The Cured

After the Cure #2

by Deirdre Gould

Henry spent eight years chained to a post. Exposed, starved, infected with the December Plague, and mad. During those eight years, the December Plague consumed most of the world's human population, causing the infected to become violent and cannibalistic.

But Henry escaped. And now he's been Cured. He vividly remembers what has been done to him and others. He can also recall the terrible things he did while he was infected. He and his fellow survivors face a world unlike anything they knew before. They are weak, lost and completely alone. Now released from both the madness of the Plague and the cruelty of their captors, they must decide which is more important: survival or revenge.

The Cured is a standalone novel in the world of After the Cure.

Genres: Zombies, Horror, Fiction, Post Apocalyptic, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

317 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 17, 2014

Reviews

[Reg · Rating 3 out of 5]

"What a stupid ending."
*immediately downloads book 3*

This is infinitely better than the first book. No weird zombie suck face scenes that constitute half the plot.. Characters I actually gave half a damn about. I wasn't as emotionally entrenched with them as I have been with other books - but - if certain characters had died, I'd have been all "Aww, that sucks" rather than yawned about it like I would have for any of book one's line up.

That said. Still only 3 stars. This book badly needs polish. There's so much potential. It just needs a little more loving care from the editorial staff. Someone to point out that it looks like someone typed this on their phone and it got autocorrected to shit. So now characters leave "angry nots" and open, well nothing, since the word "window" was completely omitted. Not to mention that Henry remember instead of remembers. (poor baby, that virus really did a number on your neural pathways, huh?)
There are also plenty of little things that just don't add up. Sometimes the author kind of writes in a passing explanation / cover up? that doesn't really satisfy. Sometimes she doesn't. One example is the zombie that is a super freaky expert at freaky fast ("I'm just here to deliver the sandwich you ordered, man!) ladder climbing. Eeeeeeven though it's already been established in both books that zombies can't climb shit.

I make it sound terrible but it's really not that bad. You just need to be able to forgive the errors. It's a pretty good story and as unsatisfied as I have been with both book endings (I know cliffhangers are *supposed* to do that but goddamn) I want to know what happens in the world of the December Plague.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as long and draggy as the first one but the ending ducks worse than any book I’ve read this year!

[Stevie (Books & Barks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I actually liked this second book even more than the first!

I loved seeing the apocalypse from the side of the cured. I loved seeing how the world would work trying to balance both the immunes with the cured. They did a great job as well at linking the first book to this one.

A few reviews have complained about the ending, which I genuinely don't understand, so much so that I downloaded book 3 as soon as I was done this one.

[Tracy Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Invested= Infected...
Sigh.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the middle of After the Cure, Nella and Frank cure a group of Infected, but can’t stop to take care of them until they wake up. Instead, Nella leaves them a note while Frank gathers firewood and blankets, and they leave the sleeping Infected—now sleeping Cured—with enough supplies for a few days and a fervent hope that they’ll have time to return before the Cured wake up from the tranquilizer dart that’s part of the cure, with no idea where they are and what has happened since then.

I thought at the time that we’re probably see that group again, and here they are—the new central characters after Frank and Nella left on a goodwill mission down the coast in the first book. This gave us an entire different side of life both during and after the December Plague, and even a new perspective on The City. For the first time, we roll back to the time of the actual Plague itself, with Henry fleeing with friends to a hunting lodge, and making what would end up being the tragic mistake of bringing Phil to safety, after he finds the other man injured from a snowmobile accident. The act of kindness leads Henry and others into an 8 year hell, that they only emerge from after being cured by Nella and Henry—who do not make it back in time to meet the group while they’re still recovering.

We saw the first first story largely through the eyes of Nella, an Immune. Now we see through the eyes of Henry and other Cured, and discover that things are ve-ry different for them, in every way. Everything from their jobs to the housing to their food is different, and worse, than what is available to Immunes. There is a dark side to the City, and it was one I should have expected, but didn’t see until now.

We ended the book on a note of hope mixed with fear, and while I’d grown attached to Henry, Vincent, Melissa—yes, even Rickey—I was missing Nella and Frank and looking forward to seeing them again.

[Lisa Rector · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending? It didn’t make sense. I thought the whole novel was pretty interesting, seeing the Cured’s point of view after waking up. But then Henry’s vendetta just became a little too much. I liked seeing the society that the City had become. It was all pretty fascinating, which is what kept me reading. Some of the characters went on for very long narrations. It was often hard to tell who was talking.

And then the ending on the very last page... what the what? I plan to keep reading because I want to get back to the story with the characters from the first novel.

Reader Rated for ages 16+ for moderate violence and gore, and mild language.

Note. Again, this did not affect my rating, but this novel needs as much, maybe even more, editing than the first one.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting. I became highly invested into it as soon as I began to see the overlap between the first two book. I was not very invested into some of the characters, but others I felt that they had a great plot. I felt that this book was better than the first, but the story arch was a little flat, even towards the end. I feel that there could have been more depth in the end of the book because it felt so rushed.
Overall another great book, and I'm booking towards to reading the next one.

[Alyssia Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this novel although there are a few consistency errors within the story. The view change to the Cured rather than Immune was interesting, the plot line was linear but kept me engaged and the group of characters were varied enough and allowed me to invest in them.

The ending was rather disappointing; it just seemed to be left hanging rather than a proper cliffhanger. And the climax is rushed; the climax could have been another 50 pages long... but it just seemed to rocket towards the finale and boom sizzle fizz.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it as much as the first, although they are very different books.

The first really sets the scene and deals with the main issue of the plague, this book shows daily life, a darker side to humanity.

Bringing together lots of people with different stories, there’s a nice hook at the end to lead into book 3!

[Deborah Colgrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great continuation of a great story

Can not wait to ready the next book. I read the first one and had to get the next three. Now I have to stretch the next two books til I got paid again. Deirdre Gould is a very talented writer and I can not wait to read more of her books.

[Carol Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, possibly more so than the first. It moved at a good pace, and I could almost see the characters. It left on a cliffhanger too so I am really looking forward to reading the next one

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good!

[Liz Otter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting take on zombies

What I like about this book is the twist on zombies. It's a nice blend of psychological thriller and zombies.

[Kelly-Marie Pollock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! From start to finish!

[Robin Miura · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty good

I liked the first one better, the characters were more like able but I guess in an apocalypse there are always good and bad. I can’t wait to read more though

[Samantha McFarland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how each book has different perspectives of people who experienced the plague. The first one was somebody who wasn't infected, the second one is somebody that was infected and got cured

[Elisa Liana Mendoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Little Slower

Great sequel! Kinda slow going but I still enjoyed reading about Henry and his promises. Finally going to finish this collection. Been waiting since 2015 to read the second book!!

[Ken Sodemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A look at classism/racism through the lens of a post-zombie(ish)-apocalyptic world. Interesting.

[Billie Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended

[A Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

This had me at the edge of my seat, I was glad to see how the Cured survived and more of the workings of the City. Can't wait to start the next book!

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say 3.5 stars. The short synopsis really tells the high level plot. I liked Henry. I felt bad for him. I also thought this was interesting...we get an inside glimpse into a "zombie"'s mind. I thought it was a different version. But, as in all end-of-the-world novels, there are tons of bad guys too. I enjoy these types of stories and really liked that the author didn't go into TOO much detail. I don't need nitty gritty of the things bad guys can do to fully understand how bad the world is. I know. The author gives just enough information to get the picture, but not so much as to cause me nightmares that I truly don't need.

I have two concerns. My first is a nit pick and I understand that. It probably wouldn't bother everyone...and definitely not enough to make you not read it. There is one scene where the author mentions a shovel left at some stairs...and how the character forgot. But they don't really mention it EVER again. It just seemed very much like a Chekhov's gun. In fact, i kept waiting for the shoe to drop. And it never really did...I mean, yes, the bad guy admits he knows who the character is..but doesn't say because of the shovel (unless I missed that part - besides...how would the shovel tell him?).

Second is that this was not a complete book. I tried to look in the description and nothing really says this is a series. I like the book and will read the next...but would have liked to have known before hand so I would not have expected a complete wrap up.

Overall, a pretty good book. I liked the different take on zombie apocalypse.

[Lucas Hamasaki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Damn. I really wanted to like this. I really did.

This was better than the first book in a way. I really couldn't stand Frank.

But... well. First, the whole "EVERYBODY HATES US" was too much. I get it, okay. Society isn't exactly happy to have you there. I'm transgender, I live it everyday. But it was TOO forced. I mean, the Governor losing his temper? Come on. Give me a break.

Henry's need to have his revenge. And then not giving a damn about everybody else cause HENRY WANTS HIS REVENGE AND HENRY IS ALL THAT MATTERS. Ugh. Get over yourself, asshole. He was no better than Phil, I'm sorry.

And then Henry putting himself over everybody again cause HENRY CARES ABOUT MARNIE AND MARNIE IS ALL THAT MATTERS CAUSE HENRY. I mean, I care about Marnie too, she was just a kid. But this dude got people to leave the City, follow him, and now he can't even be bothered to work on their place? And now that they need to protect the place against possibly infected people, he doesn't want to CAUSE HENRY CARED ABOUT MARNIE.

Henry is just too stupid and selfish to be a MC worthy of rooting for.

Also, how did he survive? Ann was infected a long time and her brain got ruined. Henry was infected even longer and he is fine - other than his enormous stupidity.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry the normal guy who tends to have a friend that is as he calls him "useless" just as the “December Plague” begins. Had he stayed in his apartment and not went with his friend would things be different? Who knows and now it does not matter. The plague has a cure but it takes Henry and his new found groupies the longest to get to it. Back to the normal in life as it is now. Henry’s group must make a lot of decisions. They must learn to live with the past, almost a decade, 8 years in fact since the beginning, in this new world and figure out whether they should good or bad. There are a lot of moral situations in this story and had it not been for all the retelling of many details I would have given this 5 stars but sometimes it is just too much. I truly did enjoy this book it was different than a lot of post-apocalyptic tales I have read it comes with a lot of twist and turns. I really want to know what happens in the next book but for now I need to go back a bit and read the first book in this series! This book is a tale of its own and as you can see can be read without having read the first.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let it be a good man that finds her and not a monster.”
It’s been eight years since the December plague had been released and six years after the cure was found that Henry finally became cured. This book was about the fight for becoming truly human or staying a monster.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The ending was just a hair disappointing because it just ended with a new character. I hope that the next book in the series will touch back with Henry and his crew just like this book had a few mentions of things in the previous book.
I think what I like most about this series is that we are meeting new characters and seeing new points of views without leaving the world that was created. It’s neat and somehow I think all the characters will connect. At least I’m hoping so. Now to start the next one.

[Merawlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is described as a standalone, it does help to have read the first novel since it is weaved with it and many events happening in the first story are just briefly touched in this one and not well explained (like Nella and Frank's part in Henry's group being cured).

This story is about the point of view of an Infected before the infection and then after the Cure. It is a gripping story that reveals the ugliness of "humanity" in all it's form, from what happened in the Lodge (horrifying and disturbing) to how the Cured are basically nothing more than second-class citizens in a twisted form of segregation from the Immunes.

It did lag on for a bit, and ended with a "WTF?!" ending which, hopefully, hints at things to come.

Still, it is a good "Zombie" novel that has a unusual twist compared to what is found in this literary genre.

[Renee Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cured by Deidre Gould This book drew me in from the first page and kept me chomping at the bit to the end. It is a heart-wrenching story. It made me think of the real word an what we would actually do if a deathly virus hit and took over three quarters of the world. In this story, the virus is finally over. Now we have a trial bringing those responsible to the chopping block. One person tries to keep control and power by sending an attorney and a doctor on a wild goose chase in a part of the world which still carries danger.
I will not go any further as I do not wish to spoil the story.I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am currently reading the next in the series "After The Cured" which is also excellent. Ms. Gould is a wonderful and exciting author. I am now new fan and follower.

[Genesis Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. It covers a virus that causes a zombie apocalypse in a unique way . . . these aren't the undead and they can be cured. Henry is one of the early Infected and one of the last to be cured. He spends 8 years doing horrible things, but once he's Cured he is a man on a mission, to fulfill a promise he made before he fell ill, to protect a little girl.

The only issue I had with this was that there was a lot of excess revealing of the past. The characters talk about it over and over, so while it can be a good way to reveal what happened, there was a lot of rehashing that was kind of dull. The rest, however, was excellent and I immediately bought the second book when I finished the first.

[Krisha Burnett scannapieco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deirdre Gould's After The Cure series is amazing! All three of the books in the series so far are told during the same period of time from different POV's. Without giving too many spoilers, the story takes place in the 8 years following a zombie like apocalypse and what happens after a cure is found with a potential new disaster looming on the horizon. Deirdre's characters are rich, complex and draw you in to their trials, tribulations, and triumphs. Her ability to write about the human condition and the emotions following survival in a world that has been devastated by unimaginable horrors is captivating and enthralling. If you are looking for a new take on dystopian post apocalyptic fiction, then this series is not to be missed!

[Lesli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the tie in to the first book. I enjoyed the characters...even Rickey who I wanted to kill when he opened his mouth. But there is only so much suffering and terrible people that can be written before it becomes the same song different verse. I write this as I have already finished the next book. Also from the first book and the next, there is NOT ENOUGH PUNISHMENT FOR THE WICKED!!! There are some really evil people in this book and I am still screaming for more justice. The author makes the case of forgiveness and how many lives can one person die? You want them to die a 1000 painful deaths.