Absolutely fantastic story. And one I'd highly recommend. If you like The Stand, zombies, even Blood Red Road, strong female characters, self-discover...moreAbsolutely fantastic story. And one I'd highly recommend. If you like The Stand, zombies, even Blood Red Road, strong female characters, self-discovery which goes hand in hand with rich characterization, post-apocalyptic settings, let's see, oh yeah, don't mind a bleak, haunting, terribly depressing yet deeply moving story, then I'd definitely give this gem of a book a try. Bonus, it's beautifully written. (less)
So, so disappointing. Very boring. Very dry. Very . . . Basically, I couldn't get into Dearly, Departed to save my life. Which is such a shame, for I'...moreSo, so disappointing. Very boring. Very dry. Very . . . Basically, I couldn't get into Dearly, Departed to save my life. Which is such a shame, for I've been looking forward to this novel's release. No seriously. For real. Steampunk, oh how I love thee. Zombies, I can hang with you guys, I'm down with it. Futuristic society, hello awesomeness! I mean, the premise, so unique, right? You can see why yours truly was super stoked to get her hands on this gem. *sighs and sports a frowny face* Yet the info-dumps and the info-dumps and the zombie love? O-kay. Skin is falling off, the guy is described as a rotting corpse and I'm supposed to buy into the love? I'm supposed to feel it? You know what I'm feeling? My stomach whirling, as in I'm about to hurl. I reached page I-don't-know-what (nearing 100) and that was it for me. Such a shame. Such a cryin' shame.(less)
Words cannot explain how detached I felt from the characters in this novel, from even the story itself. The Forest of Hands and Teeth has received rav...moreWords cannot explain how detached I felt from the characters in this novel, from even the story itself. The Forest of Hands and Teeth has received rave reviews, plenty o'5 stars, so when I flipped open this baby, I was expecting to be wowed like there's no tomorrow. Um, that's not exactly what happened. More like confusion, more like flashbacks to a certain movie. It started with the "love affair" - I use this phrase loosely. It completely came out of nowhere. I didn't get it. I didn't understand it. And you better believe I didn't feel it. Throughout my reading experience, I felt like I was reading M. NIght Shamalan's "The Village". Obviously this book wasn't for me. I didn't even understand the overall plot. Zombies? Again, I'm surprised the main character wasn't blind. Just saying. (less)
I’m like a fountain gushing about with adulation for Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. Does that even make sense? Anyhow, moving on. Let’s see, how can I e...moreI’m like a fountain gushing about with adulation for Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. Does that even make sense? Anyhow, moving on. Let’s see, how can I even begin to describe the awesomeness that is this novel? How’s this? Quirky rollicking good time. Or this? Lighthearted merriment. I have absolutely, positively nothing negative to say, or type, about this novel. It’s pure fun as stated repeatedly within this paragraph.
I’ll spare you a blow-by-blow description of this book. Goodreads does an ample job at that. What I will tell you is that I enjoyed the melange of supernatural creatures peppered throughout. Necromancers, werewolves, Death, witches, zombies. For someone like me, who gets bored easily, having many creatures featured is a definite plus. Variety is the spice of life. Speaking of variety, I also loved the switch in narrative. Samhain - the necromancer main character - was always written in 1st person POV. The author then would switch to 3rd person with a few of the characters. I am a fan of that style, and it made for a fun reading experience.
From the first page to the last, readers are in for a treat. And I must say, I enjoy the snarky tone.
Reasons I love Samhain or Sam for short (in no particular order, except for number 1): 1) He’s a vegetarian 2) He doesn’t whine over the fact that his parents are divorced 3) He doesn’t wish upon a twinkling star for his parents to get back together 4) He’s a necromancer, which, by the by, is my new fave supernatural ability and a super handy one at that.
Gushing continued:
Love the title Love all the characters. Even the nefarious ones. Love the dialogue.
*blows kisses to Lish McBride*. I certainly hope this becomes a series. And breaking news - just found out that another book is on its way. Scheduled release 2012. Yippee, hooray! (less)
Feed was interesting, to say the least. While reading, I’ve been wont to skim if the material is boring me to tears. Then, if it becomes too much, in...moreFeed was interesting, to say the least. While reading, I’ve been wont to skim if the material is boring me to tears. Then, if it becomes too much, in lieu of skimming, I simply stop reading. I have to say that the beginning of Feed dragged a bit. This phenomenon occurred after the protagonists Georgia and Shaun Mason and zombies were introduced along with the setup/background. But something strange happened - I continued reading. I did not skim. Whatsoever.
Before I get into why, I’m going to start off by saying that I despise politics. The story itself follows a few bloggers on a presidential campaign trail. At times I felt like I was watching CNN news coverage. Which is obviously how it was supposed to be read. Snoozefest. With that said, it was a miracle that I didn't once skim over any of the text within Feed. If this had been another book, I would have quit reading. However, I loved the dynamic duo comprised of sister and brother Georgia and Shaun. I was drawn in by these for a a few reasons: their fierce closeness and their dedication and passion to blogging to the world about events as a result of the Kellis-Amberlee outbreak. They tell the truth. What isn’t there to like about individuals like them? True whistle-blowers. They trumped my dislike of the campaign trail.
Starting around page 250 some actiony things happened, especially the last 200 pages. And from there it became unputdownable for me, only because as stated above, I do not like politics.
What I love is how the virus is totally believable. Maybe not so much the zombies and reanimation (who knows what Big Brother has created that society isn't privy to?), but more like what happens when scientists play God and mess around with things they shouldn’t. This book goes into just that. Add in zombies to the mix, and you have a scary world, very, very much like our own (sans zombies) that author Mira Grant has created.
Mad props go to Grant for her attention to detail and the countless hours of research logged to create a believable virus and explain what happens to individuals upon infection. A tip of the hat to you, Mira.
And finally, I knew I was connected to this novel and the characters when I cried (re: bawled). I will not give away any spoilers, but there are some tender/emotional scenes that Grant did an awesome job at writing. It completely translated off the pages for me. And pissed me off in the process. I don’t cry easily when it comes to novels, but when I do, it is indicative of me not only loving the book, but the characters as well. And one more thing. I loved the blog entries that each chapter ended with.
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