My Life as a White Trash Zombie

Unconventional and Entertaining

This book features an engaging 'loser' protagonist, a convoluted but entertaining plot, morbid details, wonderfully gruesome imagery and a new twist on zombies. In this story zombies are ageless supernaturals who only begin to rot when they don't get their quota of brains.

The protagonist, Angel, is a surprisingly sympathetic character. Life has treated her badly but, as a pill popping high-school dropout, she's also cheated herself. At twenty-three she's going nowhere fast until she wakes up in the hospital with flashbacks of grave injury. She's told that she overdosed on drugs, and she believes it because she doesn't have a mark on her Then, she finds an anonymous note which threatens to inform her probation officer of the overdose unless she begins a job as a 'body snatcher' at the local morgue. She's also given 'energy drinks' with weird pudding-like material at the bottom.

The story is part murder mystery, part upbeat self-discovery tale, part horror story and part traditional paranormal fiction with an underlying romance element. The first party narrative unwinds at a fast pace and culminates in desperate and thrilling climax. Note, the edible brain imagery and morbidity details are gruesomely excellent. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any and all zombie enthusiasts. Further, I recommend this book to all urban fantasy fans looking for an unusual but entertaining story.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

LOVED IT

drug addict turned zombie...plus a side romance and mystery. loved it read it twice

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Really hope theres a second wtz

WTZ wad a great read with great character development, humor, and enough romance to make me like it more than some of those will not be named vampire books. Really hope to see a followup within the next year or so, and not just cause the zombie on the cover looks like me heh. Really great read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

g Good read

I enjoyed the book a good read

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent new series!

I heard about this book last year during during the Romantic Times convention. Diana was talking about the newest book she was working on about a white trash zombie who gets a job as a morgue tech for easy access to brains. I know it's shocking, but the an unpolitically correct story about a zombie is totally up my alley. Also, being a huge fan of the Kara Gillian series by Rowland I have been waiting impatiently for this book to release.

The book opens with Angel waking up in the hospital. She was brought in as a suspected overdose victim. Her scattered memories and the mysterious package left for her at the hospital hint at something entirely different. Now don't accuse me of spoiling the book for you, but she has been turned into a zombie. Of course the reason why she has been turned into a zombie and who her mysterious mentor is keeps you hanging through the ending of the book. In fact the majority of the book is about how being turned into a zombie is one of the best things that has ever happened to her.

Also a good deal of the buildup is world-building. Namely, introducing you to what it means to be a zombie in this book series. It also lays the groundwork for how the zombies abilities and weaknesses work. The author takes the difficult situation of having to make a zombie likable and excels at it. By the end of the story I was really rooting for her.

This brings me to the end of the story. As I insinuated in an above comment, I will not spoil the story. George R.R. Martin may threaten to put a spoilers head on a pike, but the author in question on this series has certifications maintaining her aim and ability with deadly weapons. (According to her own bio she has worked in the police force among other jobs.) That being said, I will say that her ending took me by surprise. My expectation is for an ending (even one with a twist) to be along the lines of the direction I thought the story was going. Rowland caught me on this one, marking it as one of my favorite reads so far this season.

I will over the caveat that this is a story about zombies. Those with a weak constitution should be forewarned. Even if you are a little skittish at the thought of brain-eating zombies, I would urge you to read this as you might very well be surprised at the extent to which you enjoy the novel. Mrs. Zombie (who is ironically not a fan of the gore) is chomping at the bit to read my copy of it.

Easily I will give this one a full 5 dancing zombies out of 5. If you want to go the Slayer route on it, Faith calls this one 5-by-5. No matter what pop culture reference you use, it is easily worth the money. To prove that fact, even with my library budget tight I am going to stop tonight and purchase a retail copy. Normally I would consider this one for a Nook purchase, but that cover art is just to damn good to pass up!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved it!

Great, quick, fun read for zombie lovers everywhere.

I absolutely loved this book! Angel was anything but, she was sp

I absolutely loved this book!
Angel was anything but, she was spunky, sassy yet had flaws. I liked that Ms Rowland made Angel white trashy but didn't break over into stereotypes. Oh and the beer can drive way was a good touch. Yes Angel drank to much, did drugs and was a general screw up, but then she gets turned into a zombie.
Her guardian zombie changes her, gets her a job at the morgue (so she has access to brains) and gives her a head start with some energy drinks (brain flavored).
I found myself wanting Angel to get a handle on her life, even though she was reluctant and pretty set in her ways. It took baby steps and a good portion of the book is her learning that she's not what she thinks she is and can be better if she puts her mind to it. Like Angel I wanted to know who had turned her into a zombie, but there was also the little issue of a serial killer taking peoples heads. So there were several levels to the plot of this book. First was Angel changing and turning herself around, which was a great journey in itself. Second there was the serial killer taking heads. I kind of got what was going on with this but not who. The who dun-it part was a huge surprise, actually for both plot lines. As figuring out who changed Angel was a mystery as well. I totally didn't see either of the answers and it shocked me a little.
This was a great book and I can't wait for book 2.

Surprisingly good.

Okay, I'll read vampire books as long as they're not teen oriented. Same goes for fae stuff, demon, werewolf/shifter reads along with completely different genres. But zombies? But after some hesitation, I put my faith in Diana Rowland and decided that it's not possible for her to write a bad book. I was rewarded. Great, fresh read that kept me rooting for the underdog. However, I think the last part was a little rushed...but that's just me.

My life as a zombie fan

I saw this book and had to have it! You never hear of zombies before just oh lok they eat brains and shoot them in the head. I love zombies i have movies, games, and now books. This was written so well i hope there is another one! I read it in one night. This book has inspired me to explore the depths of zombie romance. Thanks Diana for being an inspiration!

Highly Recommened

This was an awesome book, kept me laughing the whole time. Love the sarcasm and the mystery. I didnt put it down for a second.

Awesome!

Run out and pick up this book if you are a zombie fan!  I devoured this book in two days.  A refreshing zombie tale that shows the reader a human side to zombie life.  I love that Angel grabs hold of her second chance and runs with it.  The author did a great job of leading the reader through the story while keeping the conclusion a surprise.  I am often frustrated at figuring out all details and mysteries when only half way through a story, but that was not the case with My Life as a White Trash Zombie.  Can not wait to see if a second book will be coming in the future!

My So-Called Unlife

You know your a Redneck Junkie when: You need to become a member of the undead to kick your habit.

Angel Crawford was practically born emblazoned with an L for loser in the middle of her forehead. She didn't have much choice in changing her hard knock status with a mentally ill mother, a drunk for a father, and being a high school drop out. Angel seems to be hurtling herself into all the pitfalls of her white trash standing, including a felony, a deadbeat boyfriend, drug and alcohol addiction, and a steadily growing resume of former dead end jobs.

And then she dies. Or at least she thinks she did. Angel has some flashes of an accident. But the details of her condition and the events leading up to them are a bit fuzzy. Angel wakes in the hospital without a scratch on her. She then starts to receive cryptic messages and a seemingly too good to be true job. What Angel doesn't know is that she has been changed into a zombie. She looks fine, feels fine, but Angel is going to have to learn quickly that all that can change in an instant if she doesn't get the nourishment she needs. Without the self-induced intoxicated drug haze, it turns out Angel is a pretty clever cookie. And since they've been hauling in numerous headless dead bodies to the morgue, Angels going to have to use all the brains she's got to solve the murders, and keep her strength up.

My Life as a White Trash Zombie was an interesting take on a second chance. Diana Rowland really showed how one incident can change someone's life for good or bad. With Angel's addictions stripped away and a good opportunity to support herself she found her self worth. This is made even more interesting with the vehicle Rowland uses to employ change, zombie-ism.

I was skeptical about this premise. The title was provocative, but the cover art sold me on giving this one a chance. I'm glad I did. This book is filled with rich characters and decent story lines. Reading about Angel's prior decline and present rise, while stumbling through her revelations on becoming a zombie where very entertaining. Rowland created a nice mix of background information, zombie high jinx, and mystery. I loved the supporting cast as well, and the little love story at the end. I think there where parts of the story that were a bit slow but overall a good read with great potential for a sequel.

It was pretty good!

I enjoyed reading about Zombies...this book was a fun fast book...

Live To Read

It is rare when an author decides to write on such a flawed character, Angel truly is a loser. She wakes up believing she overdosed on pills...again, but she can't remember what really happened. What is a little bit surprising is that Angel doesn't appear too alarmed at being in such a weird place and position. The book continues from there with Angel discovering a new love for brains and tracking down someone to continuously supply her with the organ. She walks right into a nefarious plot perpetrated by a couple of renegade zombies to kill humans.



This book is a good read for those who don't like too gory, but still want to read about zombies; the author walks a fine line and succeeds in not grossing out her readers to the point of the reader wanting to wash his/her hands. The plot is ok, nothing extremely special or unusual. The characters are ok as well, Angel leaves a lot desired-however, a flawed character often makes for a better novel. The secondary characters are "interesting" to read about, the reader will have mixed feelings on many of these.



The ending is kind of expected, but it isn't a cliff-hanger. The writing is smooth, not choppy in the slightest. The transitions from one scene to the next are perfect, the reader will not be confused. This book is great for teens/young adults/adults looking for a not-so-gruesome zombie novel.

Fantastic

I love Diana and I loved this book! I also liked how she tied in her other series as well. Cant wait for more :)

Cute idea

Half the book is setup. Conflict unconvincing and very late in the book.

Gross, disgusting but couldn't put it down

This was a gross book but I found it fascinating and had to keep reading to the end to find out what happened and who was responsible. I really liked Angel but I think I was a little let down by the ending. I felt the ending was kind of rushed and too happily every after - all ends sewed up.

This is not the George Romero Z horror thriller

In the Bayous of Louisiana, living in a dumpy old trailer with a drunk of a father, teenage dropout Angel Crawford knows she is a poster child for poor white trash. She is a pill and alcohol addict and a felon having bought and drove a stolen car even if she convinces herself the deal was legit. Angel wakes up one day in the hospital and learns she almost died from an overdose, but she has flashbacks that she was in a car with blood all over her. The delinquent assumes she hallucinated from drying out.

Her life careens further out of control when the nurse brings her clothes that she never owned and a cooler saying she could drink one bottle ever other day and if it goes on to say she has a job at the morgue as a van driver and a morgue tech. She takes the position because if she fails to do so the person who got her hired will inform her probation officer she has drugs in her system. At the morgue she has an overwhelming hunger to eat brains even as she works on dead people in the morgue. She smells of decay and realizes her body is rotting. She realizes she is a zombie and that a rogue zombie is indiscriminatingly killing people. Angel investigates though she could be permanently dead if she trusts the wrong person.

This is not the George Romero Z horror thriller as Diana Rowland has her zombies capable of performing cognitive thinking, abnormal strength and incredible speed; which enables the dead species to easily blend in with the general human populace. Alive, Angel was a lost soul; ironically as a dead head she has become a productive member of society who is removing the shakes of her past. This breezy read never takes itself seriously but the audience will enjoy this tongue in cheek zombie thriller.

Harriet Klausner

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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