Winter Plague

The Plague #1

by Isla Jones

Named one of 2018's TOP TEN ZOMBIE READS.


Winter's Plague is the found memoir of an ordinary survivor in a cruel world.
With Cleo, her beloved dog, Winter fights through the destroyed remains of the States, desperate to reach D.C. where she hopes to find her sister. Only, when she meets the first band of survivors she’s seen in months, Winter's long isolation is tested, and her independence rattled.
Leo, a mysterious soldier who saved her life, surrounds her with lies and one secret that gnaws on her core...a secret that hides in the restricted RV. And when Castle arrives—the most intimidating man Winter has ever met—she realises that their intentions are much darker than she’d ever imagined…

Genres: Zombies, Horror, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic

229 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 13, 2018

Reviews

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (2/6/2020)! 🎁

[Karla]

Interesting take on the whole apocalypse with infected/rotters (but not zombies because it was a new strand of rabies that made them turn into infected).

What threw me off was the fact that the Winter lived in the US but wrote in her diary entries/the book was written as if she were from England or Australia. Stuff life tyres instead of tires, petrol instead of gas, etc. I got used to it because the story was interesting.

[M. Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost did not pick up this book based on the heroine described as the worst coward and this is a great exaggeration, she is simply a survivor that tries her best and thinking of being in the middle of a group of people for protection is not the same as actively trowing people to the lions in order to escape, in fact she does help others a few times and takes good care of her doggie.
I really liked Winter and the story so far.

[Allie Rashkow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. No more to say. Okay more to say but don't want to spoil anything!

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was happy to see that this was a stand-alone book when I started it, but now? I need more.

This is a very good zombie book. Winter has survived five months with only her dog, Cleo, for companionship. She comes across a group of survivors headed to Washington D.C., which is also her destination because her sister lives there, so she joins them.

The soldiers leading the group are trying to complete a mission to move "cargo" to D.C. We don't know what this cargo is or why it is so important? They are offering protection to survivors, but, ultimately, the cargo is the most important thing to them.

Of course, there are other humans that want what they have and the book ends with the aftermath of a violent confrontation, and that is where I stopped and said, "What? It's over?" There isn't another book. I need another book. I want to know what the cargo is. I want to know about Winter's sister. I want to know if there is an explanation for the zombie apocalypse.

So, please, write a sequel. We need a sequel.

I definitely recommend this book, unless you can't stand open questions that might never be answered.

Sequel, please.

[John Karlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

You will love/hate this one!

Good story, Jared it to end. Gotta read sequel, gotta know what happens next! Recommend this book without any qualms.

[OldBird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winter Miles is on what was supposed to be a simple road-trip to Washington to meet up with her sister. Unfortunately for her, no sooner had she started driving, the zombie apocalypse happened. Now she's got to stay alive without contracting the disease that turns people into mindless "rotters" while protecting her precious dog Cleo. After being saved by the enigmatic soldier Leo, she joins with his group of survivors. They too are on a mission to D.C., but as to their goal... The civilians are unaware and the soldiers aren't sharing. Winter suspects something more than humanitarian aid, but when the world's ending around you the main thing is to survive another day by whatever means necessary.

I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this one. Zombie apocalypse survival horror and an "unlikable" protagonist doesn't sound like it should work. It's not perfect, but dang. It really does suck you in to her bleak and miserable existence.

As a heroine, Winter's one tough cookie. She's an everyday sort of person with a hard-bitten edge that you suspect comes from long before the end-of-the-world. Think the unlikable but you root for her anyway style of Katniss Everdeen, only less teenage flip-flopping hormones and melodrama. Her narration is a bit verbose to work as a realistic a diary format (and a bit more musing middle Englander than average American in language/tone), but it tells a compellingly personal story. She's emotionally numb and detached from reality which should by all rights be alienating in a character yet somehow it still works. I don't know how, but that simmering will they/won't they between Winter and Leo comes across right from the start despite her lack of emotional language and their stand-offish characters. It doesn't descend into smushfest either; everything seems like it's a raw emotional need from the two that neither wants to address. Given the similarities with her meeting Castle and yet giving off none of that tension... that takes serious skill to write! The only oddity I found would be that despite Cleo being her everything, while her actions showed it she still used that same cool tone describing her dog as she did other humans. It's a story of very few characters of note, but again it conveys Winter' self-centred nature.

There could have been more emotional punch with some emotive language around certain things (plus that American/English tone issue), but still the ending is a cliffhanger of heartbreaking proportions. It's closure yes, but what about all those unanswered questions? A sequel (or should that be bleak-quel?) should offer some more insights into the grim and gritty world of Winter Plague.

-I received a free copy of this ebook from the author which in no way obliged me to enjoy it as much as I did or review it as I just have-

[Adri266 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tato jednohubka bola celkom mila knizocka :) Ak mate radi zombie.
Hlavna hrdinka, Winter, je na ceste za svojou sestrou Summer, ked prepukne nakaza.
Ma obrovske stastie, kedze sa 5 mesiacov dokaze sama so svojou civavou pretlkat a stale putuje za sestrou a dufa, ze je nazive.
Jedneho dna narazi na skupinu prezivsich, ktorych chrania vojaci. Ale nie su to vojaci a chrania nieco dolezitejsie. Co to je, sa Winter nedozvie, ale dozvie sa to, ze to je dolezitejsie ako zivoty tych ludi.
Jeden z vojakov, ten, co tam veli, jej padne do oka, no on jej neveri, nevie, ci nie je z inej skupiny a nechysta podraz.

Pisane to bolo formou dennika, mne sa to celkom pacilo, dej postupoval rychle, som zvedava, ako sa to bude dalej vyvijat.

[Zombie_Phreak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty Good

I admit this story kinda lagged at times and it left me with lot more questions than answers. Like, what was in the RV? What happened to Cleo? Was Summer still alive in DC? What happened to Rose?

The main character of Winter was annoying at times but I like how she found her in strength when she needed to.

But… the ending was really sad for me. I didn’t see it coming and I really wished the character could have gone on. But, all in all, it’s a good story that kept me interested.

Check it out!

[Scarolet Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winter Plague by Isla Jones is a wonderful story to read. This is book number two in this wonderful series tht I fell in love with. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about dark romance, general Sci-Fi.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Michelle Shemon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winter Plague
The Plague Book 2
Isla Jones

This was a great story. I loved the concept of survivors trying to get by. Winter is a wonderful heroine with her dog Cleo. You feel for her and her dog. You are always rooting for them. Sometimes screaming at them to wise up. You just need to turn the pages to keep going. Explosive ending. I can't wait to read the next book.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting story and is well written. The characters are well described, and the main female goes through a lot. After finishing the book, I do have a need to read the next book so I can see what happens to everyone and where the author takes the plot. I found this to be an enjoyable read. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Really good plot to the story. Very well written. Would highly recommend it to anyone who likes this kind of stories. Can't wait to read more from this author. Fast paced to the end.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Arienne M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read series

Excellent writing, well-written storyline and characters. One of the few stories I hated to see end. Lots of action with unexpected twists. Do not miss reading this series. You won't be sorry. I hope there is a book 4 in the future

[katou102 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I DNF at 13% I don’t really like the style of writing and I feel like the characters are confusing and not in a good way

Also I’m not gonna lie I’m not really into the zombie thing I feel like ire over dramatic

[XKx · Rating 5 out of 5]

a gem of a read.

[Ttw · Rating 1 out of 5]

.....

There was absolutely nothing to like about Winter. She was nosy, extremely annoying and brought nothing to the table at all.

[Lionelson N.Y. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a compelling read and the setting was quite intriguing to me! I hope to see more of Isla's work soon

[Russell Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I really enjoyed this book. I can hostels say the main character "Winter" is unlike any other I've read about. Look forward t next book

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

New to me and the cover art is awesome. The author is new to me. The characters are awesome. I couldn't put it down.

[Diego · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Who wore contact lenses in the apocalypse?"

[Isla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible read

First book I've read from this author and I'm very impressed. I'm shocked there aren't more reviews with how well written this is.