Review: Special Dead by Patrick Freivald

Surviving high school has never been so hard.

Shackled to her desk, Ani Romero has a hard time concentrating on her studies. One of eight zombie survivors of the Prompocalypse, she's back at school, but this time it's no secret. Locked in their room, flamethrower-toting soldiers watching their every move, they're tasked with homework and classes during the week, and macabre experiments on the weekend.

When the courts rule they're not human, only an appeal keeps them alive long enough to discover a cure. College applications and SATs pale under the threat of incineration, and desperation turns them into lab rats... ...but the scientists helping them have ulterior motives, and the promised cure destroys more than the virus.
(Goodreads.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review
Wow! I didn't know where this book could go after the ending of the first book but great job! I'm so curious if there could be more. I really liked the direction of the story. It gave a different take on the traditional zombie story. The scientific explanation and legal issues were interesting but not too complicated for the reader. The writing is very well done and I found it hard to believe this was a male author. The protagonist was female and very believable.

I liked the characters and empathized with them. The people that were infected weren't "monsters" or hopeless cases but had a horrible medical condition. The different relationships was also complicated and interesting. Some people were torn between how they felt about those who were infected and how they are told to feel. Obviously there is extreme danger but the undead maintained their personalities, feelings and ambitions. How can they just written off so easily by those who love them? I was very impressed by the relationship between Ani and her mother Sarah. They had a fierce, unconditional love and would do anything to protect each other.  As the leading authority on ZV (Zombie Virus), Sarah has made it her life's work to cure and save her daughter and holds many secrets.  There are authorities happy to exploit them and their very life hangs in the balance.

As in the first book I loved recognizing real places near where I live. It was creepy but exciting! This story also had plenty of action that led to another great cliff-hanger ending. Freivald has a talent for leaving the reader hungry for more. :D (Get it? I HAD to do it!)

Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers for an arc ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Release date: 7/12/13
Publisher: JournalStone
Pages: 260 (paperback)
Type: YA