Book Review: Dust & Decay

This evening I'll be reviewing the second book of the Benny Imura (Rot & Ruin) series.

Title: Dust & Decay

Author: Jonathan Maberry

Series: Benny Imura #2

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: August 30, 2011

Format Read: paperback

Genre: YA Zombies, YA Post-Apocalyptic

Purchase: Amazon

Find on Goodreads

From the publisher: 
Six months have passed since the terrifying battle with Charlie Pink-eye and the Motor City Hammer in the zombie-infested mountains of the Rot & Ruin. It’s also been six months since Benny Imura and Nix Riley saw something in the air that changed their lives. Now, after months of rigorous training with Benny’s zombie-hunter brother Tom, Benny and Nix are ready to leave their home forever and search for a better future. Lilah the Lost Girl and Benny’s best friend Lou Chong are going with them.

But before they even leave there is a shocking zombie attack in town, and as soon as they step into the Rot & Ruin they are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, insane murderers, and the horrors of Gameland—where teenagers are forced to fight for their lives in the zombie pits. Worst of all…could the evil Charlie Pink-eye still be alive?

 In the great Rot & Ruin, everything wants to kill you. And not everyone in Benny’s small band of travelers will survive….

I liked the first book enough, so I decided to try out the second book in the series plus I already had it from the library, because my husband read it. 

I have to say I liked this book better than the first one. It might have been because we got all of the world building information and character setup information out of the way in the first book or not. It also probably had a little to do with the fact that Lilah the Lost Girl is a lot less annoying in the second book. The author finally has her speaking like a normal person. The character point of views are also changed up in the second book. I liked reading from the different characters point of views. I got to see what just about everyone was thinking at one point or another. 

Of course, some of the plot points do feel forced or very predictable, like the Chong and Lilah "romance" or Chong acting childish and running off or the very obvious death of the character that doesn't make it. 

I would recommend this book if you liked the first book. But as far as YA Zombie books go, I would recommend The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan and the rest of that series over this one any day.

My Rating: 

Book Review: Rot & Ruin

Afternoon everyone! Today we are going to enter the world of ZOMBIES!!!

Title: Rot & Ruin
Author: Jonathan Maberry 
Series: Benny Imura #1
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 14, 2010
Format Read: paperback
Genre: YA Zombies, YA Post-Apocalyptic
Purchase: Amazon
Find on Goodreads

Description from publisher:
In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

I don't remember how this one ended up on my to-read list, but I'm guessing it has something to do with zombies. I do like a good book that includes zombies. This book wasn't on my pressing to-reads list, but my husband who loves zombie books wanted a new book to read, so I scoured my to-read list for something not to girly for him to read as well as something involving zombies. I found Rot & Ruin. My husband breezed through the book and asked me to pick up the next ones in the series for him from the library. I figured I would just go on ahead and read them too, since we had them from the library and I figured I could discuss them with my husband.

What I found was an okay zombie book, I've read better. The characters are okay and the plot line is okay. The book is a little big (the author probably could have edited it down a bit). 

Fifteen years ago, the dead woke and started wandering the earth. Within a few days, weeks, and months, the majority of the Earth's population had been wiped out. Most of the remaining people live in towns surrounded by fences. Many of the residents never leave the boundaries of the fences. Those that do are usually scavengers, traders or bounty hunters. In the society that remains everyone must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or their rations are cut in half. There are a wide variety of jobs to choose from. Some even allow you enough time to continue going to school for half days. 

We follow Benny as his fifteenth birthday approaches. He tries out a variety of jobs, all while many people ask why he doesn't just apprentice with his older brother Tom. Benny thinks his brother is bounty hunter who wacks zoms for cash. However, Tom is really a closure specialist who goes out on jobs to quiet family members who have been changed into zombies.

Benny reluctantly agrees when he decides he doesn't want any of the jobs he checked out. Benny ends up finding out there is a lot more to Tom's job and the way of the world than he ever thought (think coming of age story during a zombie apocalypse). There is a girl, not only the girl next door, but also a mysterious Lost Girl, who is a loner wandering around in the Rot & Ruin. 

Like I stated above, I found this book to just be okay. I liked it alright, but felt it could have been better. There was one thing that really bugged me while reading the story...SPOILER ALERT!

When they find the Lost Girl and she doesn't know how to talk or have conversations even though she very avidly read books all the time. Sure she was basically on her since she was eleven, but up until then she had people to regularly talk to. I found this part very annoying!

END SPOILER ALERT!

I would recommend this story, if you didn't have any better zombie books lying around or just to read until you get to the second book. I've already read that one and it does get better.

If you like this book (or want to read a better one with zombies in it), I'd recommend The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. The whole series is pretty good. And of course the second book to this series, Dust & Decay.

My Rating: