Review: Warm Bodies - Isaac Marion

Where I got it: Library

Rating: 4.5 stars

Cover Rating: 4 stars (I don't really get why Stephenie Meyers was asked to blurb this one. What authority is she in Zombies?)

Genre: Adult

Publication Date: April 26, 2011

Publisher: Atria

Page Count: 239 p.

R has been dead for a long time. Or, maybe he's only been dead a few days, he doesn't remember. He doesn't remember his life when he was alive, doesn't remember what it's like to be alive. All he has of his name is a single sound R. R is different from all the other walking dead though, he wants more from life. He's not satisfied with a groan here and a moan there, a shuffle-shuffle and some brains for lunch. R wants to be alive again, to feel again and to remember. On one of his hunting trips he dives into the brain of a young man, but before he can finish he is distracted by a girl. His friend is going after her and R intervenes. R saves this girl's life and takes her back to his home. He finds out that her name is Julie and he wants to keep Julie safe. He wants to listen to Frank Sinatra under the stars and never have to kill again. Julie can tell there is something different about R and maybe some of the others too. Maybe they don't have to be the walking dead forever.

This was such a great read. I think teens will love it too, maybe even more than an adult audience. This isn't your typical Zombie apocalypse end of the world novel. This is zombie romance. I absolutely adored R, he was such a romantic, even when he was eating brains and other body parts. It was very interesting diving into R's mind, because you got to not only see his desire to be human, but his urges that he has a hard time controlling. Julie was a fantastic character too. Very realistic. The dynamic between the two was quite humorous at times. You can tell that after a day or so, Julie did not see R as a threat, so would freely reprimand him and make fun of him. Julie was such a spark of a girl and just a free thinker, which I imagine can crop up in a society such as this and with a father like hers. One thing that did bother me in this novel, were the voices that R started hearing. I couldn't tell if they were voices he was picking up from good hearing sometimes, voices in his head or logical voices from a deeper connection. It was all a bit vague and at times I just assumed R was losing his mind, or dreaming. I would have liked that explained a little better. I will definitely have to keep an eye out for Isaac Marion; not only did he create characters I cared about in a very realistic world, but his writing was beautiful. He captured the romanticism of R's voice even if the actual sound of his voice was croaky and distant. I haven't read many zombie books, but I don't think there are many out there like this one, that offers you a chance to be overwhelmed with compassion for the main, walking dead, character.

First Line:
"I am dead, but it's not so bad."


Favorite Lines:
"I crush her against me. I want to be part of her. Not just inside her but all around her. I want our rib cages to crack open and our hearts to migrate and merge. I want our cells to braid together like living thread."