Warm Bodies

Name: Serina

Grade: 12+

Title: Warm Bodies

Author: Isaac Marion

R is a zombie. He wears an old, blood covered suit, he ambles along with the other walking dead, and he doesn't remember anything about who he was in his previous life. R lives with the other zombies at the abandoned airport, where he joins them on their hunts for warm flesh and has almost conversations with his best friend, M. But R feels a little different from the other undead. He has an interest in the living world and even has dreams. On one trip into the city, R eats the brain of an unfortunate young man and also consumes some of his memories. In them, he sees a beautiful girl full of sunshine and life named Julie. Julie also happens to be hiding in the corner of the room R and his friends have infiltrated. R feels a connection to the girl after eating her boyfriend's brain, and decides to save her by smearing her with the blood of a fallen zombie. He then takes her to the airport where he keeps her hidden in his home, an old jet. Julie is terrified at first, but her terror turns to fascination when she finds out that R can speak, even if he can't form complete sentences. She is also surprised to find that he likes music and has an old record player that he listens to often. Julie wants to leave and go back to the stadium, the safe haven for the few people who remain alive, but she also feels a connection to R, not knowing that he is the one who killed her boyfriend. R shows Julie bits of his world, feeling more alive just by being around her. Something in him is changing, and it is slowly spreading to the other zombies as well. When Julie finally leaves without saying goodbye, R is determined to see her again, even if it means his second death.

I picked this book up because I wanted to see if the plot was different from what the movie seems to be about. It was.

I finished the book because it was very interesting and full of fresh ideas, even though the plot circles around rotting corpses.

I'd give this book to any fan of romance and zombies.

Rating: *** Liked it.