Review: Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen

Title: Married with Zombies
Author: Jesse Petersen
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 09/01/10
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Summary:

A heartwarming tale of terror in the middle of the zombie apocalypse.

Meet Sarah and David.

Once upon a time they met and fell in love. But now they're on the verge of divorce and going to couples' counseling. On a routine trip to their counselor, they notice a few odd things -- the lack of cars on the highway, the missing security guard, and the fact that their counselor, Dr. Kelly, is ripping out her previous client's throat.

Meet the Zombies.

Now, Sarah and David are fighting for survival in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. But, just because there are zombies, doesn't mean your other problems go away. If the zombies don't eat their brains, they might just kill each other.

Plot: 2.5 Stars
I was a little let down by this novel. The tagline on the back cover reads, "A romantic comedy with... BRAAAINS!" But this novel didn't come across as much of a romantic comedy for me because there wasn't much humor to it. There were a couple of interesting scenes that bordered on funny and a couple of one-liners, but I definitely wouldn't consider it a romantic comedy. It felt more like an Urban Fantasy or Horror novel about a zombie apocalypse. The only thing that set this novel apart from the majority of zombie novels and movies was that the main characters were a couple whose marriage was on the verge of divorce. While it was interesting to see how the couple dealt with the apocolypse, the zombies and the apocolypse did not seem all that unique.

Pace: 3 Stars
The beginning of this novel was a quick and easy read. The action grabs you from the very first page, and doesn't let go. As the characters rush around and try not the get eaten, the pace of the novel keeps up without feeling rushed. But at about the halfway mark, things start to slow down just a bit. And a couple scenes start to feel a bit repetitive. There's only so many times the zombies can sneak up on a person before it gets a bit monotonous. Although my interested did pick back up when Sarah and David ran into some humans that were just as freaky and dangerous.

Characters: 3.5 Stars
Sarah and David were an interesting couple. This was the first paranormal novel I've read that involved a married couple, let alone one that wasn't all that happy together. Their relationship's dynamic was probably the best part of the novel. Wondering whether or not they would survive the zombie apocalypse divorce-free kept me reading. There were also a number of strange people they met along the way. Considering they didn't stay in any one place for much time, the people they came across were pretty well-rounded for acquaintances. Amanda, their neighbor, was one of the few characters that stuck around for more than a chapter, and although she was a bit naive, she did help the couple out for a while.

Cover: 3 Stars
This novel has a very interesting cover. My favorite part is the line of zombie silouettes in the background because it looks like they're chasing after the silouettes of the main characters. Or dancing. The broken heart around the title was a nice touch, considering the premise of the novel. The hot pink really popped against the gray background and was a very interesting choice considering the book is about a zombie apocalypse. My main gripe with this cover is that the spine of the novel is very bland. It's just the gray background with the title in black. Considering the spine is most likely the only part of the novel showing on the shelf, there's nothing there to really catch the eye. Including the hot pink from the cover would definitely grab a shoppers attention.

Overall: 3 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this novel for my own reading pleasure.