Review Detail

The premise of this novel is really interesting. It begs the reader to questions whether or not our own government might be conducting super secret experiments with drugs that might one day change our entire world. And, of course, whether or not we trust our government to use this knowledge in our best interest. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this did not go the way of a typical zombie novel though there were moments where I thought it was heading down that path. The plot moves smoothly and has enough intrigue and action to keep me interested.

Daisy is an interesting character. She has little to no apprehension about death, except the unpleasantness of, you know, dying. I loved her obsession with decorating her room and keeping up with her blog. She feels like a typical teen. Even her love interest seems like a genuine school-girl crush complete with flirty glances, butterfly inducing phone calls and sweet, endearing moments. Daisy's friends Audrey and Megan seem fun, but could have been given a little more personality (I spent half of the novel waiting to meet this wonderful, trans-gendered character and then get a couple pages of typical teenage chatter instead of the wit and sarcasm I was hoping for).

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Honestly, this book had be right up until the beginning of the end. I dealt with the teenage drama and accepted the touch of teen angsty romance but there were a few things that bothered me.

1. Why have Daisy steal the revive for Audrey if it wasn't going to do anything? This felt like filler to me. I kept waiting for her to pop up out of the casket zombie-style and go searching for Jake Gyllenhaal's brains.
2. More Megan. Why include a trans gendered character if you aren't going to let her shine?

It really felt like this story could have been better presented as a series, perhaps with each book featuring a different kid from the bus crash. It was a fun read but, in the end, I wanted more in order to answer those lingering questions.