Monday, March 19, 2012

Review: Fighting to Survive by Rhiannon Frater

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Fighting to Survive
Rhiannon Frater
Series: As The World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy #2
Release date: November 8th, 2011
by Tor Books

Goodreads / Purchase

Picking up where The First Days ends, Fighting to Survive features the further zombie-killing, civilization-saving adventures of a pair of sexy, kick butt heroines and the men who love them. A hundred or so survivors of the zombie plague have found tenuous safety in the walled off center of a small Texas town. Now the hard work of survival begins—finding enough food; creating safe, weather-resistant shelter; establishing laws; and fighting off both the undead who want to eat them and the living bandits who want to rob and kill them.

Spoiler free even for those new to the series.

Zombies. They’re freaking scary aren’t they? They eat your flesh, they don’t feel pain, and they never EVER stop. But what about humans? Humans who are dead set on surviving? Humans who have a screwed up sense of humanity in this dying world? And these humans, they may not eat your face, or pound themselves on a wall for days on end to get a taste of you, but they have intelligence, they have strength… and they have weapons. Zombies are NOT the only enemy anymore! I’m not even sure which I fear the most.

Fighting to Survive continues the story of our exceptional heroines Katie and Jenni. They’re surviving at the fort, making a new life for themselves behind the safety of the walls. As in The First Days, Fighting to Survive gives us incredible character development. We get acquainted with a lot of the survivors; even if only briefly, these people could not be any more real. I know them, with all my heart I love them, and this makes everything especially terrifying. It’s a zombocalypse, people die, and it matters! Even when it’s the less important characters who we barely know – It matters! In this sequel we really get to see the day to day events of what it takes to survive and build a new community after disaster strikes. There are all kinds of people with different views, different opinions; It’s a whole planet in a nutshell. But don’t get too comfortable!

It’s not all peace and quiet – that’s not really Rhiannon’s style now, is it? (how boring would that be!) – zombies are aplenty, in addition, we still have a vigilante to find, as well as new bandits to deal with. Tension is, again, high from start to finish. Even during the peaceful times, the underlying mood is constantly ominous with an always present gut feeling that a storm is brewing. I LOVE it!

A mastermind in suspense, Rhiannon knows how to build excruciating anticipation where you just want to read until your eyes bleed. It’s such an extraordinary adrenaline rush I had to stop mid-ending to scream at her, let it out a little. The ending: foreboding, exciting, terrifying. Siege, the third and final book in this epic series, will undoubtedly be a thing of legend!

If you haven’t started this series yet, you have no idea what you’re missing. It’s the most amazing story about survival that I have ever read, with scenes so haunting, characters so vivid, that I will be hearing their words and remembering their fears for a very, very long time.

5 Hot Espressos (x1000)
As The World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy:
Curious on my thoughts on The First Days?
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Giselle

Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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26 Responses to “Review: Fighting to Survive by Rhiannon Frater”

  3. Maja

    I think Frater’s zombies are the scariest I’ve managed to find so far, except maybe those in The Reapers Are the Angels. I only have book 3 to read, and since I really enjoyed the first two books, I’m pretty sure that I’ll love it. She is a mastermind in suspense! Well put. 🙂

    Fantastic review, Giselle. Nothing new about that.

  7. Giselle

    Thanks a bunch ladies! This is definitely the most epic series ever! So you all hate me if you don’t read it! MUAHAHA

    @Maja: I’m excited to hear what you think of Siege, it’s seriously full of rocksauce!!

    @Katie: Seriously! I’m starting my own zombie cult!!

  8. Shellie

    Suppose I’ll have to read this series since you’ve been raving about it and I heart me some zombies. Great review, even for those like me who haven’t read the series.

  9. Nicolita

    I love how much you’re pushing this series. How many people have read these since you started? LOL Your excitement makes me laugh on Twitter I’m loving the conversations! I’m definitely going to be reading these ASAP!

  10. Sam

    Vivid characters and haunting scenes? My type of book! This sounds amazing and I can’t believe I haven’t yet started this series. I will have to change that soon! awesome review, Giselle. 🙂

  11. Giselle

    @Nicolita: RIGHT? Baha. I know of at least 4 who have or are reading it right now. A countless number are being bullied into reading it soon too!

    @Shellibeans & Sam: You guys would love this! It’s only the bestest ever!!

  12. Danny

    Ok I skipped the most part of your review mainly because I haven’t read the first one. But your last part sounds like this is a very intense and great story that I should add to my lists! :)) Thanks!

  13. Mary @ BookSwarm

    People are just not good at surviving. It seems, even when there’s something to bring us together, we manage to end up fighting amongst ourselves as well. A zombie apocalypse doesn’t bode well for humanity. But I love there are two fantastic heroines in this series and that they kick butt! Nice.

  14. Jac

    I’ve never really been big on zombies (*runs and hides*) But? Now that I read this review and think about how awesome this book sounds? I wonder why the heck I’ve never read Zombie books… (I really don’t think I’ve read any – other than Dearly Departed, which I don’t think really counts…)

  16. Mimi Valentine

    Oh my gosh, why have I not read a Rhiannon Frater zombie book yet?? It feel like I haven’t read a true awesome zombie book until I’ve picked up one of hers! x) The only few zombie books I’ve read so far have been really mild in terms of intensity, so I’m glad that I can count on this series to remind me what’s awesome about them! 🙂

    Amazing review, Giselle! I’ve already got RF fever and I haven’t even read the book yet! x)

  17. Candace

    This series is most definitely too crazy and intense (and scary!) for me. I get freaked out just THINKING about it! So glad you love them though!

  19. ODell @ Book Twirps

    You totally have me hooked on this series. I’m reading this book now. I just ordered the first two paperbacks today so I can have them on my shelf instead of just the nook. I don’t know how I’ll make it until April for Siege.

  22. Giselle

    THANKS GUYS!! <3

    @O’Dell: SO excited you’re loving them!! Siege is EPIC!!

    @Mimi: RIGHT? You NEED to get on these Mimilicious!!

    @Vivian: That’s the the whole series made me feel! <3 you chicky!!

  23. Jennifer | Book Den

    Awesome. That reminds me of Sophie Littlefield’s Aftertime series. The humans were scarier than the zombies especially in the second book. Hopefully this series has more zombies in it than Aftertime did, though. Fantastic review!

  26. Bonnie Regan

    Awesome review Giselle. 😀 Siege is up next for me… I read the first chapter the other day but had to put it aside (since I already had 3 books going and I was feeling guilty) and I really liked it. I have a feeling this is going to be the best one in the series. 🙂