Day by Day Armageddon Origin to Exile - J. L. Bourne

one sentence summary:
Zombies have taken over, only the smart survive.

Review:
I would call this a well written zombie survivor diary. The story in my opinion is realistic with chaos and lots of shifting attitudes of the main characters. The highlight of the story is a dog and how many sacrifices the people make to keep the dog around, to maintain their humanity is amazing (and realistic to my way of thinking). I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys zombie apocalypse stories where people actually survive in realistic ways.

7/10

The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor - Robert Kirkman & Jay Bonansinga

one sentence summary:
Where did the Governor come from and how did he come to rule Woodbury with such streangth

review:
This tells the back story to the Governor (the main villan for a good portion of the graphic novel series). It is well written and brings a lot to the Walking Dead universe. I don't want to give anything away so all I will say is, if you are a fan of the series READ THIS BOOK.

6/10

Under the Dome - Stephen King

one sentence summary:
A dome encases a small town cutting them off from the rest of the world.

review:
in true Steven King style this thriller looks more at the horrors man can do onto themselves that that of any outside force. By putting people in a stressful situation and seeing how they would react to the situation and each other is a far more spellbinding and terrifying read than any monsters in the closet could create. A look at this small town functions as a representation of the world at large with characters representing every mindset. The novel has parts that are really badly edited but for the most part it is enjoyable.

7/10

Robopocalypse - Daniel H Wilson

one sentence summary:
the machines have taken over the earth, a few survivors try to survive.

review:
This is one of my favourite book I read this year, it got terrible reviews online from nearly everyone but I really liked it. Sure it was a bit slap dash and jumpy but it had great characters and was well written (if not always cohesive). The characters were really the strongest point of the novel and I would love to read a sequel to see what is going on with them after the novel ended. The science in the novel is terrible, just absolutely terrible.

8/10

Iron Fey Series - Julie Kawaga

one sentence summary:
A half fey, half human girl tries to figure out where she belongs.

review:
I have only read the first two books in this series and I don't think I will keep going. The idea behind the novels is interesting but the execution needs some help. The characters are all really annoying, all whiny and they all create drama for themselves, basically teenagers will relate well to these stories.

4/10

Storm Front - Jim Butcher

one sentence summary
Wizard for hire works as a detective and solves mysteries in modern day Chicago.

review
I enjoyed this story but the writing didn't flow as well as I was expecting it to. I think that will get better in the next books. Dresden is a very strongly developed character who we genuinely want to see what happens next to.

8/10

Darkborn - Alison Sinclair

One Sentence Summary:
There are two races, one born of light the other of darkness, they coexist but what happens when something threatens both races??

review:
This was better than I expected it to be. The characters were fairly stock, not a lot going on with most of them but there are enough entertaining quirks that they kept me interested in what was happening to them. And that was the strong point of the book, a fast paced plot that keeps the pages turning. I recommend this to you if you enjoyed the Hunger Games series.

8/10 middle/high school (the people who like hunger games)

Aftertime - Sophie Littlefield

one sentence summary

The world as we know it has ended and the remaining humans struggle to survive.

review
The romance angle of this seems like an afterthought, and, in my opinion the novel would have been a lot better without it. (my theory is that when sending it out to publishers harlequin said "sure, but add some sex" because that is what it feels like, tossed in and not thought through.) The story line is interesting Cass, a recovering alcoholic is searching for her daughter in a world torn apart by mind melted cannibals. The character of Cass is wonderfully flawed and realistic, trying to keep sane and to find her child. It is worth reading if you enjoy end of the world stories.

7/10

Next - Michael Chricton

One Sentence Summary:
 in an era of genetic manipulation what happens to the "miraculously" cured?

review:
I thought this was a hilarious, over the top look at a genre I enjoy, near-future sci-fi. An eccentric wealthy evil scientist sends a bounty hunter matching all the stereotypes after a humble scientist you cured his own disease by testing on himself, there is also an intelligent talking parrot.  And the list or over the top tropes goes on and on. That said there is truth in stereotypes and the corporations portrayed in the novel make you think and become a bit paranoid. If you enjoy sci-fi and have the ability to see the humour in over the top characterizations I recommend this for you. This received mixed reviews both from the bloggers and the pros.

7/10

The MaddAddam Trilogy - Margaret Atwood

one sentence summary:
what happens after the plague changes life as we know it?
review:
these novels are rather brilliant. The writing is superb and the characters are so well drawn out that even the most unbelievable attributes become logical. Atwood always writes with unforgettable voices and this is no exception. The world she as created is a beautiful as it is terrible. I highly recommend these to anyone who enjoys good writing / post-apocalyptic dystopias / Canadian authors. They are typical in tone of Atwood, that is to say a bit dark but with their own twisted humour thrown about for good measure. I would say of this series that the world she created surpasses the characters (which is a-typical of her work as usually the characters are the strongest point... on the other hand the world she created is almost like a character onto itself, especially as it is further flushed out in the third instalment.)
8/10

if you enjoyed this check out Huxley, Bradbury and Iain M Banks