Zombie Month Book Review -- Zombies Don't Cry

Title:  Zombies Don't Cry
Author:  Rusty Fischer
Genre:  YA zombie fiction
Pages:  Oversize paperback, 371
Published:  2011
Opening Lines:  "The graveyard is calm at this hour, an appropriately full moon shining down on acres of freshly mown lawn and miles of evenly spaces headstones."

"Maddy Swift is just a normal girl—a high school junior surviving class with her best friend and hoping the yummy new kid, Stamp, will ask her out.  When he finally does, her whole life changes.

"Sneaking out to meet Stamp at a party one rainy night, Maddy is struck by lightning.  After awakening, she feels lucky to be alive.  Over time, however, Maddy realizes that she's become the thing she and everyone else fear the most: the living dead.

"With no heartbeat and no breath in her lungs, Maddy must learn how to survive as a zombie.  Turns out there's a lot more to it than shuffling around 24/7 growling, 'Brains.'  Needing an afterlife makeover is only the beginning of her problems.  As Barracuda Bay High faces zombie Armageddon, Maddy must summon all her strength to protect what matters most—just as soon as she figures out exactly what that is."

~ Jacket copy

Thoughts:  Books looking at zombies as something other than shambling reanimated bodies looking for the nest slice of brains is an interesting spin on the genre.  Reading this book after Rot & Ruin is an interesting contrast.  Where Rot & Ruin looks at a world post-zombie-apocalypse, Zombies Don't Cry brings it home with zombie high school students.

This book follows the teenage angst of Maddy.  It starts out like every YA novel: Maddy is a regular girl, has a selfish best friend, and falls for the new kid.  However, the author throws the zombie-element into the mix and turns it into a version of Teen Wolf.

I found it interesting that the author talks about zombies being created from either a high voltage shock of electricity or a bite.  However, if a person is bit, they become a raging zombie called a Zerker.  This gave the whole zombie myth a new twist.  It also made zombies more sympathetic.

Honestly, while I love zombies and YA books, this book was just kind of "meh" for me.  It didn't grab my attention, the characters were two-dimensional, and everything was a stereotype.  Further, I felt that the author didn't spend enough time on certain things.  I was very saddened that he did not talk in more details about the Elders, The Guide, etc.  Also, I felt there was a pseudo buildup without a huge climax.

All in all, this book really didn't move me or catch my full attention.  It was too superficial and vapid.  However, if you're looking for a quick, easy, and shallow read, this is the perfect book.    


Rating:
Currently: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Current Pages: 3617
Current Progress:

10/50 books