Gods of the Dead by Tracey Ward is the first book in a spin-off to her popular series Quarantined and Survival. This book follows Vin and Trent from the Survival series and bridges the time between the start of the zombie apocalypse and how they wound up in Seattle. Vin and Trent were two of my favorite side characters to the series so I was really excited when I realized they were getting their own book, which has now turned into a 3-book series.

Vin is one of those characters you’ll either love or hate. If you’ve read the Survival series, you already know a little about him and of course you have to wonder how he ended up the way he does. (I would elaborate but I don’t want to spoil the Survival series for those that haven’t read it!) This book shows you Vin’s life in a snapshot. It starts with Vin doing his job running drugs. The news is reporting about the Quarantined area in Oregon being breached and spreading. Then it hits Seattle, his home. Vin is a tough kid at the start of the series. He had a crap life and he does whatever is needed to survive. And it’s that “whatever” that makes him hard to like. He really isn’t a good guy, he does some crappy things to get by, BUT he’s also got this insanely protective side. If you happen to be someone he cares about, he will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. This is what makes you love him!

Trent breaks my heart. His life is the furtherest thing you can imagine from Vin’s yet they are eerily similar. The book opens when he is only 15. He’s been raised by his father, a doomsday prepper, in the middle of the woods, away from society. When the zombies escape quarantine, Trent winds up alone following his father’s last instructions: “Go to the woods. Stay clear of people. Hide with the animals.” It’s good advice, but it results in Trent being a loner and a little odd. Though the oddness is explained and I have to say I LOVED that the author explained it.

The plot of this book is really why I rated it 4 instead of 5 stars. Like the other related series, it’s character driven. However it’s a bit disjointed. I had a hard time staying focused and at times felt that I had skipped pages because of the time jumps (sometimes years between chapters and events). Despite this the book is still a good read. I found myself completely engrossed in their survival even though I already knew they made it, I wanted, no NEEDED, to know how. For fans of the previous series, you want to read this book! If you haven’t read the other series, no worries. It can be read as a standalone. I would recommend this for anyone that enjoys paranormal, science fiction, a little romance, and a lot of suspense.