Zombies have infested a fallen America. A young girl named Temple is on the run. Haunted by her past and pursued by a killer, Temple is surrounded by death and danger, hoping to be set free.
For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can't remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her on a personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulated remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.
For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can't remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her on a personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulated remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.
**THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS**
I love zombie books, and this one grabbed me right away. I couldn't put it down, and really liked the main character Temple. Even though she was a cold-blooded killer when she had to be, she could also be a sweet fifteen-year-old girl, and a grown woman. Whatever the situation called for, she could handle it. And I loved that about her.
Temple is a young girl who starts out alone in a zombie-infested wasteland. The undead have been walking the streets for years, and she was actually born into this shitty world. So she's tough, knows how to survive and depends on her trusty gurkha knife. She also has no problem destroying zombies when she has to, and leaves them when they're not in her way.
She survives better on her own. But when she meets a pack of men who take her to some sheltered buildings, she captures the eye of one particular pervert. One she's forced to kill or be killed. Which begins the chase. Because now his brother is hunting her down and won't stop until he kills her.
Along the way she meets some really strange people. Ranging from a bunch of friendly hunters, a family that lives safely inside the comforts of their home, a pack of inbred, deformed psychos, a train that actually works, and a mute man called Maury. Which she actually goes out of her way to help.
As I mentioned above, I really enjoyed this book. It was a great story filled with a vivid and ugly future where the dead are still roaming the streets and the living are pretty much nuts and desperate. Still, Temple survives above all that and even though she's pretty rough around the edges, she also has a kind heart and I wanted to see her survive. Which is why I didn't like the way her life ends.
I think it's always risky to kill off the main character in a novel--it can work, especially in short stories--and this is one of those books where it didn't pay off. IMO, having Temple killed in such an easy manner didn't fit her struggle. And having someone else carry her story after her death didn't make up for it, either.
I was very disappointed with the ending of this book. After all the time I invested in Temple, I should've been saddened by her death not angry. I felt like her death wasn't justified.
It's such a shame because I was loving this book... :(
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