Edit - 9th April, 2014

I just reread this book. This book should definitely get 5 out of 5 stars.

You can also read my review here.

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There are some people who were unhappy about the book not being too Zombie-centric. But I liked the way it was portrayed. This story was not what I was expecting. I thought it would be all blood and gore but it gave more of an insight into how a presidential campaign would be run and how the protagonists Georgia and Shaun Mason stay true to their journalistic integrity and to the truth. The only spin is that all of this is happening in a world overrun by zombies.

The story behind how the Undead problem came about was something different if not completely unique. Most movies depict the dead waking up from the graves because of a virus(mostly developed as a Bio-terror agent). Here 2 viruses were used separately to cure 2 diseases. One the common cold and the other cancer. The combination of the two is what causes the dead to rise. And in this version, like the virus responsible for the cold, this virus lays dormant and is present in every mammal.

Coming to the characters, I liked the Mason siblings. Of course in this book it was narrated by Georgia for most of the book so her character was to me more fleshed out than the rest. But I got to see through the eyes (or in this case blog) of Shaun and other bloggers and saw the world in their point of view. The characters of Shaun and Georgia, being opposites, that is one is gregarious and throws caution to the wind and the other is cautious and a bit of an introvert, might be done to death. But here, it works. At least for me. What I appreciate is that this did not mean that they were a complete unbeatable duo in the work they chose. They still needed someone else to complete the team.

The classification of bloggers in the field of journalism was a good touch. The Newsies, Irwins and Fictionals. The sum of them was better than the parts which was a nice message saying that though they could do well alone but were the best when all three worked together.

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People might say its hard to be relate to the part of Georgia's character that was ready to give her all for her ideals, which was the truth. Maybe they are right. It is difficult for us to believe in such a person existing in present times. But isn't it human nature to hope? Also for me its books like these that inspire us to do better. All of this comes from a place in the human nature that strives to be better. Also when someone asked the protagonist if it was worth it the answer was no. To that person the loss of all the lives of all the people involved was something that should not have happened. Shaun just wants his sister back.

All in all I'd give this book a 4 out of 5. I look forward to reading "Deadline" the second part of the trilogy.