Book Review: Path Unchosen by Kim Cleary
Synopsis:
When eighteen-year-old Judy Hudson discovers she’s a necromancer and sees first-hand the pain her powers can cause the dead, she just wants to deny who she is. The zombie plague is long over. She wants to find a more normal life, but that’s a challenge when a beautiful otherworldly man, who claims to be her guardian, saves her life.
Judy tries to set right the harm she inflicted on a spirit she raised, but new zombies attack—zombies raised from among the long-time dead. Someone else just like her is out there, and he’s not trying to set anything right. To save her own life, and protect the innocent inhabitants of the nearby town who’ve become her friends, Judy has to figure out who’s raising the dead and why. She must also learn to control the darkness inside her—a seductive darkness that promises her power beyond her wildest dreams.
About the Author: 
Kim writes urban fantasy for anyone who longs to discover they are extraordinary. She writes about hopefulness and determination, and about heroes who push through extraordinary situations and obstacles, one step at a time. Magical friends and gorgeous guys help, or hinder, in one adventure after another.
When not writing, revising, or thinking about writing, Kim gardens, plays with her dog, chats on social media, catches up with friends or cooks an Indian feast. She is a member of Writers Victoria, Romance Writers of Australia, The Alliance of Independent Authors, and a certified chocoholic.
Kim grew up in Birmingham, UK, studied medieval history and psychology at Adelaide University in South Australia and has worked all over Australia and in London. She now lives with her husband and an adorable Cocker Spaniel in Melbourne, Australia.
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My Review:
With soooo many zombie books about nowadays it’s hard to find a good angle that hasn’t already been flogged to death, risen and been shot in the head. But Kim Cleary has actually managed this with Path Unchosen. To have your main character as a necromancer in the zombie invasion is a brilliant concept!
It kind of reminded me of ‘The Forest of Hands and Teeth’ where, although its set in the future, it very much feels like we’re with the characters in the past. The beginning of the book was a little slow to get cooking, the orphanage was very binding to the protagonist, Judy (as it should be) so I was chomping at the bit to see her spread her wings – which was probably what the author wanted. Sadly, even when Judy is free she doesn’t develop much as a character, and comes across still very child-like, even though she is supposed to be 18 – maybe because she had a sheltered life?
From a writer’s perspective, it was very well written with some lovely turns of phrase that really impressed me. The flow wasn’t overly steady though, and the plot seemed jerky at times. There were also a few grammatical errors – but hey you can probably find some here too of you look hard enough ;)
The front cover is nice, but doesn’t stand out to me. I think if it were to have Judy on the front and perhaps a more dystopian feel to it, it would be more attractive and represent the book much better.
Overall I’d give Path Unchosen 3 out of 5 stars. My hat is off to Kim Cleary for the whole concept and it’s a promising start to a new series.
Filed under: Book Review Tagged: Dark Fantasy, Daughter of Ravenswood #1, Kim Cleary, New Adult, paranormal, Path Unchosen, Urban Fantasy, xpresso book tours
