Benny realizes he has been wrong about a whole lot of things in life, including his brother… But he cannot seem to get another job that interests him, so it seems like he will have no choice but to accept his boring brother’s offer. But when he goes outside for the first time to see how his brother does his job, he encounters a whole different reality. Benny still feels Tom is a coward and when Tom offers him to be his apprentice, Benny refuses. His older brother and zombie hunter Tom does remember the time before the First Night though… As he saw their father turn into a zombie in front of them and had to run with little Benny. All in all Rot & Ruin is an interesting, entertaining and fast-paced zombie read that will appeal to fans of the genre.īenny Imura grew up in this zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America and doesn’t know any better his biggest worry being his need to find a job before his time is up and his rations are cut in half. I’m glad there wasn’t any in the first book though and the ending was quite satisfying (even though the final fighting scenes were not that credible). Although I’m having the suspicion there might be more in the sequel… Because there sure were some pretty obvious hints at possible romantic developments and even a love triangle. Another bonus: there is almost no romance in Rot & Ruin, which is rare in a YA fantasy/dystopian series. There is a lot of action (and shouting!) involved in the story, making it into a fast-paced read and without doubt entertaining. The descriptions of both the zombies and the world itself are well done the zombies are slightly humanised (especially by the older brother Tom) and that was certainly refreshing. The dystopian worldbuilding is interesting and I liked the idea of the separation between the relatively safe town and the ‘wild’. I’m glad I decided to give Rot & Ruin a go, because I ended up really enjoying this story despite my reservations for zombie stories. Especially since I have had this series by Jonathan Maberry on my wishlist for a long time in the first place. So when I was browsing Rivetedand saw I could read Rot & Ruin for free (until August 1st), I decided to jump right in.

Zombie stories are normally not really for me, but I’ve become less prejudiced after I finished and loved The Girl With All The Gifts earlier this month. It was probably always there, but most people are never tested, and they go through their whole lives without ever knowing that when things are at their worst, they are at their best.” “Often it was the most unlikely people who found within themselves a spark of something greater. Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 2023 Netgalley And Edelweiss Reading Challenge.2017 Netgalley And Edelweiss Reading Challenge.

Rot & ruin series