Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Review: Zombie Blondes


Zombie Blondes by Brian James
3 stars

Reasons for reading: the cover; Z book for the Four Month Challenge

Description: "From the moment Hannah Sanders arrived in town, she felt there was something wrong. A lot of houses were for sale, and the town seemed infected by an unearthly quiet. And then, on Hannah’s first day of classes, she ran into a group of cheerleaders—the most popular girls in school. The odd thing was that they were nearly identical in appearance: blonde, beautiful, and deathly pale. But Hannah wants desperately to fit in—regardless of what her friend Lukas is telling her: if she doesn’t watch her back, she’s going to be blonde and popular and dead—just like all the other zombies in this town. . . . "

First line: "There aren't any rules to running away from your problems."

My thoughts: This wasn't a bad contribution to the burgeoning YA zombie genre. It definitely reminded me of a teen horror flick - quite a slow buildup, teen angst (Hannah's father constantly moves them from town to town because he can't keep a job, so she longs to have friends and fit in), teen girl in the house alone, missed clues that something is very wrong, and then a gory climax. There's not really an explanation of how Maplecrest turned into a town full of zombies, which would have been welcome, although I suppose it's not strictly necessary. This book is as much about Hannah's life of moving constantly, not fitting in, and her relationship with her father as it is about zombies. I much preferred the lighter-hearted Zombie Queen of Newbery High, but if you're looking for a darker take on them or if you really hate cheerleaders, this is worth a read.

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