Donners of the Dead in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Feb 18, 2014 Rhiannon Frater rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorite-zombie-books

I just got horror fix and it was oh-so-good!

First off, I love Karina Halle's Experiment in Terror series so hard. She does scary very, very well. Though she's become immensely popular for her contemporary new adult Artist Trilogy, I honestly believe her voice excels when it comes to horror. Red Morning Sky (#3 in Experiment in Terror)is one of my all-time favorite horror novels. It scared the ever loving life out of me.

Therefore, when I heard she was doing a standalone horror novel and it would I just got horror fix and it was oh-so-good!

First off, I love Karina Halle's Experiment in Terror series so hard. She does scary very, very well. Though she's become immensely popular for her contemporary new adult Artist Trilogy, I honestly believe her voice excels when it comes to horror. Red Morning Sky (#3 in Experiment in Terror)is one of my all-time favorite horror novels. It scared the ever loving life out of me.

Therefore, when I heard she was doing a standalone horror novel and it would have zombies, I was thrilled.

Donners of the Dead takes a true life event, mixes in some Native American folklore, old West flavorin', and a heap of terror to deliver one of my favorite zombie reads in a long while. The whole story has a very nice Old West meets Night of the Living Dead feel to it. It's like a John Wayne movie directed by George Romero. You have the young, pretty half-Native girl, the rogue with a heart of gold, villains with secret agendas, a dash of romance, and plenty of monsters.

To our modern sensibilities, there will be some aspects of the story people won't like, but are true to the time period. The racism and sexism the main character faces throughout the book is unsettling. She's not only in danger because there are undead creatures stalking her party, but also because of her heritage and her gender. Our "cold-hearted" rogue tosses some pretty unseemly comments her way. Even when he starts to show there is more to him than a snarl, he continues to make comments that tend to reinforce their gender roles. It really did remind me a lot of John Wayne movies in that regard. Yet, it adds to the conflict of the story because Eve doesn't have an easy time of it. She really is set apart and alone in the world.

I've heard some criticism from others about the romance, but I didn't have a problem with it. Considering the time period, circumstances, etc...I could see emotions developing at an accelerated pace. Besides, most of the couples I know were instantly attracted to each other and that's why they started to date. In the time period the book was set, people courted with the intention of marriage, and young women often were married off in their teens to much older men. Eve acknowledges that her life is ruled by her uncle and that she'd even have any sort of say who she married wouldn't be expected.

Would I want to get hot and bothered if being stalked by zombies? Who's to say? If facing an inevitable death, I may just grab what little joy has left to offer.

I gobbled the book up and really enjoyed it a lot. Yes, there were a few things that made me scratch my head, but it was nothing that distracted from the story as a whole. Because we're locked into the first person perspective of the female protagonist, we are dependent on a narrator who does not have all the facts. This also applies to our lead male character. She misinterprets a lot of his actions in the beginning of the book because of her limited world view.

All in all a solid zombie book with plenty of chills and thrills.

P.S. I wrote this while in the throes of a migraine. I hope it makes sense!

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Dec 03, 2013 AH rated it really liked it

Shelves: zzread-feb-2014, arcs-other, romance, historical, paranormal, horror, red

Initial Thoughts: OK, it seems that I was one of the few people who did not know about the Donner party, so this stuff was new to me. When I wasn't scared out of my mind(creepy stinky monsters), I found myself enjoying the story and wanting to read it all in one sitting.

The Review:
Apparently history class in Canada is lacking. I had never heard about the Donner Party so I went into this book with an open mind. It's probably a good thing. Donners of the Dead is one spooky book.

Donners of the Dea ...more

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