Undead – Kirsty McKay
Pages: 299 (ARC)
Publisher: Chicken House
Release Date: 1st September 2011
It was just another school trip – stuck on a bus with a bunch of freaks...
When their ski-coach pulls up at a roadside cafe, everyone gets off except for newbie Bobby and class rebel, Smitty.
They’re hardly the best of friends, but that all changes when through the falling snow, they see the others coming back.
Something has happened to them. Something bad. Soon only a pair of double doors stands between those on the bus and the Undead outside.
The time has come to get a life.
Kirsty McKay’s zombified debut, Undead, is one my favourite books so far this year, though I can’t quite put my finger on what made me love it so much!
Bobby is a brilliant protagonist. I have to admit that during the first few pages of the novel I wasn’t quite sure whether she was a boy or a girl, but once I’d figured out she was in fact a girl, I zoomed through this novel. I loved how confused Bobby was about whether she was British or American due to moving to the US when she was younger and then moving back a few months before the novel started. But my favourite thing about Bobby is how tough that girl is! She was literally Action Woman in her leaping into dangerous situations with very little thought. She’s awesome.
She’s not the only excellent character in Undead and my favourite was most definitely Smitty. I enjoy it when the rebellious, smart-mouthed guy turns out to be a strong leader and a decent human being. I may have fallen for him a little bit during the course of Undead... We also have the hugely irritating Alice and super-clever Pete to complete this very unlikely bunch; but it works.
The zombies that drew them together are brilliantly, and gruesomely, depicted. There was just enough gore surrounding the antics of the zombies to make me cringe but not enough to make me feel ill, and it was brilliant because you can't have a zombie novel without blood and guts! I thought t was interesting how Kirsty McKay created such a sure-fire explanation for zombification as it’s rarely known in other zombie YA.
I loved Undead and I can’t wait to see what Kirsty McKay writes next. And I’m hoping that it’ll be soon!
Thank you to Chicken House for providing me with a review copy.
Sophie
One of your favourites of the year? That's high praise, I've been hearing such good things about this one that I'm getting a little excited to read it.
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