Tuesday, April 24, 2012

ARC Review: The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker - Blog Tour



Title: The Other Life
Series: The Weepers #1
Author: Susanne Winnacker | Website
Available: 5/15/12
Reading Level: YA












Synopsis via Goodreads:


3 years, 1 month, 1 week and 6 days since I’d seen daylight. One-fifth of my life.

Sherry and her family have lived sealed in a bunker in the garden since things went wrong up above. Her grandfather has been in the freezer for the last three months, her parents are at each other’s throats and two minutes ago they ran out of food.

Sherry and her father leave the safety of the bunker and find a devastated and empty LA, smashed to pieces by bombs and haunted by ‘Weepers’ - rabid humans infected with a weaponized rabies virus.

While searching for food in a supermarket, Sherry’s father disappears and Sherry is saved by Joshua, a boy-hunter. He takes her to Safe-haven, a tumble-down vineyard in the hills outside LA, where a handful of other survivors are picking up the pieces of their ‘other lives’. As she falls in love for the first time, Sherry must save her father, stay alive and keep Joshua safe when his desire for vengeance threatens them all.



My thoughts:


I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of The Other Life after reading the synopsis several months ago. I'm a huge fan of post-apocalyptic tales (especially those involving zombie like creatures). 


Sherry's story starts out strong. Locked in a bunker with her family and their food supplies have run out. This leads her and her father to venture out in search of something for the family to eat. They never expected to encounter the cloudy eyed Weepers. Before you know it Sherry's dad is gone and a boy named Joshua rescues her. Sherry is determined to find her father even if it means venturing into the Weeper’s nest, and Joshua is set on taking out every Weeper he can. I really liked Sherry. She had a compassionate side and the way she searched for humanity in the Weepers really won me over. I didn't love Joshua at first, but by the end of the novel (and after a big reveal) I was able to sympathize with him and the anger he was carrying around.

The Other Life didn't have as much action as I usually like in my zombie reads, and I felt several parts seemed to drag for a bit. The ending was top notch though and left me wanting more. I did really enjoy the romantic elements of the story and it helped to make up for what it lacked in action. The contrast of Sherry’s innocence with the gigantic mess the world around her had become really added something. You’d think innocence would be a characteristic difficult to hang on to when the world as you know it has been devastated.

The Other Life is a solid start to a new series. Loved the premise, which you really don’t fully uncover until the end of the novel. With the initial world building and character introductions out of the way I’m eager to see what happens next.


My Rating:







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