High school is a place where many kids feel like they just don't fit in.  That is definitely true for Brian and his friends, a collection of misfits who decided to skip a few classes they day of the school pep rally.  They get back to school just in time for stagecraft class, and for a deadly virus to take hold of their school.  A strange sickness has rapidly spread, something that gives people a drawn, wasted look and develops crusty scales, oh- and it gives the infected person a taste for human bone.  Ground zero is the pep rally, but the theatre building is farther away and able to be protected.  It's too bad that Brian's sister and ex-girlfriend decided to go to the pep-rally, now Brian has to find a way to get the girls out of the zombie infested hallways as well as the stagecraft class. 

This is a very fast-paced young adult zombie outbreak story that does not skip on the gore and held me in suspense.  Centered in a high school with high schoolers as the only uninfected people left, I was really interested to see how high school dynamics would go into play.  Especially since this high school was overcrowded, had a lot of racial tension and general intolerance of anyone who is different.  Luckily, this group of survivors is centered in the theatre, where different is the norm.  When any differences are brought up, they manage to be quickly resolved or changed in the minds of the teenagers for the benefit of survival.  I was really interested in the virus itself and I got a little bit of information on it through Brian's mom, who was on the first response team.  I did want to find out if there was a cure and how it began.  The book really just focused on the outbreak itself and how this small group of highschoolers was able to survive.  There were some very awesome moments of zombie smackdowns and creative weaponry, but there was no resolve after the teens were rescued from the school.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Aiden LeDoux would just like to be a normal kid, someone who flies under the radar.  However, that is unlikely after his father is literally crucified by the son of a man who he has wronged.  One night while at his father's bar, Aiden feels overwhelmed and uncomfortable.  In his anxiety a bright light bursts from his face, illuminating the entire bar.  To add to that, anyone who was bathed in the light is now healed of any physical malady, from a scratch or scar to cancer.  Of course the miraculous event spreads like wildfire, and the small town becomes ignited by zealotry by Aiden's miracle.  Aiden is now being held hostage by those who will do anything to have him perform the miracle again.  

This book threw me for a loop; simultaneously diving right into the action and setting the scene, I was thrown into a small town bar that Aiden's father, Jack owns.  Immediately, I had a feel for many of the characters and the varied dynamics between them.  Then, everything changes.  I was amazed at how quickly the town turned.  However, some people remained the same.  Aiden really becomes a side character and the focus turns on how the town reacts to him.  The horror was not in Aiden's incident, but the quick turnaround to chaos, panic and illogical thinking that takes over an overwhelming amount of people. Pine, the brother responsible for Jack's injury was easily the most terrifying character and could probably have an entire book written about his antics.  There were a few plot holes for me, especially the absence of any law enforcement until the end. Overall, a well crafted book that looks into the dynamics of small town incidents with well placed elements of horror and psychological thriller. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.