Haven

TITLE: Haven (The Apocalypse Chronicles, #1)

AUTHOR: Laury Falter

GENRE: YA Science Fiction

PUBLISHED: 2013

FORMAT: eBook, 259 pages

On an ordinary day in early September, Kennedy Shaw leaves for school unaware that within a few minutes the world she knows will be gone – succumbed to an outbreak of epidemic proportions. After finding a safe haven inside the security of her enclosed high school, she learns that four others have survived, one being a bold, mysterious transfer student from Texas whose unruffled demeanor harbors more than a cool interest in her. As they struggle to survive the dead fighting their way inside, will Kennedy discover there is more to life than survival? And will she and the others find a way to live in this terrifying new world? (From Goodreads)

The end of our world as we know it is a pretty (grotesquely) fascinating topic these days. There are so many books out there that delve into the possibility of our society destroying itself, governments falling apart, all of humanity at risk of extinction. But while there are arguably quite a few ways for the world to end, there seems to be something about a good, old fashioned zombie apocalypse that manages to strike close to home. Yes, if the world was ending, dangers would be waiting around every corner. How would you handle it if that danger came from someone you knew, someone you loved — someone who had lost all grasp of who they were and what it means to be human?

Kennedy Shaw and her small band of fellow survivors are faced with this terrifying reality, locked in their deserted high school while former classmates, teachers, and friends pose the biggest threat to their continued existence.

I think the concept of zombies has really evolved over the last few years, becoming more than just hordes of undead crawling out of their graves. In Haven, these ‘zombie’ masses are infected with a vicious virus that inflicts a psychosis potent enough to turn normal human beings into mindless, flesh-eating monsters. Personally, the idea of zombies being the effect of something viral is the one that I like the best. (Is it weird to have a preference for zombification theories??? Err…) It makes sense, it’s a scientific rationale for an idea — the dead coming back to life — that would otherwise be difficult to assimilate into reality, and it actually makes the entire thing seem scarier. I thought the same of World War Z. (And also The Last Of Us, for any gaming nerds out there who might recognize the reference!) I liked the book’s approach to zombies and I liked the moments of conflict when Kennedy was forced to fight back against someone she used to know or even trust.

Speaking of Kennedy, I liked her quite a bit. Although I found her interactions with Harrison to be more than a bit too hormonal for my tastes, I thought Kennedy herself was easy to relate to and I liked that she often took the initiative to get things done, even when they put her life at risk. Physically, she’s a very capable person who can defend herself against those risks, but what drew me to her and made me appreciate her the most was the emotional side of her character. She’s felt very much alone in the world, struggling with grief, suddenly stripped of any real place to belong, literally and figuratively. And even though the romance in this book wasn’t my cup of tea, I did really love that Harrison and Kennedy connected with one another out of this shared sense of feeling alone in the world until they were brought together by circumstance. I liked that this added depth to why they were so drawn together.

I also liked that the author made her secondary characters more accessible and three-dimensional than the stock roles they were assigned to. I was particularly fond of Doc and Mei by the end of the story; they showed so much more strength and resilience than I expected of them initially, and I loved that they partnered up even though they were such an unlikely pair. (Also I thought Doc’s obvious affection for Mei was adorable, even though it was hilarious watching the awkwardness unfold when Mei brushed him off for the 857347th time.) Beverly, the obligatory disgruntled, shallow, narcissistic character, also showed a great deal of potential for being a character with so much more under the surface. I hope we see more of her in later books, and that she gets a chance to really prove this theory of mine.

RATING: 3/5

Haven is a super fast read with plenty of action. There’s also more than enough mystery to keep you flipping the pages, and the pacing is right on the ball. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t a fan of the romance… but taken individually, both Kennedy and Harrison are fantastic and well-developed characters. They just, um, felt awkward to me when they were together. Doc and Mei were more of a winning couple to me than those two. Overall, a solid and compelling book.

Many, many thanks to the author and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of Haven to read and review! (By the way, we are very excited to be hosting for TLC now!) The next stop on the tour is over at Book Nerd on December 16th.

Want to win an eBook copy of Haven? We’ve got one to give away — just leave a comment on this review answering the following question: what’s your favorite ‘zombie apocalypse’ book or film, and why?

To learn more about Laury and her novels, visit her at her Website, Twitter page, Facebook page, and Goodreads page.