Series Review: Mad World by Samaire Provost

Review: Epidemic & Sanctuary
Series: Mad World
Author: Samaire Provost
No of Pages:
Release Date: Published July 28th 2012 by Amazon
Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

The Black Plague is ancient history. It killed 100 million people nearly seven centuries ago, halfway around the world from the technologically advanced research center at Stanford University. Scientists there have recently begun examining samples of bone marrow from plague-infected corpses unearthed in Europe. All the necessary safeguards are in place. What could go wrong? Alyssa and Jake are away with their class on a highly anticipated year-end trip to Broadway with their senior acting class when all hell breaks loose at home. Traveling back, and trying to find their families, they encounter deadly results. Riots are breaking out. People are being evacuated. And they have no idea what’s happening to their families. Horrific ordeals, heart-pounding tragedy, and chance encounters harden them for what lies ahead. Faced with tormenting decisions, they’re forced to follow their instinct for survival at any cost – even when the cost is a heart-wrenching decision of life or death. A harrowing adventure of frightening discoveries, horrifying confrontations and narrow escapes in Epidemic, the first installment of the Mad World series. Find out what’s got everyone so terrified.

My thoughts:

Being the zombie reader that I am, I could NOT pass up reading Mad World by Samaire Provost. I was not disappointed.

This series is a zombie lovers dream. It starts fabulously, with the gore mounting as the stress does. The more you get involved with the characters, the more you feel like you are going through this with them. Fighting to survive.

Now since this is a series review I will not divulge anything that happened in book two, but I did want to say that it starts off five years after book one ends. It is done that way for the baby, Luke, who is a pivotal part of the story. If he didn’t drive the story I think this would have affected the review a bit. But you don’t feel held back by this, actually quite the opposite. As the plot line is propelled forward so are you. The beginning of Sanctuary was a bit slow while we catch up with the last five years but the tension is quickly added back in.

This is definitely not for the feint of heart. It’s bloody. People lose their loved ones in horrific but utterly real ways. And Samaire has a way of adding in all those gory details that I absolutely LOVE! There were a few things that got me in book one, a bit of repetition, but it didn’t take away from the characters or the plot.

Fabulous zombie read. A must read for anyone that is like me and just can’t get enough of this sub-genre.

About the author:

Samaire Provost lives in California with her husband and son.
Her love of paranormal stories, odd plots, and unique tales as well as the works of Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, Madeleine L’Engle and Stephen King has deeply influenced her writing.

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