A long time ago, in the not so distant past, I believed that I hated zombies and all things to do with zombies. I thought zombies were the world’s way of introducing gore into horror flicks and passing it off as scary. I mean really, what’s so scary about a slow moving decomposing undead person? Nothing! Give me an axe and I’m good to go. Then The Walking Dead happened, and the book turned movie Warm Bodies. Now I am hooked. I love zombies! Does this mean there is something wrong with me? (((shrugs))) Maybe, but I don’t care. Until the End is, in my humble opinion, one of the best zombie stories I’ve read to date. I love the whole thing, from start to finish, every word. It’s just that awesome! So if you like suspense, horror with not too much gore (but who am I kidding? It’s zombies, there’s gore!), and a little romance, do yourself a favor and head over to Amazon and get a copy!
I received this book via the author, Tracey Ward. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
Until the End by Tracey Ward Series: Quarantined #1
Published by Self Publish on July 25, 2013
Length: 308 pages
Reviewing eARC Rating:
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An outbreak of The Fever has taken hold of Portland, Oregon, bringing the population to its knees. The Fever spreads and kills quickly, but the dead aren't staying dead.
When her neighbor, Jordan, saves her from one of the infected, Alissa joins him in his plan to escape the city, the disease and the threat of a quarantine that will lock the living in with the undead.
What she doesn't tell him is that she has an illness of her own, one that plays tricks with her mind and makes her a dangerous companion. But Jordan has a secret as well, one that compels him to keep Alissa, a veritable stranger, safe at all costs.
As they fight for their lives and race for their freedom, they'll discover that what they truly need in order to survive is to stay together until the end.
*The Quarantined Series is followed by the Survival Series, a spinoff trilogy of books chronicling life 10 years after the outbreak with a few familiar faces...
Until the End by Tracey Ward is, in my humble opinion, one of the best zombie stories I’ve read to date. The book begins with Alissa, a not-so-normal, twenty year old college student who after attending a therapy session returns to her dorm to find it ransacked and one of her roommates eating the other one in their shared bathroom. Hearing her screams, her neighbor Jordan runs in and saves her. Together they decide to leave the Portland and a crazy journey begins.
Shit, that’s right. Wow. Pluto isn’t a planet anymore, Twinkies are extinct and zombies walk the earth. If that doesn’t spell out apocalypse, I don’t know what does. -Jordan & Alissa
I seriously loved these characters! Alissa, at the age of 16, found her mother after she had killed her self by a bullet in the head. After this event, her uncle Syd forced her to attend therapy and because she hears/sees things that aren’t there she is also on medication. Unfortunately for her, what she usually sees/hears is now reality. The dead are walking and want to eat the living. I found Alissa to be a survivor in every sense of the word. She is strong-willed, determined, and a fighter. She’s also loyal, and by all rights scared to death of what will happen when her meds run out. But this doesn’t stop her.
She asks Jordan to accompany her out of the city to her Uncle’s place, where “the Fever” hasn’t spread. Jordan is young, athletic, and a bit of a conspiracy theorist or at the very least a zombie/game enthusiast. Jordan has an uncanny knowledge about the zombies, how it’s spread, how to escape it, and how to fight. He becomes Alissa’s rock and who she looks to as the world falls apart around them. I really love Jordan. He’s stoic, determined, just as stubborn as Alissa, but also lighthearted and tries to cheer up Alissa when he can. He’s determined to make sure he saves Alissa from this new world and keep her safe.
I will not leave you. Not for anything. Not for your good, not for mine. We’re in this together until the end. I promise you that. -Jordan
“The Fever” as it is dubbed in the book is not that unique from other zombie stories I’ve read, yet the chemistry between Alissa and Jordan is what makes the story good. Both are from completely different worlds and are now thrown together by chance or fate to fight their way out of Portland. Both have a unique sense of humor, very dark humor! They rely on each other and become very close. Sharing in each other’s fears and dreams, I love the way the author depicted the slow falling in love of these characters.
I loved the whole thing, from start to finish, every word. It’s just that awesome! Told from Alissa’s POV, I felt her emotions as I read (which is awesome from a reader standpoint). The suspense as they fight their way out of Portland, the ironic dark humor of the characters, and the slow romance make for a quick easy read. And the ending isn’t exactly cliffhanger, but it left me wanting more so badly that I went and bought book two and have already finished it as well! So if you like suspense, horror with not too much gore (but who am I kidding? It’s zombies, there’s gore!), and a little romance, do yourself a favor and head over to Amazon or where ever you purchase your ebooks and get a copy!
About Tracey Ward
"I don't write romances, I write relationships. One is pretty and perfect and all consuming. The other is real."
Tracey Ward was born in Eugene, Oregon and studied English Literature at the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!). She loves writing all kinds of genres from YA Dystopian to New Adult Romance, the common themes between them all being strong character development and a good dose of humor.
Her husband, son and snuggly pitbull are her world.
[…] the answer is yes I did. Yesterday I introduced you to the first book of the Quarantined Series, Until the End. Today I would like to finish the series with book two In the End. As I said yesterday, I’ve […]
[…] Click to see my review of the first book in this awesome series! […]