Review: Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues by Diana Rowland

Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues by Diana Rowland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



View all my reviews



Yes, be shocked. I read not one but two zombie books within the span of two days.Of course it's technically the same thing as it's the continuation of Angel Crawford's story but details, people. Mere details.

Via Goodreads, yo:
Angel Crawford is finally starting to get used to life as a brain-eating zombie, but her problems are far from over. Her felony record is coming back to haunt her, more zombie hunters are popping up, and she's beginning to wonder if her hunky cop-boyfriend is involved with the zombie mafia. Yeah, that's right--the zombie mafia. 

Throw in a secret lab and a lot of conspiracy, and Angel's going to need all of her brainpower--and maybe a brain smoothie as well--in order to get through it without falling apart.

Since this is the second book in the White Trash Zombie series, I won't do it like I normally do a review. Instead, you'll just get my thoughts.

First of all, I will say that I adored Angel in the first book of this series. She definitely captured my interests and I was looking forward to reading more about her during her journey of settling in to the zombie life. So by the time I finished this book, I was officially hooked. Angel grows even more in this book. She's really putting her life together and discovering things about herself that she didn't seem to realize before. She's finding her niche I guess you could say.

Of course, she has that pesky probation officer she has to meet with and sure she has to get her GED or otherwise be thrown back in jail, but that doesn't seem to slow her down one bit.

However, I started to dislike Marcus even more in this book due to the sheer way he treats Angel - it's like nothing she says is taken seriously by him. And she points this out to him midway through the book only to be blown off. He redeemed himself in the end a bit but I still felt as if Angel could do better boyfriend-wise, that she could find someone who treated her like an equal, especially with everything she had managed to accomplish in the end.

I disliked Marcus' uncle with a passion for reasons that I just cannot explain other than I managed to wrinkle my nose every time he was mentioned. I had trouble believing he was a good guy if that makes sense. Ed redeemed himself as well, proving that he wasn't the bad guy that everyone thought he was and I was grateful that he did what he could to help Angel and her father. But most importantly, I really started to like Angel's dad. He was trying to better himself in this book after seeing Angel do so. It was nice to see that bond start to repair itself throughout the book. Redemption seemed to be a really strong subject in book #2.

As for new characters, I wasn't crazy about Sofia and was a bit annoyed that her story was left somewhat hanging when she was abruptly killed. It was never really pointed out in clear terms if she was a good or bad guy even though I was leaning towards double-agent since she appeared to be playing both sides. And the new doctor grated on my nerves. I had hoped Angel would kill her in the end like she did the head of security but on the flip side, it opens up room for a third book.

All in all, the characters remained true to their selves from the first book. The new characters added a nice tension to the storyline, which was just as wonderful like the first book. I was a bit worried as the second installments of a series tend to lose a bit of the spark that the first installment ignited but this book proved that theory wrong. It one again kept me on the edge of my seat, adding in new twists and turns that the first book left out and made it impossible for me to stop reading. 

Best part of the entire book? When Angel promptly said "Braaaiiiins." My husband thought I had lost it upon bursting into laughter.

I do hope that Miss Rowland is planning on a third installment of this series as I'd love to read more about Angel and see what trouble she could get into. This is a definite must-read!

Review: My Life As a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland

My Life As a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



View all my reviews



I'm going to start this review off by saying that I don't normally read zombie books. Zombies creep me out and face it, if there ever was a zombie apocalypse, I'd be one of the first to die because I'd run out of people to trip as bait.

That being said, I thought I'd give this book a chance after reading the summary on Amazon. It sounded cute - well, as cute as a brain-eating zombie could be. And I was also sold on two other things: one, the main character's name is Angel, which just so happens to be the name of one of my best friends and two, it took place in Louisiana, my home state. And come on, I needed a break after the headache of the last book I read - one that preferably didn't involve an inner goddess fretting about the Red Room of Pain.

So, let's get down to the summary via Goodreads (seriously, you really should join this site):

Angel Crawford is a loser

Living with her alcoholic deadbeat dad in the swamps of southern Louisiana, she's a high school dropout with a pill habit and a criminal record who's been fired from more crap jobs than she can count. Now on probation for a felony, it seems that Angel will never pull herself out of the downward spiral her life has taken.

That is, until the day she wakes up in the ER after overdosing on painkillers. Angel remembers being in an horrible car crash, but she doesn't have a mark on her. To add to the weirdness, she receives an anonymous letter telling her there's a job waiting for her at the parish morgue—and that it's an offer she doesn't dare refuse.

Before she knows it she's dealing with a huge crush on a certain hunky deputy and a brand new addiction: an overpowering craving for brains. Plus, her morgue is filling up with the victims of a serial killer who decapitates his prey—just when she's hungriest!

Angel's going to have to grow up fast if she wants to keep this job and stay in one piece. Because if she doesn't, she's dead meat.

Literally.

The Characters:
I would like to start off the review by saying that I absolutely adored Angel from the start, despite the whole loser drop-out status. She was quick-witted, sharp and stood her ground. Sure, she was a bit stubborn but so am I so I don't see this as being a real fault. Don't argue with me - I won't listen.

I loved how Angel matured throughout the book. You could tell just from the way she reacted to things that she was learning how to not just jump into things but rather think them out logically. She was quick on her feet and very observant about her environment. And most of all, you could tell that Angel wanted to change, that she wanted to better her life. That she truly was trying. For that, I respected her greatly.

As for Marcus, to be honest, I wasn't all that crazy about him. Yeah, he seemed like a great guy but it always came off to me like he didn't really put a lot of faith in Angel. I knew something was up with him throughout the book although I didn't want to jump to conclusions (I was right, though) and when I found out in the end, I still wasn't crazy about him. I hoped this would change with the second installment.

The other characters were well-written. I think they played well off of Angel. Angel disliked her father for the way he treated her and you got that vibe while reading about him. Ed came off as someone who seemed like the good guy yet you were still a bit wary around him. Derrell was like the supportive older brother who also doubled as the personal cheerleader. I even started to like Nick even though he could still be a jerk when he wanted to be. All in all the characters were well-rounded, well-written and entertaining.

9 out of 10.

The Plot:
I have to honestly say that I've never sat down and wondered just what would make a good zombie plot as most of the zombies I've read about just slink along going "braiiiiins" and trying to eat every human in sight. See what Nintendo games do to you? So I can definitely say that I wasn't expecting such an entertaining plot upon seeing this was a zombie book.

I love how it was a story of discover (an amusing one at that) as Angel tried to get used to the idea that she was in fact a zombie but on another note it was a mystery plot. Someone was going about killing people and beheading them and Angel took it upon herself to find out who. The story was full of twists and turns that I wasn't expecting and therefore made it impossible for me to put the book down. It's rare I finish a book within a day but I had this one completed in under 24 hours and was off to purchase the second one.

I will, however, say that I could have done without the image of her mixing her brains with tomato soup. I've completely lost the urge to eat tomato soup from now on.

9 out of 10.

Miss Rowland is by far one of the better YA writers I have read. She's entertaining, has a way with words (and descriptions - ugh, tomato soup) and knew how to write the twists and turns in the story that held your attention. I look forward to reading many more of her books and I will definitely be checking out the second book to this series as I can't wait to see what happens to Angel the zombie next.

And I now know that not all zombies are bad. Well, as long as they stay away from my brain, that is.