Eat, Brains, Love (Eat, Brains, Love #1)

What I Loved:

This story is fantastically entertaining, and is a nice, quick read. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to reluctant readers, readers more interested in video games than books, or readers who want a fun, fast-paced adventure that doesn't pause often for romance.

I was instantly captivated by the voice of Jake, one of the book's two narrators. He came across as an authentic teenage boy who lusted after the hottest girl in school but whose ambition took him no further than his parents' basement where he got high and played video games for most of the day. His character is the source of the humor in the book, and his character development, while not remarkable, is definitely enough to maintain the reader's interest in Jake's outcome. Cass, the second narrator, has an interesting character arc as well, and her abilities add a unique paranormal dimension to this zombie tale.

The premise is perfect for fans of horror with a dash of humor, or for readers deciding to give horror a try. It's horror-lite. (Think Warm Bodies without as much romance or existential pondering.) The story has enough blood and gore to satisfy true horror fans, but enough humor and teen angst to balance the gore and make this an easier read for those who may be a bit squeamish about some of the more hardcore zombie horror offerings (such as The Walking Dead). The combination of adventure, humor, and zombie gore will keep readers turning pages long into the night.

What Left Me Wanting More:

As delightful as I found the humor and the premise to be, I wanted more character development and more emotional depth from Jake and Cass. Jake devours his friends during lunch period at the cafeteria and instantly has to go on the run to escape the government agency tasked with hunting down and exterminating people who contract the zombie virus, but he rarely spares any thought for his friends or the family he left behind. When he does consider them, he doesn't seem to feel any grief or anger or loneliness. True horror is not just blood and guts--it's an examination of what it really means to be human and how to hang on to that humanity in the face of overwhelming odds. This story contains some of those themes (Cass struggling to reconcile her job with her emerging convictions regarding zombies, and Jake learning how to control the virus), but the emotional range is shallow and the examination falls short of its potential.

Final Verdict:

EAT, BRAINS, LOVE is a thoroughly entertaining story with enough humor and action to keep zombie enthusiasts who are looking for a quick, light read engrossed from first page to last.