Hollowland ~ Review

"This is the way the world ends - not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door."

Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.

I read Amanda Hocking's Hollowland in two days. I've done that will all of her books ~ there's just something about her writing that draws you in and forces you to block out the rest of the world. It kicks off with Remy fighting her way out of a quarantine or a safe-zone. She's badass, so she kicks and screams her way out, saving  a couple other girls along the way. However, her little brother, Max, was evacuated, and although she has no idea where he is, she makes it her mission to find him, no matter how many zombies she's likely to run into along the way.

Remy is one of the few female characters I respect. She she kicks more butt than the boys, and she never fusses or waits to be saved. Her one flaw is that she shuts down her emotions (although, she considers that a strength) and refuses to enjoy any kind of normality in this crazy world. Maybe she thinks it's an illusion, maybe it's just that she's been in survival mode for so long that she's afraid or doesn't know how to revert back to who she was. Despite her best efforts, she cares and will do anything in her power to make sure her new family stays safe.

The plot is typical of apocalyptic novels these days ~ a virus infects the human race, turning them into flesh-eating monsters, and those of the minority that remain uninfected must try to survive in a world completely transformed from anything they've ever known. It's back to the basics with a few battles along the way. What makes this story is the characters. I've described my admiration for Remy, but Harlow with her naive and youthful way of looking at things offsets Remy's constant serious tone. Lazlo, my personal favorite, and his transformation from a spoiled rockstar with no other real skills than being in the spotlight to an ordinary but all around good man who teaches Remy a thing or two about how life is still happening around them, even among the walking dead. I'm a character driven reader, so although I really liked the plot, it's the interactions and relationships of the characters that strike me the most.

Amanda Hocking rocks ~ there's really no other way to put it. Her writing is simple and flows smoothly from page to page and her characters are dynamic and believable.

Give this one a shot! I'm tellin' ya, it's a pretty sweet read :)

Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~