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Teenage delinquent Angel Crawford lives with her redneck father in the swamps of southern Louisiana. She's a high school dropout, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and has a police record a mile long. But when she's made into a zombie after a car crash, her addictions disappear, except for her all-consuming need to stay "alive"...
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.
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 13, 2011
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.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.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!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 18, 2012
I have a sneaking suspicion the author wrote this as a vampire story first. Nothing in the story differentiates this from a modern vampire tale. You could take just about any of a dozen vampire stories; change vampire to zombie and blood to brains. That would pretty much recreate the same story.
Gave it two stars only because the writing style itself was tolerable.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 7, 2011
I enjoyed the book a good read
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 11, 2012
Fast paced, funny, and great new take on zombies!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 27, 2012
This book, was so cool! 100% Worth the money.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 13, 2012
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.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 13, 2011
drug addict turned zombie...plus a side romance and mystery. loved it read it twice
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 20, 2011
Half the book is setup. Conflict unconvincing and very late in the book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Reviewed by SUZANNE & posted at Under the Covers Book Blog
…does it make me a little weird that when Angel was describing her cravings for brains that I kept getting a little hungry?! That’s either really good writing, or I need to see a Doctor! ~ Under the Covers
Angel Crawford is a deadbeat; with no job, a loser boyfriend, an alcoholic father and a pill addiction her life is getting no where fast. But, when she wakes up in hospital after ODing and being found naked on a road her life starts to change for the better and for the freakier, instead of craving pills, she now can’t seem to stop drooling over delicious brains…
I got this book originally because I loved the cover, normally that doesn’t pan out too well but in this case I am really glad I am a bit of a cover whore because I really loved this book! I know zombies are a new craze at the moment and they seem to have a sub-genre all of their own, but this has to be the first book I have read where a zombie is the main character and not a shambling monstrosity who immediately gets its head loped off and I will definitely look closer at zombie books in the future.
I do admit though, this book could be a little gross, but it wasn’t too bad and does it make me a little weird that when Angel was describing her cravings for brains that I kept getting a little hungry?! That’s either really good writing, or I need to see a Doctor! But this book was more then a gruesome tale of a girl discovering a love of devouring brains, Angel was a fantastic and well realised character. As the book went on she changed and grew as she shrugged off her label as a “loser” and started to take control of her life and become a responsible adult.
The plot on this was a little slow to start as it focused mainly on Angel adjusting to her new zombie lifestyle; this made the book a little unbalanced. In the beginning not too much happened when we were being introduced to Angel and her world and then towards the end we suddenly had a zombie hunter on our hands. However, this wasn’t a problem for me, this was a first book and I expected it to be heavy on the world and character building.
A fantastic read, which has the bonus of looking awesome on your book shelf and I can’t wait to see what more is in store for Angel in her new undead life.
Anonymous
Posted September 23, 2012
Wonderful book!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.girlybookworm
Posted August 10, 2012
I never thought I could love zombies, but Diana Rowland can write anything and I'll love it. Must read!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 7, 2012
Fun book!
MartinaElena
Posted June 23, 2012
I absolutely loved this book! Once you start reading it you don't want to stop, and once you've finished you want more!
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 24, 2012
Great, quick, fun read for zombie lovers everywhere.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 3, 2012
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.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 31, 2011
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!
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 24, 2011
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.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 4, 2011
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!
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
Teenage delinquent Angel Crawford lives with her redneck father in the swamps of southern Louisiana. She's a high school dropout, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and has a police record a mile long. But when she's made into a zombie after a car crash, her addictions disappear, except for her all-consuming need to stay "alive"...