I will not be reviewing this. It was given to me after some Netgalley event without asking. It is not mygenre, I do not like YA.
PS: Sorry for posting this here in the review field, I can‘t find the other options.

BLURB

”In Sam's world there are two rules. Rule #1: Nobody dies. Protect the living at all costs. Rule #2: Everybody dies at least once.

The Waking was a global event in which a force called the Lifeblood invaded all humans who died. The few strong enough to control it came back as powerful immortals. The rest let the bloodlust take over and awoke with one goal - to kill.

Newly appointed Watch Guard Samantha Shields has a legacy to uphold. Her father died a hero defending their city and now she wants to follow in his footsteps, except for the dying part, of course. Unfortunately, fate has other plans as she discovers deep dark secrets that make her choose between her loyalties and the lives of everyone in her city. Both rules are in play as Sam is forced to make hard decisions that could cost her everything - including the person she cares about most.”

CHARACTERS

There are few books where I have enjoyed getting to know every single character this is one that I can say provided that for me. The good ones, the bad ones, I enjoyed every one of them solely because they are all such well- rounded and three dimensional. I became so involved in this book simply because I needed to get to know them. Sam, David, Lena, Julia as well as all the other characters that I crossed paths with as a reader.

Sam is an amazing character. She is determined as well as grounded. She has that ‘don’t take shit from anyone’ attitude I found truly enjoyable. Reading how her character develops during the progression of this story is fascinating.

PLOT

I thought the undead storyline would be another same old undead story, but Anna Kopp gave it such a unique twist. It was so refreshing to find an author that actually provided her readers a new and fresh twist. The focus on the undead rather than the living makes for an interesting take. The story centers on how humans adapt and work to survive when faced with a new and dangerous situation. This author also proves she knows how to write a story that keeps her readers engaged.

WRITING

This author has a unique and interesting writing style that kept me interested and engaged to the end.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK

Authors writing style
Unique twist on the undead genre
Great characters that are fun to know and read about

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THE BOOK

It didn’t seem long enough.

CONCLUSION

Most interesting Sci-fi/Fantasy/Dystopian/YA stories I have read in a while. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
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I have provided links on Facebook and Twitter to my Goodreads review..

If a plague that turns some immortal and others into blood thirsty beasts sounds like your kind of book, this is definitely a must read. I found the concept to be well executed with just a few errors in writing and the characters were likeable. I enjoyed this story, however, it is a little more graphic for those who aren't fans of zombies.

This is the first book in a series(?), it didn't totally wow me but it got me interested and I take that as a win. I also loved that we got all the explanation out of the way before the actual story started. The book has a prologue that explains the different terms and how the world works. So no information drop while you are trying to get into the story.

I really loved the main character Sam. It didn't take me long before I was really interested in her and wanted all the good things for her. Yay, for very likable main characters. Of course things go as expected, tragic backstory, tragic things happening in the present and she kinda skips a few steps in her career that lands her in the middle of a revolution. Also she's a special kind of undead. Of course it's predictable, but I still enjoyed that a lot.

What I enjoyed even more is the fact that Sam's love interest, Lena, is a girl. Would you look at that? I loved these two, a lot. And I loved that they shared wonderful moments and I loved it even more, that Lena survived the first book. I don't wanna repeat myself but WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?
So far I don't see a love triangle happening, or maybe that's just wishful thinking, but we'll see.

I really liked the writing. And the characters and the story intrigue me enough to keep going, so I actually can't wait til the next book comes out.

This falls short of being a compelling read and instead gets lost in typical shortfallings that seem to be rampant among YA books. Even my YA reading son didn't enjoy this.

This book was very fast paced and adventurous. With that said, I thought if it had been a little slower paced and more fleshed out, I would have enjoyed it a little more. I liked the varied love interests in the story, it made it more interesting. It definitely wasn't a fluffy romantic fantasy, more like a zombie thrilled (not exactly zombies but something similar, think "I am Legend". I definitely want to read further in the series to see where it goes. .