Mata Oti: Eyes of Death

by Lani Wendt Young

The virus has breached the island's borders. Paradise has fallen. The apocalypse is here. From reclusive librarian to warrior guardian...

Iva must safeguard her two god-daughters as Samoa battles a mutant variant of the deadly virus that's raging across the world. It transforms people into savage creatures beyond all hope. She's afraid, but determined to get the children through hordes of the infected to an emergency evacuation plane. It's a race against time though as the variant rampages through her own veins. Can she fight off the Change for long enough so they all survive?

A thrilling apocalyptic novel from the author of the bestselling Telesā Series.

Genres: Horror

295 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 30, 2021

About the author

Lani Young is an international bestselling author of YA fantasy, contemporary romance and literary fiction. The 2018 Pacific Laureate, her work is inspired by the diverse mythology of Oceania and the richness of her cultural heritage as a Samoan and Maori woman.

When she's not writing (or reading), she's baking cookies, talking to dogs, and trying to do triathlons.
She lives in Samoa and New Zealand with her Ironman husband and four children.

Reviews

[Ali Morton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel explores the possibilities of what a zombie apocalypse in the middle of the Pacific would look like. As Iva tries to protect her two young nieces from a virus that seems to be causing its victims to have a hunger for human flesh, she must find a new fire in herself as she shields them from the infected.
I liked this novel a lot. It was my first apocalyptic novel, and I think there are some pieces of the genre that I don't particularly care for. I don't usually enjoy reading books that are intended to scare the reader, but I did appreciate the creativity in this novel. It was especially interesting to read while living on an island in the Pacific in the midst of a pandemic. I really like Young's writing and I enjoyed this book.
*YALO and Fantasy

[Mary Araujo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Stars!

This is my first time reading a zombie apocolypse, sci-fi, paranormal thriller book. It wasn't the best written book I've ever read but I had a great time! I was hooked from the very beginning, and I loved the main character, Iva. I have never read a book that takes place in Samoa, so it was really cool to learn different words and things about the island.

I enjoyed the plot of Iva working to get her two nieces off of the island and seeing all of the crazy stuff they had to go through. Iva was a wonderful character who was both strong yet vulnerable, smart yet needed help, good hearted yet did what she needed to do to survive even if it meant killing Tagata Oti. I liked seeing POV's of other characters throughout the story, but I wish the author would've given more backstory to the virus that caused the Tagata Oti outbreak and also when this story takes place.

At first, I thought VARS22 was the author's version of Covid-19 but then they reference Covid like 70% into the book as being something that happened in the past. We never get a year for when this story takes place so that was a little hard to follow after that. Besides that confusion, the story was very easy to follow, and I could easily imagine everything in my mind.

I would love for this book to become a movie someday! I think it could be an interesting twist to normal zombie movies and it would make way for a lot of Samoan/ Pacific Islander actors to have a breakout role. I'm glad I read this novel during AAPI month because I have way more appreciation for Samoan culture and the language is so beautiful to me (even though there was a lot of talk about dead people lol).

I would recommend this book to people who are dipping their toe into the sci-fi/thriller genre as it is relatively short and it's an easy read. I hope a sequel comes out because it left on a cliffhanger at the end!

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is a bit rough and clunky in spots, but the story quickly pulled me in anyway. It's riveting, and it's also brutal, which took me by surprise. This is one of those zombie stories with spurting blood, ripped limbs, crunched bones, and loose eyeballs. (Also, the dogs die.) If you can stomach the gore, this is an entertaining page turner that doesn't take itself too seriously.

The ending is satisfying, and a bit tongue-in-cheek. If Young writes a sequel, I'm in!

The girls were sitting on the stairs waiting for her, solemn faces drawn with tiredness. Red eyes betrayed they had been crying. But silent tears only. There would be no shrieking or wailing or loud carryings on. The sounds of grief would get you eaten killed.

Rule number one for any apocalypse – don’t scream.

words I looked up (although they were defined quite well in the story and I didn't really have to look them up):
Mata oti - death watch
Tagata oti - the changed
sapelu - a long knife, like a machete
aiga - family

[SarahRuth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is her best book yet! Definitely not a genre I would ever read but I am a fan of Lani’s work so decided to give it a go, especially as I was so FOMO…I could not put it down, it has had me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book, and I could not put it down. She had me so invested in this emotional roller coaster of adrenaline and I could not breathe until I finished it. I’m pretty sure I’m going to get nightmares now!! But it’s worth it, I loved this character so much, she is imperfectly perfect, and she just does her best to overcome her situation. It really did well at capturing the ugliness of humankind but on the other hand humanity at its best, and I cried many times as it was so convincing. I definitely feel like there needs to be a sequel now!

[Levi Fuaga · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my YALDS book that I chose to read. The book revolves around Iva, a semi-blind librarian who must protect and help her best friend's daughters, Lita and Starr, survive through a zombie apocalypse. This was the first zombie-apocalypse-themed novel I've read and I enjoyed the gritty details and the unique setting in Samoa. Most zombie apocalypse fictions that I've read about always takes place in the city, however, seeing it set in Samoa, the land of my ancestors, exposes me to new concepts – how does Samoa emphasis on families or Fa'a Samoa help contribute to the plot and character development? Overall, I enjoyed this book because it's the first of its kind that takes place in a Pacific Islander setting.

[Saunoa I]

Zombies in Samoa!

It was a great action packed Zombie apocalypse thriller. It really painted a picture of how an outbreak would spread in a small island nation. Seems to leave room for a sequel and I can't wait. Highly recommend!

[Antra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wild family-driven zombie apocalypse tale set in the Pacific nation of Samoa. Everything is tied together, and everything is driven by love, sacrifice and the need to protect.

[Becky Colosimo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for the PopSugar prompt "book by a Pacific Islander author." It's a zombie apocalypse story set in the island nation of Samoa. The book did not seem to have had much editing, but the story was engaging. It definitely played on pandemic fears, and I really felt the weight of responsibility that Iva carried, as a single woman being responsible for the safety of her two nieces in one impossible situation after another. The fact that she kept running into people from her past was plausible since it was a small island. I especially liked the dialogue involving the kids, who were very believable.