Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Review: Kiss of Life

Daniel Waters, 2009, Simon & Schuster


In this, the sequel to Generation Dead (reviewed here), Waters once again tackles the various thorny issues arising in a world in which American teens have begun to rise from the dead. Kiss of Life is primarily a YA romance set against a rich backdrop in which the existence of zombies continues to polarise the community, and force changes (not always for the better) in politics, law, religion, and social machinations. The plot - which follows our schoolgirl protagonist Phoebe as she continues to fight for Undead rights, whilst pursuing romance with her (now dead) best friend, Adam - is tight, engrossing, and at times genuinely frightening in its all-too-credible examination of how the masses react when faced with unwanted realities.

With Kiss of Life carrying directly on from the events of Generation Dead, Waters wastes no time in jumping straight to the action, continually increasing the stakes as the novel progresses. The plotting and characterisation is spot on, the story satisfyingly mature and dark.

Kiss of Life is a terrific little page-turner that will leave you hungering for the next book in the series, and is available now from Australian retailers.

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