Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues

By: Diana Rowland

Narrated by: Allison McLemore

Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

Angel Crawford is finally starting to get used to life as a brain-eating zombie, but her problems are far from over. Her felony record is coming back to haunt her, more zombie hunters are popping up, and she’s beginning to wonder if her hunky cop-boyfriend is involved with the zombie mafia. Yeah, that’s right—the zombie mafia. Throw in a secret lab and a lot of conspiracy, and Angel’s going to need all of her brainpower—and maybe a brain smoothie as well—in order to get through it without falling apart.

©2012 Diana Rowland (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

A seameless continuation to a great series!

In the first novel, we got introduced to the high school dropout, Angel Crawford; a self loading, pill popping-looser; daughter of an alcoholic deadbeat, living in the swamps of Louisiana. I don’t think I need to draw you a picture, just look at the fabulous cover. But all that comes to an abrupt end when she wakes up in the morgue craving brains and wondering what that hell happened to her.
Who knew that becoming a zombie will put Angel on the right path, and the reader/listener in the path to discovering a fantastic, creepy, gross (better have a strong stomach) mysterious, funny, suspenseful, and downright entertaining world.
I love Angel; I think you will too, she’s smart and funny. Her sarcastic personality with her self deprecating-down to earth tone make a terrific, but most importantly, a genuine character. So, If you haven’t read/listened to the first novel, stop right here. You need to get properly introduced to Ms. Rowland’s zombies, with the first entry, My Life As A White trash Zombie.
Angel is coping with her new reality; she has learned most of how her new world works, and what she needs to do to survive. Everything seems to be going fine for Angel, but things start to get complicated, and now, besides making sure she has a jar of brain’s smoothie at hand - she also has to deal with new dangers; zombie hunters, conspiracies, her unsavory past catching up to her, not to mention her boyfriend's attitude.
The twist and turns, the mystery, the small dab of romance, and a great ending, make this entry a must read or listen. I’m seriously hoping we don’t have to wait a whole year for the following novel, White Trash Zombie Apocalypse.

Narration:
This is my first experience with Alison McLemore, and I thought she did a very good job bringing this novel and its characters to life.
I have to warn you, I’m not an expert in southern accents, but Ms. McLemore approach definitely worked for me, even though, at first I thought it might have been a little bit over the top, I settled down within the first chapter, and just began to enjoy the story. She does a fantastic job communicating Angel’s emotions, as well as the rest of the character’s.
The mood and feel of the novel are skillfully captured, and nicely transmitted to the listener.
One thing I’m not so sure about though, that is, the sense of humor. I did find the first novel (which I read) a lot funnier than this one - I’m not sure if my inner voice for Angel was funnier, or maybe this novel was a little bit more serious. I’m planning a re-visit on audio to find out.
I didn’t have problems distinguishing the different voices, except for Angel’s father, sometimes they sounded too much alike, but it's such small portion of the novel that it does not really make that much of the difference. I was fine with her male voices; this is not a romance ( the center anyway) so I’m a lot more lenient in these cases, and did I find them quite adequate.
All in all, this was a great listen, and I recommend this series to any UF fan in search of something new, engrossing, original and fresh, if the word "fresh" can be use when speaking about Zombies :)

GENRE: Urban Fantasy
SENSUALITY: Warm

19 of 19 people found this review helpful

"Hello, my name is Angel...I'll be your zombie..."

"Hello, my names is Angel and I will be your zombie today."

Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues by Diana Rowland, progresses right where My Life as a White Trash Zombie leaves off. And yes, I suggest listening to the series in order, otherwise the listener will be completely lost. Angel is back, working as a driver for the parish morgue and has adjusted to her life as a member of the walking undead rather nicely. However, her luck takes a turn for the worse when she loses the body she picks up from a recent crime scene. Desperate for answers, she much search for clues as to why, and stop her troubled past from coming back to bite her and putting her much needed job in jeopardy. Angel is witty, funny and real. I found myself actually laughing out loud and listening way past my bed time, on several occasions.

I read the eBook version of the first White Trash Zombie novel, but decided to give the audiobook a try for the second. I'm so glad I did. I loved how the narrator performed the story so much, I went back and picked up the first book on audio as well. Allison McLemore is simply wonderful and portrays Angel's laid back, sarcastic attitude to a tee, making her all the more lovable. So much so, she is on my short list of favorite female book leads.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Great series, even for non-zombie fans

Have you listened to any of Allison McLemore’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I listened to Allison McLemore read the first book in this series "My Life as a White Trash Zombie" and she does just as good a job on this one as she did on that one. I don't normally read zombie books but listening to her in the sample convinced me to give the series a try and I am so glad I did!

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this audiobook and the performance by Allison McLemore was top notch. While this book did make me chuckle a few times, it wasn't nearly as humorous as the first one and I missed that. I will admit that a lot of the humor in the first book was due to Angel discovering she was a zombie and learning to adjust to that, so that element couldn't be part of this story. However, I still loved Angel's sense of humor and the way she handles herself. There is more action and adventure in this storyline than in the previous book. All in all-- a great listen!

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Great Book. Don't hesitate to buy it.

Would you listen to Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues again? Why?

I would listen to it again. It is a great follow up to the first one.

What did you like best about this story?

Many books written by women get all caught up in who is kissing who and the emotional boyfriend drama the main characters are feeling. This is NOT the case in this book. It is a wonderful fantasy that is not boring teen melodrama.

What about Allison McLemore’s performance did you like?

She is pretty good as some of the southern accents seem difficult.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If I had the time, I would do it.

Any additional comments?

You should buy it. Definitely worth a credit.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Snark with a side of brains

I listened to the first two installments in Diana Rowland’s WHITE TRASH ZOMBIE series back-to-back after having absolutely freaking loved book one only to find myself wishing that I hadn’t. As much as I enjoyed EVEN WHITE TRASH ZOMBIES GET THE BLUES, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment after the high I had experienced with the first novel. The zombie 101 elements that were prevalent in the earlier installment were mostly absent and this series’ story arc went from a slow lope to warped speed far too quickly. I still loved listening to Angel’s zombie shenanigans and I’ll definitely be buying the next book although, I am going to wait a bit longer to do that than last time.

The main character and Allison McLemore’s narration are the two main factors that keep me coming back for more. Angel is an incredibly unique and wildly entertaining heroine who I seriously just can’t get enough of. I love her snarky personality and her hilarious zombie vocabulary. It’s impossible not to giggle when she talks about tanking up or when she yells “zombie powers ACTIVATE!” I like how even though Crawford’s a newbie in this world she’s not afraid to throw her weight around, even when she’s up against some pretty heavy hitters. McLemore continues to wow me with her humorous portrayal of Angel and, I know that I’ve said this already but, I could listen to her southern twang all day long.

As much as I enjoyed this book’s plot, I did think that Rowland went a little overboard. Things just got a whole lot more complicated in the WHITE TRASH ZOMBIES universe and I’m not convinced that the author gave readers enough time to catch-up. I understand that she wanted to deliver an action-packed installment but I wish there’d been more of a transition from zombie 101 to full-on mafia war / government conspiracy. Also, most of the new developments in relation to Angel’s walking dead status were instinctual which made them less entertaining to read about because of the lack of the need for trial and error. I’m hoping things will have evened out by the third novel.

I’m still not sure how I feel about the romance between the two main protagonists. There were definitely a couple of cute moments between them and I liked learning how zombie relationships differ from human ones; like for instance, at one point Angel gives Marcus crap for not telling her sooner that she was beginning to smell. And, not like B.O. either but rotten flesh. Yuck. Ivanov had a stick stuck up his butt for a good part of this book but I began to warm-up to him towards the end when he seemed to realize that he had to get off his high horse if he wanted to continue dating Crawford.

EVEN WHITE TRASH ZOMBIES GET THE BLUES is another fun listen from Diana Rowland and Allison McLemore; definitely worth checking out if you like your snark with a side of brains.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

No sophomore problems here...

Immediately following book 1, I jumped right into listening to the audio of book 2. This book was just as good as the first. It was fun, action packed, funny and filled with tons of gore and brains. I have certainly been pleasantly surprised by this new UF series, even though I'm a little late jumping on this bandwagon.

This story continues right after book 1, My Life as a White Trash Zombie. Angel is still her normal zombie crazy white trash self. As the story unfolds we learn more about the actual zombies in this series. How are zombies created? Is it a disease, parasite, virus? How and why do these zombies regenerate? All of these questions are answered in this book and more.

Angel finds herself right in the center of zombie problems and I'm not just talking about her needing brains. She belts out several one liners again that had me laughing out loud constantly and she shows her badassness. She's learning what she is capable of and isn't taking sh*t from anybody. She's a fighter and her feisty side shows in this book.

There seems to be many more changes coming to Angel and the zombies and I can't wait to hear how she handles it all.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Worthy follow-up to My Life as a White Trash Zombi

Any additional comments?

This second book in Rowland’s zombie series is a worthy follow-up to “My Life as a White Trash Zombie.” The protagonist is a young girl who has dropped out of high school and been convicted of driving a stolen car, but now is trying to get her life on track. You’ll read the book because you like zombies but you’ll appreciate its realistic depiction of the struggles of growing up. The heroine takes care of herself without needing to cling to a boyfriend, which I found really refreshing. There is a lot of swearing, particularly the F word, which didn’t bother me, but would be the only thing that would stop me from giving it an unqualified recommendation as a good read for teenaged girls. [I listened to this as an audio book performed by Allison McLemore, who did an excellent job].

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Another Must-Have series!

It took me the longest time to listen to this series because A) the title is kind of misleading and I just wasn't sure and B) the cover artwork portrays a disagreeable character. Sorry to be petty, but it just looked like books I wouldn't like.
But I love them!
The writing is very clever and quite unique for this genre. I love the twist on zombies that Diana Rowland created. And Allison McLemore's narration is spot on.
This second book is as good as the first.
Hooked again.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

White Trash Love!!

Great, great, great, did I mention GREAT book! I love supernatural stuff, not a zombie fan in general. BUT, this series ROCKS!!! I hope she keeps them coming. Zombie story reworked into a fun storyline that has so many possibilities. Well written and perfectly read. I can actually relate to the zombie, and I tell my friends about this book like, 'yeah, zombies are in every book, so she's a zombie, so what, you should read it.' LOL. It's action packed, funny, doesn't lag at all. Highly recommend!!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Fun listen, I want more!

I purchased the 1st book in the series ( My Life as A White Trash Zombie) to take a break from the longer epic books I usually read. I immediately purchased this one after I finished it. It was fun and light as I expected but surprisingly Angel was a charming character that hooks her way into your heart. I liked the authors take on zombies and her concept of brains use (i.e. brain smoothies) and the zombie mafia. The narrator gives an excellent performance being animated without being over-bearing.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Get this

You must read My Life as a White Trash Zombie first really, as it is the prequel, I love this book. I was so pleased to rejoin Angel and the other characters in the next stage of her life. Angel is a very likeable character in realistic circumstances, other than being a zombie. I love the take on being Zombies in this book, I love how unpretentious and unlikely the heroine is and it's just a really fun read.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Angel's new life gets mess up by nasty scientists

"Even White Trash Zombies Get The Blues" continues Angel Crawford's tale from where "My Life As A White Trash Zombie" left off. It has the same punchy style as the first novel and continues to benefit from Allison McLemore's first class narration.

The thing I liked most about the book is the way Angel grows and develops. She's turned becoming a zombie into an opportunity to turn her life around and become a better person, or at least one she likes and respects more. Putting aside the humour (which occasionally made me laugh out loud) and the zombie strangeness (which becomes satisfyingly complex) the main impact of this book comes from making the reader care about Angel Crawford.

"Even White Trash Zombies Get The Blues" is darker than the first novel. The scenes relating to Angel's treatment by her abductors are well enough written to be disturbing. This is about fear and humiliation and what happens when we treat people as things. Not a laugh a minute but not exploitative either. This is Angel's introduction to some of the more unpleasant realities of her new life. Her reaction to her experience forces her to grow or die and begins to shape here into someone who thinks about the big picture and not just how to survive until tomorrow.

Diana Rowland goes to some lengths to explain the science behind being a zombie. While I think this was important, even necessary, I felt there was a little too much info-dumping at some parts of the book. The science does sound plausible and it sets up all kinds of ideas that can feed future books but I'd have rather had it drip fed a little more. The best part of the explanation was Angel's reaction to it. Her enthusiasm for "learning cool stuff" is infectious.

I'm now a confirmed White Trash Zombie fan. I'll download them as they appear and consume them with pleasure.

I'm also a fan of Allison McLemore, not just for her Angel voice, which is perfect, but for her ability to give voices to other characters and to narrate the action scenes. I'll be looking at other books she's narrated.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful