Odium (The Dead Saga, #1) in Riley's Reads {REDHEADAPOCALYPSE SUPPORT GROUP}

Nov 21, 2016 ✰ Liz ✰ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: best-leading-lady, action-packed, girl-power, dark-and-gritty, my-heart-can-barely-take-it, high-angst-alert, fighter, copy-for-review, zombie

"RUN! You fall, you die."

Odium is the first book in the Dead Saga. With the original blend of sci-fi, horror, action, and a hint or romance, Claire C. Riley starts this series off with a bang.

description

"This can't be right. She's just a child."

Nina is living in hell. The world has been infested with deadly zombies. Although she should feel safe in the city behind the wall, instead she has witnessed and experienced horror, torture, and heartbreak. When the safety of a young girl named Emily is thr ...more

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Feb 01, 2015 Lo Bookfrantic rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc-review-ng, favorites, audio

4.5*** Suspenseful & Survival Stars

“I dream of blood, death, friends, & family, everyone dies! Sooner or later everyone dies; the dead will rise and eat you alive"

This book is not about happily ever after. It's a suspenseful thriller, full of action, sadness, angst, death, and emotions. There is a little bit of romance in between this entire depressing zombie apocalypse outbreak, which I really enjoyed a lot.

The story begins inside "The Walls", a safe place where humans ...more

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Oct 17, 2013 Becky Stephens rated it it was amazing

Shelves: zombies

Odium was a terrifying, exciting ride through a land of zombies. A land that is not rotten and black, as the self-proclaimed leaders behind the walls of the barricaded cities would have you believe, but alive and flourishing. Except for the dead that bring their rotten stench with them.

One of the many things I loved about this novel was how Claire C. Riley used the sense of smell, which is usually overlooked in zombie novels, to bring another level to the dead she created in this world. I felt l ...more

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Sep 14, 2013 Eli Constant rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reading, favorite-authors, rockstar-covers

I feel privileged to have read a beta-version of ODIUM and experienced its evolution into an ARC and publication document. Claire C. Riley has taken zombies to their roots, to those tried-and-true, shambling entities solely focused on filling decaying bellies with fresh flesh.

Claire C. Riley provides readers with depth and emotion not always seen in horror storylines; it's altogether fresh and unexpected. From the instant Nina climbs the wall to follow Emily into the unknown, she begins an inter ...more

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May 31, 2013 San rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

So I've been waiting for this book for a while now. After reading Ms Riley's debut book Limerence (which was a fantastic read, that you should totally check out.) I couldn't wait to get into Odium. A book about the Zombie Apocalypse and Survival. I had high hopes for this book as I love brains...ooops I mean Zombies and it didn't disappoint.

The main character in Odium is Nina a strong willed, Feisty, Stubborn and Snarky woman. Who has took it upon herself to look after a young girl called Emily ...more

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Oct 06, 2013 Mike rated it it was amazing

Odium is my very first Claire Riley book and will not be my last! She obviously has no problems killing off characters, burning bridges, and symbolically letting the empire win the ground war for Endor! (It’ll make sense after you read the book.)

This story was hilarious and horrifyingly descriptive, engaging as many senses as possible without employing a scratch-and-sniff cover and a free bucket of congealed ooze. Zombies are disgusting, messy, gross, and on their better days they tend to offend ...more

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Sep 30, 2013 Melanie Marsh rated it it was amazing

edit: I wrote this review a couple years ago. It all still applies now that I've re-read it.

Let me start by saying that I don’t read many zombie books. When I say “zombie books” I am referring to books that the main focus is about the zombie apocalypse and that sort of thing. I’ve read books where zombies make an appearance, and I have occasionally read a full on zombie book. There are only 3 or 4 so that come to mind when I think of a zombie book that I actually enjoyed and could really get in edit: I wrote this review a couple years ago. It all still applies now that I've re-read it.

Let me start by saying that I don’t read many zombie books. When I say “zombie books” I am referring to books that the main focus is about the zombie apocalypse and that sort of thing. I’ve read books where zombies make an appearance, and I have occasionally read a full on zombie book. There are only 3 or 4 so that come to mind when I think of a zombie book that I actually enjoyed and could really get into. This is one of them. To me, they usually feel repetitive and depressing. In my mind, there are only so many ways a zombie apocalypse can go. Now before you crucify me, read on.

Odium is not a book like the rest of them. Of course it is the same when it comes to the undead trying to eat the living and what is left of humanity is trying to find a way to survive. That is the very basic root of all zombie books and without those 2 elements, you can’t have a zombie book.

Essentially the story in Odium is about Nina and Emily Rose trying to make their way in the new world full of zombies and what few other survivors they can find who don’t just try to kill them on the spot. Emily Rose is a picture of purity and innocence. Nina is the woman who decided to stand up for her when she is being evicted from the so called “protection” of the walled city that shelters them from the zombies roaming the earth. Nina is who I think I would be like if I were to live this story. She is snarky, and hides behind sarcasm to protect her heart. She knows enough to get by and can protect herself in a pinch. She wants to help, but doesn’t want to become attached to anyone ever again. She’s pretty funny really. The story is told from her point of view. We are introduced to several other characters that, for the most part, are the people I would want to meet if I end up in this situation. Of course there are jerks, but life would be too easy if all the jerks conveniently got eaten by zombies. You would think they’d taste better or something and be more appealing to the zombies, but whatever. Just remember that sometimes, there are worse things out there than the zombies.

Claire Riley is a jerk. Just kidding, she’s actually pretty awesome. I say she’s a jerk because she got me so emotionally invested in her characters that I wanted to defend them myself. I wanted things to work out for some of them, and others I would love to have seen thrown to the zombies after being mildly tortured. She almost made me cry! She did such an amazing job of writing these characters that I really felt like I could feel what they were feeling and understand why they were doing the things they did. She lets us see through their eyes and feel their pain. She shows us how they have learned to adapt and appreciate the little things. She teaches us that maybe we as a people should really slow down and think about what we have and how lucky we are to have those things and the people we care about. She makes you think about how you would react and feel if you were in that situation. One paragraph will be the dark evil that is life at that time, and the next will show the light of life that still grows. Not all authors can make you feel so much in so few pages. Jerk.

Her zombie story itself is a little bit different. I don’t want to tell you how, because that will ruin it, but know that this isn’t your usual, oh I’m bitten, I’m going to turn kind of story. Nor is it, oh, I’ll just die before I turn kind of thing either. It was a nice change. Not drastic, but different enough to give it that unique spin that sets it apart from other zombie books.

Aside from loving her characterization, and liking the uniqueness of the zombie virus, something else I liked was one of the ideas for shelter. I’m not telling you what it was, but you will know it when you read it.

At the beginning of the book, Claire also gives you a quick idea of where she got her ideas for the characters. I thought that was a nice touch in giving the reader a little bit more into her head and why she did what.

My ONLY complaint about this book was the ending. It was not, in any way a bad ending. I just didn’t like the placement of the actual end. The story didn’t peter out or anything like that. It just felt somewhat abrupt. I wanted MORE MORE MORE! After I thought about this for most of today, I realized that had she not ended it where she did, she would have had to end it either a little bit earlier, or after the next conflict, and that won’t work because that will take away from the next book in the series. Which I will, without a doubt, 1000% read as soon as humanly possible. If I could stick a straw in Claire’s head right now and suck it out of her brain, I would. But I’m pretty sure if I did that she would be a little bit disappointed in my behavior.

I recommend this book to EVERYONE. Whether you like zombie books or not. This book is worth every second that you spend reading it and then some. I cannot wait for the next one! If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would. ...more

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Nov 02, 2014 Toni FGMAMTC rated it it was amazing

Shelves: apocalyptic, zombie, action

FGMAMTC Blog Review

I have no idea why I waited so long to read this book! I did not put it down after starting it. I lie. I did several times to look around (you know making sure my surroundings were still safe lol) and calm myself a little. I was leaning far enough on the edge of my seat so often that if someone would've tapped my shoulder, I would've done a face plant.

Nina is a wonderful character, so relatable. She is scared to death, but falls back on making jokes in her head so t ...more

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Feb 09, 2014 Gail rated it it was amazing

Another zombie apocalypse novel? Haven’t they been done to death? No, apparently they have not. Claire C. Riley is not trying to figure out why it happened, or cure it, or even gives a rat’s rear end about the actual apocalypse it seems. What she does seem to care about is the story, her characters, and the web she is weaving to keep you from putting this book down. She is not above sacrificing her characters for the sake of the story either. Just when you start to really like someone, well, you ...more

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Aug 09, 2014 Stormy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014-reading-goal

Claire C Riley has managed to shove a whole bunch of bad-assery into one awesome book, and then make it even more BA. I am a huge fan of the Zombie genre. And I just happened to stumble across the Odium series in one of the zombie blogs that I follow. Instantly when I opened this book, I fell into this interesting world the Ms. Riley has built. Odium combines old school Zombies, with a modern take. She somehow managed to combine my love for the zombie world with my love for a crazy dysfunctional ...more

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Aug 24, 2014 K Dz rated it it was amazing

Humble, badass, loving, and sexy! Oh ya, and the constant gory oozy stinky zombies that have to be killed. On top of all that there is the caring, but not wanting to, the lust, and the ever evolving past lives that emerge to hinder their survival.
This is a must read. Claire C. Riley also continues this journey with Odium 2, but most importantly she has given us Odium Origins. She allows us to go back, and explore the history that makes Crunch, J.D., and others so much more.
Without spoilers, all ...more

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