Author Archives: keithbwalters

Halloween Guest post by Darren Shan!

Happy Halloween, people!

If you follow my blog, you know that I am an OBSESSIVE when it comes to Darren Shan and his ZOM-B books ;D. Well, I was lucky enough to interview him in July (Click HERE to see it!) and hoped I could include him somehow in my Halloween Reads fortnight. Despite a busy schedule, Darren wrote up a guest post for me, and I’m so excited to post it here! It’s all about Trick-Or-Treating- and going up on Halloween, its content is very relevant… Over to Darren!

Zom-B (Zom-B, #1)

I miss Halloween. Oh, of course I know it hasn’t stopped, but for me it’s not the same as it used to be.
I always loved Halloween, dressing up, playing games like bobbing for apples and coins, eating lots of sweets and watching scary movies. But my favourite part was Trick Or Treating.
I didn’t go Trick Or Treating when I was child, as it wasn’t as popular back then, and I lived in the countryside where it was more complicated to get around. But when I was older, I started taking my young cousins out every year. I didn’t dress up, but I loved seeing their costumes, escorting them around from house to house, organising games for them when we got back to base.
One year, as part of the festivities, I read out an extract from a children’s book I had not yet published, a little number called Cirque Du Freak. Someone filmed it, recording for posterity my first ever public Darren Shan reading. You can check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z89HivgkbTQ&list=FLO3n4WBGNkRM1c8navqLXdQ
I loved those years of Trick Or Treating. I hoped they’d never stop. But then the children grew up and stopped wanting to tag around the roads with me, and I was forced into retirement.
If I ever have children of my own, I can start going out again on Halloween at some point in the future. But at the moment I’m home bound, limited to stocking up with lots of treats and wearing a scary mask when the youngsters come knocking on my door. (I picked up a creepy Chucky mask last year, which I plan to wear lots of times again!)
If you are going Trick Or Treating this year, my advice would be to have a whale of a time, relish every moment of the experience, and make sure you enjoy it while you can. Because, as unlikely as it seems, you too will grow older, and one day, like me, you’ll find yourself restricted to fondly reflecting on memories of Halloweens past, while dreaming of scary delights to come.

Thank you so much, Darren, for a fantastic guest post! It’s not fair you didn’t get to trick or treat enough- but at least you get to wear a cool Chucky mask now 😀 I also got to listen to and meet Darren at an event in Guildford last weekend- it was awesome! I haven’t yet written everything up yet- but I’m hoping to publish a post on that on Sunday.

(Also- I finished FRANKENSTEIN yesterday, but didn’t manage to get the review up last night, so that will hopefully be up tomorrow, meaning Halloween Reads hasn’t quite finished yet…)

UNREST

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We’re drawing closer to Halloween now… and what better book to be one of the finishing Halloween Reads recommendations than a spine-chilling, ghostly thriller? This book was terrifying- great to curl up with when you’re not trick-or-treating this Halloween!

By Michelle Harrison, published by Simon & Schuster.

Unrest Goodreads Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Elliott hasn’t slept properly for six months. Not since the accident that nearly killed him. Now he is afraid to go to sleep. Sometimes he wakes to find himself paralysed, unable to move a muscle, while shadowy figures move around him. Other times he is the one moving around, while his body lies asleep on the bed. According to his doctor, sleep paralysis and out of body experiences are harmless – but to Elliot they’re terrifying. Convinced that his brush with death has opened up connections with the spirit world, Elliott secures a live-in job at one of England’s most haunted locations, determined to find out the truth. There he finds Sebastian, the ghost of a long-dead servant boy hanged for stealing bread. He also meets the living, breathing Ophelia, a girl with secrets of her own. She and Elliott grow closer, but things take a terrifying turn when Elliott discovers Sebastian is occupying his body when he leaves it. And the more time Sebastian spends inhabiting a living body, the more resistant he becomes to giving it back. Worse, he seems to have an unhealthy interest in Ophelia. Unless Elliott can lay Sebastian’s spirit to rest, he risks being possessed by him for ever, and losing the girl of his dreams…

My Review: UNREST was an awesome ghost story. Right from the beginning I was captivated by Michelle Harrison’s terrifying plot! This book’s perfect for a Halloween read- or if you want a serious scare…
Plot wise, the book was brilliant. It’s a bit disappointing, actually, that the synopsis gives quite a lot away. Without that blurb on the back, it would be utterly unpredictable. Apart from the parts of the book it talked about on the blurb though, it was very hard to predict! I wasn’t expecting any of what happened. Michelle is an expert at writing terrifying, layered plots, packed with plot twists.

There were a lot of intertwining parts of the story, and I was kind of scared that ends wouldn’t tie together very well. It was less than a hundred pages from the end, and not much had been resolved… there was the mysteries behind Hodge; Ophelia; Tess the ghost; Sebastian the ghost… I was scared things would be forgotten and I’d be left wanting more of the story. Well, everything was resolved and linked together in a way I can’t describe in words other that genius, and I was left wanting more for a GOOD reason!

Michelle’s writing was brilliant. I can’t remember much of her writing style in the Thirteen trilogy, sadly, thought I can remember loving those books a couple of years ago. UNREST was written superbly. Harrison’s writing conveys so much tension and suspense, and I felt like I was there. I know I probably say that a bit in reviews, but this time it was vivid- I really did feel like I was watching Tess in an out of body experience; I felt like I’d had my body stolen by Sebastian; I felt like I was watching ghosts appear on a museum tour. I found the writing so descriptive and beautiful.

Elliott was such a flawless main character. He was very realistic, and his background was really well explained. I knew exactly what had happened to him, and it made me sympathize with him throughout the whole story. His story was riveting, and scary- I’d never be able to confront ghosts like he does, in this book! I adored his relationship with Ophelia: She was, too, a really amazing character. They’re both really unique protagonists. I want to read more about them! (Hint, Michelle Harrison, hint! :D). There were multiple points when I didn’t trust multiple character. A main one was Hodge. I can’t really detail on this- but I’ll just say that some characters can’t be trusted…

Overall, Unrest was a novel I absolutely loved reading, and it’s a book I think I’ll re-read again and again. The character were unforgettable, and I didn’t want to let them go at the end of the book. The setting was interesting, and so was the ghostly aspect of the book. I’ve also gotten really interested in the subject of out-of-body experiences now! The plot is complex and clever- the twists and turns in the story will get you hooked on this book. It’s a great novel as a standalone- I don’t think anything should be added, in fear of spoiling the story- but I want to read more at the same time! I can’t wait for more books from Michelle Harrison. She’s a fantastic author… I’ll stop now. I’ve written a long enough review!

My Rating:

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My Dad received a copy of UNREST in exchange for a review. Then I stole it a while after to review it myself. In no way at all did this (The source, not the stealing-from-Dad’s-bookshelf, obviously ;D) affect my thoughts.

The Coldest Girl In Coldtown

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Today for Halloween Reads, I’ve got a vampire book! I don’t normally read vampire books, but this one was great. Although this looks like a low rating, it’s actually a good one!

By Holly Black, published by Indigo.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown Goodreads Synopsis: Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

My Review: I don’t think I’ve read many vampire books before. Twilight, Darren Shan’s Cirque Du Freak… that’s about it, I think! I’m not the biggest fan of them; probably because Twilight caused the YA industry to overflow with them, and I just avoided them, really. However, I requested a copy of Coldtown because the synopsis really captured me. It seemed very different to any other Vampire book I’ve heard about!

Coldtown really is a unique book. The concept is nothing like I’ve ever heard of, not just in the gothic genre: Quarantined towns of blood-suckers, rumored to be eternal parties for the undead; broadcast 24/7 on TV. Well… at first, I thought HUNGER GAMES!!!, but then, I was really wrong! The plot and all aspects of this novel were really original. I found some parts not explained as well as others- for instance, I couldn’t get to grips with the background of Gabriel, our lead vampire. I’m not sure if that was just me, or if it just wasn’t revealed in enough depth, though. However, it was a really thought-provoking concept: Because it was very realistic, and slightly political. The reason it’s a scary book is because the events are way too possible, if vampires exist!

The writing was, quite simply, very beautiful. From the start, I was hooked onto this novel, because the writing was so fluent, so descriptive… I just admire Holly’s writing so much! The book was written in a very interesting way. Flashback chapters, of course, have been done before by many authors; but in this book, pretty much every other chapter is a flashback for a certain character. That gave a really great insight into the character’s backgrounds, without lengthy, boring explanations during scenes set in the time of Tara’s adventure. The flashbacks were sometimes emotional, sometimes terrifying- and let me get to know Tara, primarily, very well. While they were so great to read, they did occasionally slow down the novel at points. Holly would leave a chapter on a cliffhanger, write a chapter focusing on another character or on something in the past, then go and tie ends together. It’s a great narrative hook, but at points it did frustrate me a little!

Tana was a brilliant main character. I was rooting for her to get through everything okay right form the start, when she wakes up in a bathroom after a high school party, and finds her friends massacred by vampires. She was a very self dependent, down-to-Earth and understandable- so she was very realistic. If you strip away all of the vampire trauma from her life, she is a very relatable character that I think teens will love! Her journey in this book involved life decisions, a fair bit of violence, friendships, and a pinch of romance… there wasn’t a moment I was bored of her!

Overall, Coldtown was a really good book, and it’s probably urged me to read some more books in the vampire genre. I enjoyed reading about the main character, and the idea for the story was scarily realistic, thought provoking, and interesting. It was a really fun read, great for Halloween- but a couple of things did let it down. The writing style, despite being quite clever, slowed down the pace at points. Also, I didn’t find some aspects explained as well as I’d have wanted it to be (Hopefully if I re-read it soon I’ll understand things better!) and so that made it slightly less awesome. But, it was an awesome book. Highly recommended to fans of gothic fiction!

Also, I will be going to the Foyles event to see Holly Black in conversation with Sarah Rees Brennan on Coldtown on the fourth of November! If you’re interested, go buy tickets on the Foyles website! If you’re already going, leave comment, so I can say hi! ;D

My Rating:

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This seems like a low rating, but it really isn’t!

I received a copy of Coldtown from the publisher, in exchange for a review. In no way at all did this affect my thoughts.

New Books! #29

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Well, this week I am SUPER excited for the books that I received! They’re all such exciting titles that I can’t wait to read!

Received in post:

Allegiant (Divergent, #3)

Allegiant by Veronica Roth: no words can describe how much I squealed when I opened this. Thank you SO much, Harper Collins, you lovely people! In fact, it’s especially sad for me to see this trilogy end- because DIVERGENT was the first ever book that I reviewed on this blog!

The Almost Girl

The Almost Girl by Amalie Howard: The cover for this is absolutely beautiful! I haven’t reviewed for Angry Robot’s ya Sci-Fi/Fantasy imprint before so I am really excited to start one of their titles. It looks so interesting- thank you, Strange Chemistry Books!

Teardrop (Teardrop, #1)

TEARDROP by Lauren Kate: this cover is equally pretty! I’ll admit it now… I have never read a Lauren Kate book before *ducks behind bookcase* please don’t hurt me! ;D. I fell in love with the synopsis and the lovely Random House people kindly sent me an ARC- So thank you, Random House! 🙂

Additionally, I met Darren Shan today. *fangirly squeals* It was such a great event! He kindly signed all of my ZOM-B books for me and my brother- I’ll post a blog about that soon, when I’ve translated all of my fangirling notes about it (FIVE PAGES!) into understandable writing (;

What books did you buy or receive this week? Leave a comment! (:

Mini Reviews: Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Boy With 2 Heads

FURNACE: LOCKDOWN

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Another brilliant book for my Halloween Reads event! This isn’t quite like the ones before this month, though, as it’s more of a dystopian. Highly recommended, though!

By Gordon Smith, published by Faber.

Escape from Furnace 1: Lockdown Goodreads Synopsis: Beneath heaven is hell. Beneath hell is Furnace.
When thirteen-year-old Alex is framed for murder, his life changes for ever. Now he is an inmate in the Furnace Penitentiary – the toughest prison in the world for young offenders. A vast building sunk deep into the ground, there’s one way in and no way out.
But rowdy inmates and sadistic guards are the least of Alex’s problems. Every night an inmate is taken from his cell by guards and returned the next morning changed. Where are they taken and why are they returned covered with scars, acting as though they are not quite human?
In a desperate bid for freedom Alex discovers a horrifying truth – that the Furnace Penitentiary is a place of pure evil, a place where cruel experiments take place every day, where inmates are guinea pigs, where monsters make monsters, and where death is the least of your worries . . .

My Review: WHOA. LOCKDOWN blew me away! I bought this and got it signed at an event with Gordon, and I’ve been excited to read this since I’ve got it. It’s kind of freaky, how Gordon was such a happy nice guy, but could write such a freaky, twisted, dark tale.

Plot-wise, I was very intrigued. The idea of a government passing crime-committing kids into the hands of evil, torturous people was really sinister! I love dark, macabre books- so this ticked all of the boxes for me. I delved into the story not knowing too much about it, just the synopsis: I was unexpectedly plunged straight into the action of Alex’s life. Each page was full of action and drama, and I felt like the story had a bit of a horror movie vibe to it, I don’t know why. Speaking of the horror: this book’s not for the faint hearted. The bit with the gas-masked thieves who steal the boys away (that are on the cover) was truly terrifying.

The story was brought to life so well with Gordon’s vivid, rich descriptions. I loved his writing so much! I could tell the writing had been well thought-out, and there wasn’t a moment reading this where I was bored. It’s packed with action, and when it’s not at a bit with much action, the story is laced with suspense that reels you into the book. Also, Gordon is an evil writer. THAT CLIFFHANGER! The ending. WHY. I must hurry up and read the sequel, now!

Alex was an interesting protagonist. At the beginning of the story he was robbing, thieving, causing havoc. I didn’t really like Alex at first, but then I warmed to him, despite his criminal life… Probably because he began to seem less awful as he got into Furnace. Alex’s life wasn’t really detailed on massively, but the only reason that didn’t concern me was because I’m sure it’ll detail I the next books. He definitely did develop a lot throughout the book, which I liked: and his friendships with two of the supporting characters were strong, believable, and made him a very realistic character to me.

Overall, FURNACE: LOCKDOWN was an awesome read. It is dark and twisted, and will keep you turning the pages rapidly, with its tension-filled writing. The character are great (overall I think I preferred the supporting characters for some reason, though!) and are really great, rebellious kids. I loved reading their terrifying story! Lockdownwasn’t the longest book I’ve read, so afterward I was left itching to read my copy of the sequel. I can’t wait to start it!

My Rating:

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I purchased a copy of FURNACE: LOCKDOWN at the Bath Kids Lit Fest event.

New Books! #28

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SQUEEE! Some great books arrived this week that I’m really excited for. Also, I went to an event in London today at Hot Key offices for their bloggy lunch with Templar Books and Piccadilly Press- so I came back with loads more! A HUGE thank you to the publishers who sent me books, and, of course, to the publishers who gave me badges and books and food today (The quiche was yummy but that won’t affect my reviews of the books, hehe :P).

Received in Post:

Pivot Point (Pivot Point, #1)

Pivot Point by Kasie West: I’ve gotten involved with @HarperCollins360, which is a new imprint-thing aiming to publish foreign bestsellers by HarperCollins in other countries! This came as a surprise book post from them, as I had no idea what book might be in store for me. I love the cover, so I’m hoping I love the story, too!

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black: Boy, this looks good! I’m not the biggest fan of vampire novels, though I do kinda like them, and this one sounds very different. The lovely Nina sent this to me so I can read it in prep for an event with Holly at the beginning of November, which I can’t wait for! 🙂

Hot Key/ Templar/ Piccadilly Press Event:

I won’t write pieces about all of these, because I’ll be forever, fangirling. So here’s a picture of all of the books I got! The top three were given to me by Nina @ Death Books and Tea, though, and I can’t wait to start those, either! 🙂 Also, the bookish postcards were from Nina 😀

So, a pretty huge book haul! *Stares at largely increased TBR pile* What books did you buy or recieve? Leave a comment, or link back to your own haul! 🙂

Mini Reviews: Coraline and The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy

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Two mini reviews for Halloween Reads today- of Modern Classics that should be read by every kid! (Though I’d say Oyster Boy is for more of eleven plus. It’s a bit grim). I’ve loved both of these for years, and re-read them for this October…

Coraline is one of those beautiful children’s books that you’ll want to curl up with at any age. It’s engaging, funny, and imaginative- perfect for anyone! Coraline is a really relatable character, as a young teenage girl who’s a bit too lonely and often ignored or misheard. I loved reading (and re-reading) her rather scary story! It was, strangely, even eerier reading this as a thirteen-and-a-half year old, as opposed to a nine-year-old.The plot was dramatic and tense, full of scary thoughts on a parallel universe. It’s a quick read, Coraline- I think I would have loved it even more than I already do if it had been longer, more detailed, more explained.

Parts skipped ahead very, very quickly, and also, unless you’ve watched the movie, parts aren’t explained as well. OH, and I didn’t realise how different the book was to the story! Wybie, the male character in the movie, isn’t in the book, though I thought I remembered him being there. I loved Wybie! Apart from that, a great spooky story to curl up with! Plus, it’s full of Dave McKean’s awesome illustrations, so that is a bonus.

The Melancholy Death Of Oyster Boy And Other Stories is a ridiculously long title. Here on it’s referred to as Oyster Boy.

Anyway! Oyster Boy is a poetic oddity, by Tim Burton. Until Dad bought me this a few years ago, I had no idea my favourite director wrote poetry! All of these poems in this slim little book follow a theme, though it’s not so visible in some: all of the pieces follow children, or people, who are different from everyone else and so things mostly end badly. By different… I mean a boy who’s half microwave, a penguin boy, a matchstick boy, a girl with ten eyes, and an oyster boy, to name a few. Burton has created loveable yet freaky characters, who you can sympathize with despite their general freakiness. The poems are all brilliant, but very simple four-line stanzas. As a poetry fan, or a horror fan, you’ll love these! They’re great to curl up with on Halloween, as they’re eerie but also uplifting, sometimes.

My Ratings:

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to Coraline

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to Oyster Boy

both books were bought for me as Halloween presents, years ago, and were picked up for re-reads!

Lockwood & Co.

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By Jonathan Stroud, published by Random House.

Another five star review for my Halloween Reads! Yay! This one’s nothing like ZOM-B, which I reviewed earlier… it’s more for the fans of the paranormal who want a terrifying read to curl up with.

The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co., #1) Goodreads Synopsis: When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .

For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .

My Review: Thanks very much, Stroud. You had me tossing and turning all night thinking about ghosts, rushing up stairs in case there were ghosts that might haunt them (no really.), and made me a MASSIVE fangirl. I’ve given it a while to write this review, so I can let it sink in a bit. No review I could write could do this enough justice… it was just simply amazing. Stroud has created a unique, imaginative world in which ghosts roam freely. They haunt so many houses- they’ve turned into some kind of infection spreading throughout England. So, agencies have sprouted up around the country, too, and Lockwood & Co. is that one with the bad reputation and the low-ish income. Luckily, with the arrival of Lucy, things begin to get a lot more exciting for them, because they’ve discovered their biggest case yet.

Despite this book being set in the modern world, for some reason I imagined it all Victorian, and I have no idea why. Maybe it was because there weren’t that many technology references? Maybe it was because Mr Lockwood reminded me a bit of Will from the Infernal Devices- cocky, arrogant, mysterious, and just loveable. Either way, I loved the future that Jonathan Stroud has crafted! It’s eerie, and quite terrifying for a Children’s book. It’s just brilliant- a rich dose of paranormal horror that will send shivers up your spine and grip you like a vice.

Lucy was a fabulous main character. The story was structured in a unique way- starting with an event that sparked their biggest mystery- then zooming back in time to build up Lucy’s back-story, then zooming ahead of time again to carry on with the book. Maybe I didn’t make that sound great… but it’s genius. I got to know Lucy so well! He accomplices, Mr Lockwood and George were also both loveable and brilliant leading characters, that I really want to read more about.

Lockwood & Co. is so gripping, also because of the writing. Jonathan Stroud’s writing is just immaculate, to say the least! His descriptions were beautiful, and the dialogue witty, mostly, to give the rather grim book an upbeat, feel-good essence. The writing drew me into Stroud’s novel so effectively that I found the book hard to put down- devouring the book in about three sittings!

Overall, Lockwood & Co. was an amazing novel. I haven’t read any ghost story as brilliant for a while! The plot was gripping, and full of ghosts and spectres that’ll keep you awake at night. One word to describe the story? Addictive. That’s what this story was! It held onto me from the first page and didn’t let me go until I had read (and re-read) the last chapter. I can’t recommend this enough to fans of the ghoulish and ghost stories. I think I’ve now got to go and hunt down Stroud’s other series, and then impatiently wait for the next book. Bring on the sequel!

My Rating:

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I purchased a copy of Lockwood & Co. from a local bookstore, but also received it on Netgalley- In no way at all did that affect my thoughts.

ZOM-B: BABY

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By Darren Shan, published by Simon and Schuster.

Kicking off Halloween Reads on my blog, I’ve got a five star review of a brilliant zombie book! Yay, awesome way to start my horror marathon! ;D

Zom-B Baby (Zom-B, #5) Goodreads Synopsis: B has spent the last few months bunking with the Angels, a group of teens dedicated to eradicating the evil dead from the face of the earth, beginning with the undead roaming the abandoned wreckage that was once London.

But the Angels’ mission is a bit more complicated than that, and B takes to the streets of a very changed London to decide: is it a mission really to be believed? But instead of answers, B finds a horror beyond imagining.

My Review: **Spoilers for people who haven’t read book one!!!**

Eek! ZOM-B!!! If you’ve been following my reviews for a while now, or my tweets, you’ll know that I am an obsessive when it comes to ZOM-B. I just love the series so much, and this title’s definitely become my favourite of the five out so far!

One thing I’d almost completely forgotten about from this series was B Smith’s nightmares in Book One. She had recurring, macabre dreams, of flesh eating babies crawling over her… (If you’ve gotten freaked out by this, avoid this series at all costs. It gets worse. 🙂 ) and then the dreams vanished because she became a zombie- therefore not needing to sleep. The nightmare themes had been abandoned in ZOM-B: so I thought. But, now the babies are back- and they’re even more terrifying! Darren Shan has managed to create another horrific creature that will keep you awake at night. Do not read this book in the dark!

As this is the fifth book, we’re nearly halfway through the series now. I was, again, slightly worried. What if this is where the plot just dies? What if the story just runs out, and then just stretched out aimlessly over the next books? I really need to stop doubting the critically acclaimed master of horror- Shan can throw in plot twists that open up new doors in the plot and leave you shocked, beyond comprehension. After a book focusing entirely on the ANGELS- teenage zombies who are more human than others, I was lured in to trusting them, wanting the series to settle with them. Then, B, being her entirely unpredictable self, has decided to take a new route, re-visiting a character that I really loved, who’s been left alone for a while!

Though I first interpreted this as “she didn’t get on with certain characters, she needed to move,” I later realised that maybe that linked back to the religious aspects of the series. B’s father was a racist and his actions sometimes influenced B’s. Was it because she was uncomfortable being part of this religious army? I think, if that was true, it had a really interesting hidden point to it. As for the re-visited character… I can’t really detail here without giving away any spoilers about the book- all I can really comment on is Darren Shan’s methods of twisting your emotions. Mr Shan, why must you make character I love suffer so much?!

B Smith, you awesome person. I hated your personality a bit in the first book… but I’ve grown so attached to you now! B’s developed so much throughout this series- and that’s definitely visible, in ZOM-B: BABY especially. I could, also, see her torn, apocalyptic version of London through her eyes so well. I felt what she felt, as well as saw what she saw. She doesn’t show it, but B really does have a lot of emotions that affect her actions in the book. I really loved her, just entirely! She also makes me laugh a lot, with her cocky retorts and insults.

Overall, I just loved ZOM-B: BABY. It’s probably the best book in the series by far yet. Darren Shan has made clever ties with events from previous books in order to create a plot-twist-ridden, pacy, thrilling book, that I was unable to put down! I love these books because they’re full of action. They’re fast paced, they’re tense… and they’re addictive. I devour each of these books in a few sittings; they’re great for fans of horror of any age to curl up with! Highly recommended, though obviously read the first four books or you will have no idea why zombie killer babies have been created and are prepared to kill people with their fangs and general freakiness. Oh, yeah… not for the faint hearted people out there…

My Rating:

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My copy of ZOM-B: BABY was purchased as a gift.