I Love Him to Pieces (My Boyfriend Is a Monster #1) by Evonne Tsang & Janina Gorrissen

Summary:

Can love survive the zombie apocalypse? Maybe Dicey's first chance at a real relationship was dead from the start. She's the star of her high school baseball team, and Jack's the star of the science program. Her idea of a study session includes sleeping in the sun, and his idea of a good game involves dungeons and dice. But opposites start attracting when they're assigned to be partners in a class project. Now an outbreak of a weird infection--it eats your brains and leaves you hungry for more--might not mean just the end of their first date. It might mean the end of everything. Will their relationship fall apart faster than zombies in the Florida sun, or can Dicey and Jack beat the odds and find a happy ending?
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 123 pages (Paperback)
Source: Toronto Public Library
Available Formats: Print/E-book
Publication Date: 2011 by Graphic Universe (first published August 1st 2010)            


I picked I Love Him to Pieces on a whim when I was making the rounds at the library a couple weeks back and totally forgot about reading it until the Ides of March Read-A-Thon came around. I was a little hesitant in picking this one up since I haven't had the best experience with teen graphic novels like these but this one turned out to be a really pleasant surprise.

I like Dicey and Jack a lot. Dicey was a really fun character. She was the lone girl on her high school baseball team, but she was also really smart and like a lot of teen romances this one came about because she was paired with Jack who is a total nerd for a school project. The two of them were really cute together and I like how they both took their time with coming to the conclusion that they liked each other and I enjoyed that they started off as friends before deciding to date

The zombie aspect of this short, but well written graphic novel to me was well done but a little unoriginal. It had the typical zombie apocalypse due to a medical problem but still I liked the way it was handled in I Love Him to Pieces because it wasn't all about zombies. It was about two kids who liked each other getting stuck in the middle of ground zero and having to survive until help arrives in the form of Jack's parents who are both doctors with the CDC who are the main doctors on the case looking for a cure for the disease.

Overall, I thought Janina Gorrissen's artwork was great, and well suited not only for the audience's age group, but for making the scenes match perfectly with the written element of the book which was equally as good thanks to Evonne Tsang. I thought this was a refreshing read, that wasn't too romance or too zombie focused but a light mix of both and I liked how FUN this was to read because the characters were just so cute and likable together and I can tell you Dicey definitely wears the pants in this budding relationship.

My only two issues with the novel  were that I wish it was longer than the 123 pages. To me an extra 10 to 15 pages would have been good because I would have loved to see how Dicey and Jack got on afterwards even though the author offered an epilogue, I would have loved a bit more. Second, I would have liked more of a character background for our couple because I found that lacking a touch.

I would recommend I Love Him to Pieces to fans of graphic novels, who are looking for a quick and easy read in the teen graphic novel genre. This one was very cohesive and didn't fall apart in terms of the illustrations matching the story line and it was above all else. Fun. I can't wait to read more by this duo.

Really Enjoyed It!
★ ★ ★ ★

 

 

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One Thousand and One Nights by Ruth Browne

 

Summary:

Sheri spends her days fighting zombies and her nights chained to a wall, earning her every breath by telling stories to her captor Aleksy—stories that make them both forget the ruined world. Sheri could put up with the conditions—at least she knows her sister is safe in the community Aleksy leads—until she realizes she’s falling for him...even though he wants her dead.When Aleksy allowed Sheri and her sister into his compound, he didn’t know about the zombie bite on her back. It's only a matter of time before she turns into one of the rising dead and threatens their existence, but Aleksy has a secret need for Sheri and her stories. For everyone’s safety, he chains her to his bedroom wall, hoping for just one more day. But how long will the community allow Aleksy to ignore his own rule: always kill the infected. Always.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 68 pages (E-book)

Source: NetGalley.com

Expected Publication Date: September 30th 2013 by Entangled: Ever After

Now that I've finally got my Kindle up and running I've been speeding through a lot of ARCs I've requested from NetGalley and I've been able to request a bunch of new ARCs just like One Thousand and One Nights.

One Thousand and One Nights was my first read from the Entangled Ever After line and while I'm always a little wary of reading anything under 100 pages in length something about this one screamed "READ ME" (I suspect it was the funky cover). So there I was reading it in the doctors office and I got the whole thing done before the doctor showed up.

Lately, and I suspect it's because the new season of The Walking Dead is just around the corner and I've been craving something, anything really with zombies in it but I wanted something light and quick to read as well so this little novella was just what I needed.

I really liked Sheri, she was spunky, passionate and completely devoted to her sister and she was willing to die for her and in fact put herself at the mercy of those who wanted her dead just for the sake of her sister. The only thing I didn't like about her was how free she was with her goods. But, she quasi redeemed herself by having such a fond affinity for books.

Alex, or Aleksy, was a but of a conundrum for me, I never really got a true feel for him. I felt sorry for him because like 99% of the human population he lost a loved one to the zombie apocalypse but he was far to arrogant, closed off and rude for me to ever form a bond with. However, I suspect that's because of the length of the novella more than anything.

Overall, I did enjoy One Thousand and One Nights quite a bit. It really ended up surprising me since I have such a strong dislike for novellas but Ruth Browne is definitely a talented story teller because the only reason I'm not giving this a higher rating is due to the length and wishing that the story as quick and hot as it was burned out too quickly for my tastes. I really hope that the author continues writing books about Sheri and Aleksy because of the cliffhanger like ending we were left with. I can totally see the two of them in a full length novel and their chemistry together was great. Plus I liked that the novella had more than just sex in it and had an actual story line. I'm looking forward to giving more of this author's stuff a try in the future.

I would highly recommend One Thousand and One Nights to fans of novellas, zombies, updated fairy tales, women who can kick ass and the strong, silent type sort of men that pine after women like that. If you love your ladies snarky, cheeky and witty and are looking for a quick read check this one out as soon as you can.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

 

Really Liked It!
★★★ 1/2

 

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The Becoming (The Becoming #1) by Jessica Miegs (Blog Tour Review)

Summary:

The Michaluk Virus is loose. In the heart of Atlanta, Georgia, the Michaluk Virus has escaped the CDC, and its effects are widespread and devastating. Most of the population of the southeastern United States have become homicidal cannibals. As society rapidly crumbles under the hordes of infected, three people-Ethan Bennett, a Memphis police officer; Cade Alton, his best friend and former IDF sharpshooter; and Brandt Evans, a lieutenant in the US Marines-band together against the oncoming crush of death and terror sweeping across the world. As Cade, Brandt, and Ethan hole up in a safe house in Tupelo, others begin to join them in their bid for survival. When the infected attack and they're forced to flee, one departs to Memphis in search of answers while the others escape south to Biloxi, where they encounter more danger than they bargained for. And in Memphis, the answers that one man finds are the last answers he wanted, answers that herald a horrific possibility that there may be more to this virus than first suspected.

Summary taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 236 pages (E-book)

Source: Review copy

Publication Date: November 12th 2011 by Permuted Press

Ahh Zombies.

Who doesn't love a good zombie story?

the blood,

the brains,

the horror!

I love it, and I really enjoyed reading this zombie novel too.

What first drew me to the novel when I got the invitation to join the blog tour for the book was the cover. It really intrigued me and I like how it really seemed to fit with the theme of the novel and now after reading the book I really think it suits it perfectly.

I really enjoyed the way that Meigs created her post-zombie apocalyptic world and the way that she created her three main characters Cade, Brandt and Ethan and I think that she did a pretty bang up job in the writing department.

The Becoming has everything you would expect from a zombie thriller, gore, adventure, thrills etc. but for me the way the author approached it and wrote it was superb. I mean I haven't read many zombie novels but this one for me stands apart from the rest. I really enjoyed the authors "voice" and all throughout the book I felt as if I were in it with her characters. To me that means the author is a good one because not every book is able to make me feel as though I am actually right there in the midst of the blood, gore and adventure.

I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed the book I'm already itching to read the author's other books! I highly recommend this read to anyone who likes horror, zombie, dystopian, post-apocalyptic novels this one is sure to thrill you and quench your thirst for brains!

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Really Liked it!
★ ★ ★ ★