The synopsis released by publication/marketing reads:
"One of several children immune to a mutated fungal disease that has eradicated free will and turned the rest of humanity into cannibalistic zombies, a gifted young girl escapes the safety of a special school and helps guide mankind's survival."
I like to think this is a good description, albeit vague.
Let's start with the book. For any book I use the standard 5 star rating with a twist on each star.
1. Could I put it down: Was I able to stop reading and do other things?
2. Were emotions involved: Did I walk away from the book feeling anything?
3. Character Development: Did the characters live up to their potential in the story?
4. Plot/Story: Did the story engage? Did it have all the things a story needed?
5. Would I personally buy it to add to my collection
Goodreads: 3.94 average rating out of 5 stars with over 180,000 reviews
Barnes & Noble: 4.3/5
ZuniB: 3.5 (I gave it a 4 on my goodreads because you can't do half stars)
1. Admittedly, it took me several days to get into the flow of the story. I started the book and would set it down to swap over laundry or start dinner and then not pick it back up for a few days. This book runs about 460 pages (depending on format). For me, that is something I can knock out with uninterrupted reading in about 3 hours. Provided its engaging. The story did not hit engaging until the first night out of the compound. Then I finished the novel very quickly. (1/2 star due to 1/2 the book being "non-put-down-able)
2.I was more intrigued by this book the farther in the story I read. As I closed the jacket on the book there were feelings of disappointment. Like there should have been more to it somehow. (1/2 star: good not great)
3. All the characters lived up to their potential. I felt nervous for them and took their sides in arguments. I felt the feels they felt. I would 100% say the main character lived up to her potential. Especially since we only get a glimpse of it at the end. The side characters were well rounded and full.(1 star: Solid in character development)
4. The story itself is engaging. Definitely an intriguing take on the zombie archetype. I was pleasantly surprised by the authors ability to depict what Melanie (the main character) was figuring out and her perspective throughout. The flow of the narrative was steady and I was easily able to see a picture in my head of the events unfolding. The end was a bit of a twist but I felt that it was lacking a certain something that would have pushed the book from good to great. (1 star)
5. I would not keep this book on my shelf but I would gladly recommend it to other fans of the horror/zombie genre. (1/2 star)
The Movie via Netflix.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
IMDB: 6.6/10
ZuniB: 2.5
1. Cinematic-ally pleasing: includes cinematography, costuming, and overall appeal
2. Underlying Score: Does the music support the story
3. Acting: Actors show range and pull me into the story
4. Plot/Story: Did the story engage? Did it have all the things a story needed?
5. Would I personally buy it to add to my collection
1. Beautiful cinematography. Effects were admirable. The overall appeal was nice (1 pt)
2. The score, background noise, irritating frequency. I found it more annoying than helpful in sustaining the story. Required me to use subtitles throughout the film just so I didn't miss dialogue through the god awful theremin-type noise. (0pt)
3. Gemma Arterton and Glenn Close were the only notable names through this film. Which I think is fantastic. However, I don't think Close did a thorough job of the creepy scientist and Arterton couldn't decide if her normal accent was good enough. Overall, the actors did a cohesive job of telling the story. (1 pt)
4. I found myself a little on the bored side. I was expecting the same suspense I felt from the book to be present in the movie and it was just...lacking. This may be due to several elements missing from the movie that were present in the book. It may be my own personal bias coming to the forefront. I enjoyed the biological explanations and behavioral studies aspects of the novel that were not present in the film. (1/2 pt)
5. I would not add this movie to my collection. I am grateful for the different zombie genre perspective but it was rather lackluster. (0pt)
I enjoy reading the books before watching movies. There is an attempt to maintain a separation between the industries as I critique and take the film at film value and the book at book value. In this instance, I don't believe that to be possible. There was too much sacrificed out of the book to make the film that would have made it so much better.
As always, I gladly take suggestions and I apologize for not being regular with my updates as I promised. There is an endeavor to do better.
Much love to all,
ZuniB
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