So, I was extremely glad I gave this author a second chance after I did DNF her first book, because I really liked this one a lot! As much as I do enjoy a good zombie movie, zombie books aren’t always my favorites, or I do prefer a little extra with them to keep my interested. And this one had some definite uniqueness and such a fun take on what if zombies weren’t actually undead, but just people who had only a taste for human flesh now. I mean I guess that is kind of just cannibalism in one way. But it was more than that because these zombies also transformed their bodies when they ate, mouths and jaws unhinging and opening really wide, claws on their hands and feet, lots of physical changes similar to maybe more of a werewolf type of monster in some ways.

The whole illness/pandemic that started the new order of things was called The Hollowing, and I liked how it was woven throughout the story instead of just a bit at the beginning. Almost every chapter began with a flashback for one of the main four characters, except for a few at the end with more recent outside story details. I liked that even though the story was told from Zoey’s viewpoint for the most part, we got our little inside information on each of the other girls with these chapter starters.

The blurb talks about how the people like Zoey and her friends, or ghouls as most people call them, are being targeted at this festival. And while that is basically a part of what was going on, the book went in a lot different way than I expected from that bit of the blurb. The representation of LGBTQ characters in this story was really good in my opinion, but was also done in a way that it wasn’t necessarily made the focus point of the story like it sometimes ends up being. I like reading when that’s just the people and who they are and while it obviously feeds into where romance and other things might go, it isn’t brought out in a way that feels awkward or added on.

So I’m pleased to say that I really really enjoyed this one and will definitely be continuing to give this author a chance in the future!