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White Trash Zombie #3
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Horror (2013)Our favorite white trash zombie, Angel Crawford, has enough problems of her own, what with dealing with her alcoholic, deadbeat dad, issues with her not-quite boyfriend, the zombie mafia, industrial espionage and evil corporations. Oh, and it’s raining, and won’t let up.
But things get even crazier when a zombie movie starts filming in town, and Angel begins to suspect that it’s not just the plot of the movie that's rotten. Soon she's fighting her way through mud, blood, bullets and intrigue, even as zombies, both real and fake, prowl the streets.
Angel’s been through more than her share of crap, but this time she’s in way over her head. She’ll need plenty of brainpower to fit all the pieces—and body parts—together in order to save herself, her town, and quite possibly the human race.
But things get even crazier when a zombie movie starts filming in town, and Angel begins to suspect that it’s not just the plot of the movie that's rotten. Soon she's fighting her way through mud, blood, bullets and intrigue, even as zombies, both real and fake, prowl the streets.
Angel’s been through more than her share of crap, but this time she’s in way over her head. She’ll need plenty of brainpower to fit all the pieces—and body parts—together in order to save herself, her town, and quite possibly the human race.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 2, 2013
109 people are currently reading
3304 people want to read
About the author
Diana Rowland
28 books2,851 followersDiana Rowland worked as a bartender, a blackjack dealer, a pit boss, a street cop, a detective, a computer forensics specialist, a crime scene investigator, and a morgue assistant, which means that she's seen a lot of weird crap. She won the marksmanship award in her Police Academy class, has a black belt in Hapkido, has handled numerous dead bodies in various states of decomposition, and can't rollerblade to save her life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 528 reviews
January 30, 2022
Angel is back and still working in the morgue. Now there is a movie crew in town to make a movie about zombies. However, there is something weird going on with the crew. Angel will find herself in the fight for her undead life and her city. She will need all the brainpower to fight this enemy.
April 29, 2024
This might officially become my go-to popcorn series!
It's fun, it's short, it's satisfying and made for a great weekend read.
Book 3 was just as good as the previous two, maybe more on the action side, but the fun writing and characters are still there.
I will definitely read book 4 soon.
It's fun, it's short, it's satisfying and made for a great weekend read.
Book 3 was just as good as the previous two, maybe more on the action side, but the fun writing and characters are still there.
I will definitely read book 4 soon.
December 14, 2016
Angel is a not stop go go brain muncher in this edition. I really enjoyed the fast paced edge of my seat constant danger and destruction mode she stayed in for most of the book.
Points that made this a winner
1) Angel is growing up, acting more mature, taking responsibility
2) She goes to the dark side, for survival but is not squeaky clean
3) Her love life muddles, I love a messy heart
4) She is not the docile doormat little zombie woman- YES!
5) She knows when a good bite matters. LOL- you'll get this towards the end of the book.
I devoured this in less than 24 hours, while pretending to work, feed my family, and sleep. I liked it. :D
Points that made this a winner
1) Angel is growing up, acting more mature, taking responsibility
2) She goes to the dark side, for survival but is not squeaky clean
3) Her love life muddles, I love a messy heart
4) She is not the docile doormat little zombie woman- YES!
5) She knows when a good bite matters. LOL- you'll get this towards the end of the book.
I devoured this in less than 24 hours, while pretending to work, feed my family, and sleep. I liked it. :D
October 27, 2016
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.
This audiobook was just a lot of fun! Over the past few months, I have kept circling back to this book wanting to buy it. I have so many audiobooks in my personal library that I still haven't read so I tried really hard to resist adding any more to the pile. But I kept coming back to it. I finally caved in and bought the book and am really happy that I did. This series has been a lot of fun so far and is the perfect choice when I am looking for a fun and light-hearted story.
I am pretty sure that I don't want to ever be a zombie. Ok...I am completely sure. But if I had to be a zombie then I would want to be like Angel. She is smart, resourceful, and just pretty much kick ass. She does what she feels is right even if it it isn't easy. I like how easy it is to relate to and like this character even though she has an imperfect background.
I really enjoy the underlying sense of humor in this book. There is a zombie movie filming in Angel's town during this book which I thought was unexpected. I can't help but find myself smiling during many of the scenes because being in Angel's head is just funny at times. The book does have its more tender moments. Angel's feeling towards her dad and the effort she goes to in order to protect him were impressive. Angel also spends some time during the book really working to find out who she really is and stands up to Marcus when she needs to do so.
I absolutely love the narrator. This is a story that I feel like I enjoyed a lot more because I picked up the audio version. Allison McLemore brings Angel to life wonderfully and really displays a wide range of emotions. I love her accent and the voices that she uses for other characters work well. The pacing of the story was perfectly done and this turned out to be one of those audiobooks that I just didn't want to turn off.
I would highly recommend this book to others. This is the third book in the series and I do feel that it would be best read in order since the relationships between the characters build from previous books. I can't wait to start the next book in the series!
Initial Thoughts
I had a lot of fun listening to this audiobook! Listening is the way to go with this series.
This audiobook was just a lot of fun! Over the past few months, I have kept circling back to this book wanting to buy it. I have so many audiobooks in my personal library that I still haven't read so I tried really hard to resist adding any more to the pile. But I kept coming back to it. I finally caved in and bought the book and am really happy that I did. This series has been a lot of fun so far and is the perfect choice when I am looking for a fun and light-hearted story.
I am pretty sure that I don't want to ever be a zombie. Ok...I am completely sure. But if I had to be a zombie then I would want to be like Angel. She is smart, resourceful, and just pretty much kick ass. She does what she feels is right even if it it isn't easy. I like how easy it is to relate to and like this character even though she has an imperfect background.
I really enjoy the underlying sense of humor in this book. There is a zombie movie filming in Angel's town during this book which I thought was unexpected. I can't help but find myself smiling during many of the scenes because being in Angel's head is just funny at times. The book does have its more tender moments. Angel's feeling towards her dad and the effort she goes to in order to protect him were impressive. Angel also spends some time during the book really working to find out who she really is and stands up to Marcus when she needs to do so.
I absolutely love the narrator. This is a story that I feel like I enjoyed a lot more because I picked up the audio version. Allison McLemore brings Angel to life wonderfully and really displays a wide range of emotions. I love her accent and the voices that she uses for other characters work well. The pacing of the story was perfectly done and this turned out to be one of those audiobooks that I just didn't want to turn off.
I would highly recommend this book to others. This is the third book in the series and I do feel that it would be best read in order since the relationships between the characters build from previous books. I can't wait to start the next book in the series!
Initial Thoughts
I had a lot of fun listening to this audiobook! Listening is the way to go with this series.
July 4, 2013
Spoilers
Not as enjoyable as the first two in the series, but still pretty good. I found the pacing in the first half really slow, and there were some aspects I found really cliched and boring, also Angel's attitude towards certain people pissed me off.
-The plot was kind of all over the place — there were some mysterious deaths, a zombie movie that was being filmed, then Angel getting attacked by a zombie she made in book 1, there was also evul scientists/corporations doing evul things, and it was all kind of meh.
-Angel was still a decent enough character. I did think she let people walk all over her (like her dad, Pietro and Philip), she should have defended herself more. She was being manipulated and kept in the dark way too much. But I guess since she was basically a nobody, it was only natural she would be used and abused by those in positions of power. It was just off putting reading a MC who had no control over things — everyone was pulling her strings, and I wanted her to get the upper hand in at least one or two things.
-Angel's relationship with her dad was the most interesting aspect of the book. I was a little frustrated at her coddling her dad and being the parent in the relationship but I guess it was realistic since her dad was such a loser. I liked that even though her dad was a loser he wasn't quite as big of a loser as he used to be. Also, I thought it was sweet that he never turned his back on her when he found out she was a zombie. I'm not sure I would have liked the book as much if it hadn't been for their relationship.
-Marcus was slightly more likeable in this one but he was still kind of a douche. I'm not all that invested in his relationship with Angel, but he's way better than Philip. I think Angel has more chemistry with Brian and Nick than those two.
-I hated Philip so much. He was such an abusive dick. I don't care that he was undercover when he was messing her around, he still physically abused Angel and he still let her get experimented on by the bad guys. What really pissed me off was how Angel was nice to him after all he'd done. He was a fucker and Angel just acted like a doormat. I wasn't impressed with that moment between them at the end either. He has used and abused her too much for them to become a couple.
-I liked the addition of Heather, bar Angel she was the only other decent female character. It's annoying that everyone important in Angel's life is male — her dad, Marcus, Philip, Nick, Derrell, Brian, Nikas, Pietro. Angel needs some female friends or role models… I hate that she only has guys around her.
-I'm curious to know what Allen's problem with Angel is. Maybe he used to love her mum or something?
-How is Pietro Marcus's uncle if he's centuries old?
All in all, I enjoyed it. Although, I would have liked it more if the story arcs had been more interesting and if Angel hadn't let everyone get away with treating her like rubbish.
Not as enjoyable as the first two in the series, but still pretty good. I found the pacing in the first half really slow, and there were some aspects I found really cliched and boring, also Angel's attitude towards certain people pissed me off.
-The plot was kind of all over the place — there were some mysterious deaths, a zombie movie that was being filmed, then Angel getting attacked by a zombie she made in book 1, there was also evul scientists/corporations doing evul things, and it was all kind of meh.
-Angel was still a decent enough character. I did think she let people walk all over her (like her dad, Pietro and Philip), she should have defended herself more. She was being manipulated and kept in the dark way too much. But I guess since she was basically a nobody, it was only natural she would be used and abused by those in positions of power. It was just off putting reading a MC who had no control over things — everyone was pulling her strings, and I wanted her to get the upper hand in at least one or two things.
-Angel's relationship with her dad was the most interesting aspect of the book. I was a little frustrated at her coddling her dad and being the parent in the relationship but I guess it was realistic since her dad was such a loser. I liked that even though her dad was a loser he wasn't quite as big of a loser as he used to be. Also, I thought it was sweet that he never turned his back on her when he found out she was a zombie. I'm not sure I would have liked the book as much if it hadn't been for their relationship.
-Marcus was slightly more likeable in this one but he was still kind of a douche. I'm not all that invested in his relationship with Angel, but he's way better than Philip. I think Angel has more chemistry with Brian and Nick than those two.
-I hated Philip so much. He was such an abusive dick. I don't care that he was undercover when he was messing her around, he still physically abused Angel and he still let her get experimented on by the bad guys. What really pissed me off was how Angel was nice to him after all he'd done. He was a fucker and Angel just acted like a doormat. I wasn't impressed with that moment between them at the end either. He has used and abused her too much for them to become a couple.
-I liked the addition of Heather, bar Angel she was the only other decent female character. It's annoying that everyone important in Angel's life is male — her dad, Marcus, Philip, Nick, Derrell, Brian, Nikas, Pietro. Angel needs some female friends or role models… I hate that she only has guys around her.
-I'm curious to know what Allen's problem with Angel is. Maybe he used to love her mum or something?
-How is Pietro Marcus's uncle if he's centuries old?
All in all, I enjoyed it. Although, I would have liked it more if the story arcs had been more interesting and if Angel hadn't let everyone get away with treating her like rubbish.
July 25, 2013
2.5
I've enjoyed this series more than I thought I would when I picked up the first book. It's generally just mind-candy but, hey, I got absolutely nothing against that. I like Angel's voice and the humor laced throughout and I think that, more than anything, elevated this series, for me, above it's compatriots - so much so that I went out and bought this third installment and was very excited to start reading it.
So it was a bit disappointing when I found myself not really loving it.
I think, mostly, it's the lack of humor. Not that there wasn't any, but everything seemed so serious, often bordering on melodramatic, for much of the book, and it just didn't have that tongue-in-cheek glint that the first two books had.
Also, I think I expected more from the premise. Between the blurb and the title I expected something more, well, apocalytpic, I guess. But, really, it's just sort of same-old same-old in the weird world of Angel. I even felt like some things were regressing or, at least, being held stagnant which I felt should've been progressing - like her relationships with her father and with Marcus.
Speaking of which, while I find her relationship with her father at times vexing and at times sweet... I'm just not feeling the whole thing with Marcus. Whenever they're together they end up sniping at each other, but we're told that they're still crazy for each other and meant to believe they have a really deep connection. But I'm not feeling it. With some things that happened in this book, though, maybe that will improve.
That said - I'm not digging the little inklings of possible love triangleness. I think, if I remember correctly, there were other times in these books where I felt it might go that way, and it didn't, so I'm hoping that stays true and we avoid the whole awful triangle trend. (I would be ok with her ditching Marcus and going with someone else, though... That would make for a different kind of awkwardness, of course, but it could be interesting. It would probably be soap operay, though, so, maybe not... )
Anyway -
The plot, itself, was ok but a bit unbelievable. I had a hard time believing
It wasn't a bad book, really, but I was just disappointed, overall. After being all excited to dig into it, I found it kind of lacking.
But -
Every series has a slump now and again, and I'm far from writing off this series because of one lackluster installment. And there were parts I liked and things that could lead down interesting paths, and I liked the ending, so I still look forward to the next, and maybe I'll go in a bit more wary but still hopeful that some of the missteps here - (imo, of course) - aren't repeated.
I've enjoyed this series more than I thought I would when I picked up the first book. It's generally just mind-candy but, hey, I got absolutely nothing against that. I like Angel's voice and the humor laced throughout and I think that, more than anything, elevated this series, for me, above it's compatriots - so much so that I went out and bought this third installment and was very excited to start reading it.
So it was a bit disappointing when I found myself not really loving it.
I think, mostly, it's the lack of humor. Not that there wasn't any, but everything seemed so serious, often bordering on melodramatic, for much of the book, and it just didn't have that tongue-in-cheek glint that the first two books had.
Also, I think I expected more from the premise. Between the blurb and the title I expected something more, well, apocalytpic, I guess. But, really, it's just sort of same-old same-old in the weird world of Angel. I even felt like some things were regressing or, at least, being held stagnant which I felt should've been progressing - like her relationships with her father and with Marcus.
Speaking of which, while I find her relationship with her father at times vexing and at times sweet... I'm just not feeling the whole thing with Marcus. Whenever they're together they end up sniping at each other, but we're told that they're still crazy for each other and meant to believe they have a really deep connection. But I'm not feeling it. With some things that happened in this book, though, maybe that will improve.
That said - I'm not digging the little inklings of possible love triangleness. I think, if I remember correctly, there were other times in these books where I felt it might go that way, and it didn't, so I'm hoping that stays true and we avoid the whole awful triangle trend. (I would be ok with her ditching Marcus and going with someone else, though... That would make for a different kind of awkwardness, of course, but it could be interesting. It would probably be soap operay, though, so, maybe not... )
Anyway -
The plot, itself, was ok but a bit unbelievable. I had a hard time believing
It wasn't a bad book, really, but I was just disappointed, overall. After being all excited to dig into it, I found it kind of lacking.
But -
Every series has a slump now and again, and I'm far from writing off this series because of one lackluster installment. And there were parts I liked and things that could lead down interesting paths, and I liked the ending, so I still look forward to the next, and maybe I'll go in a bit more wary but still hopeful that some of the missteps here - (imo, of course) - aren't repeated.
November 3, 2013
Again with the liking-but-not-loving in this series. I was kind of expecting something pretty different than what I got based on the title. Not that that's necessarily a BAD thing, just different than what I kinda maybe hoped for.
But for what the book was, I did like it. I just wish that some of the repetitive recap stuff would peter out... We're now 3 books into the series, so it's no longer necessary to tell us that Angel is a zombie. If recap info is needed, it should be plot info that people could have forgotten from the last book... not the main thing about the book's main character. That's like needing to repeatedly, and pointedly, remind us that the main character is a woman. Just a bit unnecessary.
I like Angel and how she is not really willing to compromise her independence with Marcus. That's not to say that she's not willing to compromise at all, but she is definitely not going to let him control her (*cough*EDWARD*cough*). I also like that she's purposely taking things slowly and wanting to find out who she is and what she wants before rushing into a relationship based on a single parasitic commonality. This is a very refreshing change of pace from all the instalove out there that makes me gag.
I am still enjoying the humor in this series, but I did feel like this book shifted to a more serious tone. Angel still got off some good one-liners, but overall, it didn't have the same "Fuck it" attitude that I've come to love from Angel. Maybe that's part of that maturity thing that she keeps mentioning, but I hope not. That's one of my favorite things about the series.
One complaint though: I didn't realize it until it was ruined, but I actually liked that Angel was just a "regular" zombie. She wasn't special or "chosen" or anything... except now she is, apparently. *sigh* I mean, I guess that that kind of thing is necessary these days... Everyone wants to be special. But, ugh, special is so boring when everyone IS special. I LIKED Angel just being a smart-mouthed, ignorant, drop-out, ex-junkie, white trash zombie. I liked that THAT is what made her who she is. I don't think it's necessary for her to be "zombie special", and I was really disappointed when that bit came up.
Ah well... I still really like these, and I'll still read the next book. That's not out yet. :(
But for what the book was, I did like it. I just wish that some of the repetitive recap stuff would peter out... We're now 3 books into the series, so it's no longer necessary to tell us that Angel is a zombie. If recap info is needed, it should be plot info that people could have forgotten from the last book... not the main thing about the book's main character. That's like needing to repeatedly, and pointedly, remind us that the main character is a woman. Just a bit unnecessary.
I like Angel and how she is not really willing to compromise her independence with Marcus. That's not to say that she's not willing to compromise at all, but she is definitely not going to let him control her (*cough*EDWARD*cough*). I also like that she's purposely taking things slowly and wanting to find out who she is and what she wants before rushing into a relationship based on a single parasitic commonality. This is a very refreshing change of pace from all the instalove out there that makes me gag.
I am still enjoying the humor in this series, but I did feel like this book shifted to a more serious tone. Angel still got off some good one-liners, but overall, it didn't have the same "Fuck it" attitude that I've come to love from Angel. Maybe that's part of that maturity thing that she keeps mentioning, but I hope not. That's one of my favorite things about the series.
One complaint though: I didn't realize it until it was ruined, but I actually liked that Angel was just a "regular" zombie. She wasn't special or "chosen" or anything... except now she is, apparently. *sigh* I mean, I guess that that kind of thing is necessary these days... Everyone wants to be special. But, ugh, special is so boring when everyone IS special. I LIKED Angel just being a smart-mouthed, ignorant, drop-out, ex-junkie, white trash zombie. I liked that THAT is what made her who she is. I don't think it's necessary for her to be "zombie special", and I was really disappointed when that bit came up.
Ah well... I still really like these, and I'll still read the next book. That's not out yet. :(
July 4, 2013
A zombie movie is being filmed in her home town and the zombies might or might not be real. When a body shows up on the movie set, everyone's favorite coroner's office zombie, Angel once again finds herself in the middle of the shambling, moaning action.
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse feels a lot like a ticker tape parade. All the stars are there, you watch them drive by, you cheer...then you go home and wonder what just happened. A lot of new characters are introduced who are peripheral to the story and honestly don't do all that much. Things are hinted at which don't lead anywhere. I kind of wonder if the book was getting away from her and she decided to split it in two.
It was still good. I enjoyed it and will definitely continue with the series but I don't think this book can hold a candle to the first two.
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse feels a lot like a ticker tape parade. All the stars are there, you watch them drive by, you cheer...then you go home and wonder what just happened. A lot of new characters are introduced who are peripheral to the story and honestly don't do all that much. Things are hinted at which don't lead anywhere. I kind of wonder if the book was getting away from her and she decided to split it in two.
It was still good. I enjoyed it and will definitely continue with the series but I don't think this book can hold a candle to the first two.
July 16, 2015
In White Trash Zombie Apocalypse, Angel Crawford is knee deep in problems from dealing with her Dad to trying to deciding how she feels about her "not-quite" boyfriend. You think that would be enough to keep our curious little zombie out of trouble, but nope..she is asking questions. Her little Nancy Drew hat is constantly on and she picks up on things. She soon discovers the secret lab is still open for business. Things get seriously complicated when a zombie movie comes to town and the labs involvement will have you cringing. I thought Rowland's ingenuous idea to weave this thread into the ongoing story arc to be well done and quite clever. Again, I barreled through this listening during every free moment. Rowland weaves snark, suspense, and mystery into this installment. Before I even finished I ordered How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back the next audio in this series. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer
July 2, 2013
Zombie Mama is so cool and I love her.Now I want more!
August 28, 2018
We have a a small town with zombies... where they are filming a zombie movie. Right. It also involves dead people (who don't move anymore) and everyone is doing secret shit.
You know, so far this was my least favourite book of this series. It's still fun to have a zombie book with actually intelligent zombies who aren't the enemy or a hostile element in the world, but the protagonists who do their things. Here they even have almost like a zombie mafia! How is that not cool?
Though I feel there isn't much of a world opening up so far. This is the third book and the overarching story is... not all that monumental. Not saying all series need to have one, but here I feel it would deserve some sort of a big thing. Maybe this will be another one of those gazillion volume ones, which could work, but I don't feel there is too much going on right now. It's still fun, sure, just not really that much.
Another thing I loved about the first two books was how Angel wasn't this super amazingly perfect little thing who is just undeniably superior to everyone else. That's boring. Angel is Angel, she isn't super smart, she isn't super perfect. She has problems and weaknesses. Not morally superior to everyone else. Some people love her, some don't.
But now it's basically an Angel lovefest. There are a few categories. Young men who are hot are in love with her. Or if they are taken or too old or too ugly or women they simply think she is the best person ever. Or they are evil. There is nothing else, at this point she is offered to work in part time at a hyper laboratory when she has zero qualifications or even just self-taught knowledge. Why? Because she is just naturally so cool and everyone absolutely adores her. People would jump into freaking Mount Doom for Angel.
It's still easy to read and entertaining, I just wish the series would go a step further and tone down this "the protagonist is the most wonderful and adored person ever born". This shouldn't be one of those things. There are enough series where it's like that and I already dislike them enough without that stupid cliche fucking up an otherwise perfectly fine series with a female protagonist who isn't an annoying twat.
I'm going to read the next in the series, I just hope for it changing direction.
Have a nice day and get a room, kids!
You know, so far this was my least favourite book of this series. It's still fun to have a zombie book with actually intelligent zombies who aren't the enemy or a hostile element in the world, but the protagonists who do their things. Here they even have almost like a zombie mafia! How is that not cool?
Though I feel there isn't much of a world opening up so far. This is the third book and the overarching story is... not all that monumental. Not saying all series need to have one, but here I feel it would deserve some sort of a big thing. Maybe this will be another one of those gazillion volume ones, which could work, but I don't feel there is too much going on right now. It's still fun, sure, just not really that much.
Another thing I loved about the first two books was how Angel wasn't this super amazingly perfect little thing who is just undeniably superior to everyone else. That's boring. Angel is Angel, she isn't super smart, she isn't super perfect. She has problems and weaknesses. Not morally superior to everyone else. Some people love her, some don't.
But now it's basically an Angel lovefest. There are a few categories. Young men who are hot are in love with her. Or if they are taken or too old or too ugly or women they simply think she is the best person ever. Or they are evil. There is nothing else, at this point she is offered to work in part time at a hyper laboratory when she has zero qualifications or even just self-taught knowledge. Why? Because she is just naturally so cool and everyone absolutely adores her. People would jump into freaking Mount Doom for Angel.
It's still easy to read and entertaining, I just wish the series would go a step further and tone down this "the protagonist is the most wonderful and adored person ever born". This shouldn't be one of those things. There are enough series where it's like that and I already dislike them enough without that stupid cliche fucking up an otherwise perfectly fine series with a female protagonist who isn't an annoying twat.
I'm going to read the next in the series, I just hope for it changing direction.
Have a nice day and get a room, kids!
June 10, 2013
Where do I start for this third installment of the life of Angel? Angel is still trying to have something that resembles a normal life even if she is a zombie (well adjusted as she is) but life just isn’t going to let that happen just yet.
The fact that there is a zombie movie being filmed in her town is just a complication in some of the things that are going to happen. Add to it that fact that it rains almost the whole book which gives a whole new level of stress to everything and just adds to the “life sucks and then you die” type of atmosphere in much of this novel.
The story starts off interweaving a bit of the previous story of how Angel got to be a zombie which is good if this is the first book of the series you have read although you have missed some very good novels if you don’t read them all (preferably in order) .
It doesn’t take long before Angel starts to attract trouble (did I mention people trying to kill/capture her) and so we have the “zombie mafia”, corporate intrigue, a bit of a science fiction flavor and less we forget there seems to be the beginning of more than one love interest. Curious to see where that one is going to go since Marcus the seemingly permanent love interest previously seems to have some competition.
As with previous books in this series the mystery/thriller to solve is the prime mover in this novel and it is done well, a bit multi-layered but not done to the point of confusion.
If I have any complaints about this book it would be that my violent revenge junkie was not fed that well, since I am usually rooting for the hero/heroine to put all the bad guys 6 feet under. Trust me there are some violent encounters in this story but I felt cheated out of some of the more satisfying examples of revenge but the above mentioned “multi-layered” plot does not really allow that … at least not yet.
I do like to be surprised and I got that, along with some additional interrelationship with her Dad which I predict you will enjoy. I can't say much more on that one without selling the farm.
Bottom Line: I loved it, kept me interested and someplace around the 50% mark it became a “I can't put it down” story that kept me up late and losing sleep so I could finish it. Her confusing relationship with her Dad presents a bit more “humanity” to this zombie story it would not otherwise have and gives it some added emotional depth. 5 Stars for a great story and a well written one.
The fact that there is a zombie movie being filmed in her town is just a complication in some of the things that are going to happen. Add to it that fact that it rains almost the whole book which gives a whole new level of stress to everything and just adds to the “life sucks and then you die” type of atmosphere in much of this novel.
The story starts off interweaving a bit of the previous story of how Angel got to be a zombie which is good if this is the first book of the series you have read although you have missed some very good novels if you don’t read them all (preferably in order) .
It doesn’t take long before Angel starts to attract trouble (did I mention people trying to kill/capture her) and so we have the “zombie mafia”, corporate intrigue, a bit of a science fiction flavor and less we forget there seems to be the beginning of more than one love interest. Curious to see where that one is going to go since Marcus the seemingly permanent love interest previously seems to have some competition.
As with previous books in this series the mystery/thriller to solve is the prime mover in this novel and it is done well, a bit multi-layered but not done to the point of confusion.
If I have any complaints about this book it would be that my violent revenge junkie was not fed that well, since I am usually rooting for the hero/heroine to put all the bad guys 6 feet under. Trust me there are some violent encounters in this story but I felt cheated out of some of the more satisfying examples of revenge but the above mentioned “multi-layered” plot does not really allow that … at least not yet.
I do like to be surprised and I got that, along with some additional interrelationship with her Dad which I predict you will enjoy. I can't say much more on that one without selling the farm.
Bottom Line: I loved it, kept me interested and someplace around the 50% mark it became a “I can't put it down” story that kept me up late and losing sleep so I could finish it. Her confusing relationship with her Dad presents a bit more “humanity” to this zombie story it would not otherwise have and gives it some added emotional depth. 5 Stars for a great story and a well written one.
November 4, 2015
Review from Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2015/1...
3.5/ 5 stars
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse brings us more of the Angel Crawford that has kept us reading through the series. She is still as awesome, outspoken and as against the grain as she always has been. Oh, and of course a bit irreverent and crass, but always in the best and most amusing ways. She also seems less broken than in the first two books. The first two books she was still pulling her life in order, and recovering (so to speak) from her previous self destructive life, to her new and better life as an undead zombie. Granted, she is still struggling/striving to attain certain things, like independence and a GED, but in general, she really seems to have gotten her act together. Now she just needs to work on her confidence and trusting herself a bit more. But she is obviously headed in the right direction, so I’m happy as I think she can evolve into a majorly kick ass character.
In this book, we not only have more zombies, but we also have zombies pretending to be zombies. :) A film crew has set up shop in town and is filming, you guessed it, a new zombie flick! So, we have real zombies, fake zombies, zombies pretending to be fake zombies, fake zombies pretending to be real zombies. Oh, and a murder on the set. Let’s not forget that. Is it real zombies? Fake zombies? A conspiracy? Of course, that is what Angel and crew need to determine. And while investigating, you can rest assure that Angel will find herself knee deep in trouble as she gets close to the truth. The zombie mafia brought in during book 2 continues to have their hands in whatever Angel is investigating, as they seem to have become a central part of Angel’s world. And Marcus is still around as well, though there relationship definitely has its road bumps.
Overall, I continue to enjoy this series, but I do think it is one that I have to be in the mood for, and I’m also not sure I could listen to them back to back. At least not more than two of them. But, since I enjoy them because they are different, I appreciate that they are a good, fun diversion from my typical reads whenever the mood strikes. I look forward to continuing on.
3.5/ 5 stars
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse brings us more of the Angel Crawford that has kept us reading through the series. She is still as awesome, outspoken and as against the grain as she always has been. Oh, and of course a bit irreverent and crass, but always in the best and most amusing ways. She also seems less broken than in the first two books. The first two books she was still pulling her life in order, and recovering (so to speak) from her previous self destructive life, to her new and better life as an undead zombie. Granted, she is still struggling/striving to attain certain things, like independence and a GED, but in general, she really seems to have gotten her act together. Now she just needs to work on her confidence and trusting herself a bit more. But she is obviously headed in the right direction, so I’m happy as I think she can evolve into a majorly kick ass character.
In this book, we not only have more zombies, but we also have zombies pretending to be zombies. :) A film crew has set up shop in town and is filming, you guessed it, a new zombie flick! So, we have real zombies, fake zombies, zombies pretending to be fake zombies, fake zombies pretending to be real zombies. Oh, and a murder on the set. Let’s not forget that. Is it real zombies? Fake zombies? A conspiracy? Of course, that is what Angel and crew need to determine. And while investigating, you can rest assure that Angel will find herself knee deep in trouble as she gets close to the truth. The zombie mafia brought in during book 2 continues to have their hands in whatever Angel is investigating, as they seem to have become a central part of Angel’s world. And Marcus is still around as well, though there relationship definitely has its road bumps.
Overall, I continue to enjoy this series, but I do think it is one that I have to be in the mood for, and I’m also not sure I could listen to them back to back. At least not more than two of them. But, since I enjoy them because they are different, I appreciate that they are a good, fun diversion from my typical reads whenever the mood strikes. I look forward to continuing on.
February 4, 2017
Book Title: White Trash Zombie Apocalypse
Author: Diana Rowland
Series: White Trash Zombie #3
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Zombie
Source: Kindle E-Book (Library)
OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5 STARS
Find my full review with video included for book song at Leah's Bookish Obsession
♪♫MY PICK FOR BOOK THEME SONG♫♪
♫Falling Apart by Papa Roach --This is Philip's song…(Angel's Zombie kid)It's kind of his song for Angel.♫
⇝Ratings Breakdown⇜
Plot: 4.3/5
Characters: 4.5/5
The Feels: 4.3/5
Addictiveness: 4.5/5
Theme: 5/5
Flow: 5/5
Backdrop (World Building): 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Book Cover: 4/5
Ending: 4.5/5 Cliffhanger: not really
Will I continue this series? Yes, of course...
⇝My Thoughts⇜
One of my favorite series…Zombies…you can cheer for!
While I had a few tiny issues with some things, this is still another great installment in the White Trash Zombie Series. Some of the issues were with everything involving Heather, but I can't say more than that without revealing too much. Otherwise there are some interesting developments and we learn more about Philip, too. I'm looking forward to the next book How the White Trash Zombies Gets Her Groove Back, and...I have it on Audio!
⇝Sex Factor⇜ Just talk of sex, no actual sex…par the course for this series.
Author: Diana Rowland
Series: White Trash Zombie #3
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Zombie
Source: Kindle E-Book (Library)
OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5 STARS
Find my full review with video included for book song at Leah's Bookish Obsession
♪♫MY PICK FOR BOOK THEME SONG♫♪
♫Falling Apart by Papa Roach --This is Philip's song…(Angel's Zombie kid)It's kind of his song for Angel.♫
⇝Ratings Breakdown⇜
Plot: 4.3/5
Characters: 4.5/5
The Feels: 4.3/5
Addictiveness: 4.5/5
Theme: 5/5
Flow: 5/5
Backdrop (World Building): 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Book Cover: 4/5
Ending: 4.5/5 Cliffhanger: not really
Will I continue this series? Yes, of course...
⇝My Thoughts⇜
One of my favorite series…Zombies…you can cheer for!
While I had a few tiny issues with some things, this is still another great installment in the White Trash Zombie Series. Some of the issues were with everything involving Heather, but I can't say more than that without revealing too much. Otherwise there are some interesting developments and we learn more about Philip, too. I'm looking forward to the next book How the White Trash Zombies Gets Her Groove Back, and...I have it on Audio!
⇝Sex Factor⇜ Just talk of sex, no actual sex…par the course for this series.
May 26, 2015
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse felt messier than the previous installments, as Angel continues to go through development with her dad, her not-quite-boyfriend and her job.
There's certainly a lot happening with an evil 'corporation' wanting to use zombies as research, not caring if they treat them like fodder, and Pietro's organisation trying to infiltrate it, with Angel's help. There's a lot of operatives in the field getting caught in the crossfire, including Angel's newly made zombie super soldier, Phillip. A zombie movie is also being filmed in town with lots of zombie extras looking as realistic as ever, and this will play a part in the plot as well.
I loved Angel's development as her character seems to grow with every installment. Her relationship with her father really evolves in White Trash Zombie Apocalypse, giving us perspective that people without the means can change if they set their mind to it. Although they've had a rocky past, it was really heart warming seeing their relationship get stronger, no matter the odds that they would face. It was hard to believe that her father could make such a turn in his character, but I suppose his love for Angel and wanting to change really forced things.
The action and gore factor here was dialed up, it's kind of sickly fascinating how they like to mix in brains with other ingredients to keep things gourmet. Although Angel is technically undead, she still keeps from becoming a monster which really demonstrates you what makes you 'human'.
It was weird how Marcus was not present for most of the story though. Angel goes ahead and kicks ass with her own agenda at play, while Marcus disappears for half of the book.
Although messy, White Trash Zombie Apocalypse was still a strong installment for this series, offering fantastic character growth for Angel and her friends and family.
Check out Happy Indulgence for more reviews!
There's certainly a lot happening with an evil 'corporation' wanting to use zombies as research, not caring if they treat them like fodder, and Pietro's organisation trying to infiltrate it, with Angel's help. There's a lot of operatives in the field getting caught in the crossfire, including Angel's newly made zombie super soldier, Phillip. A zombie movie is also being filmed in town with lots of zombie extras looking as realistic as ever, and this will play a part in the plot as well.
I loved Angel's development as her character seems to grow with every installment. Her relationship with her father really evolves in White Trash Zombie Apocalypse, giving us perspective that people without the means can change if they set their mind to it. Although they've had a rocky past, it was really heart warming seeing their relationship get stronger, no matter the odds that they would face. It was hard to believe that her father could make such a turn in his character, but I suppose his love for Angel and wanting to change really forced things.
The action and gore factor here was dialed up, it's kind of sickly fascinating how they like to mix in brains with other ingredients to keep things gourmet. Although Angel is technically undead, she still keeps from becoming a monster which really demonstrates you what makes you 'human'.
It was weird how Marcus was not present for most of the story though. Angel goes ahead and kicks ass with her own agenda at play, while Marcus disappears for half of the book.
Although messy, White Trash Zombie Apocalypse was still a strong installment for this series, offering fantastic character growth for Angel and her friends and family.
Check out Happy Indulgence for more reviews!
May 23, 2019
Book 1: My Life As a White Trash Zombie Review ★★★★☆ | Book 2: Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues Review ★★★☆☆
”Hello, my name is Angel, and it’s been three weeks since I’ve shambled.”
4 stars. I loved this one a lot. This is my second favorite book in the series so far (the first one is still my fave) and there was just so many different elements that I enjoyed.
Angel and her father’s relationship took such a great turn in this book and it was easily the highlight for me because man, these two have such a difficult relationship that’s just filled with turmoil. I am so happy with how everything with them turned out.
Also, Angel and Philip? Enough said. I don’t think I ship them together but it’s hard to ignore their dynamics. It’s crazy and bizarre seeing as how she turned him into a zombie but watching them bond in this book was pretty great in an odd type of way. I don’t ship them because of some of the things he did earlier in the book which sucks because I’ll take anyone other than boring, annoying ass Marcus. Which to be fair, he tried not to be such a dick in this book but I really don’t like him and I think Angel could do so much better. I feel like this series is going to go down the love triangle route and that makes me extremely nervous but as long as the romance stays in the background of everything else I can over look it I’m sure. This series has way too much awesome shit going on for it to all of a sudden turn into an unnecessary romance.
I wish more people would read these books because they are awesome with a badass zombie heroine and lots of gore. What’s not to love?
”Hello, my name is Angel, and it’s been three weeks since I’ve shambled.”
4 stars. I loved this one a lot. This is my second favorite book in the series so far (the first one is still my fave) and there was just so many different elements that I enjoyed.
Angel and her father’s relationship took such a great turn in this book and it was easily the highlight for me because man, these two have such a difficult relationship that’s just filled with turmoil. I am so happy with how everything with them turned out.
Also, Angel and Philip? Enough said. I don’t think I ship them together but it’s hard to ignore their dynamics. It’s crazy and bizarre seeing as how she turned him into a zombie but watching them bond in this book was pretty great in an odd type of way. I don’t ship them because of some of the things he did earlier in the book which sucks because I’ll take anyone other than boring, annoying ass Marcus. Which to be fair, he tried not to be such a dick in this book but I really don’t like him and I think Angel could do so much better. I feel like this series is going to go down the love triangle route and that makes me extremely nervous but as long as the romance stays in the background of everything else I can over look it I’m sure. This series has way too much awesome shit going on for it to all of a sudden turn into an unnecessary romance.
I wish more people would read these books because they are awesome with a badass zombie heroine and lots of gore. What’s not to love?
March 30, 2014
Daaaammnn, things do not look great for Angel! I mean, bullet holes, water up to her knees and a tilted house?!
And she even lost her pants!!!
4.5 stars (the four likes are for the comments above!)
In an amusing, if ironic, twist, a zombie movie is filming in Angel Crawford’s hometown and due to some strange events, well, stranger than normal, fake zombies and real zombies are mingling on the streets of town, forcing Angel to find out what’s going on and why the real zombies are aggressively out and about.
Angel continues to grow and become more responsible in this book, as she has throughout the series, which can’t be said of many characters too often, and I like that she’s having normal doubts about Marcus and going too fast, too soon. There aren’t unbelievable obstacles in their way just to keep them apart and Rowland makes Angel smart enough to reason things out where he’s concerned.
I also loved that there was progress with her father. He’s still ornery but on more than one front they made giant leaps and I really like where their storyline is going.
The secondary characters at the morgue, such as Derrel and Nick, who turns out to be quite the shocker, continue to be great and seemed to be in this book a little more, hopefully that continues. Something’s up with Prejean, though. I don’t know if it’s just that he sees Angel as more of a sympathetic person or what, but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of them actually interacting in the future.
I don’t really remember if Brian, Pietro’s security guy, was in the previous books, but he’s got a fairly large role here and I love him. I think the introduction of Heather is interesting and while what little we saw of Kyle was good, I’d love to see some sparks fly where Brian and Heather are concerned. The guys in the lab, especially Dr. Nikas, were nice additions and gave us another teeny, tiny glimpse into the lives of zombies that appear to be very old. Hopefully we’ll find out more about them and the zombie origin, etc., in the near future. And I don’t know if there’s a larger purpose to Jane’s presence, but I found her character to be a great addition to the story, especially since it involves humanizing Pietro, though he was actually a great guy most of the time he popped up.
I’m finding the whole deal with Philip to be a little weird, not saying I don’t like that storyline, it’s just a bit odd, the whole zombie-kid thing. Is there really a stronger bond, etc., just ‘cause you spread your parasite to them? Guess we’ll find out more on this subject at a later time, as Rowland left things between these zombies in a pretty interesting place.
Usually, the brains thing doesn’t gross me out too badly, I figure these characters have to live and the dead people may be organ donors without their consent, but they aren’t hurting anyone. However, something that happens this time around had me glad I’d finished my lunch before reading a particular scene. After everything was said and done, and I’m not saying it wasn’t necessary or deserved, I was a little disgusted by one of the character’s actions, but in the end, they wound up feeling guilty and disgusted by it too, which made me feel a whole lot better about them. Like I said, it had to be done, but yuck.
And we actually get to find out why Angel’s on the cover of the book all torn up and in her drawers!
This really is one of the best, probably the best, zombie series out there, in my opinion. Rowland writes flawed but likeable characters and injects a lot of humor, sarcasm and, bless her heart, cussing, into her stories. Between this and the Karen Gillian series, though I haven’t read the latest book in that one, Rowland is really becoming one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to see what she has planned next for Angel and everyone else in St. Edwards Parish in How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back.
And she even lost her pants!!!
4.5 stars (the four likes are for the comments above!)
In an amusing, if ironic, twist, a zombie movie is filming in Angel Crawford’s hometown and due to some strange events, well, stranger than normal, fake zombies and real zombies are mingling on the streets of town, forcing Angel to find out what’s going on and why the real zombies are aggressively out and about.
Angel continues to grow and become more responsible in this book, as she has throughout the series, which can’t be said of many characters too often, and I like that she’s having normal doubts about Marcus and going too fast, too soon. There aren’t unbelievable obstacles in their way just to keep them apart and Rowland makes Angel smart enough to reason things out where he’s concerned.
I also loved that there was progress with her father. He’s still ornery but on more than one front they made giant leaps and I really like where their storyline is going.
The secondary characters at the morgue, such as Derrel and Nick, who turns out to be quite the shocker, continue to be great and seemed to be in this book a little more, hopefully that continues. Something’s up with Prejean, though. I don’t know if it’s just that he sees Angel as more of a sympathetic person or what, but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of them actually interacting in the future.
I don’t really remember if Brian, Pietro’s security guy, was in the previous books, but he’s got a fairly large role here and I love him. I think the introduction of Heather is interesting and while what little we saw of Kyle was good, I’d love to see some sparks fly where Brian and Heather are concerned. The guys in the lab, especially Dr. Nikas, were nice additions and gave us another teeny, tiny glimpse into the lives of zombies that appear to be very old. Hopefully we’ll find out more about them and the zombie origin, etc., in the near future. And I don’t know if there’s a larger purpose to Jane’s presence, but I found her character to be a great addition to the story, especially since it involves humanizing Pietro, though he was actually a great guy most of the time he popped up.
I’m finding the whole deal with Philip to be a little weird, not saying I don’t like that storyline, it’s just a bit odd, the whole zombie-kid thing. Is there really a stronger bond, etc., just ‘cause you spread your parasite to them? Guess we’ll find out more on this subject at a later time, as Rowland left things between these zombies in a pretty interesting place.
Usually, the brains thing doesn’t gross me out too badly, I figure these characters have to live and the dead people may be organ donors without their consent, but they aren’t hurting anyone. However, something that happens this time around had me glad I’d finished my lunch before reading a particular scene. After everything was said and done, and I’m not saying it wasn’t necessary or deserved, I was a little disgusted by one of the character’s actions, but in the end, they wound up feeling guilty and disgusted by it too, which made me feel a whole lot better about them. Like I said, it had to be done, but yuck.
And we actually get to find out why Angel’s on the cover of the book all torn up and in her drawers!
This really is one of the best, probably the best, zombie series out there, in my opinion. Rowland writes flawed but likeable characters and injects a lot of humor, sarcasm and, bless her heart, cussing, into her stories. Between this and the Karen Gillian series, though I haven’t read the latest book in that one, Rowland is really becoming one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to see what she has planned next for Angel and everyone else in St. Edwards Parish in How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back.
March 22, 2024
Loving this series and I mean to listen to the next one soon. Just love Angel! She's a smart cookie with a foul mouth and a big heart! Love how she just tells it like it is! Gotta say I was a little annoyed with Marcus. Will they make as a couple by the end? I'm not sure. I'm thinking there's another option for Angel.
The audio is the way to go! Allison McLemore is fantastic! That Southern accent and comedic timing is perfection!
The audio is the way to go! Allison McLemore is fantastic! That Southern accent and comedic timing is perfection!
May 8, 2019
Cruising into the third book after thoroughly enjoying the first two, I snapped it open and settled in for some good times with Angel the zombie, her zombie pals, and the latest adventure which included a zombie movie being filmed in town, a flood, and a few new surprises.
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse is the next installment in the exciting urban fantasy series that doesn't do well standalone or out of order.
Angel is taking things slow with her love life with Marcus, stressing over her impending GED test, worried about her dad and his drinking, and oh, for the love of Noah would it please stop raining. Things have gotten exciting in town when a movie company is filming a zombie movie so their are zombies running amok all over town. Angel spots a familiar unwelcome face in the crowd of extras and starts to realize that things aren't exactly kosher with that movie project. Meanwhile, she meets a few new faces in her secret world and the flood has her facing more than dangerous, rising waters.
Each book shows Angel facing new and existing difficulties and handling them with aplomb. Marcus is really starting to annoy me almost as much as he does Angel the way he swoops in and doubts her abilities to handle her own affairs. I'm enjoying how she doesn't let him get away with that. But, interesting... there may be a new man in the picture though, no, we're not facing a love triangle. Yet.
Angel encounters a gentle zombie scientist working for the good of their race and she learns more about her own abilities along with a few stunning surprises about herself- that she isn't a loser and that she has been making good friends- when all is said and done.
The conflict involves her relationships particularly when she has to figure out when and how or if to let her dad in on her secret with worry for how he will take it. Then, there are further clashes with those seeking to exploit the zombies including some more powerful players than evil scientist Dr. Charish. I like how slowly Angel is realizing there is an organized group of zombies working for Pietro who are working to counteract the villains. Angel's need to help others lands her right in the middle of it all and she's a capable and tenacious heroine. There are some great action scenes and the mystery part is always engaging as well.
As before, I finished the book eager to pick the next one up and continue with more Angel and zombie action.
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse is the next installment in the exciting urban fantasy series that doesn't do well standalone or out of order.
Angel is taking things slow with her love life with Marcus, stressing over her impending GED test, worried about her dad and his drinking, and oh, for the love of Noah would it please stop raining. Things have gotten exciting in town when a movie company is filming a zombie movie so their are zombies running amok all over town. Angel spots a familiar unwelcome face in the crowd of extras and starts to realize that things aren't exactly kosher with that movie project. Meanwhile, she meets a few new faces in her secret world and the flood has her facing more than dangerous, rising waters.
Each book shows Angel facing new and existing difficulties and handling them with aplomb. Marcus is really starting to annoy me almost as much as he does Angel the way he swoops in and doubts her abilities to handle her own affairs. I'm enjoying how she doesn't let him get away with that. But, interesting... there may be a new man in the picture though, no, we're not facing a love triangle. Yet.
Angel encounters a gentle zombie scientist working for the good of their race and she learns more about her own abilities along with a few stunning surprises about herself- that she isn't a loser and that she has been making good friends- when all is said and done.
The conflict involves her relationships particularly when she has to figure out when and how or if to let her dad in on her secret with worry for how he will take it. Then, there are further clashes with those seeking to exploit the zombies including some more powerful players than evil scientist Dr. Charish. I like how slowly Angel is realizing there is an organized group of zombies working for Pietro who are working to counteract the villains. Angel's need to help others lands her right in the middle of it all and she's a capable and tenacious heroine. There are some great action scenes and the mystery part is always engaging as well.
As before, I finished the book eager to pick the next one up and continue with more Angel and zombie action.
July 3, 2013
The third installment in the White Trash Zombie series had an overall lighter tone compared to the previous two stories. There was still violence and a bit of gore and plenty of brains, but many aspects of Angel's life and relationships felt much more positive than before.
She has repaired her relationship with Marcus, improved her relationship with her father, and has formed a relationship with Pietro. This, among other things, gave a sort of happily-ever-after vibe that had me thinking this is the conclusion. Fortunately, my friend Goldilox has assured me it's not.
If there were an award given for most-improved character, Angel would definitely deserve it. She has completely turned her life around. She's a stronger, better person and is no longer defined by her past addiction, criminal record, or lack of education. She's working hard, studying hard, and is forming long-lasting, meaningful friendships with people she genuinely cares about.
While I adore Angel's character and enjoyed the improvements that she's made, I felt that this story overall lacked the entertainment value that the previous installments possessed.
The big reveal at the end regarding the mystery was also lacking and the reasoning behind it was a little confusing. I can't give details without being too spoiler-y, but it seemed like the bad guys could have chosen a less risky way of implementing their villainous plans.
Despite the things that I didn't enjoy this time around, I'm still crazy about this series and Angel is still one of my absolute favorite characters. Now that several issues have been resolved, I'm hoping the next installment takes a new direction.
She has repaired her relationship with Marcus, improved her relationship with her father, and has formed a relationship with Pietro. This, among other things, gave a sort of happily-ever-after vibe that had me thinking this is the conclusion. Fortunately, my friend Goldilox has assured me it's not.
If there were an award given for most-improved character, Angel would definitely deserve it. She has completely turned her life around. She's a stronger, better person and is no longer defined by her past addiction, criminal record, or lack of education. She's working hard, studying hard, and is forming long-lasting, meaningful friendships with people she genuinely cares about.
While I adore Angel's character and enjoyed the improvements that she's made, I felt that this story overall lacked the entertainment value that the previous installments possessed.
The big reveal at the end regarding the mystery was also lacking and the reasoning behind it was a little confusing. I can't give details without being too spoiler-y, but it seemed like the bad guys could have chosen a less risky way of implementing their villainous plans.
Despite the things that I didn't enjoy this time around, I'm still crazy about this series and Angel is still one of my absolute favorite characters. Now that several issues have been resolved, I'm hoping the next installment takes a new direction.
October 20, 2014
I think I checked this book out 4 or 5 times since its release last year but held off on reading it till now. Finally, after some hemming and hawing, all the conditions were right to revisit Angel and her zombie filled world. This series is one that evokes comfort (on par to cozy mysteries). The books are funny and the characters loveable. Yet Rowland never lets us forget the deep inner strength her character's possess, especially Angel. I love how far Angel has come in her journey to loving herself and wanting better for both her and her father. Everything Angel has now has come from hard work and determination and I find that rather inspiring. As the story progresses into a war between the two zombie factions, we see Angel coming into her own and deciding where she stands. Though cheesy, the zombie war is interesting enough. Not the most original plot, but not god awful. I also really love Angel and her father's relationship. Relationships are messy, and Rowland acknowledges that relationships are much more than simply loving someone. In terms of Angel's relationship with Marcus, I'm conflicted on how Angel should proceed. Though Marcus does pull through for her at the end, they both have hang ups that might need to be worked out separately before they can be together as a couple. I dropped a star because there wasn't a lot of "on the edge of your seat" excitement. All in all, a nice and comforting read.
July 10, 2013
If you're a fan of Angel, you won’t be disappointed by this next segment in the series. It’s been great to see Angel grow and become a confident woman and zombie. The plot and characters in this series are a bit subdued. There isn’t over the top action and in your face drama. But the writing and plot develops slowly and each emotion is described in a way that makes the reader feel that they are next to Angel.
Angel has once again proven that she’s got a big heart. I like that she’s making huge strides to be independent and not rely on Marcus. It would be so easy for her to do that. She isn’t ashamed of where she comes from and what she lacks in education and wealth. We do meet some interesting new characters like Brian and looks like Phillip will play a bigger role now. Overall a nice zombie story.
Angel has once again proven that she’s got a big heart. I like that she’s making huge strides to be independent and not rely on Marcus. It would be so easy for her to do that. She isn’t ashamed of where she comes from and what she lacks in education and wealth. We do meet some interesting new characters like Brian and looks like Phillip will play a bigger role now. Overall a nice zombie story.
January 8, 2019
4 Stars… Angel Crawford finds herself in the middle of a battle to dominate the zombie world... Caught between her supposed allies and a corrupt organization, Angel must choose who is friend and who is foe and what truth lies in the wake... With zombies literally combing the streets and some mysterious deaths piling up, Angel's time is ticking down to face the coming apocalypse... Using her intuition and new found confidence, Angel weaves through the deception and is able to discover the realities of this new world in which she is fully submerged... Another high action, heartfelt read in this series filled with humor, friendship, and endearing characters... This unique series simply captivates me and leaves me wanting more:)
September 14, 2019
Read #1
Started on July 28, 2019
Finished on August 8, 2019
3.5 stars
I think the newness factor of these has kind of worn out its welcome. I appreciate the direction Angel's life takes in this book—I like that she's taking charge of herself and being responsible—but it felt too convenient. The magic of the first book was having Angel find her way on her own, but this endearing quality of Angel's personality has become practically nonexistent in book #3 because Pietro basically takes care of every little problem she has. And I'm also waiting for Marcus to develop a personality—I don't really see the spark between him and Angel. But I guess now we have both Phillip and Nick as back-up love interests? The overarching story in this was a little boring, too.
Started on July 28, 2019
Finished on August 8, 2019
3.5 stars
I think the newness factor of these has kind of worn out its welcome. I appreciate the direction Angel's life takes in this book—I like that she's taking charge of herself and being responsible—but it felt too convenient. The magic of the first book was having Angel find her way on her own, but this endearing quality of Angel's personality has become practically nonexistent in book #3 because Pietro basically takes care of every little problem she has. And I'm also waiting for Marcus to develop a personality—I don't really see the spark between him and Angel. But I guess now we have both Phillip and Nick as back-up love interests? The overarching story in this was a little boring, too.
February 28, 2016
I think I will leave it at that for anymore for this series as it getting a bit too much now with the plots, I'm loving angel and her attitude towards being a zombie and understanding it, but there is all these special agents and operatives yet angel is the one to uncover everything and work it all out before everyone else, and somehow gets herself in these weird situations where she can't do anything, it's all getting a bit farfetched for me now so I'll leave it at that
September 4, 2014
Best zombie mafia ever! Ha. The flow to this read wasn't superb but figure the dots needed to be connected in order to set the stage for book four. Definitely, looking forward to it.
Want to read
February 13, 2013The Cover!!! Love it!
May 22, 2024
White Trash Zombie Apocalypse
White Trash Zombie, Book 3
I Picked Up This Book Because: Continue the series.
Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Audible (Owned)
Dates Read: 5/17/24 - 5/21/24
Rating: 3 Stars
Narrator(s): Allison McLemore
The Characters:
Angel:
Angel’s Father, Heather, Pietro, Marcus, Bryan
The Story:
Overall, this was just okay to me. It was a lot more gory than before and went on too long. I love Angel and her growth throughout the story. Her new mothering instinct is interesting. I wonder what it means that she has developed it so quickly.
White Trash Zombie, Book 3
I Picked Up This Book Because: Continue the series.
Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Audible (Owned)
Dates Read: 5/17/24 - 5/21/24
Rating: 3 Stars
Narrator(s): Allison McLemore
The Characters:
Angel:
Angel’s Father, Heather, Pietro, Marcus, Bryan
The Story:
Overall, this was just okay to me. It was a lot more gory than before and went on too long. I love Angel and her growth throughout the story. Her new mothering instinct is interesting. I wonder what it means that she has developed it so quickly.
October 3, 2016
An extremely disappointing follow up to "Even White Trash Zombies Get The Blues" that sees Angel flail about in an over-extended plot that vaguely relates to the filming of a zombie movie in her hometown. Obviously there's a lot more going on behind the scenes and our zombie heroine must rise to the occasion when people she loves are again threatened by a sinister outside influence.
Where this book really fell short for me was the way it didn't continue Angel's incredible progress from the second book. She tolerates Marcus being a fuckwad (despite slamming his ass in the second book) because he's ~working on~ not being such a possessive shithead. Never mind that Angel has to verbally slap him down again this book for the same reasons as before, he's still in the picture and he's still an asshat. Add to the mix the fact that his possessiveness might be somewhat based on his ZOMBIE SIRE CONNECTION with Angel I mean... the fuck? Marcus you are gross. Go away.
Angel's attempts to get her GED take a serious back seat in this book as well, despite an interesting hint that she may have dyslexia early on in the book (which sadly didn't get much of a look in -- I definitely want to see this examined further in the future). Angel's personal progress just seemed very flat and limited when compared with the strides she made in book two. While the natural disaster hitting town made for some compelling reading (primarily with regard to her relationship with dear old dad), much of its impact was lost as we were immediately thrust back into the uneven zombie movie subplot. Ugh.
This brings me to perhaps my biggest issue with the book. The ridiculous overuse of the word "bitch", particularly with regard to the Charish character. I don't like gendered slurs at the best of times, but Rowland's books are generally quite progressive and inclusive so it's rarely an issue in her work. I was extremely disappointed by the /constant/ references to Dr. Charish as a "psycho bitch" or just general "bitch". It was lazy as all hell to have Angel mention what a "bitch" Charish was in the previous book, especially given that her reprehensible actions are recapped well and it's obvious to anyone with half a brain that hey, Charish is Not Nice by her actions in this book. There were several pages in my digital copy of the book where Charish was referred to as a "bitch" three times /per page/. It was painfully unnecessary and not at all what I expect from a writer of Rowland's standing.
Actually I found Charish overall to be a really problematic representation of the woman scientist, especially when contrasted with the "good" (male) scientist introduced in this volume. Charish is a cold, heartless creature whose sex is constantly underlined with reference to how COLD she is. Dr. Nikas openly admits that his work benefited from Charish's super eeevil science, but that's OK because he's polite and sees heads in jars as ~people~! Charish is just an ICE QUEEN SUPER BITCH and totally deserving of being beaten and starved, which is her ultimate fate at the end of this story. BUT NIKAS IS NICE OK, EVEN THOUGH HE TURNS A BLIND EYE TO HER BEING ASSAULTED BECAUSE SHE ~DESERVES IT~. Yeah, whatever. Charish was an awful character who could have been barfed straight out of any bog-standard sci-fi blockbuster and frankly, I felt Rowland was an author was above such a lazy and troubling portrayal of a woman scientist. I guess not.
Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse for this book, Nikas suggests that Angel's ability to calm the zombie she sired in the previous volume using her bite = SUPER FUCKING SPECIAL. She's not the same as regular zombies, you guys! SHE'S A SPESHUL ZOMBIE! ONLY, LIKE, 500-YEAR-OLD ZOMBIES SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT!! OMGGGG!!!1
The fucking fuck? What made this series so different from the usual trash that clogs this genre was how utterly average Angel was from the get-go. She wasn't special and her battles weren't so much SUPER EXTRAORDINARY as they were ANGEL MUST GET ZOMBIE SHIT OUT OF THE WAY SO SHE CAN PAY BILLS AND GET AN EDUCATION. That I loved about the Angel character and, y'know, the general angle these books have taken to the whole zombie-thing. I'm extremely hesitant about future books if Angel truly is a SPECIAL ZOMBIE because wow no, that is not what I signed up for.
tl;dr I STILL LIKE YOU ANGEL BUT I REALLY HOPE YOUR NEXT BOOK LIVES UP TO ITS TITLE OR WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME SRS ISSUES.
Where this book really fell short for me was the way it didn't continue Angel's incredible progress from the second book. She tolerates Marcus being a fuckwad (despite slamming his ass in the second book) because he's ~working on~ not being such a possessive shithead. Never mind that Angel has to verbally slap him down again this book for the same reasons as before, he's still in the picture and he's still an asshat. Add to the mix the fact that his possessiveness might be somewhat based on his ZOMBIE SIRE CONNECTION with Angel I mean... the fuck? Marcus you are gross. Go away.
Angel's attempts to get her GED take a serious back seat in this book as well, despite an interesting hint that she may have dyslexia early on in the book (which sadly didn't get much of a look in -- I definitely want to see this examined further in the future). Angel's personal progress just seemed very flat and limited when compared with the strides she made in book two. While the natural disaster hitting town made for some compelling reading (primarily with regard to her relationship with dear old dad), much of its impact was lost as we were immediately thrust back into the uneven zombie movie subplot. Ugh.
This brings me to perhaps my biggest issue with the book. The ridiculous overuse of the word "bitch", particularly with regard to the Charish character. I don't like gendered slurs at the best of times, but Rowland's books are generally quite progressive and inclusive so it's rarely an issue in her work. I was extremely disappointed by the /constant/ references to Dr. Charish as a "psycho bitch" or just general "bitch". It was lazy as all hell to have Angel mention what a "bitch" Charish was in the previous book, especially given that her reprehensible actions are recapped well and it's obvious to anyone with half a brain that hey, Charish is Not Nice by her actions in this book. There were several pages in my digital copy of the book where Charish was referred to as a "bitch" three times /per page/. It was painfully unnecessary and not at all what I expect from a writer of Rowland's standing.
Actually I found Charish overall to be a really problematic representation of the woman scientist, especially when contrasted with the "good" (male) scientist introduced in this volume. Charish is a cold, heartless creature whose sex is constantly underlined with reference to how COLD she is. Dr. Nikas openly admits that his work benefited from Charish's super eeevil science, but that's OK because he's polite and sees heads in jars as ~people~! Charish is just an ICE QUEEN SUPER BITCH and totally deserving of being beaten and starved, which is her ultimate fate at the end of this story. BUT NIKAS IS NICE OK, EVEN THOUGH HE TURNS A BLIND EYE TO HER BEING ASSAULTED BECAUSE SHE ~DESERVES IT~. Yeah, whatever. Charish was an awful character who could have been barfed straight out of any bog-standard sci-fi blockbuster and frankly, I felt Rowland was an author was above such a lazy and troubling portrayal of a woman scientist. I guess not.
Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse for this book, Nikas suggests that Angel's ability to calm the zombie she sired in the previous volume using her bite = SUPER FUCKING SPECIAL. She's not the same as regular zombies, you guys! SHE'S A SPESHUL ZOMBIE! ONLY, LIKE, 500-YEAR-OLD ZOMBIES SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT!! OMGGGG!!!1
The fucking fuck? What made this series so different from the usual trash that clogs this genre was how utterly average Angel was from the get-go. She wasn't special and her battles weren't so much SUPER EXTRAORDINARY as they were ANGEL MUST GET ZOMBIE SHIT OUT OF THE WAY SO SHE CAN PAY BILLS AND GET AN EDUCATION. That I loved about the Angel character and, y'know, the general angle these books have taken to the whole zombie-thing. I'm extremely hesitant about future books if Angel truly is a SPECIAL ZOMBIE because wow no, that is not what I signed up for.
tl;dr I STILL LIKE YOU ANGEL BUT I REALLY HOPE YOUR NEXT BOOK LIVES UP TO ITS TITLE OR WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME SRS ISSUES.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2019
I’m generally not a fan of zombie lit, nor do I generally prefer my monsters to be anything other than horrifying, but when I read the first book of this series for Halloween Bingo last year, I fell in love. The titular zombie, Angel, is the perfect heroine: sassy and feisty and fiercely independent, but also vulnerable and even tenderly caring at times. In this third book of the series, she is still learning to navigate her new place in the world as both newbie zombie in a hidden zombie society and as a newly semi-respectable, drug-free, contributing member of society with “the Normals”. She’s trying to figure out how to have a healthy, functioning romantic relationship. In one really sweet and sad moment, she is delighted and amazed that she actually has real friends who would show up at her party. But there is plenty of action with a budding war between the zombie mobsters and a defense contractor trying to develop the means to control and weaponize zombies.
Audiobook, via Audible. Alison McLemore’s narration is still absolutely perfect.
I read this book for the Booklikes Halloween Bingo 2019, for the square Dead Lands: Elements of the undead - zombies, wights, vampires and other revenants.
Audiobook, via Audible. Alison McLemore’s narration is still absolutely perfect.
I read this book for the Booklikes Halloween Bingo 2019, for the square Dead Lands: Elements of the undead - zombies, wights, vampires and other revenants.
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