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mehsi's review
5.0
Another great book. There were some inconsistencies though. Which is a shame, I expected a bit better in that regard from Darren Shan.
chaosstrolling's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Blurb: This was mainly just seeing what the outside world and people are like after the initial chaos of the outbreak is over, plus learning more about the mutant army
**spoilers in review!**
I very much enjoyed this; more than the first book but less than the second. I think I just really enjoy Shan’s characters and there were far less new characters in this chunk of the story.
That does mean that I LOVE the painter Jackson. I seriously hope we see more of him because I’m obsessed with his ideals and story. I love to pretend that I would do as he did, using this as an opportunity to document life and practice art. I also very much enjoy the religious group and group of soldiers. I like seeing different factions form in apocalyptic settings.
This was a slightly slower read though, since a good few chunks were just exposition and world building. I’m curious how I’d feel about that if I actually lived in the area described. It wasn’t painful to get through these chunks, but I was ready to move onto some more action.
B tries to stay lighthearted and comical to keep herself sane and I enjoy that. I also enjoy that she basically ends up talking to herself at one point. It could be just showing us her inner thoughts but I also think it’s a way to show her slowly losing sanity. I appreciate that she refuses to kill dogs, because same girl. I also appreciate that Shan made sure to remind us that B isn’t sentimental because I immediately expected her to bury her face in her mothers clothes to try and get some scent of her lol
It’s devastating but expected that the military refuses to speak to B, so story-wise, I appreciate the mutant army attack as a distraction from that let-down. What the mutants do is genuinely messed up, but I also hate that the mother just decides to breast feed?? Like I’m all for caring for your now zombie baby but like…now you’re dead and can’t care for her?? I think that was supposed to be a tragic scene but I was mostly frustrated.
Mr.Dowling is excellent yet again. I absolutely adore that he just speaks in squeaks that must be translated, and I wonder if B will be able to understand him later. I like the invitation to join them and warning that they’ll always know where she is. Obvious foreshadowing and setting up for suture plot lines.
**spoilers in review!**
I very much enjoyed this; more than the first book but less than the second. I think I just really enjoy Shan’s characters and there were far less new characters in this chunk of the story.
That does mean that I LOVE the painter Jackson. I seriously hope we see more of him because I’m obsessed with his ideals and story. I love to pretend that I would do as he did, using this as an opportunity to document life and practice art. I also very much enjoy the religious group and group of soldiers. I like seeing different factions form in apocalyptic settings.
This was a slightly slower read though, since a good few chunks were just exposition and world building. I’m curious how I’d feel about that if I actually lived in the area described. It wasn’t painful to get through these chunks, but I was ready to move onto some more action.
B tries to stay lighthearted and comical to keep herself sane and I enjoy that. I also enjoy that she basically ends up talking to herself at one point. It could be just showing us her inner thoughts but I also think it’s a way to show her slowly losing sanity. I appreciate that she refuses to kill dogs, because same girl. I also appreciate that Shan made sure to remind us that B isn’t sentimental because I immediately expected her to bury her face in her mothers clothes to try and get some scent of her lol
It’s devastating but expected that the military refuses to speak to B, so story-wise, I appreciate the mutant army attack as a distraction from that let-down. What the mutants do is genuinely messed up, but I also hate that the mother just decides to breast feed?? Like I’m all for caring for your now zombie baby but like…now you’re dead and can’t care for her?? I think that was supposed to be a tragic scene but I was mostly frustrated.
Mr.Dowling is excellent yet again. I absolutely adore that he just speaks in squeaks that must be translated, and I wonder if B will be able to understand him later. I like the invitation to join them and warning that they’ll always know where she is. Obvious foreshadowing and setting up for suture plot lines.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Animal death and Child death
levi892's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
evanok's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
'Zom-B: City' is an entertaining novel. Its plot is simple yet effective.
Shan gets way better at worldbuilding. Apart from one stilted sequence where B summarises what she's heard on the radio, it's far more show than tell. B travels the city, seeking out landmarks, both from her personal life and famous tourist spots. She constantly raids clothes shops and cobbles together weird yet practical outfits. The real fun though comes in who and what she meets. This apocalypse is Odd with a capital O... it's an entertaining tour through this new dead world Shan created with plenty of meet and greets with its particularly peculiar survivors.
The highlight and by far the strongest aspect of this entry was the finale. Its macabre and creepy yet funny in a way it shouldn't be, all while doing some HEAVY foreshadowing and set up for future plot points.
Initially, I was going to remark on how little thematic depth there is, but it would be incorrect to do so. It didn't really hit til afterwards when I thought a little more about it, but this is a really depressing book. B is just a young teen wandering, thinking back on a childhood she can never have again, a time in her life completely foreign to her now. Family members aren't there anymore, friends are gone, her home doesn't feel the same despite how little things may have appeared to change at surface level. It's a sad kind of nostalgia and I don't know if this was intentional, but it hit a bit harder than I expected, reading this now in my twenties. Even the little faded sticker I found, dated 2013... made me feel a bit sad. B is strangely relatable.
But regardless, 'Zom-B: City' feels like a mischievous promise for the story and sinks those hooks into the flesh of the audience. 'Send in the clown!'
Shan gets way better at worldbuilding. Apart from one stilted sequence where B summarises what she's heard on the radio, it's far more show than tell. B travels the city, seeking out landmarks, both from her personal life and famous tourist spots. She constantly raids clothes shops and cobbles together weird yet practical outfits. The real fun though comes in who and what she meets. This apocalypse is Odd with a capital O... it's an entertaining tour through this new dead world Shan created with plenty of meet and greets with its particularly peculiar survivors.
The highlight and by far the strongest aspect of this entry was the finale. Its macabre and creepy yet funny in a way it shouldn't be, all while doing some HEAVY foreshadowing and set up for future plot points.
Initially, I was going to remark on how little thematic depth there is, but it would be incorrect to do so. It didn't really hit til afterwards when I thought a little more about it, but this is a really depressing book. B is just a young teen wandering, thinking back on a childhood she can never have again, a time in her life completely foreign to her now. Family members aren't there anymore, friends are gone, her home doesn't feel the same despite how little things may have appeared to change at surface level. It's a sad kind of nostalgia and I don't know if this was intentional, but it hit a bit harder than I expected, reading this now in my twenties. Even the little faded sticker I found, dated 2013... made me feel a bit sad. B is strangely relatable.
But regardless, 'Zom-B: City' feels like a mischievous promise for the story and sinks those hooks into the flesh of the audience. 'Send in the clown!'
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
3.0
another fun zom-b fun! I can't wait for the next one!
I was surprised by how far into the book we needed to go for the cover to make sense, but it was great meeting some new characters and getting a better idea of what's going on with the world
I was surprised by how far into the book we needed to go for the cover to make sense, but it was great meeting some new characters and getting a better idea of what's going on with the world
jjarthur's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
erinanderson's review against another edition
5.0
This was probably my favourite of the series so far. Kept me page-turning like the first two, and was amazingly written just like the first two. This one had a lot of things in it that made me intrigued to continue onto the next book.
justinebt2114's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0