Kiss of Life - Daniel Waters

- Sequel to Generation Dead (mentioned August) -

This is a stunningly written book, which frequently switches between character POV in 3rd person limited. It differs from Generation Dead by including a differently biotic's opinion, Adam's, as well as Phoebe's and Pete's.

The blurb reads -

When Phoebe's best friend Adam takes a bullet for her, it proves everyone right - Adam is in love with her. And now that he's come back to life, Phoebe's more important than ever. A zombie can come back from death faster if they're loved - and kissed... which means Phoebe has to say goodbye to Tommy Williams, the other zombie in her life.

While coaxing Adam back to reality and fending off Tommy's advances, Phoebe tries to carry on as normal. But what's normal when teenagers are rising from the dead and scores of others want nothing more than to send them back to their graves? And does having a zombie boyfrind make Phoebe a target too?

It turns out that Adam is a 'slow learner' when it comes to regaining his life, and it makes Phoebe wonder what she's doing wrong, bringing to the forefront her insecurites and self-doubts. Tommy is still trying to get back together with her, and she blows him off, making herself feel so guilty as she still feels for him, but she feels that she has an obligation to Adam because he sacrificed his life for her.

When Tommy leaves to 'spread his message' about America's undead population, everything goes to hell. Takayuki, Popeye and George begin to stage pranks, trying to intimidate the 'beating hearts' as they now call trad people.

In addition to that, Pete Martinsburgh is ordered 200 hundred hours of community service and 1 year of councilling for killing Adam Layman. His community service is to be served at the same foundation that the differently biotic class for Phoebe, Karen, Adam, Margi, Collette and it's new additions Melissa and Cooper (Coop).

He is serving under Duke Davinson, who is the janitor-of-sorts of the foundation. Duke introduces Pete to the world of crime, including grave-robberies dressed up as Takayuki and gang, and capturing it on film, and then staging the murder of Pete's lawyer, also dressed as Takayuki.

Takayuki, George, Popeye, Karen and Melissa are caught pulling another prank. George makes a sudden movement to protect Melissa, and the police gun him down. The other zombies make a break for it, but Karen is reterminated. The government make it illegal to be differently biotic, and all zombies without a responsible parent are taken into custody.

The remaining zombies evacuate Haunted House, going 'underground', as they call it. They ask Adam to go with them, however Phoebe arrives at the last moment and begs him not to go.

This book is brilliantly written, capturing emotions and atmosphere so well it feels like you're walking along beside the characters, living their lives for them. Waters has done it again, with another stunner spin-off of the traditional zombie genre.

Knife - RJ Anderson

Knife is a beautifully-written twist on the typical fairy/faery/fury tale. It's written in 3rd person POV, and is very unusual. It's main character is named Knife, originally Bryony. As a young fairy, she meets the youngest member of the human family living near the oak tree she calls her home.

Knife has been raised to fear going outside the oak, and her mother of sorts, Wink, is terrified of humans. However, Knife is a unruly little fairy who, as she grows up, wishes to leave the oak as often as she can.

Her chosen career path is 'Hunter', and she is apprenticed to Thorn. This thrills her, as it means she is free to leave the oak as often as she wishes, and is not bound by the rules and restrictions of the reast of the fairy-folk.

The blurb reads -

Knife woke in a cold sweat, the torn edge of her wing sizzling with pain. How long had she lain unconscious? Her worst fears had come to pass: she was trapped, flightless, a prisoner. The humands had put her in a box, and now they had come to torment her...

When Knife ventures near the human's yard, she sees Paul again, only this time he is a fully grown man, paraplegic from a rowing accident and in a wheelchair. She continues to go back to the house, until one day he captures her, and puts her in a shoebox in the cupboard.

When she wakes, she escapes, but is attacked by his cat. Paul saves her, and she enters into a grudging friendship with him. He introduces her to his love; art. They quickly become good friends, with Knife sneaking out of the oak to see him more and more.

When Knife's good friend Campion gets a disease called the 'Silence', Knife is forced to question truths she has never before questioned about her culture, and her Queen. She enlists Paul to help her, and uncovers flaws in her people, as well as her love for him. At first she thinks that this is unnatural, and rejects her feelings, but upon reading the journals of her ancestors, she discovers that she is mearly walking their path, and that her people had forgotten their history.

Knife is a delicately written story of love, betrayal, depression and mystery. It's brilliantly written, with plot twists every second page. The characters undergo great characterization, and the plot thickens beautifully.