Several months ago, I was scheduled to participate in a book tour for Samaire Provost and her two books,
Epidemic and
Sanctuary . I have now completed reading both books and am prepared to share my reviews. I do apologize to Samaire for the delay in posting these reviews, but life happens at the most inopportune times.
Synopsis for Epidemic:
“The
Black Plague is ancient history. It killed 100 million people
nearly seven centuries ago, halfway around the world from the
technologically advanced research center at Stanford
University. Scientists there have recently begun examining
samples of bone marrow from plague-infected corpses unearthed
in Europe. All the necessary safeguards are in place. What
could go wrong?
Alyssa
and Jake are away with their class on a highly anticipated
year-end trip to Broadway with their senior acting class when
all hell breaks loose at home. Traveling back, and trying to
find their families, they encounter deadly results. Riots are
breaking out. People are being evacuated. And they have no
idea what's happening to their families.
Horrific
ordeals, heart-pounding tragedy, and chance encounters harden
them for what lies ahead. Faced with tormenting decisions,
they're forced to follow their instinct for survival at any
cost - even when the cost is a heart-wrenching decision of
life or death.
A
harrowing adventure of frightening discoveries, horrifying
confrontations and narrow escapes in Epidemic, the first
installment of the Mad World series.
Find
out what's got everyone so terrified.”
My Review of Epidemic:
I usually do not read apocolyptic/zombie books, so reading this series is way outside of my comfort zone. It is aptly named Mad World series and Epidemic certainly showed how the world would react to such a frightening experience if this ever came to pass. Alyssa, Jake and their friends feel they must return home to northern California in a hurry and at any cost. They must find their families and find out what has happened to normal life. They are met with terrifying creatures, silent and abandoned homes, life threatening encounters and helpless souls needing rescued. It has become a nightmare, a mad world indeed!
This book was well written, the characters strong and very human. How would your humanity respond to such a crisis? I would hope I could be the person I think I am, but after reading this and feeling the terror of the characters in their situations....I am not sure how I would honestly react. Glad to say it is fiction; it is certainly disturbing in world of Zombies way!
EPIDEMIC
Character Profile – Risa
Risa – pronounced with a long “i” and a hard “s” to rhyme
with “Liza”
Risa is a seven year old precocious neighbor of DeAndre’s.
Her mother works on the weekends so DeAndre’s mother watches Risa every
Saturday. DeAndre’s mother and Risa’s mother are best friends. Risa has a very
sunny outlook on life, and she bounces back from adversity very quickly. This
came in very handy with the California emergency.
She prefers to play more with cars and slingshots, and climb
trees, than waste her time on Barbies and dress up. She’s definitely a tomboy.
Risa is Jewish, but last winter she begged her mother for a Christmas tree.
After begging, pleading, cajoling, and debating, her mother finally relented.
Theirs was the only house in the neighborhood to sport a blue Menorah in the
window with a brightly lit Christmas tree behind it. Risa has brown hair and
green eyes and she is like a little whirlwind!
If they made EPIDEMIC into a movie, I would want her
character played by Maggie Elizabeth Jones who is 7 years old. She’s adorable
and spunky, and she was great in
We Bought A Zoo.
Synopsis for Sanctuary:
"The
year is 2017, and the Black Plague infection has swept across
most of the United States, leaving death and chaos in its
wake. Martial law is the rule rather than the exception, with
outbreaks cropping up when they're least expected. Alyssa and
her friends must not only battle outbreaks of the disease, but
also find themselves pursued by government agents – men and
women determined to track them down at any cost.
Fleeing
north to the fabled Sanctuary, Alyssa, Jacob, DeAndre,
Caitlyn, Risa and Luke face disturbing ordeals and terrible
tragedy as they encounter unbelievable situations in their
struggle to reach safety. Using their skills and wits in their
fight to survive against ever worsening odds, they weather
hardship, betrayal, and the ever-present specter of death as
they flee north, all the while vowing to protect one another –
and most of all their precious 5-year-old Luke, from a world
gone mad.
Sanctuary,
the second installment in the Mad World series, is a
heart-rending adventure of astonishing revelations, tragic
discoveries, agonizing separations and devastating losses that
test these friends to their limits. With heart-pounding,
edge-of-your-seat suspense at every turn, this is a story you
will not be able to put down."
My Review of Sanctuary:
Book two was fast action and continued the travels of Alyssa, Jake, and their "family". The family would grow as others were allowed in and found refuge with this group. They learned to trust their sixth sense in a country overtaken by zombies. The strength of the characters grew as time progressed and they became a tightly woven cohesive team and family and their love and respect for one another sustained them against every evil they encountered. There was always a threat; always a need to pay attention and be prepared to fight for survival.
This was a fast read and every bit as suspenseful as the first book. I am now anxious to get my hands on a copy of Desperation, the third in the Mad World Series. Apparently in Desperation, there is a new threat to challenge our family of survivors. And I need to know what will yet happen! I am truly sorry it has taken me so long to read and post these reviews. Trust me, the books are intersting, fast paced, emotionally charged and full of twists and surprises.
"Samaire
Provost lives in California with her husband and son.
Her
love of paranormal stories, odd plots, and unique tales as
well as the works of Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Susan
Cooper, Madeleine L'Engle and Stephen King has deeply
influenced her writing."
Author Links:
Facebook -
https://www.facebook.com/samairep
Twitter -
https://twitter.com/samairep
Goodreads -
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6453849.Samaire_Provost
Amazon -
http://www.amazon.com/Samaire-Provost/e/B008PVTXMW
Disclaimer: I read for my
pleasure. I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am
not compensated for my reviews . I like to read and I like to share my
reviews. I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias. The
words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion. I will
admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.
I received a complimentary copy from the author's representative in exchange for an
honest review.