Book of the Month: Sequel Review- Hollowmen

the sequel to Hollowland....
After six months in the quarantine, Remy finds out things are much worse than she feared. Her plans to escape come with a heavy cost, and she realizes that zombies aren't the worst of her problems.

I have never hated a book because of the direction the author took a story in. Sometimes I don’t like the story, but I always respect it. Not here not now. (OK, I’m kidding a little. I didn’t HATE it, but I was really, really unhappy.) You see, my favorite part about the first one was the cast of characters. I loved them all so much. Guess which characters stick around in this book besides Remy. Guess, seriously.

Ripley.

That’s it.

And that’s why I’m so angry.

I came to like all the new characters a lot. I really did. But I wanted the OLD ONES! I wanted Blue, and Lazlo, and Harlow! I’m not going to tell you where they are, of course, because that would spoil everything, but I am going to tell you that they are not there!

Besides the new cast of characters nothing much has changed except the end goal. It’s still an adventure story. It mirrors the original quite a bit. But, besides the character differences, the adventure is MUCH better. It’s also a more mature book than the first one was.

I also really liked the ending. It’s… well, it’s a happier ending than the first one and wraps the little duology up very nicely. I think most readers will be happy with it.

Rating: 3/2 Stars

Book of the Month: Other Books by Amanda Hocking

You’ve probably heard of her or read one of her books.  In case you’re wondering what the rest of her books are about, here’s a guide for you.  It’s a long one.  J

Pictures and descriptions are from her website, amandahocking.blogspot.com

When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right.
With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.

 

In the Watersong quartet, sixteen-year-old Gemma Fisher and her older sister Harper live a quiet life in the ocean-side town of Capri, MD. Gemma's biggest concerns are her blossoming crush on the neighbor boy Alex and practicing for the swim team, while Harper is stressing out about going to college in the fall and reconciling her own feelings for a local guy, Daniel.
When a trio of new girls come into town for the summer, everything changes. Harper can't explain it, but she senses something disturbing about them, especially their interest in her younger sister. But as Gemma and Harper discover the truth behind the new girls and what they want with Gemma, it's far worse than anything they could've imagined...

In a world filled with magic, love might be the final answer in the eternal battle between good and evil. When Lux is tasked with retrieving the virtuous Lily for his master, his entire world is put in jeopardy. Lux must battle goblins, demon dogs, and sea dragons to rescue the one he loves, and that's only the beginning of what he must face... 
Virtue is a fairy tale for young adults with action, suspense, and romance. It contains mild language and some suggestive dialogue. Recommended ages 14 and up.

 

Seventeen-year-old Alice Bonham's life feels out of control after she meets Jack. With his fondness for pink Chuck Taylors and New Wave hits aside, Jack's unlike anyone she's ever met.Then she meets his brother, Peter. His eyes pierce through her, and she can barely breathe when he's around. Even though he can't stand the sight of her, she's drawn to him. But falling for two very different guys isn't even the worst of her problems. Jack and Peter are vampires, and Alice finds herself caught between love and her own blood...

Book of the Month: Hollowland

I'm continuing with book of the month to try and highlight some books that don't get the attention they deserve.  This one may not exactly fit the bill since the author is a bestseller, but I feel like this series of hers is a little left out.  Maybe this will convince you to pick it up if you haven't yet.

"This is the way the world ends - not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door."

Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.

This was a good zombie book. For the most part it reads like one big adventure, but then, for the last few chapters, the pace drops and it becomes a slow. The ending was fine, but leading up to it really had me bored. I liked the fast pace previous to it and the fact that it seemed pretty realistic, timing wise, rather than the journey being over to fast or not taking too long. The group runs into a couple snags, but this doesn’t stop them for long. The hurdles here are inventive and things that aren’t normally the problem. I wish more time could have been spent on them, but all in all, the pace was pretty good.

There wasn’t a large cast of characters, rather a small group made up of unforgettable ones. The main character is Remy, a no-nonsense 19-year old trying to find her brother. She’s a good female character and does everything she can to stay strong, but you also see the weakness in her as well. Joining her are Harlow, a pre-teen who does get pretty annoying but is actually pretty smart when it comes to staying alive; Lazlo (who’s totally crush-worthy) the ex-rock star who follows Remy around like a puppy; Blue, an almost doctor who knows how to survive in their new world; and Ripley, a bad-ass, zombie-killing lion. Ripley’s pretty awesome.

The zombies in this book are pretty standard and the mythology isn’t too deep, but that just brings out the horror in them. They make you go “eww” which is what zombies are supposed to make you do.

Hollowland actually reminded me a little of 5th Wave, but since this came first, I guess it’s the other way around. It doesn’t make either seem like a copy of the other, but they do have similarities that are pretty obvious. Not bad, just similar.

Amanda Hocking really is a good writer (I’ve read other works of hers) and I thoroughly enjoy the freshness of her stories. This book gets ****4 out of 5 stars**** and I would recommend you pick it up.