Kill or Cure

A great start for a debut author! I've read a lot of zombie fiction, and this definitely fits in well - though in truth the zombies themselves don't earn a lot of focus. Instead, it's the family our protagonist builds for herself that's front and center - providing a real sense of heart for the story.

There were a couple of issues that could have used an editors attention - particularly in the first half, there's an overly enthusiastic use of exclamation marks in particular - but overall this was well worth the read.

Pixie Britton has done a brilliant job with her debut novel! Dystopian world, zombies and family all come together to create an out of this world story. I could feel the family love through the pages. Highly recommended.

This book was so fun to read! A great debut for Pixie Britton! While zombies are definitely a thing in this, the family aspect is much more the real focus. I love the way the author writes, especially the way she describes the characters, their emotions, and the world around them. I found this to be an easy to follow book. Everything had a nice flow to it, so nothing felt too rushed or too slow unless it was necessary. I found myself actually caring about the characters and what was going on. I didn't feel bored at all when reading this. Books like this is usually a tough sell as I'm very picky with anything otherworldly, but the way the author constructed her book into focusing more on relationships actually made me enjoy this much more than I thought I would. I would definitely recommend getting this. I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for free in exchange for my completely honest opinion.

The story focuses on the relationships between Alyx and her "family" and their attempt to keep her brother Tommy safe after he seems he may have succumbed to the virus. The plot is paced well enough that I felt a sense of urgency and importance, and also made everything else really. The was a good amount of action scene, but also time to get to know the characters and their personalities. The idea was interesting and there are a few plot twists that were done really well, however towards the end it felt like it was a little bit too lucky and convenient the way in which events unfolded so that Alyx could achieve her objectives. I bet she was surprised herself. There were some pacing issues in my opinion once they get into the new camp when the romance seemed to have taken the attention from the main plot. I am hoping that there will be more bloodshed in the sequel.

THE CHARACTERS….

Alyx is a 17 years old girl who in the beginning is trying her best to save her brother who was ill, so she and Will go to collect this supposedly healing plant outside the compound. I really liked her for her selflessness and her ability to keep her shit together when things turned sour and for most of the part did what she was told even when she wanted to rebel. The ability to keep one's mouth shut is actually, in my book, an incredibly good asset. Throughout the plot, she is trying to keep her family safe and together so when they end up in a worse place from where they left, she has to collect her courage and do her best to save her family. However, after she meets Colt, she seems to go into silly mode around him; I wanted to shake her a few times and point her towards Will since she was so blind towards him. Like you could see that attraction from a mile away, but she wasn't having it. Sigh.

I liked Will, he was there for her at all times, he even left his own mother behind to go with them (not that said mother was much of a mother, but still his mother, capisce?). I could see that he had strong feelings for her and he was willing to walk with her to the end of the world to keep her happy and safe, but that did not make him a loser. He was also dead funny and wicked, and I liked him a lot. On the other hand, Colt, besides the fact that he was strong and handsome I do not know more about him and because he kinda forced himself into the story, I did not really like him. Yes, he proves himself to her, but I was just not with him (maybe because I really don't like love triangles). Team Will!

The villain aka The General wasn't that terrifying to me and did not care much about him. I would've liked his character to be explored a little bit more. We only meet him on a handful of occasions so his motivations for being an assholes felt a little bit meh. I am hoping that in the next instalment we will find out more about what makes him really tick. 

THE WRITING…

The writing was in tune with the tone of the book, it was easy to read because the story flowed nicely. There were a few cliches here and there (Eg.: hot girl is hot but doesn't know she's hot until she wears tight clothes to show curves she didn't know she had...), but overall it was a good reading experience. 

THE ENJOYMENT…

I really enjoyed this book. I think I read it 2-3 days and I do recommend it especially if you want something dystopian to read quickly, but also with some romance.