Metanoia, by Rachel Tsoumbakos

Australian indie author Rachel Tsoumbakos is known for her dystopian fiction, love of all things a bit twisted, and stark settings. Metanoia does not disappoint in any way!

But first THE BLURB:
METANOIA

Definition: n. a spiritual conversion or awakening; a fundamental change of character

Etymology: Greek 'change one's mind, repent'

Marli Anderson has just one task: assassinate Oscar La Monde, the man she once loved.

As assassin for hire for the prestigious Merrick’s Inc., she is sent back to her home town to kill the man she now loathes beyond all others—her husband. Considering they are on opposing sides of the uprising, Marli anticipates an easy task; ‘closure’ they call it. The fact that she can exact her revenge for his past discretions is just the icing on the cake.

When she arrives, the town has changed. The man she hated is unexpectedly welcoming. And the town’s folk—well, they’re just… different. Someone or something has transformed them all into a bunch of zombies. They appear to be harmless - but are they?

As she begins to uncover details of who may be behind the townsfolk’s’ metamorphosis, Marli is left fighting for the truth. Will she and Oscar be able to unravel the web of deception before it’s too late?

Should she trust her heart or her head? Which is less likely to get her killed?

Either way, METANOIA is a heart-stopping zombie apocalypse adventure that will keep you guessing at every twist and turn until the very end.

MY REVIEW:
Let me just say at the outset: this thing starts off with a bang and keeps on going. I don’t normally read books about Zombies, unless the plot is about more than a rehash of lurid B-movies. This is a book about the hard realities of life on the edge, politics, and murder. And contrasting with these dark themes is tenderness, love, and loyalty.

Marli is a strong woman, a loner, and confused in many ways, but she has a backbone and she's not afraid to use it. Oscar is also a strong character, as are the others who make appearances in this tale.

I love the way that just when you think this book is going in one direction, it makes a sharp turn for the intriguing. The stress of life in that society, the environment, and the opposing agendas of the antagonists keep this this tale moving along at a real clip.

The society she places Marli and Oscar in is intricate and eerily possible, and is all the more frightening because it is so possible. All together this book took me away for two days of in-depth reading--mainly because I read it twice, back to back.

I strongly recommend this book to fans of dystopian fiction.

The Girl With All the Gifts, M.R. Carey

This book, The Girl With All the Gifts, by M.R. Carey, was a real departure for me. I've never really jumped on the Zombie bandwagon but this book is not as much about the undead as it is about man's inhumanity and what it really means to be alive. 

But First, THE BLURB:

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her "our little genius."

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.

MY REVIEW:

The character of Melanie is an amazing, complex little girl. She is innocent and honest, and that never changes no matter what happens. She has one bright center to her universe, and that is her favorite teacher, Miss Justineau, the only person who has ever treated her with a shred of decency. 

In many ways, the characters of Sergeant Eddie Parks and Private Gallagher are over the top, but that doesn't matter. The core of this tale revolves around the evil perpetuated by Dr. Caldwell and her obsession, the very real and reasonable fear the teachers and jailers have of Melanie and the other children in the facility, and the inescapable realization some wars can't be won.

The way Carey concludes this tale is, when you think about it, the only way it could have ended. 

If I have any complaints at all, it is that the Kindle version is quite expensive, $9.99 and so for readers who are on a budget, this book may be off the menu until it comes out at the second-hand bookstore.

Fireseed One, Catherine Stine

 

 

Fireseed One by Catherine Stine  - guest review by Alison DeLuca

 

Fireseed gripped me from the start. Stine introduced the action, the concept, and the characters right away, and I loved all of them. Varik, the son of an agar farmer who has to shoulder responsibilities too large for anyone, let alone an adolescent, is strong and intelligent. More than that - he is REAL. He makes bad decisions and gets crushes, and I thoroughly related to him right away.

Marisa, the girl who breaks into the precious seed discs that keep Varik's agar farm going, is also real. Yes, she is beautiful with long, red hair and a gorgeous figure. yes, she is rich, and she is also brave and intelligent. But she also makes mistakes, and it is those fatal flaws that make her and Varik so human. Marisa has been "seduced" (in every sense of the word) by a political group. This compels much of the action.

No one, except for Varik, realizes how important the seed discs and the agar crop are. When the whole farm nearly is destroyed, it puts the entire world in jeopardy of starvation, since food no longer grows in the "Hot Zone" which is most of the US.

Varik's father developed something called Fireseed years before the action begins, and it is this mysterious plant that Marisa is after. When the farm is nearly shut down, Fireseed becomes the last hope for the human race.

This may sound very serious and grand-scheme, but Stine also focuses on the relationship between Varik and Marisa, which is touching and also very real. The arcs of the story ebb and flow perfectly, like the waves around Varik's farm, and I breathlessly followed all of them.

Add to this Stine's lovely prose, and the book is very compelling. I had to ration it out because I loved reading it so much, but at the end I just couldn't stop.

Beyond that, in this installment Stine has presented a complete adventure. However, at the end, there is a twist that makes me long for the next book. That is a very difficult thing to do, and the writer has pulled it off brilliantly.

I highly recommend Fireseed One.

Today’s guest reviewer is Alison DeLuca, blogger and well known author of the Steampunk ‘Crown Phoenix’ series. Alison can also be found blogging at Fresh Pot of Tea.