Taking on the Dead
by Annie Walls
Series: The Famished Trilogy #1
Publication date: September 20, 2012
Genre: New Adult Post Apocalyptic
Purchase: Barnes and Noble/Amazon
*Contains mature content and it not suitable for readers under 17 yrs of age.
Life for Kansas was perfect until the day the world changed.
She has been hiding out for four years in solitude. It's the only way to survive. The only way not to draw the living dead. Helping a small group of people, she learns the new world might not be what she assumes. Venturing out of her refuge and comfort zone, she meets Rudy, who helps her find a greater purpose. She realizes that the world has moved on without her. Only it's not what she expects. Her knowledge of the living dead grows and only makes her more curious as humanity continues to hang on by a thread. While on her search for answers she finds comfort in new friendships and love, but her past seems as if it will haunt her forever. Kansas takes it upon herself to help other survivors, which would be easy if the famished were the only obstacles.In a trilogy plot thick with twists and turns, this adult dark fantasy is emotional as much as it is horrifyingly gripping.
When I saw the cover of Taking
on the Dead, I was immediately drawn to it. The chick is walking down a
rural road carrying a huge knife and I immediately had to read the synopsis. Its book one of the Famished Trilogy and I got
goosebumps! Throw in the living dead, a quest for answers and a mysterious guy
and I was totally sold. I am delighted
to inform you that Taking on the Dead delivered an action packed post-apocalyptic
tale that has left me anxious for book two. Walls
paints a beautiful picture of both the horrors and pleasures in a zombie
infested world. Her characters came to life, and I found myself invested in their
stories.
Kansas City Sunshine Moore (yep that is the protagonist name
and I love it..she goes by Kan) has been on her own for over four years, living
in a shelter below her old homestead. She is a survivalist, thanks to skills
her father taught her, and old books from his library. When she encounters a
set of humans being attacked her life changes. Determined to find answers she
begins a journey towards one of the military compounds. On the way she is
attacked by a horde of zombies and saved by a guitar playing, muscle ripped
smexy man named Rudy. *swoons* They share stories
and begin traveling together. The tale that unfolds was horrifying,
suspenseful, and filled with twists. It kept me turning the pages late into the
night.
I love the characters Walls introduces us to; each is
unique and at times mysterious but so fleshed out that you immediately find
yourself connected to them. Kan is tough as nails, fearless, brave, snarky and
totally kick-ass in the zombie killing department. She moves like a
stealth ninja in her torn jeans, boots and dreadlocks. There is also a vulnerable side to her. She has been alone for years, and the first humans she has contact with betray her. Despite this she is eager for companionship and thirsty for
knowledge. She is independent, sensitive and wants to make a difference. I
adored her! Rudy *swoons*He is hot, funny, shy, eye candy to the ladies and
feared and respected by the men. He has secrets, and you just want to pry his soul open and expose them. He is sexy and has heart of gold. He does the
right thing, the noble thing, even when every instinct in him is screaming
crush and destroy. The secondary
characters are developed, original and fascinating. While I did not adore them all, I was certainly
invested in all of them. There is an underlying romance, that is not fully
developed. There is also a secondary romance where the gentlemen really knows he does not stand
a chance, but cannot help caring anyway. While it
reeks of a triangle, take heart it really isn’t the battle was won long
ago..but living gets in the way and who really knows what will go down in the
end..GRR! The good news is that whatever happens romantically will develop
slowly and naturally. Well as natural as it can in a zombie infested post-apocalyptic
world. One thing I liked was that the
romance was really a side story to Kan’s quest for answers and the mission they
decide to undertake.
This is a
dark, gritty new world and the world building was superb. While, we did not completely get a sense of the why the living dead took over, we do know who is
responsible. There is so much going on in this novel, as we travel with Kan and
learn new pieces of information about what’s happened over the past four years.
The tiny cities, scavengers, and the strange government compounds that seem to
be controlling zombies all created suspense. Eep! The zombies are teeth-gnashing,
flesh-dropping and hungry!!! I loved all the dark, gory details Walls provided. As Kan, Rudy and their friends
join together to uncover secrets I found myself completely immersed in the
tale. The lines of reality blurred and this world and its characters became real to me. I laughed, I
cried, I yelled, and caught that high that only a good tale can bring. Just
when I thought they were safe, something else would happen! The non-stop action
had my heart racing. I cannot wait for the next installment in this trilogy.
For Zombie and post-apocalyptic
fans, Taking on the Dead is a must
read. Not sure if you love the dead? Then consider reading this for the characters, the suspense and
the mystery. This is a perfect fall read, and the perfect cleansing from all those
zombie impostor books you read this summer!! Controlling the Dead is the next book in this trilogy and
Living with the Dead is the final book. At this time there is no information on
their release dates.
I was provided a copy of this novel from B&B Book tours
in exchange for my unbiased review. *Purchases made through buy links on this
site result in a small commission which funds our giveaways.
I gave this novel 5 zombielious coffee cups of 5
Giveaway Time:
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