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153 of 175 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hollowland, October 10, 2010
This review is from: Hollowland (The Hollows, #1) (Kindle Edition)
Remy, the 19 year old protagonist is facing `the end of times'; a post-apocalyptic world where a rabies type virus has turned the majority of the population into zombies. Zombies that roam with an insatiable hunger and are particularly fond of human flesh; one bite, one splash of zombie blood or saliva in an open wound and you become infected. That is if you survive.
Remy and her 8 year old brother Max were brought to a government run quarantine by a group of soldiers who saved them during a zombie raid; Max was sick and stayed on a different floor in the medical wing. Beck, a soldier that took an interest in Remy and Max; taught her how to fight the zombies, not just with guns but with whatever was available, that along with her guts and instinct was a gift that saved her and others countless times.
Zombies overtake the quarantine, yet in all the fright, terror and pandemonium Remy manages to escape bringing along Harlow, an endearing 13 year old who refuses to stay. Amidst the chaos she finds out that only her brother Max and select government doctors and scientists were evacuated to a quarantine 'near' this one. Off into the Zombie filled wasteland they go. They'll soon find out that zombies aren't the only thing to fear.
During their travels they meet Blue, a medical intern with good insight and judgment, Lazlo, a famous recording artist who is a bit eccentric, anxious and easy on the eyes and my personal favorite; Ripley, a zombie killing lion who rocks! They make a sort of unspoken team together set out to find the quarantine, each for their own reasons. Along the way they face, among other terrifing ordeals crazy cults, Mad Max crazy wanna-be's and other 'humans' can be just as vicious as the zombies.
The horrors they face are ghastly and shocking, it'll leave your heart thumping like crazy, but the story is also heart wrenching and sad with so much depth of emotion. Every chapter takes you on a roller coaster ride of full of ups and downs; and the constant question of what's going to happen next? It's virtually impossible to put this book down.
Remy's character is strong, physically and emotionally; despite her gruff exterior and some of the harder choices and decisions she's forced to make, she is still vulnerable and compassionate. She has one main goal: Find Max! She'll risk anything to find him.
All of the main characters are believable and realistic; I've grown to care for them all. Their group dynamic is perfect and adds so much depth to the story. This is one fantastic read. Can we expect a follow up? I think the potentials there.
There are typographical errors but I could have cared less. The story was so great that it didn't stop my reading stride at all.
So, Amanda----When's the next one coming out? (I say as if she reads this, LOL) Can't hurt to ask!!!!
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50 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Brainless, cliché-ridden fun, August 8, 2011
I feel bad judging this novel too harshly. It is, after all, self-published, and at ninety-nine cents, the entertainment I derived from it supersedes what I've derived from books I've paid a lot more for.
In the interests of truth and justice, I'll try to be frank but fair.
First, you have to take this as pure camp. The MCs run around with a zombie-eating lion pet. All credibility goes out the window when A FREAKING LION joins the party. Second, half the book is spent fighting human adversaries, in the form of creepy child harem-owning cultists and serial killers. These are caricatures straight out of B-movies. The cult leader's name is "Korech" and the marauders paint "HELTER SKELTER" on the walls in their victims' blood.
Okay, so clearly the author's tongue is firmly planted in cheek. Or so we hope.
As a mindless, inadvertently self-parodying zombie romp, it's passably entertaining. None of the characters display more than the requisite one dimension except, surprisingly, main character Remy. Hocking actually makes her female MC a legitimate bad***. She kills zombies ruthlessly. She doesn't flinch when she has to abandon infected friends. She has a plan and sticks to it. And Remy isn't tough in the "tough until Mr. Right makes her melt" way. Remy stays brutally focused throughout her unfolding romance with a male character. With how hokey the rest of the book is, I was disconcerted, and slightly impressed, that Hocking stuck to her guns and kept Remy a strong, independent character right to the end.
There's nothing here you haven't seen before. Zombies are evil. Most human survivors are evil. Both types die in gratuitously violent and satisfying ways.
What saved me from instantly forgetting this book was the twist ending. I thought Hocking was telegraphing the cliché, irrational ending--"I don't care about the fate of the world, I just want to save my (insert loved one here)!"--but she flipped the tables admirably.
I liked the surprise ending so much that I'll probably buy the sequel, just to see if Hocking does a 180 or not.
This isn't Literature with a capital 'L.' The prose is fanfic-quality. The characters are stereotypes and the plotting and themes and ideas are lifted straight from B Horror 101. And yet, somehow, I liked Remy--and fine, the lion too--enough to keep reading.
I'm almost annoyed it wasn't worse.
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27 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amanda Hocking cannot dissapoint, October 26, 2010
This review is from: Hollowland (The Hollows, #1) (Kindle Edition)
I have added a new author to my must follow and own every book list. That author is Amanda Hocking. I started with the My Blood Approves series and was hooked. Hollowland was no different. I love zombies and this book made me feel like I was living through the zombie apocalypse as Remy. The characters are greatly developed and have you connecting to each one from the first introduction. While this book is more horror (which I loved!) than paranormal romance, Hocking still manages to develop that love interest into the end of the world. Even for those readers who don't like horror and prefer paranormal romance, this book will not disappoint you. I recommend to all readers. It will keep you hooked from beginning to end. And in the end you will be sitting there saying, "But, where is the rest? I want more. I need more."
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