Angel Crawford is a high school drop out with a drug addiction, who suddenly overdoses on painkillers, and wakes up in the ER. An anonymous person leaves her a note telling her that they got her a job! Suddenly overcome with a hunger for brains, she has to deal with a serial killer who decapitates their prey just when she’s hungry!

---

Why this book?: Honestly, the cover did me in. Also the title. Isn’t that priceless? Also, I’m a little ashamed to say that this will be my first zombie book.

A twist on a brutal predicament

It’s not unheard of, someone growing up in a trashy neighborhood and abusive/drunk parents. And this book portrays that in an honest way. But this book wasn’t about being that, but a twisted way to show that, yes, it’s possible to get out of this situation if you put your mind to it. And it showed Angel doing that, it showed her trying to clean herself of the drugs and shitty circumstances. It was so brutally honest, and I loved it.

I thought the zombie part was a little cheesy at first, but I found it hilarious because Angel found it cheesy too. The narrative was so relatable and funny that I never really noticed how Rowland tended to slip in little clues here and there.

It was nice to see this perspective (I haven’t read that many books with poor/homeless characters), and I like that no punches were held back either. There were homeless people, there were rich people; drug dealers and business men. Although there weren’t that many female characters, the few that were there were very in-depth and felt real.

Steady plotting and ending

Never did I feel like the book was going nowhere. There was a small point where nothing seemed to happen and it was just Angel’s day-to-day life, but as the ending crept closer, the events she took apart in fell into place and gave them more meaning.

While the ending was a little predictable, I was still quite surprised with another part of it. Something was obvious, but with that obvious little clue, the real ending was overshadowed and forgotten about. Rowland twisted the facts around enough that you never considered what she presented to you at the end, and I was completely satisfied with that.

Final Rating: ★★★★☆

Overall?

I wasn’t expecting that much when I opened this book up. I was blown away with how good it was, and enjoyed the humor and sarcasm in the book. There was a lot of “girl power” vibes coming from it, which I also liked.

Would I Recommend?

Totally! If you’re looking for a humorous book that still has a nice plot, this one is a good choice. Be aware that there’s a lot of cursing and a good amount of gore, but nothing graphic.

---

Additional Information:

Published: July 5th, 2011

Publisher: DAW

Page Count: 320

Genre: Horror/Fantasy/Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:

Angel Crawford is a loser.

Living with her alcoholic deadbeat dad in the swamps of southern Louisiana, she’s a high school dropout with a pill habit and a criminal record who’s been fired from more crap jobs than she can count. Now on probation for a felony, it seems that Angel will never pull herself out of the downward spiral her life has taken.

That is, until the day she wakes up in the ER after overdosing on painkillers. Angel remembers being in an horrible car crash, but she doesn’t have a mark on her. To add to the weirdness, she receives an anonymous letter telling her there’s a job waiting for her at the parish morgue—and that it’s an offer she doesn’t dare refuse.

Before she knows it she’s dealing with a huge crush on a certain hunky deputy and a brand new addiction: an overpowering craving for brains. Plus, her morgue is filling up with the victims of a serial killer who decapitates his prey—just when she’s hungriest!

Angel’s going to have to grow up fast if she wants to keep this job and stay in one piece. Because if she doesn’t, she’s dead meat.

Literally.