Plague Town by Dana Fredsti

In the small university town of Redwood Grove, people are succumbing to a lethal strain of flu. They are dying—but not for long. 

Ashley Parker and her boyfriend are attacked by these shambling, rotting creatures that crave human flesh. Their lives will never be the same again. 

When she awakes Ashley discovers that she is a “wild card”—immune to the virus—and is recruited by a shadowy paramilitary organization that offers her the chance to fight back. Fatally attracted to her gorgeous instructor, and bonding with her fellow wild cards, Ashley begins to discover skills she never knew she had. 

As the town falls to ever-growing numbers of the infected, Ashley and her team fight to contain the outbreak—but will they be enough?

Goodreads

When I was approached by the publisher to read this book, I was thrilled. Happily, the reading experience was just as wonderful as I expected. Ashley is a character you can't help but feel for. Her world comes to an end and now she has to go and fight zombies because she's a "wild card." Talk about having a bad day. That and the guy she liked is kind of dead and the one she wants to kick in the teeth is looking is looking like he might be somewhat likable after all. Maybe. 

I like Ashley for her attitude and her willingness to go out there and take care of her town. Her interaction with her fellow "wild cards" and what is happening around her is full of banter and very real emotions, reactions and physical engagement. I like a book that keeps me reading into the night. If you enjoy authors like Patricia Briggs and Charlaine Harris, you will love Dana Fredsti.

What I liked:

The voice. It was snarky. Practically love at first read, frankly. Ashley takes no crap from anyone, especially her instructor who delights in making her life pretty miserable. The action and interaction of the characters was stellar and I could not put this book down. Yep it went everywhere with me.

What I didn't:

There are some points where the book gets a little punchy and goofy. Some of the antics of Ashley's fellow "wild cards" are a little exaggerated and annoying but it fit right in with the zombie apocalypse feel, so it in no way detracted from the story. If anything, it made it feel more real.

Overall, this book was a great read. Full of snark, close calls, action, mysterious survivalists, military conspiracies and some zombie butt kicking. This book was electric from the first page and I could not put it down.

To quote:

"A cool, hip zombie apocalypse novel, with crisp writing, a cast of memorable characters, and tons of undead combat action, it's a zombie lover's literary dream."

Roger Ma, author of The Zombie Combat Manual

"Sexy, weird, creepy, over-the-top zombie goodness."

Jonathan Maberry New York Times bestselling author of Patient Zero and Rot and Ruin.

"A fast-moving zombie tale that reads like a blast of energy." 

Lois Gresh New York Times bestselling author of Blood and Ice.

Join me in watching a great interview with the amazing guys from Zombie Popcorn as they talk with Dana about her new book.