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Slack Jaw
Aran Islands, Ireland. Samantha Prendergast yearns to belong. With no family to call her own, the commercial skipper prays the woman she loves will accept the engagement ring nestled in her pocket. And when the answer is yes, she and her bride-to-be sail to Galway—and straight into a city afflicted with a terrifying sickness. Taking refuge in a pub and leaving desperate victims trapped outside, Samantha’s gut twists when her soft-hearted fiancée is horrified by their life-saving actions. And though her brutal efforts allow them to escape back home, the infection has arrived ahead of them to turn faithful friends into slavering fiends. As death closes in, will Samantha succumb to madness and guilt? Slack Jaw is a heartrending book in the Weep post-apocalyptic science fiction series. If you like flawed-but-dogged heroines, nightmarish survival tales, and striving for redemption, then you’ll adore Eoin Brady’s storm-tossed nail-biter.
596 pages, Paperback
Published August 25, 2023
413 people are currently reading
1191 people want to read
About the author
Eoin Brady
7 books85 followersPick up your FREE copy of A Ring of Oak and Apple here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/wik9sxb2sy
Eoin Brady is the author of apocalyptic horror, epic fantasy, and contemporary romance novels, most of which are set in Ireland, where he lives and writes. Weep, his most recent story, begins on the West of Ireland as the country is ravaged by a mysterious disease.
He is currently writing three series: Weep (Post-apocalyptic horror), Somniloquent (Epic fantasy) and I'm Not Saying It (Contemporary romance). There are a few standalones in the pipeline also.
To find out more check out https://www.facebook.com/EoinBradyAut...
Eoin Brady is the author of apocalyptic horror, epic fantasy, and contemporary romance novels, most of which are set in Ireland, where he lives and writes. Weep, his most recent story, begins on the West of Ireland as the country is ravaged by a mysterious disease.
He is currently writing three series: Weep (Post-apocalyptic horror), Somniloquent (Epic fantasy) and I'm Not Saying It (Contemporary romance). There are a few standalones in the pipeline also.
To find out more check out https://www.facebook.com/EoinBradyAut...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
dnfed
August 12, 2024DNF at 70%, I really tried but I didn't vibe with the storytelling style, I found it really hard to keep track of the passing of time and found the main character to be kind of wishy-washy.
No rating.
No rating.
June 22, 2024
A riveting read.
This is a truly gripping read, and I struggled to put it down. The main character, Samantha, is a joy, and we follow her on her journey through the story and the people she meets along the way. It's a real page-turner that kept me hooked to the very last page. I'm looking forward to the next book.
This is a truly gripping read, and I struggled to put it down. The main character, Samantha, is a joy, and we follow her on her journey through the story and the people she meets along the way. It's a real page-turner that kept me hooked to the very last page. I'm looking forward to the next book.
August 31, 2023
I personally didn't enjoy this book as much as the other one. Found Sam to be slightly irritating. Still a good read just think the second book had a better story line, found myself getting bored in parts.
January 8, 2025
This book was definitely slow to start, but as it went on, I found myself gripped in the story. I can’t wait to read book 2!
Truthfully, with how much we Irish love to talk about death, how we mourn (which is very macabre to the non-native eye), our misfortunate history and the theme of dehumanising hunger (it’s definitely giving ‘A Modest Proposal’), I truthfully don’t know why no one has thought about setting a Zombie fiction in Ireland before! At least, if they have, I’ve not seen it!
Also, very clever plot device that this ‘hunger’ was not natural, but was an attack by a foreign militia for profit!
My only criticism is, and I’ll just go out there and say it- I just did not like Aoife. She was annoying and an obvious martyr. I liked her when she was dead more though, because it added complexity to Samantha’s Character, but I couldn’t sympathise with Samantha’s grief at all- because I honestly think that Samantha would have had enough of Aoife if death had not put her on this saintly pedestal in her grief-stricken reminiscing. I also definitely think that Aoife’s idolisation is linked to Sam’s own self loathing, and is a byproduct of this loathing rather than a testament to their love or Aoife’s character.
It also rings true that, as the survivalist of this novel, Samantha is more enamoured by Aoife in death than in life, (because she was also just so mean to Aoife, and seemed really resentful of her in life). Weirdly, this world of death is one where Samantha thrives and where her autonomy and selfishness is unburdened by social convention, and makes her less a pariah and more a beacon of hope. She lives more in a world of death than she ever did in a world of life, where she moulded her life around others while harbouring her quiet resentment. Of course she falls more in love with Aoife when she dies, because it requires no sacrifice, no vulnerability, and can be used as a tool for self flagellation… through loving Aoife, she can immortalise her failures to have them haunt her forever.
that observation definitely makes me an awful person, but also, an honest one. If you liked Aoife, sorry I guess!
Truthfully, with how much we Irish love to talk about death, how we mourn (which is very macabre to the non-native eye), our misfortunate history and the theme of dehumanising hunger (it’s definitely giving ‘A Modest Proposal’), I truthfully don’t know why no one has thought about setting a Zombie fiction in Ireland before! At least, if they have, I’ve not seen it!
Also, very clever plot device that this ‘hunger’ was not natural, but was an attack by a foreign militia for profit!
My only criticism is, and I’ll just go out there and say it- I just did not like Aoife. She was annoying and an obvious martyr. I liked her when she was dead more though, because it added complexity to Samantha’s Character, but I couldn’t sympathise with Samantha’s grief at all- because I honestly think that Samantha would have had enough of Aoife if death had not put her on this saintly pedestal in her grief-stricken reminiscing. I also definitely think that Aoife’s idolisation is linked to Sam’s own self loathing, and is a byproduct of this loathing rather than a testament to their love or Aoife’s character.
It also rings true that, as the survivalist of this novel, Samantha is more enamoured by Aoife in death than in life, (because she was also just so mean to Aoife, and seemed really resentful of her in life). Weirdly, this world of death is one where Samantha thrives and where her autonomy and selfishness is unburdened by social convention, and makes her less a pariah and more a beacon of hope. She lives more in a world of death than she ever did in a world of life, where she moulded her life around others while harbouring her quiet resentment. Of course she falls more in love with Aoife when she dies, because it requires no sacrifice, no vulnerability, and can be used as a tool for self flagellation… through loving Aoife, she can immortalise her failures to have them haunt her forever.
that observation definitely makes me an awful person, but also, an honest one. If you liked Aoife, sorry I guess!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2025
The storytelling sped up throughout the book and got harder to understand, I found myself rereading the last couple sentences frequently in case I missed something.
Still a very twisting good story
Still a very twisting good story
May 15, 2024
Why Ireland? What were they thinking? Who did this and why? Are questions which ran through my head while reading. If you are ever in a zombie apocalypse, make sure you find yourself a “big bollocks”!
Loved this installment in the Weep series (I hope it’s not the last one)! Found myself up way past my bedtime because I couldn’t put it down.
Loved this installment in the Weep series (I hope it’s not the last one)! Found myself up way past my bedtime because I couldn’t put it down.
May 19, 2024
The book that got me reading age 38
Incredible couldn’t stop reading, haven’t read a book in years.
Starting the second book NOW!
Eoin Brady I am obsessed with your stories!
Incredible couldn’t stop reading, haven’t read a book in years.
Starting the second book NOW!
Eoin Brady I am obsessed with your stories!
October 8, 2024
This was a book and I read it. I love zombie books, I love post apocalyptic books. This one was hard. This should have been multiple books. This desperately DESPERATELY needed multiple POVs.
Incredibly promising beginning. Characters you fall for quickly. I love Samantha and her POV was incredibly vulnerable and raw. Action packed so quickly and it sucks you in.
But then it ends what feels like too early, then there’s a weird transition point
Then action packed again
Then ends to early
Then weird transition
Over and over.
There are some beautiful prose, and some genuinly good twists. While the transitions were horrid, and seeing everything from Samantha’s POV really makes you lose so much of the world, the action scenes were really fantastic. If this could have been multiple books with multiple POVs the world would be so much richer and the crazy circumstance moments could be really flushed out.
Incredibly promising beginning. Characters you fall for quickly. I love Samantha and her POV was incredibly vulnerable and raw. Action packed so quickly and it sucks you in.
But then it ends what feels like too early, then there’s a weird transition point
Then action packed again
Then ends to early
Then weird transition
Over and over.
There are some beautiful prose, and some genuinly good twists. While the transitions were horrid, and seeing everything from Samantha’s POV really makes you lose so much of the world, the action scenes were really fantastic. If this could have been multiple books with multiple POVs the world would be so much richer and the crazy circumstance moments could be really flushed out.
January 16, 2025
This one started quite promising but once the action started in Galway, it gets really frustrating how stupid some of the characters are. Aoife’s motivation to “help” overshadowed logic to the point I wasn’t rooting for her to make it.
It’s also frustrating to watch characters come up with a decent strategy and have every one of their plots fail. Sometimes you need a win or else it becomes repetitive. How am I going to be invested in the character’s survival when the established pattern is failure? I was very tempted to DNF multiple times and having finished the story, I can say it wasn’t really worth it.
Also, Samantha, please stop vomiting. We get it, you’re upset. There’s got to be some other way to show it.
It’s also frustrating to watch characters come up with a decent strategy and have every one of their plots fail. Sometimes you need a win or else it becomes repetitive. How am I going to be invested in the character’s survival when the established pattern is failure? I was very tempted to DNF multiple times and having finished the story, I can say it wasn’t really worth it.
Also, Samantha, please stop vomiting. We get it, you’re upset. There’s got to be some other way to show it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2024
Um so whoopsie, turns out this is the sequel? From what I can tell the two books are about different characters so idk if I screwed myself over here but this was…. interesting?? Nothing like anything I’ve ever read before, so many questions went unanswered and so many characters it was kind of hard to keep track at points, kind of hard to visualise because the setting is so out of my norm?? But I liked it, was very gripping and I guess I should read book 1 now!!!
June 20, 2024
An action packed adventure, really enjoyed reading this and was hard to put down at times. Came across it on TikTok, was lured in with it being a zombie apocalypse set in Ireland then was sold when I saw it was available on KU.
August 10, 2025
very good made me angry and sad
June 18, 2024
This book had me not wanting to put it down! A beautiful tale of love, loss and zombies!
July 14, 2024
3.75/5
Really enjoy the Irish twist on the post apocalyptic world with this series. Think Fins story in the other book in the series connected with me more but still enjoyed this one.
Interested to see where the story goes in the series after the developments in the second half of this book.
Really enjoy the Irish twist on the post apocalyptic world with this series. Think Fins story in the other book in the series connected with me more but still enjoyed this one.
Interested to see where the story goes in the series after the developments in the second half of this book.
October 26, 2025
Holy shit, I need more of this amazing series
January 22, 2023
I felt really blessed to be on the ARC team for this story. Wow! I truly enjoyed Slack Jaw. I could see the growth the author made as a writer since Weep released. As much as I enjoyed Weep and A Ring of Oak & Apple, I saw an obvious further polish to Slack Jaw in the detailed descriptions, vidid characters, and world building.
It kept me riveted throughout with mostly non-stop action. There were so many incredibly insightful moments that made the reader question what humanity is. Even though there was a lot of action, Sam's introspection was twined into it nearly seemlessly.
The inclusivity of alternate lifestyles, f/f, will probably gain the author many more readers. The MFC, Sam, and her significant other, Aoife, are definitely a case of opposites attracting, personality wise.
Those oppositional personalities drive a good portion of the story. How are two lovers going to act and react to an apocalypse when what drives them is so very different?
This exceptional story is about family. The family you are born to, and that which you create. It is also very much about community and how quickly your family and community can either pull together or turn on you in crisis.
I truly liked this sequel. It was well worth the wait. The author has an incredible talent in his ability to bring these characters to life.
You will laugh hysterically at some parts and sob your heart out at others. You will cheer for some characters and loudly curse others. Sometimes, you'll cheer and curse the same character within the same chapter.
Just an FYI... This story, Slack Jaw, while a sequel to Weep and set in the same world, does NOT include the characters FROM Weep, though I've been told they'll eventually cross paths in future stories. So, Fin from Weep is NOT in this book. You won't miss him too much, though, as the characters from this story grab you and take you on a wild ride.
Ready, set... READ!
It kept me riveted throughout with mostly non-stop action. There were so many incredibly insightful moments that made the reader question what humanity is. Even though there was a lot of action, Sam's introspection was twined into it nearly seemlessly.
The inclusivity of alternate lifestyles, f/f, will probably gain the author many more readers. The MFC, Sam, and her significant other, Aoife, are definitely a case of opposites attracting, personality wise.
Those oppositional personalities drive a good portion of the story. How are two lovers going to act and react to an apocalypse when what drives them is so very different?
This exceptional story is about family. The family you are born to, and that which you create. It is also very much about community and how quickly your family and community can either pull together or turn on you in crisis.
I truly liked this sequel. It was well worth the wait. The author has an incredible talent in his ability to bring these characters to life.
You will laugh hysterically at some parts and sob your heart out at others. You will cheer for some characters and loudly curse others. Sometimes, you'll cheer and curse the same character within the same chapter.
Just an FYI... This story, Slack Jaw, while a sequel to Weep and set in the same world, does NOT include the characters FROM Weep, though I've been told they'll eventually cross paths in future stories. So, Fin from Weep is NOT in this book. You won't miss him too much, though, as the characters from this story grab you and take you on a wild ride.
Ready, set... READ!
May 19, 2024
A creepy page turner where characters make the best decision with the info that they have.
May 14, 2024
Amazing stuff again, better and better ,I need more of this.
September 23, 2023
Great read.
This is an action-packed campaign, taking place over land and sea.
Not only are there the ever-present dangers that lurk, weeping in the dark, but there is also the loss of humanity's most valuable asset.
Hope.
What will one person do to survive? What will it cost her?
The journey will leave you breathless, aching to read to the end.
The question is, who will you find there and where to next?
Highly recommended read. I'm looking forward to more from this author.
This is an action-packed campaign, taking place over land and sea.
Not only are there the ever-present dangers that lurk, weeping in the dark, but there is also the loss of humanity's most valuable asset.
Hope.
What will one person do to survive? What will it cost her?
The journey will leave you breathless, aching to read to the end.
The question is, who will you find there and where to next?
Highly recommended read. I'm looking forward to more from this author.
November 25, 2023
Slack Jaw Weep
Wow. Brilliantly written, the descriptions of the Galway coast and the Arran Isles makes you want to be there, the Craic and the friendliness of the folk, before mayhem strikes. Then the fear, anger betrayal, trust all roll together making you fight with the Characters. If this is book 1 roll on book 2. Excellent read.
Wow. Brilliantly written, the descriptions of the Galway coast and the Arran Isles makes you want to be there, the Craic and the friendliness of the folk, before mayhem strikes. Then the fear, anger betrayal, trust all roll together making you fight with the Characters. If this is book 1 roll on book 2. Excellent read.
November 4, 2023
Epic zombie novel 🧟♂️
November 19, 2024
Truly an amazing book. I haven’t read a book that made me cry this much in a while. I don’t think that seamus is going to survive and it’s really upsetting bc he was one of my favorite characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2026
What a rollercoaster... (sorry for such a long review)
Characters:
Never in my life have I come across so many characters in one book before. I have to give credit to the author because he painted a very vivid picture of every character, no matter how integral to the story they were. Each character had their own individual personality, characteristics, and idiosyncrasies. Regarding Samantha, she is a complex woman who does very little to hide who she is, what she feels, and what she plans to do. You root for her, you root against her, you cry for her, you are angry at her, and you understand her; all things a main character should make you do. The only tiny change I would have about the characters is that some that received the spotlight didn't deserve it as much as other background characters (personally).
Storyline:
Getting into the mind of Eoin Brady would be something else because how he came up with most of this story befuddles me (in a good way). The story starts like that of a romcom, then becomes a little bit of a thriller, then just turns into full-on action horror. I could never guess what was going to happen next in the story, which decisions were going to be made, and I definitely could not work out what destruction was going to be caused. Now, the thing I didn't like...some things just didn't really make sense to me. Some things seemed rushed as well at times. I felt that it could also have been 2 different books, although I never stopped reading it, and to be able to keep me enthralled in a book that is 300 pages (never mind 600) is a mean feat.
Pacing:
This was the only reason the book was marked down from a 9 to an 8 for me. I do feel that having a book this long only be told from the main character's view made it feel a little sluggish at times. Especially when there are SO many characters to choose from, and so many side stories that are passed through rapidly. I do also feel that the action sequences could be very short, whereas some of the "boring" moments of characters talking/thinking things through could have been shaven down a little. I refer back to earlier as well when I say that this could easily have been 2 books instead of 1. Or maybe a few different viewpoints would make me feel different about that. It is the only part of the book I would say was a bit clumsy.
Ending:
Since this is such a lengthy book I am taking the last few chapters as the ending. I think it was wonderfully done. There were so many ways it could have gone. It could have followed the usual trope of the main characters escaping unscathed and showing how superhuman they are whilst laughing about it. It also could have ended without really anything happening and it is left on a cliffhanger that makes no sense (somehow the most common way books end - so annoying). With this book however, it didn't draw any punches (my poor Seamus - favourite character), it let you feel the hurt and mayhem right up until the end, and the last page made sense - it finished on a cliffhanger that I know will be revisited in the future.
Emotional impact:
What can I say? I dd feel every emotion whilst reading this book, the biggest one being anxiety. As I said earlier; I never knew what was going to happen next and it did keep me on my toes. There were occasions though where some deaths/scenarios were underplayed, so I didn't feel as much of an impact as I thought I would. All in all though, it played with my emotions on almost every page and that is exactly what I want!
A very intriguing book that I never really put down. It had its flaws but I am eager to move on to the next part in the series. Look out for that review.
8/10.
Characters:
Never in my life have I come across so many characters in one book before. I have to give credit to the author because he painted a very vivid picture of every character, no matter how integral to the story they were. Each character had their own individual personality, characteristics, and idiosyncrasies. Regarding Samantha, she is a complex woman who does very little to hide who she is, what she feels, and what she plans to do. You root for her, you root against her, you cry for her, you are angry at her, and you understand her; all things a main character should make you do. The only tiny change I would have about the characters is that some that received the spotlight didn't deserve it as much as other background characters (personally).
Storyline:
Getting into the mind of Eoin Brady would be something else because how he came up with most of this story befuddles me (in a good way). The story starts like that of a romcom, then becomes a little bit of a thriller, then just turns into full-on action horror. I could never guess what was going to happen next in the story, which decisions were going to be made, and I definitely could not work out what destruction was going to be caused. Now, the thing I didn't like...some things just didn't really make sense to me. Some things seemed rushed as well at times. I felt that it could also have been 2 different books, although I never stopped reading it, and to be able to keep me enthralled in a book that is 300 pages (never mind 600) is a mean feat.
Pacing:
This was the only reason the book was marked down from a 9 to an 8 for me. I do feel that having a book this long only be told from the main character's view made it feel a little sluggish at times. Especially when there are SO many characters to choose from, and so many side stories that are passed through rapidly. I do also feel that the action sequences could be very short, whereas some of the "boring" moments of characters talking/thinking things through could have been shaven down a little. I refer back to earlier as well when I say that this could easily have been 2 books instead of 1. Or maybe a few different viewpoints would make me feel different about that. It is the only part of the book I would say was a bit clumsy.
Ending:
Since this is such a lengthy book I am taking the last few chapters as the ending. I think it was wonderfully done. There were so many ways it could have gone. It could have followed the usual trope of the main characters escaping unscathed and showing how superhuman they are whilst laughing about it. It also could have ended without really anything happening and it is left on a cliffhanger that makes no sense (somehow the most common way books end - so annoying). With this book however, it didn't draw any punches (my poor Seamus - favourite character), it let you feel the hurt and mayhem right up until the end, and the last page made sense - it finished on a cliffhanger that I know will be revisited in the future.
Emotional impact:
What can I say? I dd feel every emotion whilst reading this book, the biggest one being anxiety. As I said earlier; I never knew what was going to happen next and it did keep me on my toes. There were occasions though where some deaths/scenarios were underplayed, so I didn't feel as much of an impact as I thought I would. All in all though, it played with my emotions on almost every page and that is exactly what I want!
A very intriguing book that I never really put down. It had its flaws but I am eager to move on to the next part in the series. Look out for that review.
8/10.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2025
In case you ever wondered how someone with a nervous stomach would handle a zombie apocalypse, now you know! Sam, Girl, you need to scavenge you some ginger chews or something, because you are going to die of malnutrition if you keep puking like that.
Also, I hate Aoife and I'm glad she's dead. I'm actually kind of curious if we were even meant to like Aoife, because everyone in the book seems to love her but she is objectively TERRRRRIBLE! Actually, the main relationship/love interest in The Irish Epidemic also seemed meh and poorly suited to each other, so I'm genuinely hoping this is on purpose, because if the author is writing these relationships from life, well... um... you do know that people who are in a relationship are normally meant to *like* each other, right?
If it's on purpose, which I'm going to assume it is because otherwise I'll be sad, then it's a fun choice, because Sam's disdain for Aoife is so palpable, and SO deserved. I love the idea that the person in the book with the biggest heart and purest morals is also the most useless gobshite (did I use that word correctly, Ireland?). It's absolutely hilarious, and I kind of wish that Aoife hadn't gotten bitten so quickly, even though she deserved to die in the first five minutes, just because I was having so much fun watching her walk Sam into danger after danger and then act all morally superior whenever Sam had to do anything to, you know, actually SURVIVE. It was kind of like a demented Over the Garden Wall, except that Greg had a heart of gold AND was arguably more competent that Wirt.
Domestic abuse is bad, but did Sam actually haul off and slap Aoife at one point, or was that just my wish-fulfillment fantasy?
Although most of the stuff that everyone did was pretty much useless, I really liked that, because it felt very realistic. Nothing really works and big risks don't pay off and it's all kind of pointless, and that's the point. I also liked the realism that the small island setting added. In The Irish Epidemic, it sometimes felt a little too precious that people were reluctant to kill the zombies, but here it makes a lot of sense, because everyone knows everyone, so they're killing their actual friends and neighbors.
I felt like there could have been some rich subtext with the starvation and the poisoned food, because, you know, IRELAND, but I didn't really find it. Everyone was too busy just tryna survive, I guess.
Also, I hate Aoife and I'm glad she's dead. I'm actually kind of curious if we were even meant to like Aoife, because everyone in the book seems to love her but she is objectively TERRRRRIBLE! Actually, the main relationship/love interest in The Irish Epidemic also seemed meh and poorly suited to each other, so I'm genuinely hoping this is on purpose, because if the author is writing these relationships from life, well... um... you do know that people who are in a relationship are normally meant to *like* each other, right?
If it's on purpose, which I'm going to assume it is because otherwise I'll be sad, then it's a fun choice, because Sam's disdain for Aoife is so palpable, and SO deserved. I love the idea that the person in the book with the biggest heart and purest morals is also the most useless gobshite (did I use that word correctly, Ireland?). It's absolutely hilarious, and I kind of wish that Aoife hadn't gotten bitten so quickly, even though she deserved to die in the first five minutes, just because I was having so much fun watching her walk Sam into danger after danger and then act all morally superior whenever Sam had to do anything to, you know, actually SURVIVE. It was kind of like a demented Over the Garden Wall, except that Greg had a heart of gold AND was arguably more competent that Wirt.
Domestic abuse is bad, but did Sam actually haul off and slap Aoife at one point, or was that just my wish-fulfillment fantasy?
Although most of the stuff that everyone did was pretty much useless, I really liked that, because it felt very realistic. Nothing really works and big risks don't pay off and it's all kind of pointless, and that's the point. I also liked the realism that the small island setting added. In The Irish Epidemic, it sometimes felt a little too precious that people were reluctant to kill the zombies, but here it makes a lot of sense, because everyone knows everyone, so they're killing their actual friends and neighbors.
I felt like there could have been some rich subtext with the starvation and the poisoned food, because, you know, IRELAND, but I didn't really find it. Everyone was too busy just tryna survive, I guess.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2025
2.5
I’m extremely conscious of the fact that as far as I can tell the Weep series is a nearly entirely independently run and published project, so coming in with a scathing critique really feels to me like there’s very little to be achieved from that beside meanness. So I’ll try keep this constructive.
The good - I stumbled upon Brady’s plugs on TikTok and they absolutely grabbed me and I was delighted that some of the early outbreak depictions in the book absolutely lived up to them. He has a talent for describing those tense close shave scenarios and does so very well. I will also say the overall concept is a good one, as someone who has regularly let their mind speculate what a zombie outbreak in Ireland looks like, a lot of what I’ve imagined was realised here. It’s also worth saying that though I answered “No” in relation to character development being a driving component of the book, there are some strong characters here. I also just like the fact that beside some singular moments, the book and narrative stays Irish, never straying into that territory of over-mirroring say American stories in the same sub genre and therefore losing that cultural identity.
The not so good - It’s too long. Or more specifically, it takes too long to complete certain milestones narratively and therefore the book overall runs too long. There’s also a disjointed nature to the storytelling at times. Early on this works in the books favour, whether intentional or not it helps put the reader right inside the chaos of the early stages but as the book continues this becomes very difficult and slows the reading pace down massively. For example there are moments when we find ourselves reading dialogue with zero indication of who it is coming from or who it is directed at. Similarly there’s several moments in the last quarter in particular where everyone that asks a question never gets an answer. Fair enough, you can have characters not audibly reply to someone for legitimate deliberate reasons, but the narrator should be giving context of how the character reacted physically etc. The final major hurdle I encountered though is that even though there are some strong characters like I stated above, there are others who truly flop over the threshold of difficult or conflicting and land right into irritating. It’s a fine line for any author to tread, I respect it being attempted but it doesn’t land here.
Ultimately I’m very deliberately sticking a .5 onto this rating. Though I don’t truly recommend this book, I really do want to read the next one as odd as it may seem. That is because I do see a talent here and an interesting universe, however if enough of the shortcomings in this book arise in the next that would then be me done with it I’m afraid.
I’m extremely conscious of the fact that as far as I can tell the Weep series is a nearly entirely independently run and published project, so coming in with a scathing critique really feels to me like there’s very little to be achieved from that beside meanness. So I’ll try keep this constructive.
The good - I stumbled upon Brady’s plugs on TikTok and they absolutely grabbed me and I was delighted that some of the early outbreak depictions in the book absolutely lived up to them. He has a talent for describing those tense close shave scenarios and does so very well. I will also say the overall concept is a good one, as someone who has regularly let their mind speculate what a zombie outbreak in Ireland looks like, a lot of what I’ve imagined was realised here. It’s also worth saying that though I answered “No” in relation to character development being a driving component of the book, there are some strong characters here. I also just like the fact that beside some singular moments, the book and narrative stays Irish, never straying into that territory of over-mirroring say American stories in the same sub genre and therefore losing that cultural identity.
The not so good - It’s too long. Or more specifically, it takes too long to complete certain milestones narratively and therefore the book overall runs too long. There’s also a disjointed nature to the storytelling at times. Early on this works in the books favour, whether intentional or not it helps put the reader right inside the chaos of the early stages but as the book continues this becomes very difficult and slows the reading pace down massively. For example there are moments when we find ourselves reading dialogue with zero indication of who it is coming from or who it is directed at. Similarly there’s several moments in the last quarter in particular where everyone that asks a question never gets an answer. Fair enough, you can have characters not audibly reply to someone for legitimate deliberate reasons, but the narrator should be giving context of how the character reacted physically etc. The final major hurdle I encountered though is that even though there are some strong characters like I stated above, there are others who truly flop over the threshold of difficult or conflicting and land right into irritating. It’s a fine line for any author to tread, I respect it being attempted but it doesn’t land here.
Ultimately I’m very deliberately sticking a .5 onto this rating. Though I don’t truly recommend this book, I really do want to read the next one as odd as it may seem. That is because I do see a talent here and an interesting universe, however if enough of the shortcomings in this book arise in the next that would then be me done with it I’m afraid.
October 19, 2024
"An optimist and a realist walk into a pub."
I found this book on TikTok. I actually saw an ad for the second one, not this one, but figured I should read this one first since it says it's the first in the series.
I wished I could have rated this book higher, but it became too repetitive very quickly. I don't think I've ever met a character that pukes more than Samantha (the MC). Even though she doesn't eat much in the book or sleep or use the bathroom. In fact, this book takes place over a series of days and she doesn't do any human activities.
This book's biggest struggle is pacing and the characters. Samantha is supposed to be this very selfish character (and that would work really well in the zombie apocalypse), but her fiancee isn't, which is an interesting foil. However, the zombies have only just started and about an hour in, her fiancee gets herself almost killed 3 separate times because of how stupid she is. In fact, everyone, but Samantha somehow, is super stupid.
But then there's an issue. Samantha becomes stupid and does things her character, as previously stated, would never do. I wish I could agree she had a change of heart through character development, but it happens so suddenly that you get whiplash.
This book introduces too many characters at once so you forget about them almost immediately and they die even sooner so you don't have any buy in when their jaws go slack or worse.
This book would have benefited from having chapters from multiple points of view, rather than just one voice.
I also found myself rereading sections because a plot point would happen and then I would go, "how on Earth did this happen?" and it seems as if there's large chunks of text missing. The sentences sometimes do not connect well enough that I was left wondering how we got to some plot points. There's a lot of showing, not telling happening. But even then, the book wasn't descriptive enough for me to figure out what was happening most of the time.
I almost DNF'ed this book. I want to keep my reading goal going, but this book was tough to get through, even though the TikTok ad I saw made it seem so cool.
I will say, I loved! the idea of Slack Jaws, the zombies in this book. The crying, they sometimes eat each other, they react so viciously to sound. I might try to read the other book in the series, with a different main character, to see if I like it more.
I found this book on TikTok. I actually saw an ad for the second one, not this one, but figured I should read this one first since it says it's the first in the series.
I wished I could have rated this book higher, but it became too repetitive very quickly. I don't think I've ever met a character that pukes more than Samantha (the MC). Even though she doesn't eat much in the book or sleep or use the bathroom. In fact, this book takes place over a series of days and she doesn't do any human activities.
This book's biggest struggle is pacing and the characters. Samantha is supposed to be this very selfish character (and that would work really well in the zombie apocalypse), but her fiancee isn't, which is an interesting foil. However, the zombies have only just started and about an hour in, her fiancee gets herself almost killed 3 separate times because of how stupid she is. In fact, everyone, but Samantha somehow, is super stupid.
But then there's an issue. Samantha becomes stupid and does things her character, as previously stated, would never do. I wish I could agree she had a change of heart through character development, but it happens so suddenly that you get whiplash.
This book introduces too many characters at once so you forget about them almost immediately and they die even sooner so you don't have any buy in when their jaws go slack or worse.
This book would have benefited from having chapters from multiple points of view, rather than just one voice.
I also found myself rereading sections because a plot point would happen and then I would go, "how on Earth did this happen?" and it seems as if there's large chunks of text missing. The sentences sometimes do not connect well enough that I was left wondering how we got to some plot points. There's a lot of showing, not telling happening. But even then, the book wasn't descriptive enough for me to figure out what was happening most of the time.
I almost DNF'ed this book. I want to keep my reading goal going, but this book was tough to get through, even though the TikTok ad I saw made it seem so cool.
I will say, I loved! the idea of Slack Jaws, the zombies in this book. The crying, they sometimes eat each other, they react so viciously to sound. I might try to read the other book in the series, with a different main character, to see if I like it more.
May 27, 2025
Eoin Brady is an incredible writer with a single caveat: horrible at writing ooey gooey romance. The relationship between Aoife & Samantha felt poorly written and contradicting at times.
While the beginning of the story is sticky-bun sweet with the cozy warmth of spending the holidays with family and announcing an important life event, Samantha becomes a horrible, shrewd partner at the first sign of Aoife not doing EXACTLY as Sam would in her shoes. I mean, Aoife barely blinked before Sam called her stupid. Sam considering leaving her on multiple occasions and even attempting to break her fingers for fear of dying with her is NOT the acts of someone deeply in love. That makes reading about Sam being lost and alone once Aoife dies kind of confusing because really? You were amazing with her before things went side-ways then you almost hated her and left her but NOWWWWWW you're thinking of how much life you were suppose to have together? Now you're thinking about how "in love" you were? How she meant so much to you? I don't know. It's either poorly written romance or Samantha is just a bad person. I'm not sure which one. I will say, there was more believable romance and tension between Sam and Seamus than there ever was between Sam and Aoife.
The ranting makes it seem like I hated the book or something but it's the direct opposite. I'm actually probably too passionate about it. It did take me a great deal of time to read it because the sickenly sweet beginning was a little too long-winded for me. I like my science fiction to start science fiction-y but that's just me.
If you like slow lead-up's, this is the book for you but warning: when things start, there is no stopping them. It's bad event after bad event, death after death, sharp turn after sharp turn. And I loved it. I loved saying good-bye to people we just met, I loved saying good-bye to established characters, I loved that nothing and no one was safe, I loved that I never knew what was coming next. In a world where the zombie apocalypse genre is SO oversaturated, it's refreshing to find a book where I couldn't guess what's going to happen on the next page.
I absolutely would read this again and quicker because I would know that it picks up and kicks you in the ass and doesn't apologize for it.
While the beginning of the story is sticky-bun sweet with the cozy warmth of spending the holidays with family and announcing an important life event, Samantha becomes a horrible, shrewd partner at the first sign of Aoife not doing EXACTLY as Sam would in her shoes. I mean, Aoife barely blinked before Sam called her stupid. Sam considering leaving her on multiple occasions and even attempting to break her fingers for fear of dying with her is NOT the acts of someone deeply in love. That makes reading about Sam being lost and alone once Aoife dies kind of confusing because really? You were amazing with her before things went side-ways then you almost hated her and left her but NOWWWWWW you're thinking of how much life you were suppose to have together? Now you're thinking about how "in love" you were? How she meant so much to you? I don't know. It's either poorly written romance or Samantha is just a bad person. I'm not sure which one. I will say, there was more believable romance and tension between Sam and Seamus than there ever was between Sam and Aoife.
The ranting makes it seem like I hated the book or something but it's the direct opposite. I'm actually probably too passionate about it. It did take me a great deal of time to read it because the sickenly sweet beginning was a little too long-winded for me. I like my science fiction to start science fiction-y but that's just me.
If you like slow lead-up's, this is the book for you but warning: when things start, there is no stopping them. It's bad event after bad event, death after death, sharp turn after sharp turn. And I loved it. I loved saying good-bye to people we just met, I loved saying good-bye to established characters, I loved that nothing and no one was safe, I loved that I never knew what was coming next. In a world where the zombie apocalypse genre is SO oversaturated, it's refreshing to find a book where I couldn't guess what's going to happen on the next page.
I absolutely would read this again and quicker because I would know that it picks up and kicks you in the ass and doesn't apologize for it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2024
I stumbled upon this book completley by accident.
I'm a huge 'zombie' fan and the Resident Evil books by S D Perry are some of my all time favourites.
This was a brilliant read and I'm so glad I found it. It didn't hold back on the descriptions and didn't focus too heavily on character relationships (just enough so we know who is who and what they mean to each other and of importance) I feel which could meant I could get alot more into the horror of what is happening and the outcome of what that does to a person.
I'm starting the other book as soon as I post this and I've seen it has a different main character so I'm intrigued where this next book will go and how different it will be.
Update: Just realised I may have read them in the wrong order. Oh well.
I'm a huge 'zombie' fan and the Resident Evil books by S D Perry are some of my all time favourites.
This was a brilliant read and I'm so glad I found it. It didn't hold back on the descriptions and didn't focus too heavily on character relationships (just enough so we know who is who and what they mean to each other and of importance) I feel which could meant I could get alot more into the horror of what is happening and the outcome of what that does to a person.
I'm starting the other book as soon as I post this and I've seen it has a different main character so I'm intrigued where this next book will go and how different it will be.
Update: Just realised I may have read them in the wrong order. Oh well.
April 26, 2024
The Zombie Apocalypse book I've been dying to find...
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I was surprised to be so engrossed by it because I often find Zombie books are typical, overdone and rarely depict the actual terror one might imagine a Zombie apocalypse entails.
This book was none of those things and really kept you captivated with the rollercoaster plotline. The characters and their arcs were well developed (though he leaves their appearance, age, etc up for your own imagination most of the time). Overall an excellent read and I strongly recommend for people who are lovers of zombies similar to World War Z.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I was surprised to be so engrossed by it because I often find Zombie books are typical, overdone and rarely depict the actual terror one might imagine a Zombie apocalypse entails.
This book was none of those things and really kept you captivated with the rollercoaster plotline. The characters and their arcs were well developed (though he leaves their appearance, age, etc up for your own imagination most of the time). Overall an excellent read and I strongly recommend for people who are lovers of zombies similar to World War Z.
September 17, 2024
A meaty read, brimming with Irish lingo - it made me homesick! Samantha is an engaging, flawed protagonist, and a lesbian professional yachtswoman stranded on an islands off Galway trying to get to her fiancée during a zombie apocalypse is certainly a unique one.
Looking forward to part 2.
(The author might want to include a pronunciation guide for names etc for those not blessed by being Irish. A friend picked up my copy and made a right mess of Aoife - Ay oy fee instead of Ee-fa - but I know a lot of people read hearing a voice in their head and it can be distracting when you get a name you have no idea how to say. )
Looking forward to part 2.
(The author might want to include a pronunciation guide for names etc for those not blessed by being Irish. A friend picked up my copy and made a right mess of Aoife - Ay oy fee instead of Ee-fa - but I know a lot of people read hearing a voice in their head and it can be distracting when you get a name you have no idea how to say. )
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