted something creepier, or something with more narrative weight, and all I got were some zombies that could run.

On the other foot, I’m a picky jerk about a lot of things, but I’m even more of a picky jerk when it comes to written action. M. Rose Flores is good at action, describing things clearly and succinctly with just enough gross “oomf” when necessary. In general all her descriptions and prose were wonderful. She had a tendency to over-explain things to the reader—obvious things that we could glean from context or would inherently understand—but the cadence and feel of her words was good. If she plays it less safe with her next project, she could hit one out of the park. She just needs to do the weird thing, give us the plot twist we weren’t expecting, and give the middle finger to some of the standard genre tropes.

I think if you’re looking for a YA zombie narrative, The End is for you. If you want something that’s gonna knock your pants off with new ideas, it’s not for you. If you just want to chill alongside some dudes while they cleave into zombie heads, dig in! Despite my very par feelings about this particular novel, I look forward to what else Flores will bring to the world.

[Emma Jun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot for plot, zombie stories are pretty much the same and that’s where the zombie sub-genre has an epidemic of its own. We have to get through how the apocalypse happened, the initial chaos, what kind of zombies we have, the governments reaction, the hero’s zombie plan and how it falls apart before we get to anything original or unique. So it’s really easy to spot the gems in this genre because I’m not gonna tolerate plodding through these plot points again and again for a bunch of tiresome characters.

Luckily ‘The End’ makes several little molehills out of mountains by jumping back and forth in time so we can see the outbreak happen and enjoy the characters adjusting to the new world that follows. Plus, the characters intrigue from the get go. Cate is a girl who realistically feels like someone we could be and still turns out to be a bit of a badass. Marco is the weird zombie expert who blossoms into a handsome love interest, while not being textbook YA hero. The side characters all paint a deep picture. Bonus points as well for LGBT representation without my personal peeve of making it forefront in the story for no reason. So the plot races by and as the characters increase in number the third act goes by just as you are getting familiar with them. A good thing a sequel is on the way then!

There’s a few minor points that beg to be overlooked, but this has what zombie fans love while avoiding boring those not so hardcore into the genre. So those points aside when I look back I can’t help but say I enjoyed the read.