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Performance
Overall
Excellent, Unforgettable, Best of the nest
Very good, thoroughly enjoyed,
Good, Solid, Enjoyed many aspects
STAR RATINGS GUIDE
A Fantastic Find For A Zombista
THE BIRDICT
🧡 Calling all fans of zombies, the apocalypse and even - gasp - the zombie apocalypse, this is for you. It has the close-knit group and prepper origins of Sarah Lyons Fleming, but with a gloomier take. Think Gray or The Road for a sense of the tone. Ooh, or Susan Beth Pfeffer’s The Last Survivors series with its sweet melancholy.
💚 Main character, Nila Carter is a mum trying to keep her family alive. They escape to her dad’s cabin in the mountains, forming a small community. Nila is thoroughly likeable and sensible and I became thoroughly invested in her world.
💛 Mostly based in one, quite isolated location, this isn’t a Walking Dead on-the-move, action frolic, but a very real, stark view of an apocalypse scenario.
💜 One complaint: The character names were headspinners. Niles (what they call Nila) brought to mind Niles Crane of Frasier. Conversely, Cady is a man, but made me think of Mean Girls. Not a big deal, but it did jolt me every time.
Rejoice for this is free on Audible Plus and - and - author Jacqueline Druga is prolific. My TBR is reeling from all the new adds.
SQUAWKING THE TALK
🎧 If you like listening while going about your day, this is ideal. It’s got a steady, moderate pace and is easy to follow.
🎧 Narrator Vanessa Johansson is excellent as Nila, with an affable, smooth voice. And she does a great job of character differentiation. I thought she was especially good at the male voices.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER: SIMILAR AUDIOBOOKS
Click For Spoilers
My Dead World
THE BLURB
Since childhood Nila Carter has been made to spend every weekend at the family cabin. In her teenage years she believes it to be a prison; as an adult it becomes her sanctuary and means to survive.
When a mysterious outbreak occurs in India, Nila's brother, Bobby, a virologist with the CDC, places the family on a precautionary alert to be ready to bug out. Unlike anything he's ever seen, the rabies-like virus is not just deadly; it causes extreme violent behavior in those infected. Following her brother's advice, Nila begins to stockpile.
After months of preparing, just as it seems the virus is over, everything implodes, and Bobby tells his family to leave the city. With her family, Nila heads to the mountains and to her father's isolated land. There she is eventually joined by friends and strangers, all hoping to safely stay clear of the virus that grips the world. The plan is to wait until the virus burns out.
While there, the group forms a tight bond, feeling secure that they will beat the extinction event and in due course return home. As time moves on, Nila quickly learns there are things they cannot run from, and a virus is one of them. Despite how prepared they are, how secure the land, each day brings a new threat and a painful reality that not only is returning home a pipe dream, but the likelihood of all of them surviving is increasingly growing slim.
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