Mean Who You Are

Series: A Zombie Novel Volume #1
Publisher: Precious Monster Press
Publication Date: 18 May 2014
Genre: YA, Paranormal, Horror
Source: Chelsea's Author Promotions (In exchange for an honest Review)
Audio or Book: eBook

Overview:
Zombies have killed everyone in the Benton household--all except twenty-something Jennifer. She's escaped her bedroom, but what now? Waterbank, Illinois is overrun. Where can she go?

A chance encounter with seven other young survivors points towards Texas. A charismatic, handsome young man named Mark says he can lead them all to his family's ranch, where he's sure they'll be safe. Jennifer wants to trust him - with her life and possibly her heart.

There's no place else to go, there's no way to escape the zombies but through, and there's no telling if Jennifer and Mark will live long enough to act on the emotions building between them.

My Review:

I wanted to try out a zombie novel for quite some time. I do have some on my TBR pile, and have won a few that are just waiting to be read! When I saw this novel I figured I could squeeze it into my schedule and it really was a quick read! Zombies freak me out... I don't normally touch anything with zombies especially movies, so this was venturing into new territory for me. In some ways, this was a very young read and it fits into the YA category very well. 

Characters & Story line: 2.5/5

I had to do some thinking when it came to this review. Since this is not my normal type of book. I tried to come from a neutral perspective. I felt that the characters needed some development, and I did not always understand what motivated their actions and decisions. 

There was a conversation between Jennifer & Mark about God & religion that seemed a bit out of place. I can understand why it came up but it was just kind of out of the blue and very short and not necessary. 

Jennifer - Jennifer is sweet & a survivalist.  I'm not sure if I would stay sane if I saw what she saw and went through what she did. Jennifer needs a little bit fire to her personality. She seems to be a natural at everything.  I want to know more about her as a person, and her history. I don't understand some of the things that she says or decisions that she makes. 

Mark is such a sweet character. I liked him. Gary is such an ass. He is the one who got under Jen's skin. Katie is annoying. I think all she does is scream and get paralysed every time she sees a Zombie.

Plot, Pace, Writing style: 2.5/5  

The writing style is kind of staccato and doesn't flow smoothly. The pace is good and the plot is interesting, but also a bit predictable in some ways. I would have liked to know more about how the apocalypse happened and just some more story-building in this regard - it is briefly mentioned initially and had such an intriguing unique take on Zombies. I think if this was elaborated on, it would have given the story some 'juice'. 

Jolie brings quite a hectic twist into the story near the end, which sort of saved it for me. 

Cover talk 4/5: 
I actually really liked this cover. It gives a creepy kick-butt type feel to it. 

Final Thoughts: This was an OK read for a Zombie novel and I would like to know what happens in book 2. 

Author Bio:
JOLIE DU PRE is a full-time published author, editor, article writer, blogger, and monster lover. The first book in her zombie series - BENTON: A ZOMBIE NOVEL, VOLUME ONE - is available now at Amazon. ~~ Visit her blog Precious Monsters. Finally, don't forget to " like " Jolie on Facebook.

Author Links: Website l Twitter l Goodreads

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Chanzie