SHOCKTOBER Zom-B series by Darren Shan YP FIC SHAN

Having already reviewed the super awesome Zom-B, I waited for three more volumes to do an update. Just in time for Shocktober!

SPOILER ALERT: Do NOT read this review if you don't want Zom-B Volume 1's big secrets revealed.







B (AKA Becky, that's right twist ending B is a girl lady!!!) wakes up months after being attacked by a zombie and having her HEART RIPPED OUT OF HER CHEST!!!  Now she is a Zom-B, but unlike the shuffling masses she has her memories and her own mind.  Unfortunately, she is a prisoner/test subject of a secretive military force that is keeping her Underground. She may just find that there really are fates worse than death!

B has left the underground military installation (NO SPOILERS ON HOW!) and is roaming the ravaged remains of London.  Holding as best she can to the semblance of humanity as she tries to find other survivors and escape the horrors of the dead, the living, and the worst: The mutants and the demonic clown of death, Mr. Dowling.





B has been found by others like her. Revitalized, zombies that think.  They call themselves the angels and say they can save the world, but can she trust them? And is she willing to walk away from the only people left on Earth that are like her?







This series is getting better, creepier, gorier, and more nightmare inducing.  It's already up to four volumes with a fifth volume soon to hit our shelves, so you have some catching up to do.  however, with Halloween around the corner this is the perfect time!  Each volume is a quick read, that leaves you wanting to tear open a fresh volume like the shambling undead tear open skulls!  Sorry, that was a little gross, but NOTHING compared to the fiendish horrors and atrocities that Shan has nightmared up for us! Mr. Dowling is absolute nightmare fuel and every time he shows up something gut wrenching (often literally) is sure to happen.  It filled we with a perverse sense of dread and eagerness to see what he would do next, which is the perfect thing in a horror book.  I think Shan has really got a great protagonist with street tough B.  She's just good enough and bad enough to both root for and be believable.  Shan has also populated the world with some fascinatingly freaky survivors for her to run into and keeps thing fresh by introducing just enough new faces to feel lively without getting confusing as to who is who.  It helps that he often slaughters loads of characters to keep you on your toes.  Sometimes I think that the REAL zombie plague is how many new zombie books and movies keep coming out, but this is one of the few shining stars in the field.  Its fast paced, creepy, gross, and filled with some truly clever twists.

You can find Zom-B: Underground in our catalog here.
Zom-B: City in our catalog here.
Zom-B: Angels in our catalog here.

Becoming Holmes by Shane Peacock YP FIC PEACOCK

Sherlock Holmes is at a crossroads. At 17 is seems his life may be over before it has begun. He has lost or is losing all the people that tied him to his past, the only chances of love he ever dared imagine for himself, and his future is the darkest mystery he has ever faced.  There is only one thing that can, pull him for the darkness of despair, a case! And it is the case of his young career, the evil mastermind Malefactor has finally tipped his hand.  Now Holmes and Malefactor begin a deadly battle of wits.  If Holmes survives this he may yet seize his destiny as the world’s greatest detective.

This is in many ways a perfect ending to Peacock’s excellent series.  It finally brings Holmes to the position to become THE Sherlock Holmes we know from the original mysteries. It even very cleverly accounts for differences in the original stories and this series in a dramatically satisfying manner.  One of the things that works best about this series is the mix of the very real London of the time (complete with real historical figures) and the classic mystery style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  The dark and dreary streets of London are one of the greatest characters in the series.  The greatest triumph is crafting a believable young Holmes and giving his story enough weight that it feels like an important addition to the Holmes legend. Which is why the surprise ending of this book may be a betrayal to fans of Sherlock Holmes.  Peacock has Holmes do something many fans would never accept.  I would say that Doyle’s Sherlock would not have done what Peacock’s Sherlock does, but I think Peacock has built his Holmes in a way that it is believable and works with the original Holmes’ stories too.  Some readers may feel this is cheapening Holmes, but I loved the alternate view of Holmes that Peacock crafted and feel like it is one of the finest Sherlock series besides the original books.  I highly recommend you start this series from the very first book and read until this final chapter.  

You can check our catalog for Becoming Holmes here.

 

The Body at the Tower by Y.S. Lee YP FIC LEE

Mary Quinn is back and now she’s a full member of The Agency: a group of undercover lady detectives posing as a boarding school. This time Mary is undercover and switching genders as she poses as an apprentice builder and a boy to uncover a mystery at a clock tower, but her focus is pulled towards helping the impoverished workers she meets and by a reunion with an old friend.

This second outing is even better than the first. Mary is a strong female hero that gals and guys alike can root for. Li does a great job of bringing the grit and grime of turn of the century London to thrilling, sooty life. The mystery is compelling and will keep readers hooked and the romantic subplot is as sharp as in the first book. This really is a satisfying series for fans of mysteries or historical fiction. You won’t HAVE to read the first book A Spy in the House to keep up with this one, but it is a really good read too so you might as well.

A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee YP FIC LEE

Mary Quinn was a 12 year old pickpocket sentenced to die by hanging (England in the 1800s was STRICT!), but is given a last minute reprieve and sent to Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls. There she learns to be a proper lady and eventually is hired as a teacher at 17. The life of a teacher bores her, but adventure finds her when she is chosen to join a secret spy society that works through the school calling themselves the Academy. Her first mission is to solve the mystery of missing cargos ships by pretending to be a lady’s companion in a wealthy merchant’s home. Soon the mystery deepens and Mary must face serious peril to uncover the truth, uncover a murder, and discover secrets of her own past.

First impression: It’s like a Jane Austen murder/spy mystery! This turns out to be a very good thing. Mary is a wonderful character; she is resourceful, bright, and tough without seeming entirely out of place with her time. The mystery has plenty of twist, but at times seemed a bit dry. Fortunately the romantic subplot is very well done and reminded me of the previously mentioned Jane Austen. I would say it is a good read for mystery fans, but mainly for fans of character driven mystery books. It is also a great read for historical fiction fans because the author has impeccably recreated Victorian, London with both high and low society represented. So if you are looking for some romance, danger, and intrigue this is your book.

Personal Beef: The cover! Why does it have “The Agency” in much larger print than the book’s actual title A Spy in the House? And it also has “A Mary Quinn Mystery” up top! Which is the title of the series “The Agency” or “Mary Quinn Mysteries”? Maybe I’m just easily confused, but I had to look up what the real title was.