The premise of this book instantly grabbed my attention. I love post-apocalyptic novels and I love zombies, so I was thrilled to find this standalone novella.

Unfortunately, I found this book to have several issues, and I feel that the story suffered due to how short it was. There simply wasn't enough pageroom to really introduce the world and how it worked, and the little we did get didn't really make much sense. I found it odd how few zombies there seemed to be and how it was relatively safe for Quinton to move around.

I really loved how the author tied in the HIV aspect and did something new with zombies – namely that despite the zombie virus people retain their own consciousness, so they're aware of what's happening with them. I mean, what a horrific thought! That being said, I found it anatomically unrealistic that they were still able to speak and cry as all their soft tissues were decaying and quite literally sliding off their bodies.

There were also issues with continuity. One moment Quinton is super injured, struggles to walk, the next he's fighting, running and carrying a body like it's no big deal. He was also able to walk several hundred miles with an injured leg in what seemed like two days tops. If there was an intended time jump, it wasn't clear.

I wasn't really a fan of the characters either, as they felt very juvenile despite being at least in their late 40s or early 50s. The choices they made didn't really make sense for people who have lived decades in a zombie-infested world.

All in all, I was hoping for more, but I'm still glad I decided to pick this up.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.