Title: Happy Hour of the DamnedAuthor: Mark Henry
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 03/01/08
Summary:
Seattle. One minute you're drinking a vanilla breve, the next, some creepy old dude is breathing on you, turning you into a zombie. And that's just for starters. Now, the recently deceased Amanda Feral is trying to make her way through Seattle's undead scene with style (mortuary-grade makeup, six-inch stilettos, Balenciaga handbag on sale) while satisfying her craving for human flesh (Don't judge. And no, not like chicken.) and decent vodkatinis.
Making her way through a dangerous world of cloud-doped bloodsuckers, reapers, horny and horned devils, werewolves, celebrities, and PR-obsessed shapeshifters--not to mention an extremely hot bartender named Ricardo--isn't easy. And the minute one of Amanda's undead friends disappears after texting the word, "help" (The undead--so dramatic!) she knows the afterlife is about to get really ugly.
Something sinister is at hand. Someone or something is hellbent on turning Seattle's undead underworld into a place of true terror. And this time, Amanda may meet a fate a lot worse than death...
Plot: 4 Stars
I liked the variety of supernatural creatures, although I wish we could've learned more about some of them. I really enjoyed the author's take on zombies and how they are made. They weren't just walking corpses like most zombies we're accustomed to; they interacted just like before they died, they just had to make certain changes to their lifestyle. The only problem I had was that the events that took place didn't always make sense in regards to the path the characters were on. It seemed like Amanda was on a wild goose chase for most of the book, and, as the reader, I didn't always know if a scene was relevant to the main plot of the book or just filler.
Pace: 3 Stars
The events in the book transpired kinda slowly, but still had a hectic feel as I was reading, which was a little awkward. In the beginning of the novel, Amanda flashed back for a couple chapters to show the reader how she was made into a zombie and how she met her friends. But it wasn't clear when the multiple chapter long flashback ended, and we were back in the present.
Characters: 4 Stars
Amanda's inner monologue was absolutely hilarious. And the footnotes she adds in randomly throughout the books are even funnier. I think she is the funniest Urban Fantasy heroine I've come across. The rest of the characters were a slight letdown compared to Amanda though, because they're descriptions left a bit to be desired. I mean, the story was all about Amanda (as she'll tell you), but I would've liked to get to know her friends a little more.
Cover: 3.5 Stars
I always love a blue cover. And the cover model definitely looked pale enough to be a zombie. Her facial expression seemed a little nicer than Amanda tended to be, but that's no big deal. I liked the font choice, and how the font color stood out against the blue background. I just wish there had been a couple more details on the cover that were more relevant to the story than a nondescript fence.
Overall: 3.5 Stars
Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my local library for my own enjoyment.
I haven't heard of this one before, and there aren't many books based on modern interpretations of zombies. I like that the main character incorporates humor into the story. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDelete