White Trash Zombie Unchained: By Diana Rowland

WHITE TRASH ZOMBIE UNCHAINED

SUMMARY

Angel Crawford has finally pulled herself together (literally!) after her disastrous dismemberment on Mardi Gras. She’s putting the pieces of her life back in order and is ready to tackle whatever the future holds.

Too bad the future is a nasty bitch. There’s a new kind of zombie in town: mindless shamblers, infectious and ravenous.

With the threat of a full-blown shambler pandemic looming, and a loved one stricken, Angel and the “real” zombies scramble to find a cure. Yet when Angel uncovers the true reason the plague is spreading so quickly, she adds “no-holds-barred revenge” to her to-do list.

Angel is busting her ass dealing with shambling hordes, zombie gators, government jerks, and way too many mosquitos, but this white trash chick ain’t giving up.

Good thing, since the fate of the world is resting on her undead shoulders.

REVIEW

So, the first thing you have to ask yourself is why would a person want to read a series about a white trash zombie? Personally, I was a bit skeptical when I first started reading the White Trash Zombie series, but I have to say not only was I hooked from the very first chapter, the more important answer is BECAUSE THEY ARE PURE FUN!

In her White Trash Zombie series, Rowland has created an endearing protagonist with an interesting cast of characters to surround her in her journey through zombiehood. Of course, the books are not just about being a zombie, they are also about the struggles of believing in oneself, working hard, overcoming obstacles in life and ultimately succeeding, which brings a much more relatable connection to these books as opposed to the overall zombie motif.

On top of creating more relatable characters, these books are also highly addicting. In fact, as mentioned above, Diana Rowland’s writing reeled me in from the very beginning, in part, because the characters are likable and endearing, in part because of the witty and engaging dialog, and in part of the fast-paced action that ultimately drives the book.

In White Trash Zombie Unchained, Rowland sets in motion a new series of events that has drastic ramifications to the overall plot in the White Trash Zombie series. Characters that were once thought dead will be brought back into the fold, new zombie traits and tricks are learned, and even love is in the air with relationships blossoming among our cast of characters.

All in all, White Trash Zombie is a great addition to the White Trash Zombie series. It is an easy to read, fast paced book that it filled with likable characters, and more action than you can shake a stick at. While I would recommend reading the other books in the series first, there is no doubt that this book and the other books in the series are pure fun!

INFO

Publisher: DAW

Published: September 5, 2017

Price: $7.99

Link to Buy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IAUG4WO/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1YQVFJPQETA7P&colid=3G2Q4F0PGLI5U

Brother's Ruin: By Emma Newman

BROTHER'S RUIN

SUMMARY

The year is 1850 and Great Britain is flourishing, thanks to the Royal Society of the Esoteric Arts. When a new mage is discovered, Royal Society elites descend like buzzards to snatch up a new apprentice. Talented mages are bought from their families at a tremendous price, while weak mages are snapped up for a pittance. For a lower middle class family like the Gunns, the loss of a son can be disastrous, so when seemingly magical incidents begin cropping up at home, they fear for their Ben's life and their own livelihoods.

But Benjamin Gunn isn't a talented mage. His sister Charlotte is, and to prevent her brother from being imprisoned for false reporting she combines her powers with his to make him seem a better prospect.

When she discovers a nefarious plot by the sinister Doctor Ledbetter, Charlotte must use all her cunning and guile to protect her family, her secret and her city.

REVIEW

I know this is old news, but I am a BIG fan of Tor.com’s publishing of novellas in physical formats. While I can’t speak to everyone, this has certainly increased the number of novellas that I have read in the last few years, and it has dramatically increased the number of novellas I’ve read from new authors who I hadn’t read before (usually I would read novellas by established authors I was already a fan of, when they would release a novella to tide their readers in-between books).

Emma Newman is one of the new authors that I was introduced to because of Tor.com’s novella publishing plan, and I’m certainly glad that I was.

Newman’s Brother’s Ruin begins in 19th century England, where those that have magical talents are required to turn themselves into the government for training and regulation. This system is heavily based on a carrot and stick incentive program, if you report yourself, then your family will be handsomely rewarded, and if you don’t then the mages will find you and drag you to them, your family will get nothing, and your family will have shame rain down upon it from the neighboring communities. So, it is no great surprise that the main character, Charlotte, is talented and has been keeping it a secret. What makes it more interesting and what gets the ball rolling is that her brother, Ben, offers himself for conscription into the Royal Society of the Esoteric Arts (the mages), when he thinks he is performing magic, when in reality it was his sister. A testing occurs and events are struck into motion that place both Charlotte and Ben into the mages sight lines.

Without giving more away, this was a fun novella that felt as if it was setting the stage for a larger series. A larger conspiracy is hinted at, a dastardly plot ruined, and the players put in place for larger roles and training in the world of magic.

As for the characters, while at times some of the minor characters such as Charlotte and Ben’s parents seemed a bit one-dimensional, many of the other characters offered great promise for future character growth, which is all one can hope for in a 192 page book.

All in all, I enjoyed Brother’s Ruin. I tried it out because of it’s awesome title and I’m certainly glad that I did. I’d be happy to pick up a future installment of this potential series.

INFO

Publisher: Tor.com

Published: March 14, 2017

Price: $3.99

Link to Buy: https://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Ruin-Industrial-Magic-Newman-ebook/dp/B01JZ6SIVM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511069608&sr=8-1&keywords=brother%27s+ruin

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