Book Review: Undead by Kirsty McKay

TITLE: Undead

SERIES: Undead, Book #1
AUTHOR: Kirsty McKay 

PUBLISHER: Chicken House
PUBLICATION DATE: September 1, 2012 (first published 2011)

FORMAT: Hardcover, 272 pages
GENRE: Young Adult, Horror
ISBN: 9780545381888

Out of sight, out of their minds: It's a school-trip splatter fest and completely not cool when the other kids in her class go all braindead on new girl Bobby.

The day of the ski trip, when the bus comes to a stop at a roadside restaurant, everyone gets off and heads in for lunch. Everyone, that is, except Bobby, the new girl, who stays behind with rebel-without-a-clue Smitty.

Then hours pass. Snow piles up. Sun goes down. Bobby and Smitty start to flirt. Start to stress. Till finally they see the other kids stumbling back.

But they've changed. And not in a good way. Straight up, they're zombies. So the wheels on the bus better go round and round freakin' fast, because that's the only thing keeping Bobby and Smitty from becoming their classmates' next meal. It's kill or be killed in these hunger games, heads are gonna roll, and homework is most definitely gonna be late.

Combining the chill of The Shining, the thrill ride of Speed, the humor of Shaun of the Dead, and the angst of The Breakfast Club, Kirsty McKay's Undead is a bloody mad mash-up, a school-trip splatter-fest, a funny, gory, frighteningly good debut!

 
MY REVIEW: 

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.

In one word: Entertaining!

With its slapstick humour, Undead reminds me of one of those cheesy B-horror movies. A group of teenage kids are on a field trip in Aviemore, Scotland, and their school bus pulls into the Cheery Chomper café (how appropriate!) for a bite to eat. The heroine of the story, Bobby, is a bit of a loner. She was originally from London, and then her family moved to the United States. Now her family has relocated to Scotland. The American kids made fun of her British accent, and now the Brit kids make fun of her American accent! A girl can’t get a break! She decides she would rather stay on the bus and eat her bagged lunch than feel like a loser sitting by herself. The teacher, Mr. Taylor, tells Rob Smitty, the class rebel, that he will be staying on the bus with him as punishment for trying to buy alcohol and smokes with a fake ID. Smitty convinces Mr. Taylor to go into the café to buy him a sandwich, which leaves Bobby and Smitty alone on the school bus with the driver. Alice Hicks, the resident pretty girl, comes running out of the restaurant claiming that everyone is dead. Of course, Bobby and Smitty think that she’s overreacting and a bit of a lunatic. That is, until, they see Mr. Taylor stumbling towards the school bus with arms stretched out and blood dripping down his chin.

Along the way, the kids run into other survivors and they band together. They have to be resourceful to stay one step ahead of the monsters trying to kill them. Bobby’s strength and courage makes her a great heroine, and Smitty is just crazy and reminds me of Shaggy from Scooby-Doo who always acts as the bait in a diversion. Alice is snarky and annoying, and I am sure that Bobby and Smitty were tempted to leave her behind on more than one occasion! Despite their differences, they do manage to work together. It was a fun and light read that held my interest but be forewarned: The book ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger.

I have to add that I love the cover! It adds to the comic horror feel of the book, and I love that it is a girl that is holding the bloody ax!

This is McKay’s debut novel, and I am looking forward to reading the sequel, Unfed, which is expected to be released in September 2013. 

MY RATING:

3 stars!!  It was good, and I enjoyed it! A big thanks to Scholastic Canada for the opportunity to review this book!

This book qualifies as: 
#6 for my 2013 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
#6 for my 2013 Read-a-Latte Challenge
#3 for my 2013 Let Me Count The Ways Reading Challenge: Book Version
Bonus #2 for my 2013 Where Are You Reading? Challenge
Book #2 of Category #4 for my 2013 Global Reading Challenge

#2 for my 2013 Quick Fix Challenge

#2 for my 2013 ARC Reading Challenge

#5 for my 2013 Women Challenge
#4 for my New Authors Challenge 2013 
#4 for my 2013 Reading Challenge: First-Reads 
#4 for my 2013 1st In A Series Challenge
#6 for my 2013 Books-in-a-Series Reading Challenge

#4 for my 2013 Free Reads Challenge

#6 for my 2013 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge
#6 for my 2013 Genre Variety Reading Challenge
#1 for Task #2 of my 2013 Sub-Genre Reading Challenge
#3 for my 2013 Reading Outside The Box Book Challenge 
#4 for my 2013 Paranormal Reading Challenge 
#1 for my Zombie Challenge 2013
#1 for my Zombie Reading Challenge 
#1 for my 2013 Horror Reading Challenge 
#4 for my 2013 Young Adult Reading Challenge
#4 for my 2013 Feminist Reads Challenge
#5 for my Monthly Mix-up Mania: 2013 to 2015 Edition   
Letter U for my 2013 A to Z Reading Challenge  
#4 for my Retreat's Reading Bingo 2013 Challenge
#3 for my What An Animal Reading Challenge VI

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