Broken World

Broken World, Book 1

By: Kate L. Mary

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

When a deadly virus sweeps the country, Vivian Thomas sets out for California in hopes of seeing the daughter she gave up for adoption. Then her car breaks down, and she's faced with a choice. Give up or accept a ride from redneck brothers Angus and Axl, but she's prepared to do whatever it takes to reach her daughter.

The virus is spreading, and by the time the group makes it to California, most of the population has been wiped out. When the dead start coming back, Vivian has to figure out how to be a mother under the most frightening circumstances, cope with Angus' aggressive mood swings, and sort out her growing attraction to his brooding younger brother, Axl.

While searching for a safe place to go, they pick up a pompous billionaire who may be the answer to all their problems. Trusting him means going into the middle of the Mojave Desert and possibly risking their lives, but with the streets overrun and nowhere else to turn, it seems he might be their only chance for survival....

©2014 Kate L. Mary (P)2015 Tantor

Very interesting story

Any additional comments?

As other reviewers have said, this was a not a zombie book I'd read before. While there was a lot of character development in this book, I found it interesting enough to listen to the entire story over the course of two days. It's rare that audio books have that much interest for me. I liked the fact that it wasn't day one and suddenly there are a ton of zombies. It seemed more real this way some how.

great narrator!

this was a fast listen for me as the narrator was very easy on the ears and pleasant to listen to. I actually love the audio more than the ebook. this book is in my top 5 series of zombie apocalypse genre books.

Great ride!

Very entertaining and well written characters.
The story builds well with plenty of suspense and scares.

Post-Apocalyptic Greatness!

Well, this was fantastic! I am finding that I like post-apocalyptic stories more and more these days. I have come across a few recommendations for this series and put it on my wishlist but never got around to it until now. This was such an entertaining listen. Once I got started with this book, I didn't want to stop. I am so glad that I finally gave this one a try.

Vivian is making her way to California. The world is in shambles due to a recent virus outbreak that threatening the lives of everyone across the country. She is on a quest to check on the daughter she gave up for adoption. When her car breaks down, she is helped out by a somewhat suspicious pair of brothers. And this is only the start of her journey.

One of the things that I loved about this book was the characters. I really felt like I got to know Vivian and the rest of her group over the course of this story and more importantly, I grew to care about them. There were a few characters that my opinion of completely changed during the course of the story. I liked that we saw these characters evolve and learn to trust each other. The characters all felt so real to me and I almost felt like I was on this journey with them.

I thought that this story was really exciting. I like it when a book shows how an outbreak starts. It is so much fun getting a chance to be with the characters while they figure out what is really happening. There are some pretty intense moments in this book and some other more heartbreaking moments. I think that the author did a great job of keeping things interesting and setting a nice pace for the story.

Hillary Huber did a great job with the narration. There is a pretty diverse cast of characters in this book and she did a fantastic job of making them each sound distinctive. She was able to bring a lot of emotion into the story and brought the excitement level up a notch. She had a very nice voice that was easy to listen to for hours at a time.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of post-apocalyptic stories. I thought that this book really gave the series a great start with its wonderful characters and exciting story. I can't wait to get started on the next book!

I received a review copy of this audiobook from the author.

Great Zombie Book!

This book has a strong plot and a terrific narrator. The story focuses on the relationships between characters as well as surviving in the zombie apocalypse. I would compare it to the show "The Walking Dead". I really enjoyed listening to this book and would recommend it.

one of my favorites

I've read the series before and loved it. Now I'm listening to it while I work out. Great characters , evil characters , drama, romance and ZOMBIES . What's not to love. The narrator is really great at bringing the characters to life.

Not something I've read before

I happen to be looking at a Facebook thread where someone was asking for suggestions on zombie books in audio format. The author of Broken World, Kate L. Mary posted a link to her work and I decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did. Broken World is unlike any Z-book I've read to date. Take a minute and let that statement simmer. Considering I've read more Z-books than the average Joe, that's a pretty staunch claim. I know what you're thinking... "But Shaaaaa-aaaay, zombies are zombies. There's only so many ways you can spin the same tale."

You, sir/madam, would be WRONG! I know, I know...even I've made the same claim, but I'm happy to admit my claim was inaccurate. Kinda.

Broken World is what I like to call a slow burn. The audiobook is almost nine hours long, and there aren't any zombies until somewhere around the fifth hour. Normally I'd be very annoyed about buying a zombie book without zombies for so long, but I was intrigued by the journey the author laid out for readers. The story starts with one character, Vivian, and continues to tell her narrative as she attempts--and struggles--to drive cross country. It's a strange world, one where citizens are required to have 'papers' that show they are free and clear of an infection and safe to travel.

Like a magnet, Vivian attracts a ragtag bunch to travel with. Some well intentioned characters, some sketchy ones, and one hideously written jerk. Okay, so the writing wasn't hideous, but the character was written as a blemish on society. I hated Angus with a passion, even when he showed (very) brief glimpses of humanity. What I got from him was much like that old nature vs. nurture argument. And I suspect he is most definitely a product of his environment. Much like Stevie Kopas' Moira and Michele characters in The Breadwinner Trilogy, Mary and Kopas share a talent for writing characters so despicable they evoke a strong reaction from readers.

My hope is that when I continue on to book two, which I will definitely be doing, the back-story laid in book one will be established and it will jump straight into the action. I wanted to give this five stars, but because of the time it took to pick up, I couldn't. Mary's characters are definitely three-dimensional. They have distinct personalities that shine through and are well-rounded. All said and done, I really enjoyed the book and am thankful the author suggested it. Lastly, the cover was really well done in my opinion. It's such an important piece of the puzzle that many authors skimp on, and I'm glad she didn't.

Good series BUT… terribly written in places

If I had to hear one more “my stomach tightened” “my stomach flipped” “my gut tightened” “my gut flipped” “my stomach lurched” “my gut lurched” then I WAS going to be the one that got sick. The writer has an extremely poor imagination in that respect and it continues in the next few books too. I’m invested in the story but am getting really annoyed with the same damn descriptions over and over and over. Doesn’t anyone have an editor anymore?

I felt bad for the narrator since I’ve heard her work before and she’s excellent but she had to be rolling her eyes every time she read another “stomach flip”

So So. Excellent narrator.

Started out as a tale of survival. Then became yet another zombie tale with love interest that did not really fit the story.

Main character was the narration point; written from her perspective. Not a very likable person so I found myself not caring much about her.

Give it til the middle

slow start but the characters keep you in it until the action picks up. different start than most zombie books.