Book: Undying by Valerie Grosjean
Publication Date: October 15, 2013
Series: Undying (#1)
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Synopsis: This is a story of love . . . and zombies.
When eighteen-year-old college freshman Christian discovers his dormitory is crawling with the living dead, he knows he has a problem. But once he learns the whole country is overrun by the flesh-eating horde, he must race to protect what matters to him most.
Sixteen-year-old Iris, the girl he loves, is stranded eighty miles away, alone and completely unaware of the gruesome threat surrounding her.
Christian’s plan is to evade the zombies, drive the distance to rescue Iris, and get them both to his family farm—where there are guns, fuel, and everything else they’ll need to survive. His mission seems simple: Get the girl, get to the farm, and stay alive.
Things get complicated when Christian is forced to make an unthinkable choice between Iris and his family. Someone he loves must die, and he must decide.
Overall Review:
I haven't read a whole lot of zombie novels, especially zombie romance novels, but this one sounded like a mixture of horror and adorableness. While Undying definitely met my expectations on horror, not so much on adorableness because I wasn't a huge fan of Iris. Nearly right away we're thrown into a crazy zombie apocalypse where everyone is eating each other or trying to avoid being eaten. These zombies freak me out. There can run, climb, tackle, lunge, grab, basically do nearly anything a live person can do (except open doors apparently) and they show absolutely no mercy. I wouldn't stand a chance against the normal, hobbling zombies, but these? Dear lord I'd be a goner before I could blink! The zombie attacks were graphic, bloody, and downright brutal. Exactly the kind of things I like to see in zombie books! Grosjean did a fantastic job creating this awful and scary world where nowhere is safe. Despite the fact that Undying is on the smaller side, I'm still surprised by how quickly I finished it! It was hard to put down and I was shocked by the time I reached the end, for more than just one reason. Undying ended so abruptly that it caught me completely off guard. It wasn't even a huge cliffhanger ending, it just sort of ended. I guess that was so we'd all be dying to read the sequel in which case kudos for Grosjean for that because it worked! I would love to get my hands on the sequel so I can see what happens next!
I really liked Christian. He was such a nice guy who went above and beyond for people, even when it mean putting himself in danger. While we only really get to see him during the apocalypse which is a very serious and stressful time, he was still a carefree guy who was the type to say hello to everyone and anyone. He was the type to get to know your name. You may not exactly be friends with him, but he'd still acknowledge you somehow. I liked that about him. He also had a great sense of loyalty and love for his friends and family. He would easily go to the end of the world and back to protect them. The one thing I didn't like was his obsession with Iris. She completely consumed his thoughts. Again, it had to do with that sense of loyalty and love but it was an extreme with Iris. I get that he was in love with her and wanted to keep her safe, but still!
I wasn't a huge fan of the romance, even though there was only a little bit. Mainly because I didn't like Iris. Christian was in love with her and was dying to tell her that, but I feel like she sort of knew that already and used that to her advantage. All the time she tried to convince him to do things for her that normally he wouldn't. "I asked you to do this so you should do it!" "I can't believe you didn't do this even though I asked you to!" "I said I want you to do this!" It was so annoying how controlling and into herself she was. I mean really, just because you say something sweetheart doesn't mean you should automatically get your way. She seemed so spoiled and a little dense at times. I'm hoping she changes in the next book!
The pace was surprisingly fast. I zoomed right through the book at a rate that surprised me, even with it's shorter length! Grosjean did an amazing job creating this horrific and very sudden zombie apocalypse with zombies that honest to goodness scare the crap out of me. They aren't your average hobbling, don't even know what's going on type of zombies. No, they're the type that can sense you almost immediately and sprint at you, climb up to get you, and rip you apart in a matter of seconds. There's no way I'd be able to survive those kind of zombies! There was a very abrupt ending, making you practically hang off the edge of your seat and wait for the sequel. Christian is such a good guy, the genuinely nice guy type. He cares about people. He's the kind of person that would gladly go up and learn your name, when you walk by he'd say hi without even knowing you. You and him may not ever hang out but he'd still chat with you. He was very loyal and I really adored him. The romance between him and Iris was pretty iffy at best because I couldn't stand Iris. She's spoiled, clumsy, pretty dense, and thinks the world should revolve around her. I'm pretty sure she knew about Christian's feelings for her and used them to her advantaged. She tried to get him to do what she wanted all the time, and when he didn't she would throw a big old fit. It is ridiculous. I really like the title, it's a pretty simple yet perfect title for a zombie book. Not a huge fan of the cover though. I don't like the colors they picked and the people on the cover are pretty iffy.
Overall Review:
I give Undying a 3 out of 5 star rating. It was a very enjoyable book with very few issues. I wish it was a little longer though because it went by far too fast and just when you start to get into and invested in the story, it ends. I'd probably recommend this to people who want a quick yet horrific and interesting read. If you like zombies, you'll like Grosjean's zombies! I'm real excited to read the sequel when it comes out so I can see what happens next. Thanks for reading!
3/5 stars
~Kayla~
Check out the rest of the Undying tour stops: http://xpressobooktours.com/2013/12/10/tour-sign-up-undying-by-valerie-grosjean/
Valerie Grosjean is the author of the young adult novel UNDYING. She grew up on a Nebraska farm. After college, she married and moved to Northern California, where she lives with her husband and their two young children. Her obsession with zombie movies inspired UNDYING, her first novel and the beginning of the Undying series.
Author Links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7306455.Valerie_Grosjean
Facebook: http://valeriegrosjeanbooks.com/
Website: http://valeriegrosjeanbooks.com/
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