Review: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Title: Warm Bodies | Author: Isaac Marion | Atria Books | Warm Bodies #1 |239 pages | 5 Stars | Source: Netgalley Release Date: 1st November 2011
Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis
“R is a young man with an existential crisis–he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse. Just dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy’s memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim’s human girlfriend. Julie is a burst of vibrant color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that R lives in. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world…
Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead and the blurry line in between”

Review:

I have read many Zombie books and watch many Zombie films. From the original I am Legend to the more Recent Generation Dead Trilogy. None of which have I loved as much as this one. This is a fab take on the Zombie genre and I genuinely cannot wait to see the film to see if it lives up this.

The story follows R. He a zombie like no other. He likes nothing more than travelling escalators and listening to old records by Frank Sinatra. He goes out one day on a hunt and there he meets Julie and that is where his world (or what’s left of it) begins to change.

I never though I would feel sorry for a Zombie but I couldn’t help feel sorry for R. In his minds he is an articulate one but all that comes out is a few mere groans and stuttered words. His frustration is so apparent and well written you can’t help but empathize with him. Julie is also a great main character she is feisty and easy to relate to but it is apparent that she has demons to contend with (one being her father)

As for this take on zombies, I found it a bit peculiar to start with. In this novel, Zombies eat brains not only for food but for some kind of mental stimulation, to feel what the victim feels and take on their memories for a short period of time (seconds). I didn’t know where this was going to go initially but it played a key part in a plot twist that took the novel to a new level.

Overall this is a brilliant take on zombies, one that allows us to see a zombie’s point of view when it comes to the apocalypse instead of one of a selfish human. Recommend to people who want a change when it comes to YA zombies!

Goodreads Average: 3.96/5 (out of 49,937 ratings)

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