Review: Mortality by Kellie Sheridan

Mortality (The Hitchhiker Strain #1)
by Kellie Sheridan
Published March 19th 2013 by Patchwork Press

After surviving a deadly plague outbreak, sixteen-year-old Savannah thought she had lived through the very worst of human history. There was no way to know that the miracle vaccine would put everyone at risk for a fate worse than un-death.

Now, two very different kinds of infected walk the Earth, intent on nothing but feeding and destroying what little remains of civilization. When the inoculated are bitten, infection means watching on in silent horror as self-control disappears and the idea of feasting on loved ones becomes increasingly hard to ignore.

Starving and forced to live inside of the abandoned high school, all Savannah wants is the chance to fight back. When a strange boy arrives with a plan to set everything right, she gets her chance. Meeting Cole changes everything. Mere survival will never be enough.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Purchase link: Amazon

The cover drew me in, and the synopsis had be enticed. There was no way I was passing up the chance to read this. No matter how many zombie books I read, I find myself always wanting more! Mortality keeps up with the best of them! Savannah finds herself struggling not just with zombies, but also with the troubles of a collapsed society; starvation, lack of medical care, outlaws, and a shortage of relationship choices. Luckily, she meets Cole. It's hard to trust anyone in the Zombie Apocalypse world, and even after finishing this book, I'm not sure Cole can be trusted. I love the ambiguity of it all! It keeps me on my toes.

Savannah can kick some serious ass. She may not be the best shot with a gun, but when it comes to close combat, she knows how to handle herself. Cole isn't a great fighter, but he knows how to run under the radar. The two of them make a great team, teaching each other what it means to survive. I love the chemistry between them, but I also love their banter. The dialogue is well written throughout, flowing naturally.

There are so many zombie books on the market, it's nearly impossible to put a new spin on things. In this case, though, Kellie Sheridan certainly puts forward a good effort! What the synopsis doesn't tell you is that the story, while mostly told by Savannah, has chapters of another girl's POV running through it. Zarah's perspective is what made this story for me. It's what sets this aside from any other zombie tale, and is the reason I am already looking forward to the sequel.

I am giving this book four stars, for the pure enjoyment factor. It kept me up until the wee hours of the morning. But I can't rightly give it a full five star review for a couple small reasons. Firstly, if you plan on reading this, make sure to put reality on hold for a few minutes. Yeah, I know it's about zombies, totally fictional, but that's not what I mean. I was bothered by how quickly the apocalypse happened, it's unrealistic. They go from never having heard of the virus, to running for their lives within mere hours! You would think that with the incubation period, the hospitals would have noticed the huge influx of patients? Just sayin'. It irked me. I am SO glad that I got over that, though, because the rest of the book was pretty great!

I can easily recommend this book for zombie fans. Just enough gore to keep you squirming, throw in a little clean sexual tension and a mysterious quest for redemption and you have the makings of a great read.

A copy of this book was provided by Netgalley.

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