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Twice Shy

by Patrick Freivald (Goodreads Author)

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 95 ratings · 48 reviews

High School Sucks...... It's worse when you're dead.............

Ohneka Falls is a small, Western New York town where everyone knows everyone and nothing of note happens. Ani Romero is a sixteen-year-old girl who wants to play sports, hang out, and kiss Mike, her middle-school crush. A childhood carrier of the zombie virus, she died at fourteen but didn't become a mindless...more

Paperback, 240 pages

Published October 26th 2012 by JournalStone (first published January 1st 2012)

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Community Reviews

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Sep 24, 2012 Brett Talley rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read a lot of books. It’s sorta part of the job. Most of my reviews are good. There’s a reason for that. I rarely review books I hate, which makes it seem as though I am an easy reviewer. So let me be clear about how I feel about Twice Shy—this is the best book I have read in the last year. Hands down, no doubt. If you don’t like this book, you should give up reading.

What’s particularly amazing about Twice Shy is the hurdle it had to overcome. I am a stickler for the zombies. I don’t like zomb...more

7 likes · like · see review

Oct 01, 2012 Reeka (BoundbyWords) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ah-zombies, library-thing-arc-win

As seen on my blog:

I was just about to write this review, but while I was getting info for the "book info" section, I came across Patrick's Facebook page. The first thing I saw was his newest post: "A month to go before the release of Twice Shy... So of course I'm cranking out the sequel!"

So uh..now..my review, and number of stars has changed from a 2 star to 3 star rating. It was the ending scene alone that enraged me SO much, I put aside what I enjoyed about the book, and based my rating solely on that scene. I was all set..SET! to come on here and vent my anger freely and without thought. But, thankfully, seeing Patrick's post has brought me to a serene level 1 on my anger meter =). I just couldn't understand how a book that showed such tremendous potential throughout, stooped to such a predictable conclusion-but it isn't a conclusion! Yay! So I can now ramble on about the things I liked about this book.

When I started reading this book, I instantly regretted reading the synopsis beforehand-I would have loved to be blind to what Ani was until I figured it out for myself. Patrick Freivald crafted the most unusual and fantastic spin on the literary zombie explosion. I thought it was pretty genius really- Ani is a zombie, but hides this fact everyday with the aid of her knowledgeable doctor mother, who has devised enough medicinal potions and lotions to help her live a 'normal' teenage life. I was intrigued, and thought the writing was well done-I think it could have done with a lot less 'mishaps,' there were just too many of them, I felt like every time Ani overcame an 'incident,' there was another one a few feet behind. It was slightly exhausting-I just wanted the storyline to move a little faster.

This was my second 'zombie' novel, and alike the first, I enjoyed the fact that the actual zombie interaction wasn't overpowering..yes, I'm a bit of a wuss. I thought the characters were believable, and the storyline and it's details were well thought out. But I also feel like it could have been so much more than what it was. I always felt like there was something lurking in between the lines, pulsing, waiting to step out and become something really spectacular. When I got to the end, I'll admit, I was disappointed..in ways that I can't describe without spoiler-ing left, right and centre. Otherwise, a good debut for this author. Here's to HIGH hopes for the sequel!

*Won as an Paperback ARC from Library Thing*(less)

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Sep 02, 2012 MaryAnn Koopmann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ani a childhood carrier of the zombie virus, she died at fourteen but didn��t become a mindless, brain-eating monster. Just a clue for you to pick up this book and find out just what happens and you might just be surpised. A must read!

I recieved this book thru LibraryThing.com

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Jan 20, 2013 cEe beE rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gory-and-violent, monster-mash

*My rating: 3 and a half stars*

I got the ARC for Twice Shy here on GR and it is the first zombie book I've ever read. Unless they're supporting characters in a pnr book, or dancing in Michael Jackson's Thriller, or as comic fodder in films like Shaun of the Dead, or Zombieland; the rotting, mindless undead doesn't appeal to me. Well, I was in for a pleasant surprise with this book.

Twice Shy is set in a small town NY high school, populated by the usual suspects; jocks, anime nerds, mean girls, a...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Stacey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ani isn't like other teenager girls. She is a zombie, a fact given away on the back blurb. She was infected by a virus and must keep her condition a secret. Luckily her mom is a scientist and is working to find a cure. How does Ani hide her condition? She pretends to be goth, wearing layers and layers of black hair. When her face rips apart she just pins it back with safety pins and calls it a statement. Her relationships are pretty fake also. Her best friend is a drug using goth girl named Fey...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Krystimeyer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Twice Shy

Book Review

Ani is a typical angst-filled teenager. She dresses all in black, listens to death-metal music, and is in love with the all-star jock she can never have. She also spends hours each night in a bath filled with…formaldehyde? Well, maybe she isn’t exactly typical. In fact, she’s dead, or perhaps undead would be the more politically correct term.

Ani contracted the dreaded ZV (zombie) virus at the age of sixteen and, with the help of her doctor mother, manages to control her fie...more Twice Shy

Book Review

Ani is a typical angst-filled teenager. She dresses all in black, listens to death-metal music, and is in love with the all-star jock she can never have. She also spends hours each night in a bath filled with…formaldehyde? Well, maybe she isn’t exactly typical. In fact, she’s dead, or perhaps undead would be the more politically correct term.

Ani contracted the dreaded ZV (zombie) virus at the age of sixteen and, with the help of her doctor mother, manages to control her fierce cravings for brains and live a somewhat normal life.

Her mother is determined to find a cure for Ani’s condition and is willing to do just about anything in order to make that happen. She has also given Ani some very strict rules in order to keep her condition a secret from those who would otherwise want to shoot and then burn her. Ani must dress like an “emo” as well as hanging out with a group of them at school. She must pretend to be a misfit and ignore all her former friends. And she must never be caught listening to the pop music she so dearly loves. Will Ani be discovered and put to death (final death in her case), or will her mother find a cure in time to return her to her former blonde, cheerleading self?

Patrick creates a fun-filled read in this new take on the classic zombie novel. It is jam packed with fantastically gory details that any fan of the genre would expect. Patrick also expertly captures the emotions of a troubled teen and the challenges they face on a daily basis. Ani proves to be a fascinating character that the reader will root for from the first page.

The book, unfortunately, concludes in a way that is both jarring and incredibly unsatisfying. It wraps up very quickly; the ending consists of less than a page and a half. But, worst of all, the tone of the writing seems to change so completely that it is as though it was written by an entirely different author.

Other than the abysmal ending, this novel provides a unique portrayal of the zombie monster and should be recommended to anyone who can appreciate a little undead drama.
(less)

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Oct 04, 2012 Kris rated it 2 of 5 stars

Twice Shy is a zombie story told from the perspective of the unwilling zombie, teenaged Ani. The story follows her attempts to hide the fact that she is a zombie, by turning “emo” and hanging out with the fringe groups. Since this is a YA book, a lot of the story shows Ani dealing with the usual high school social scene of “popular kids vs outcasts”, the dynamics of her mother/daughter relationship, drug use, sexuality, and the problems of living inside a body that is dead.

The book was well writ...more Twice Shy is a zombie story told from the perspective of the unwilling zombie, teenaged Ani. The story follows her attempts to hide the fact that she is a zombie, by turning “emo” and hanging out with the fringe groups. Since this is a YA book, a lot of the story shows Ani dealing with the usual high school social scene of “popular kids vs outcasts”, the dynamics of her mother/daughter relationship, drug use, sexuality, and the problems of living inside a body that is dead.

The book was well written, as far as the flow of the story and the language, but the plot twists jumped around so much that it seemed as though the author was trying to get too many conflicts in without fully fleshing out each one. The characters, other than Ani, were never fully enough developed so I never really cared what happened with any of them.

Ani's love interest, Mike, goes back and forth so many times between being a total jerk and her knight in shining armor, that after a while you wonder why on earth she would continue to pine away after him. This seems to be a trend in a lot of YA literature these days.

The best friend, Fey, is also not fleshed out enough in the story. She just seems to be a caricature of a teen outcast- drug use, promiscuity, and passive aggressive behavior. Why was Fey acting out like that? What made Fey push friends away and then draw them back in? It would have been nice to have known a bit of her back story. As it was, anything could happen to her and I just didn't care.

My biggest complaint about this book is that the author made Ani a “cutter”, describing each episode of cutting in graphic detail and seeming to promote cutting as a good way for teens to deal with their pain and angst. Even Ani's mother seems to accept it as appropriate. I feel like this is a dangerous aspect to the story and if my teen daughter were going to read the book, I would make sure to have a discussion with her first on the dangers of cutting.

The ending seemed rushed, unplanned and designed to shock but all it did was irritate me. It seemed almost like the author was trying to stay under X number of pages and suddenly ran out of pages and had to end the story abruptly.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to a single adult. I could see how it might have some appeal to teens who are into this genre, but would recommend it only with the caveat about the cutting.
I received this book via LibraryThing Early Reviewers(less)

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Sep 22, 2012 Joe Young rated it 4 of 5 stars

Interesting take on a Zombie story. The principle character is a Zombie in remission. Her mother worked for the government when the Zombie virus first was manifest and had taken this beautiful baby that was born to a pregnant Zombie that had been taken in to destroy. Initially, the baby didn't show signs of the virus but, tested positive. The doctor/mother was smitten and took the baby, using any an all remedies to prevent the normal advancement of the disease and eventually leaves the governmen...more Interesting take on a Zombie story. The principle character is a Zombie in remission. Her mother worked for the government when the Zombie virus first was manifest and had taken this beautiful baby that was born to a pregnant Zombie that had been taken in to destroy. Initially, the baby didn't show signs of the virus but, tested positive. The doctor/mother was smitten and took the baby, using any an all remedies to prevent the normal advancement of the disease and eventually leaves the government, taking a job as a school nurse so she can be close to her "daughter" and watch out for her while at school. The mother also has a very complete lab in the basement of her home where she takes samples and tests remedies as well as medicines to eliminate the virus. She keeps her daughter in a chemical bath for 8-9 hours daily to toughen her flesh and stop the rotting. It kind of reduces the smell but, the chemicals had a unique non-human order of their own. Ani, the Zombie daughter is a very sympathetic character as she assumes a role as one of the Emo kids, wearing black, nose, ear and tongue studs with boots to help mask her Zombie differences. She was able to blend into the background as long as she wasn't a target. Ani suffered all the angst of a teenager with the added threat of being incinerated if it was discovered that she was a Zombie. That discovery was a threat that her mother used to keep her in line and Ani was smart and talented. She got good grades in her classes with math and English her favorites. She also excelled at playing classical piano, practicing daily. Her mother insisted that she avoid any social contact and work hard to justify the expenses and sacrifices her mother had to make (like leaving her government position as a medical doctor and taking on the school nurse position). Ani is an amazing personality especially when she has to mask her love for the jock she has been a friend to since elementary school. He had loved her as well but, when she had to turn morose as an Emo, he migrated to a more upbeat crowd. Most of Ani's life was spent trying to suppress her desires to eat the flesh and brains of her peers. When ever the need became bad, she used her nails or a small razor to cut her flesh which served to relieve her urges. The popular girls teased her and nicknamed her "Cutter" after her strange actions. Her mother keeps expermenting and discovers an apparent cure. Her mother contracts cancer and delays treatment until it is too late. Then she makes arrangements for Ani to move to Phoenix to some of her government friends who were also involved in research but, this is away from Ani's childhood boyfriend, Bill who has asked her to the senior prom. Her mother leaves Ani home alone to go out of town with Bill's father who she has recently encouraged a relationship with but, told Ani she couldn't leave home and warned her that she would know if she did (she always knew when Ani wasn't complient with her instructions). Bill called after her mom and his father had left for the weekend and convinced Ani that he could sneak her out and to the prom without her mother finding out, so she agreed to meet him when he came to pick her up. He knocked on the back door about 1/2 hour later and then walked her to his old pickup that was parked over on the next block. They drove to school but, came in the back way, parking in the weeds on the far side of the football stadium. Then they walked to a back door of the gym where the music from the band came through an open door and danced close together in the dark. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion to this very different Zombie story!(less)

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Sep 20, 2012 Maxine McLister rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ani is having a very bad not good year at school. Mike, the boy she is crushing on, is dating Devon, the queen of mean, Dylan has developed a dangerous obsession with her, her best friend, Fey, is being a total bitch, and, oh yeah, Ani's dead. She was born with the zombie virus and died a couple of years ago. Her mom, a renowned scientist, expert on the disease, and now school nurse, has been keeping Ani in a semblance of life while she searches for a cure. Ani's hunger for delicious brains is u...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Laci rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Twice Shy" was quite a fun read. I enjoyed it immensely! I will admit that I got a little confused at first with all the various character names being introduced (I kept confusing Dylan and Devon, etc), but once I read a little further, I got pulled into the storyline. Ani is a likeable character, and I enjoyed the humorous and ironic twist that she's forced to become "goth" due to her zombie virus, yet wants nothing more than to embrace everything pink and poppy. It was quite a clever twist on...more "Twice Shy" was quite a fun read. I enjoyed it immensely! I will admit that I got a little confused at first with all the various character names being introduced (I kept confusing Dylan and Devon, etc), but once I read a little further, I got pulled into the storyline. Ani is a likeable character, and I enjoyed the humorous and ironic twist that she's forced to become "goth" due to her zombie virus, yet wants nothing more than to embrace everything pink and poppy. It was quite a clever twist on the zombie genre, full of lots of action, adventure, comedy, drama, and even a little romance...a great book to escape into, and you really begin to root for Ani. I loved some of the snarky jabs at popular culture like Twilight, too.

***SPOILER ALERT...DON'T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE ENDING***

However, I have to say that the ending left me feeling a little confused and frustrated as a reader. Not because it wasn't the happy ending we all hope for; in fact, I think it's refreshing to see some twists that no one expects thrown in, but because it simply felt too abrupt and rushed. We have the whole book to get to know and love Ani, and then it completely changes direction and ends it with one page. It felt like a separate book, actually, like the narrative didn't fit. I actually found myself flipping pages to look for the rest..."surely that couldn't actually be the end...was it a joke of some sort?" Kind of felt like there was no resolution, which is unsettling, and not in the "cool, that was a neat unexpected ending!" way. As if I was being told the story of Cinderella for the first time, with lots of description and details up to the point of where she loses her shoe on the steps...."and then a dragon eats her. The End." That's how it felt to me. The writing was so good before that I'm sure the ending could be a lot better. I really wish there had been more to the ending! I'm all for crazy twists that don't go how you expect, but it would have been better if those events were a little more drawn out and there was some sort of finality to it all.

All that being said, though, I would recommend this book. I did enjoy it, and love the creativity of it! (less)

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Sep 09, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

Okay, I have to admit that every time I look at the title of the book “Twice Shy” by Patrick Freivald, the song “One Bitten Twice Shy” by Great White runs around my head on a continuous loop. That is about the only really negative thing about this book.

“Twice Shy” tied for first place in the JournalStone writing contest and I can see why. The story centers on a 16 year old girl, Ani, who became a zombie when she was 14, which is really bad because the government’s answer to those infected is to...more

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Sep 09, 2012 C. Purtill rated it 4 of 5 stars

I tore through this novel like a zombie tearing through the flesh of its victim. Seriously, this was a fast, fun read for me. Which is not take away from the gravity of the book. The author treated the subject of zombies seriously, not campy or in any way tongue-in-cheek. I loved that we were in the head of a teen zombie, a girl who has been kept alive by her research-driven nurse mom for two years. And the concept of a zombie using the cover of emo friends to hide her deformity was spot-on. I a...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Jade Kerrion rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ani is a zombie...sort of. Partially affected by the Zombie Virus, she is technically dead, but she's not an unthinking, brain-eating monster. She's smart, talented in music and art, and has a strong desire to be normal. As her researcher mother scrambles to find a cure for her, she lives an almost normal life, dealing with part-time jobs, dipping high school grades, fluttering adolescent crushes, and hateful bullies (the worst are always female).

The premise of this novel is intriguing, and far...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads-review-books

ARC for review

Ani Romero is a sixteen year old girl with a deadly secret~she's a zombie that still has all of most human brain functions. If word got out what Ani is she would be destroyed by fire. Ani has been mostly dead for two years now. Her mom, Sarah has very strict rules no boys, nosun, no sports, and stay away from animals. Ani has few friends but none of them know her secret. Tiffany "Fey" Michaels is apart of the group Ani hangs out with at school. Ani's had a secret crush on Mike Brow...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Gatha♪☮♫♥M.S Awesome ♥♫☮ღ♬ rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

ORIGINAL RATING:2.5

Summary--Ohneka Falls is a small, Western New York town where everyone knows everyone and nothing of note happens. Ani Romero is a sixteen-year-old girl who wants to play sports, hang out, and kiss Mike, her middle-school crush. A childhood carrier of the zombie virus, she died at fourteen but didn't become a mindless, brain-eating monster. Her controlling mother forces her to join the emo crowd to hide her condition behind a wall of black clothes and makeup, and her friends a...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Elvina Barclay rated it 3 of 5 stars

Twice Shy by Patrick Freivald, October 26, 2012 by JournalStone, paperback
My first thoughts on this novel were “oh no, not another teen zombie, he’s so hot, etc story”. Ok, there was a bit of that but most of the plot revolved around 16 year old Ani’s relationship with her mother and their search for a cure for the ZV (zombie virus) that has killed Ani.
Ani goes to school, has friends and a part time job and is falling in love with her childhood friend while trying to appear alive and normal. Sh...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Christopher Payne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: journalstone

High School Sucks. It’s worse when you’re dead.

Ohneka Falls is a small, Western New York town where everyone
knows everyone and nothing of note happens. Ani Romero is a sixteen-year-old girl who wants to play sports, hang out, and kiss Mike, her middle-school crush. A childhood carrier of the zombie virus, she died at fourteen but didn’t become a mindless, brain-eating monster. Her controlling mother forces her to join the emo crowd to hide her condition behind a wall of black clothes and makeup,...more

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view all 4 comments

Elke Christopher wrote: "A. I am the publisher, so I have read it.
B. We have several ARC's going out which happens with a lot of books. The book will recei...more
Aug 15, 2012 05:41am

Christopher Payne The fact that I work for the publisher is pretty transparent. It is all over my profile. I am very open about it.

I don't write reviews simply because...more
Aug 15, 2012 05:49am

Jan 10, 2013 Allena Williams rated it 2 of 5 stars

The story line was an interesting one. Ani having the ZV virus has to be an emo kid so that her being a zombie is not detected, even though she wants to be a preppy cheerleader. She's in love with her neighbor and is bullied at school. Her mom is a brilliant doctor who's working at finding the cure for the virus so she can bring Ani back to life.
I enjoyed the book and the ending but I felt that there was a few parts where the story went flat and it seemed to jump around instead of explaining or...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Rachelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: librarything-early-review, ya

I won a copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Review, and I must admit that the cover is what initially made me request it. I have never been into zombies, but it had been awhile since I'd read a good YA book, so I figured I'd give it a try.
I'm so glad I did! Never having read a zombie book before, I'm not sure if the storyline was original or not, but I thought the author did an excellent job of capturing the emotions and anguish Ani has to deal with. It's a heart-touching story abou...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Jeeviebaby rated it 3 of 5 stars

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The writing style was good and I read through it very quickly. (view spoiler)...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is more of a YA book, but I loved it. The zombie girl, Ani, just trying to be a normal everyday teen (is there such a thing?) makes you really feel for her and want to stand beside her and fight for her so many times. I enjoyed it and I will definitely look for more by this author.
I received this book from Goodreads.com.

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Sep 09, 2012 E.J. Russell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting concept. The zombie disguised amongst us at Senior High.
I liked the main character, I was rooting for her although I would have been happy if she had bitten some of her so called 'friends.'
The book kept me hooked, I felt it easy to read, it flowed well and I wanted to keep reading and found some parts of the book really funny, the droll humour and observations.
Spoiler. The only surprising thing for me was the ending, inevitable? The mother and daughter team worked so hard to keep her...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Shirley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: received-for-review

I received an ARC of the book for reviewing. After reading first few pages, I was not very sure if I really wanted to go through it but as I continued, things changed. The book surprised me. I personally believe that the zombie concept much like the vampire one, has been exhausted, but the twist that the author brings in, succeeded in keeping my interest to the very end.

Yes, the book needs to be worked on. The flow in the early chapters is off and kind of dragging. At times, I felt that there w...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Jillian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal, undead, early-reviewers, journalstone, book-nooked, new-york, series

{ I received an ebook ARC for free through Early Reviewers on LibraryThing. Review originally posted on my blog, PidginPea's Book Nook. }

Twice Shy was darker and heavier than I expected, making for a pretty creepy and intense read. It explores some serious topics: bullying, stalking, overdosing, self-mutilation, and ethics in science and research, just to name a few. The main characters are real and well-developed, especially Ani.

Ani, dead at fourteen but still living, hides in plain sight among...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Rosemarie Herbert rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon . Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.

Ani is dead. That's nothing new to her or her mom, but the rest of her classmates can't know or she'll be incinerated. As a carrier of zombie virus, she won't ever grow old.

What attracted me to this YA novel was the front cover. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the black corset (just my type of style) and then the boots with the strange feet (w...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Stacy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: librarything

Most peoples mom's don't encourage their children to get into trouble and dress like they are constantly in mourning. But most peoples moms don't have zombie children. Ani used to be one of the popular kids, hung out with the in crowd, dressed to impress and had plenty of friend. Now Ani is in with the Emo crowd, wears white makeup, black clothes and does everything she can to stay hidden.

Ani really just wants to be normal, go to dances, date boys, hang out with friends but to do all that would...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Wrighty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, arc, series

It took me a little while to get to this but I was hooked as soon as I started it. What first attracted me to this book was that the setting was a little town in western NY state. I live in western NY state. The major landmarks like Niagara Falls, Lake Erie, Buffalo or Rochester might appear in a story but the little places seldom do. It was so fun to hear mention of a small town I often drive through or a college I've visited yet unnerving to realize it was in the context of zombie inhabitants....more It took me a little while to get to this but I was hooked as soon as I started it. What first attracted me to this book was that the setting was a little town in western NY state. I live in western NY state. The major landmarks like Niagara Falls, Lake Erie, Buffalo or Rochester might appear in a story but the little places seldom do. It was so fun to hear mention of a small town I often drive through or a college I've visited yet unnerving to realize it was in the context of zombie inhabitants. Eek!

The writing was very well done and so fluid. I was drawn into the life of Ani and her single mom. I constantly forgot this was a male writer because he captured a teenage girl's voice so well. There were many twists and turns that made this an exciting story and the details were terrific. It's hard enough to be sixteen but to have a virus that could lead to your instant annihilation at any moment could put a girl on edge! While Ani's life was filled with angst it seemed like she had constant dilemmas (understandable of course for a secret zombie teen). The tension was great but I felt that her issues became a bit overwhelming for the reader. Ani and her mom can't seem to catch a break!

The story was a nice change from the traditional zombie tale. This is about life in the near future after an attack but not an apocalypse. People have overcome the situation and developed ways to live with it in a "normal" society. Ani is a unique individual who is struggling to maintain her humanity. I don't want to give anything away here because the surprises really enhanced the story and I'm so glad I hadn't heard details before I read Twice Shy.

The ending was abrupt, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but after such a detailed build up I found it unsatisfying and a departure from the style of the rest of the book. I did discover there is a sequel, Special Dead, which makes it more appealing. I look forward to reading that story and more from this talented author.

Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers for an arc to review.(less)

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Oct 20, 2012 Katy rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of horror, alternate zombie ideas

Recommended to Katy by: Christopher Payne

Shelves: ebook

Book Info: Genre: Horror (Zombie)
Reading Level: Young Adult (with warning for self-mutilation (cutting), extreme ruthlessness and violence)
Book Available: October 26, 2012 in Paperback and ebook
Recommended for: Fans of hard-core violence, alternate ideas of zombies

Disclosure: I received a free ebook ARC from Journalstone, via a special, member’s-only promotion. I am not under any obligation, but am happy to provde an honest review.

Synopsis: High School Sucks. It’s worse when you’re dead.

Ohneka F...more

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Dec 19, 2012 L.j. Duett rated it 3 of 5 stars

Score: Three outta Five Stars.

Back in fourth grade, my school had a drawing contest were each of the student paired up and drew a storyboard (For those not knowing what that is, it's like a comic). The students with the best story board were featured in the newspaper. I didn't win but friends of mine did. This cover, which looks pretty interesting from a certain distance, reminds me of their work. In Fourth grade. As for the story, well honestly I'm thinking as an adult who loves reading YA, t...more
Score: Three outta Five Stars.

Back in fourth grade, my school had a drawing contest were each of the student paired up and drew a storyboard (For those not knowing what that is, it's like a comic). The students with the best story board were featured in the newspaper. I didn't win but friends of mine did. This cover, which looks pretty interesting from a certain distance, reminds me of their work. In Fourth grade. As for the story, well honestly I'm thinking as an adult who loves reading YA, this book was too kiddish for me. To put it bluntly, this book is more my little sisters age group. She's a tween. In fact, now that I think about it, I KNOW she would love this book. Here's why.
The writing was simplistic. Very plain but straightforward to follow. I didn't find any thing wrong with it's tone or pacing and the descriptions were open and basic. Wait, I take that back. The author could be pretty descriptive about decaying flesh and preservation (which I must say, the kind of preservation used in this book for the dead was inadequate. The arterial system is the best way for body preservation. Not submersion. Trust me, I would know.)
Still, nothing really wowed me into loving this book but now thinking back to my reading experience, I think I'm just a little too hardened for this level and that's were we didn't click.
As for the characters. Very tween. Their actions, reactions, language, wants, needs, were all pretty much, well...middle school. It was all very stero typed. The popular kids were just like 80's movie characters and the Emo kids were just like 90's. Very predictable.
But that plot, well needless to say Freivald had a pretty interesting plot going here. I've never come across anything quite like it.
So what didn't I like? Some of the reactions of the characters. I found the MC a little too calm over her situation. I also found her mother a little too crazy over dealing with that situation. I think some of their motions were a little too over the top and extreme and I had trouble seeing someone really go thru the lengths this family did. Yes, even when faced with their crazy situation. Also, the ending wasn't the best. While, I like the left turn the author took at the end of this book, I felt the rendering of it wasn't done just quite right. It was too short and too vague, leaving me with a resentful WTF.
Overall, the author is promising. I don't think my far from happy experience with this book is shows on the author in any way. I think the fault all lies in my maturity level and obviously, I way past middle school. I'm sure this book would be wonderful with a zombie or dystopian loving tween and as mentioned before, real props for the ingenuity of this story plot.

ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

AND FOR MORE ADDED FUN, I'm hosting a giveaway right now for this book. Follow the link for the giveaway!
http://ljduett.blogspot.com/2012/12/t...

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Dec 17, 2012 Allie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: advanced-reader-s-copy, young-adult, horror, romance

I'd been really dragging on finishing this book, which I received as a goodreads First Read, but I finally decided that today I would sit down and finish it. 90 minutes later...and here I am.

I'm not exactly sure what to say about the book. Freivald's concept of a semi-functioning zombie is really fun (something that I positively loved about Dearly, Departed), but I felt like even the super likable characters couldn't keep the plot from falling completely flat. Essentially Ani (our zombie girl)...more I'd been really dragging on finishing this book, which I received as a goodreads First Read, but I finally decided that today I would sit down and finish it. 90 minutes later...and here I am.

I'm not exactly sure what to say about the book. Freivald's concept of a semi-functioning zombie is really fun (something that I positively loved about Dearly, Departed), but I felt like even the super likable characters couldn't keep the plot from falling completely flat. Essentially Ani (our zombie girl) has to act as though she is an incredibly emo/gothic girl, even though she would much rather be listening to Katy Perry and wearing pink. Why? Because it makes it easier to hide her zombification. So Ani has a group of emo friends, a mom/scientist keeping her alive, and her super popular, quasi-love interest, Mike. All of the characters were well-written and developed.

So why three stars (We will say more like 2.8)? Well, I honestly felt as though I spent the entire book waiting for something to happen. Waiting for a zombie attack from Dylan. Waiting for someone else to find out Ani's secret. Waiting for Mommy/Scientist to come up with a cure. None of those things happened. What did happen was a lot of high school bullying, which seemed slightly unrealistic to me, especially since all of these girls were touching Ani-zombie and attempting to jump her in the bathroom. Multiple times. Why did Ani end up in the bathroom so many times? She doesn't need to use it. Moreover, when did girls become so physically violent? Some of the fights described were so graphic that I felt as though I was watching a mutant-MMA match. Seriously girl....just stop going into the bathroom alone.

Also, I felt like there were some really heavy issues (like drug and alcohol abuse as well as self-mutilation) that were introduced but never adequately dealt with--at least not in a manner that I would have deemed appropriate.

Not to mention the problems caused by parents dating again, cancer,obsessive behavior, and struggling to succeed academically (see what I mean by quite a few issues/conflicts?)

Oh also....the end of the book...I mean....I won't spoil it for anyone who intends to read the story, but instead of being a fun and shocking twist...it just left me feeling even more "meh."

I'm grateful to have had the chance to read this book---and I loved the cast of characters that Freivald created in this story---I'd just love to read something of his with a more unified, coherent plot.
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About Patrick Freivald

About me... Where to start?

I'm a busy guy. My "day job" is high school teacher--physics, robotics, and American Sign Language--in a tiny Western New York town. As part of that I put in 600+ hours a year running a FIRST Robotics team (www.team1551.org), and I teach night classes at a community college. I'm on three committees at work (and chair one of them), sit on my local School Board, and am Vi...more About me... Where to start?

I'm a busy guy. My "day job" is high school teacher--physics, robotics, and American Sign Language--in a tiny Western New York town. As part of that I put in 600+ hours a year running a FIRST Robotics team (www.team1551.org), and I teach night classes at a community college. I'm on three committees at work (and chair one of them), sit on my local School Board, and am Vice President of the Ontario Finger Lakes Beekeeping Association (www.ontariocountybeekeepers.org). I'm a self-employed beekeeper and, what brings me here, I'm also a novelist. I'm an outspoken, opinionated, unapologetic geek, fascinated by nature and people in equal measure.

I live in the middle of gorgeous nowhere and I love it here. You've heard of a one-stoplight town? We don't have one of those. What we do have is tens of thousands of acres of state forest, including two of the most beautiful lakes in the country, and great Buffalo wings.

The Redhead(tm) and I grow most of our own food (much of which she cans), I make my own wine (some of it drinkable), try to read at least one book a week (though lately it's more like one a month), and still manage to squeeze in the occasional game of Warhammer 40K with my friends. At home we have two dogs, a parrot, a cockatiel, six cats, and several million stinging insects. We're thinking about adding chickens. Maybe some sheep.

The question that this information usually provokes is, how? And more importantly, why? Why not just relax a bit?

Well, I'm a lazy, ADD-riddled workaholic. I guess what it comes down to is that I don't like being bored. I don't watch much TV, though when I do I tend to chew through entire seasons in a weekend--Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Dexter.... I wake up in the morning between six and seven, go to bed around midnight, and don't take many breaks in-between. I don't like being idle, I don't like just doing nothing, and (in the interest of complete honesty) I sometimes half-ass things like yard work, tend to neglect my friends, and don't have kids. (The Redhead(tm) gets neglected too, but that's the secret of our happy marriage--we try not to spend too much time together!)

I like Stephen King more than Dean Koontz--though Koontz's writing is tighter and cleaner--because King's fiction is messy in all the right ways. Koontz is fun to read, but [spoiler alert!] the good guys always win, even if they're quite worse off for the victory. George R. R. Martin beats out Robert Jordan, because Jordan's fight scenes are perfunctory--you know that nobody important is going to die, and no amount of well-written battle scenes will make a foregone conclusion as exciting as an unknown one. There's no script immunity in King and Martin (and Straub and Barker and so many others), and it brings real, visceral tension to their work. I've been known to sit through books and movies I don't particularly enjoy if I don't know how it's going to end up, and I'm usually glad I did.

I don't consider myself a Young Adult author, or a zombie author, or even a horror or thriller author. I write what I feel like writing, and I don't much care what genre other people decide it is. That said, I've always enjoyed things that are a little off-center. Fantasy and Science Fiction are great, and I do love them, but they don't have that certain something special you get from horror. Horror is a slight left-turn from everyday life. Horror is that feeling that we're all just one closet door away from the cenobites. Horror is that creeping, late-night sensation that everything might not be what it seems...and you don't want to know the truth.(less)

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