By Golly, Ollie!

My Thoughts

I actually finished this book at the beginning of October 2011, and yet it has taken me nearly three months to write a review. Honestly, Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel is easily the best book I read in 2011. I think that’s why it has taken me so long to write this. It would be easy to gush about this book to others who loved the book as much as I did. But, it’s a little more difficult to write something that won’t spoil the book for those who haven’t read it yet. Alas, here are my best attempts.

There is a subtitle on the front cover that says “Love can never die”. Initially I rolled my eyes and wondered what I had gotten myself into. Had I picked up yet another love story dripping with insufferable angst? And oh God, please don’t let this be about vampires. Luckily I was wrong. Habel’s Dearly, Departed, although tinged with romance, is surprisingly deep.

Much of the world we know has been destroyed by catastrophic climate changes, disease, famine, and a global war. Even though the story takes place far in the future where there is technology we can only dream of, Nora’s world has reverted back to more conservative, Victorian times in order to prevent further destruction. Despite their efforts, there is trouble brewing. Dearly, Departed is delightfully political but in a way that isn’t overwhelming to readers. The book delves into problems like classism; the problems Pamela Roe, Nora’s best friend, faces as a middle class citizen surrounded by a “new aristocracy” only begins to scratch the surface. Then, there are violent revolts led by the Punks in the south that threaten New Victoria’s reign of peace. On top of that, a new virus has broken out that is turning people into zombies, and this disease has no prejudices.

The book takes an interesting turn when Nora finds herself in the company of civilized, undead soldiers who seem more humane than some of the people she is forced to associate with. Overtime, Nora begins to develop feelings for Bram, who many look up to as a leader. It’s not as disturbing as it sounds (well, kind of considering Bram is decaying). But, the romance between the two characters is so genuine I may have felt my heart flutter.

Habel’s book also tells the story from five point of views– Nora, Pamela, Bram, Victor, and Wolfe. Each offer valuable insight into the world’s current disarray, however some POVs are more interesting than others. I didn’t favor Wolfe’s or Victor’s POV, but luckily they didn’t get as many chapters as the other characters. I found Pamela’s to be most interesting because she had more complex obstacles to overcome. Although, both are strong female characters who deserve to be considered among the ranks of heroines like Hermione Granger and Katniss Everdeen.

Overall,
I don’t know if this adequately conveys how much I loved this book. So, I’ll go about it another way. The only books I’ve ever re-read are the Harry Potter books, but that’s about to change. I definitely belive I will find myself re-reading Dearly, Departed.

My Thoughts

I had to get through the first couple of chapters before I could decide if Hollowland was a book worth reading. On one had, I was already intrigued by the beginning of the storyline. Apocalypse. Zombies. Butt-kicking female main character. How could I resist? On the other hand, I found myself disappointed by the prose that seemed rough around the edges. It’s not the typos that bothered me. I can look past that considering the book was self-published, and I don’t think Hocking had the opportunity to have professional editors revise her work. And it’s not like the errors were glaring. Honestly, I didn’t even notice most, and the ones I did notice didn’t take me out of the story. But, her writing did seem inconsistent. Some scenes were vivid, and I could see what was going on inside my head as though it were a movie. Other scenes were lackluster or they jumped around too much, and I found myself backpedaling so I could understand what was going on. However, the further I got into the story, the more difficult it became to put the book down. What kept my attention was Hocking’s perfect pacing and her ability to create suspenseful and tense situations.

There is never a dull moment in this book especially since Hocking’s zombies are not your standard zombie. They do not schlep around the wasteland in hopes of accidentally stumbling upon a fresh brain to munch on. Instead, these zombies are more advanced, more brutal, and more organized, and this makes them all the more terrifying. When Hocking writes her human vs. zombie scenes, she doesn’t shy away. Hollowland is a little more gory compared to other young adult zombie books. There is zombie blood splatter and the occasional zombie head crushing, but it doesn’t really cross over into a realm that would be more appropriate for adults. Battling zombies throughout a book can become redundant, but Remy (the main character) and crew found themselves in different predicaments each time, which made the book exciting. The first time I found myself really on edge though was not when Remy was mowing down zombies; it was when she and her companions found themselves among a potentially dangerous cult of very much alive and healthy humans. The situation was believable and chilling, and it showed that there may actually be worse things out there than the infected.

While I found the plot line addictive, I couldn’t jump on board with the characters. Their development was kind of weak. Remy kicks butt (which is really awesome), but she’s so devoid of emotion. She spends her entire journey convincing the reader that she has the emotional range of a rock, so when she tries to express her feelings at the end of the book it comes across as unbelievable. Then there is Blue, who I thought would have a bigger role in the apocalypse simply because he is a medic, he’s rational, and he knows how to take down zombies alongside Remy. But, he takes the backseat in most scenes which makes me wonder if Hocking only created him to make sense of the events at the end of the book. Harlow is the only character that gives the reader a good, consistent sense of who she is. She starts off as an obnoxious brat, but over time her positive attitude and childlike outlook on the post-apocalyptic world (as well as her zombie stomping combat boots) grew on me.

 Overall,
The characters have a tendency to be one-dimensional, but Hollowland‘s nicely paced plot, suspenseful moments, and surprise ending make it a book worth reading. I just learned that Hollowland, which I thought was a stand-alone novel, is the first book in a series. Part of me is bummed because I thought this book had a great ending that allowed the reader’s imagination wonder about the state of the post-apocalyptic world. Does it survive and flourish? Does it slowly die out? The other part of me is kind of excited. Hocking really does know how to write a good zombie book!