Odium

The Dead Saga

By: Claire C. Riley

Narrated by: Jennifer Reilly

Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

It's better to die by the gun than die by the dead.

Nina's life was irrevocably changed when humanity's dead began to rise. 

Now, she lives behind the walls. 

The barricaded cities, erected by the government to protect the remnants of civilization, have become a brutal dictatorship - causing the inhabitants within to starve, steal, and claw for survival. Life behind the walls has become as terrifying as roaming the zombie-ridden landscape beyond.

Citizens trade what they can to gain food, water, and shelter. Nina has only one currency - her body - and she is tired of submitting herself to the greedy hands of the self-proclaimed leaders. 

An opportunity to escape presents itself in the fate of a young girl named Emily-Rose. For the price of a stale piece of bread, she is set for banishment from the city, and most likely a horrific death at the hands of the deaders. Nina tells herself that it is sympathy and not self-preservation that makes her follow the young girl out of the walled metropolis, and into the overgrown world beyond. 

Unused to fighting the deaders, Nina tries to scrounge for her survival and against her better judgment, begins to care for Emily-Rose. However, when you have a bread-stealing liability providing your only back up, survival seems even tougher. Nina is forced to fight for their lives, and with every zombie slain, she becomes fiercer, faster - a grim reaper with her not-so-sharp butcher's knife. 

Along the path to a safe haven that might not exist, Nina and Emily-Rose meet Mikey, who introduces them to a new life they could not imagine, a life above the ground. However, this new world brings new dangers, and darker shadows than she knew. 

Nina finds out that the deaders aren't the only thing to fear beyond the wall. 

And that fear will not be ignored, or forgotten.

©2013 Claire C. Riley (P)2014 Claire C. Riley

IF I COULD KICK MY OWN ASS I WOULD

I'M JUST A CHICK WITH AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM
This has been on and off my Wish List for years. It is in the back of the horror section. The combination of the cover and the reviews made me think this would be a hard core Zombie Horror. Recently I made number one in the Horror Review Section and decided to celebrate by listening to some of these potential horror sleepers, books not high enough to help a reviewer.

HIP HIP HOORAY,
I love snarky and dry humor, but it turns out I don't care for forced snarky. It is kind of like forced cuteness. Anything that is forced or in which someone tries too hard never comes out as well as the real deal. This is a Girly YA book with the F word used in every other sentence. I have nothing against the F word, I use it myself. You know how too much macho talk can end up sounding silly, well multiple that by ten, when it comes out of a high female voice. HAPPY DANCE

ME, I'M A REALIST
I hung on to this story for three hours, but when the girls got into a Hummer that had been sitting for three years, as they were being attacked by Zombies, and the truck started on the first try, it was the last straw.

This is not a sleeper, it is in the back of the horror section for a reason.

As girlie as this fatman can handle

I am going to start this review off with a confession… Ok here it is… Sadly, I have short pockets. But, I have even shorter arms. Yes I am cheap. I am so cheap I don’t even pay attention. This is why I am going to say that the recent trend on most titles of having the narration so slow that it is unbearable to listen to is driving me nuts, and for the love of all things good please make it stop! It makes it impossible to judge the price per hour of any title. However, I was surprised when I first started listening to this one, the speed was perfect. I must have the speed set by accident to 1.25x speed. I slowed it down to normal speed and there really was no problem with listening to it. But here is the thing…. I was so keen to hear the story that I cranked it up just a notch to 1.25!

The start of story really does an excellent job of setting the scene. I have listened to a lot of zombie stories over the years and sadly I couldn’t recall to many of them having a female lead. It got me thinking so I searched through my library but soon gave up, because so many of them have slipped my mind. Yes I am cheap and have a poor memory. So I had a look at a goodread list called ‘147 top female lead zombie stories’. I could only find 2 in the list which I had purchased over the years. I will have to repent of my ways and not shy away with purchasing titles with a female lead character, or at least from titles authored by Claire C Riley. Yes there is a more of the love and the girlie rolling of the eyes and the ‘he likes me, she like me’ type thing it, wasn’t enough to turn me off. This type of thing can be summed up with a quote from the story “I’m just a girl who likes shoes”. Perhaps this fatman has found his girly inner heart… but please don’t tell anyone or remind me of that fact. I have a reputation to uphold!

I have just finished listening to the complete story and I have got to confess there several things I disliked. As I mentioned before the main character has way to many eye rolls, has way to many mood swings for my liking. But I think that is simply because I have teenage children myself who are going through the ‘daaaaaaaad’ plus the dreaded ‘eye roll’ stage in life. The narrator’s voice really matched the character. All of this once again helped me understand why some species eat their own young. On the plus side I don’t think it is the sort of thing which should turn you off purchasing this title, because it is a good story, and I hold out with hope as the story progresses that the lead character becomes a complete psycho or maybe a little more stable, or maybe even dead, as a lot of people do die in this story! I don’t mind that aspect of the story, after all it is a zombie story!

The fatman has enjoyed his time with this one and will purchasing the next in the series! On my preferred Indian curry rating it is a hot butter chicken, but not quite vindaloo level. Perhaps the next in the series could send the spice rating even hotter!

BTW I love what the word ‘odium’ means

WOW….what a ride this was

WOW….what a ride this was, this story totally sucked me in and had me at the edge of my seat. Zombie books are hit and miss with me and fortunately this one was a hit. The writing was so realistic I found myself stopping to think what I would do if I survived the zombie apocalypse. I really could have done without some of the descriptions of the killing of the zombies…..listening to some of that while driving, ugh, you can’t just close your eyes and shudder at 65MPH (okay, more like 75/80MPH).

Nina was a very interesting character I found myself liking her, then not liking her and liking her again. She was incredibly snarky and quite bitchy and in the end one of my favorite characters. Emily grew on me and it will be interesting to see what becomes of Mikey. The ending kinda snuck up on me and I was not prepared for it to end where it did…..not quite a cliff hanger, but close. As much as I want to start the second book, I enjoyed the narration enough that I am going to wait until that book is out in audio to start.

The narration was very good, Jennifer Reilly is a “new to me” narrator (her voice does sound very familiar to me though….) the voice she gave Nina was a good one, and she did well with the other character voices, while she did not make major changes you could still tell which character was speaking.

If you like Zombie stories, you should really pick up this book/audio and get sucked into this world.

Audiobook provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at audiobookreviewer dot com

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Zombies and gore and snark!

What made the experience of listening to Odium the most enjoyable?

I really loved this book. It starts a while after the outbreak – not something you see very often. I enjoy the outbreak stories, but what happens after the dust settles and the zombies don’t die off?
The main character Nina starts off living in walled off camp with a power hungry leader that cares more about himself than anyone else. When he exiles the young Emily, Nina goes with her gut and leaves with her. She is just a normal person. No special military training or superpowers – unless you count snark. They come across plenty of zombies and a few survivors along the way. Claire Riley does an excellent job with her characters. Some you love and some you love to hate. It's fast paced with lots of action.

What other book might you compare Odium to and why?

The 'oh my gosh - did she seriously just say that out loud' reactions reminded me of some of Talbot's speaking before you think situations.

What does Jennifer Reilly bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She was awesome as a narrator. She really brought the book to life. Great voice, nice pace, you can easily distinguish different characters - and Nina's inner monologue.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The main character is very stubborn and strong willed and extremely snarky. She is also hilarious. I was laughing right along with her. The zombies are also pretty cringe worthy.

Any additional comments?

Give this a listen. You won't be disappointed.

Embarrassing lead female character

The story was ok. It starts off a few years from when the dead have become the walking dead. The main character is a snarky female, who ends up on the wrong side of a safety barricade after standing up for a young woman/ girl who has been accused of stealing bread.

Neena (main character) understandably has a chip on her sholder, an edge to her personality - a single female living/surviving in a zombie filled world - but to me, she was written just past snarky to unlikable. I really wanted to like her, and kept waiting for her edgy attitude to soften the more she spent time with the young girl and other survivors- but it didn't happen.

The narrator had a nice enough voice to listen to, but it was very difficult to determine one character from the next, unless she gave them an accent.

As much as I wanted and waited to be satisfied with this book, it just never happened for me. An ok story, with an unlikable lead, and so-so narrator - very disappointing.

Devoured In A Matter of Days

If you could sum up Odium in three words, what would they be?

Audible page turner

What other book might you compare Odium to and why?

Outside the genre, "Odium" compares to any book that moves quickly and takes the reader for a ride. Within the genre, "Patient Zero" by Jonathan Maberry.

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

I'm not familiar with Jennifer Reilly's other reads. This performance is a very fine "hello," though!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Without giving too much away, there's a point where several of the characters race across what I can only describe as No Man's Land on the Western Front in WW1. Though certain death may await some, there's no choice but to brave what lies ahead.

Jennifer Reilly describes each anxious heartbeat and adrenalin-laden step so vividly that your heart speeds up as you feel your adrenalin rising.

Any additional comments?

I'm not one for zombie books or films. Odium, however, absolutely sucked me in. During parts where several characters were interacting, it was easy to follow along with who was saying what. Each character has a unique voice that keeps you from getting lost through the plot twists and turns.

Awesome Zombie- Apocolypse Book! Great Female lead

Would you listen to Odium again? Why?

Yes, I would. I am a big horror fan and this was a good book. I like to go back and re-read or re-listen to enjoyable stories. Defintely worth it! I am even thinking about gifting out a copy to my sister, it was a fun, full of action, scary book! I also liked that Nina (the main character) was just an average woman who found herself surviving, sometimes by luck and chance and sometimes by relying on her own strengths.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Odium?

*SPOILERS*I like when Nina stood up for the little girl in the start of the story, it really helped me to connect with her and made her likeable. I like when they are searcing old man Reily's garage and the shit hits the fan. I also liked when they cleared the hub building, I wish they would've stayed there a bit longer and defended themselves. I want to know why the zombies found them all uphill by the trailer in the woods? How or why did that happen? Did the forgotten lead them up there on purpose to flush them out, or was it just coincidence?

What does Jennifer Reilly bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Jennifer Reilly has a smooth, soothing, and expressive voice. I truly can envision each of the characters as she brings them to life with her talents! It is really nice listening to her, I really enjoyed the book thoroughly!

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

YES! But it is too long for that! I really couldn't wait to see what happened to Nina next.

Any additional comments?

WHERE IS THE SECOND ONE? The ending wasn't really an ending but more like a pause in the story. I hope there's another one coming because I want to FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!

love

Where does Odium rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Odium was my first audio book and now I am hooked!

What did you like best about this story?

Zombies galore. I Absolutely loved the detail and hearing a zombie story from a females perspective. Nina's kick ass attitude is one to be reckoned with. This book definitely had me on the edge of my seat and wanting to hear more. I can't wait to read all future books to come on Nina, Mikey and crew!

Not your average zombie story (in a good way!)

What did you like best about this story?

This story takes place several years after the outbreak. This is something that interests me, very much. In this book, society has come together behind massive walls to protect them from the dead. Unfortunately, not everyone was permitted behind the walls AND not everyone behind the walls is benign. The power struggle has led to people in charge who take what they want and use fear and starvation to control the masses. Nina has had enough of being raped repeatedly and watching others go through the same. Nobody speaks up, fearing the safety of their families. She is ready to take her chances outside of the walls.

What about Jennifer Reilly’s performance did you like?

Jennifer Reilly did a great job with the voices. My favorite was Steve. My second favorite was probably Crunch. It made the story easy to follow because the characters were different enough to make an impression.

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

I did want to listen in all one sitting. I did not, but I found myself staying in the tub a little longer than usual, mowing the grass a little longer than usual, taking longer with the dishes, taking the long way home... anything to prolong my listening experience.

Any additional comments?

I was excited when Odium became available for audiobook. I had been wanting to read it for some time, but I do not have the ability to focus since I have two small children. I was disappointed when the ending came. I thought my phone said I still had an hour of the book left. Apparently, it said I had one MINUTE left. *Disappointed WHEN the ending came, not disappointed wth the actual ending.* I am already ready for more. I will definitely read more by Claire C Riley. I like her style. I like her character development. I liked that it wasn't military-based, just normal people.Give this book a shot. If you like well-written, character-driven books, you'll like this one...especially if you like snark and zombies!!

I love a great female lead

Would you listen to Odium again? Why?

Yes. There are so many small subplots that I'm certain I'll catch some more a second time around.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Odium?

"It's like an enigma wrapped in a conundrum wrapped in a big f***ing rose colored tinted question mark." I applaud Riley on some excellent one-liners. Several moments made me laugh out loud.

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

I definitely wanted to keep reading (listening) and found myself dragging out tasks to coincide with the completion of a chapter.

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed Odium. My only disappointment came when I realized the book ended and book two's audio wasn't yet available! Great job, Claire, 5 out of 5 monsters well-deserved from The Bookie Monster! Now hurry up and get the next installment up. This monster is hungry for more!

Zombies for girls

This very much feels like a zombie story for girls. Not just because of the female lead but because it focuses a lot on relationships. That's not a bad thing. It allows the reader to really get to know the characters and care for them.

The story itself is a solid zombie story. It doesn't break new ground but what it does give us is a different perspective from the usual testosterone filled stories. The voice of the MC has a wry, self-deprecating humour that is both entertaining and disarming. It gives a real sense of the character. This is reminiscent of, though not as good as, the brilliant Zombie Fallout books from Mark Tufo, and indeed all of his books, that have great humour that manages to humanise the characters in a way rarely seen in this genre.

The narration is lively and entertaining. The characters are distinct and skilfully brought to life.

I am looking forward to listening to book 2.

This Was Spot On... I Loved It!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

For me I was a bit wary when I heard Odium The Audio Book was coming out, As Odium was one of my favourite book of all time. So I brought this with some trepidation but thought I'd give it a go, and I'm glad that I did as it was brilliant! It captured the characters as well as I had hoped for and played out as dramatically as when I first read it.

What did you like best about this story?

My favourite part must be the way the essence of these characters were captured, which is a difficult thing to do, Especially when a person has read the book and has a connection to these characters. I had a set mind set with these characters, and each one was captured pretty much perfectly which sets the tone for this to be an enjoyable audio book

What about Jennifer Reilly’s performance did you like?

I thought Jennifer captured the snarkiness of the main character Nina brilliantly, and did just as well with the supporting cast! (Drunk Steve being a favourite)

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

The story flows easily here and doesn't drag any where and if I had 11 hours spare I'd listen to this in one sitting. A great story captured and delivered into a great audio book

Any additional comments?

Any fans of the Odium Saga will love this! Jennifer has captured these characters wonderfully and I hope the other books in this saga come out as audio books, as I for one will definitely be getting them. Good job on bringing The Odium world to life.

Deaders brought to life!

I jumped straight into this after I'd read 0.5 - Nina's Story. It started pretty much where 0.5 ended, but I think it could be read and work without reading it too. As this is still from the POV of Nina though, I'm glad I read 0.5 first for a bit of background story.

Throughout this story we follow Nina during life outside the compound of "the walls", on the run, after being pretty much kicked out for sticking up for a teenage girl, Emily. This is the first time she's been out there since the apocalypse began, and so much has changed.

During their travels they meet Mikey who leads them to a new group within another compound, but not all is as it seems. Secrets are revealed. Relationships are tested - and formed. Characters are lost, new ones introduced. There are a lot of characters in this one and I did struggle to keep up a little

We meet many Deaders along the way and Riley's descriptive writing of these scenes is once again superb, helping me to play out the story in my head. Though I knew what was probably coming, it was still sort of jumpy! There is so much going on in this  book but it all flows seamlessly and I can't wait to read the next one.

AUDIO
This was my first listen by this narrator and she really brought the story to life. She depicted the different characters voice tones and accents (where needed) really well so the characters were easily distinguishable.

Brilliant read. 5 STARS

Wow!! I’m absolutely blown away with how much everything about this book plays out so vividly in my mind. The settings, the characters the emotions... I’m reading and feeling like I’m living in fear because it all feels so real.
If there was anything more to fear than death it was becoming it was to become the undead- or a deader.
The narration is great but I’d like male characters’s voice to be more masculine since it’s all from Nina’s POV.

If you’re a walking dead fan this one is for you.
Amazing, recommended to me by a friend and I cannot wait read the next instalment!

Fantastic read and 5 Stars!

A book that is about so much more than the un-dead

Odium is a book I didn't think I would pick up. I am not a fan of anything that has Zombie themes in it, the whole dystopian vibe is not a troupe that has ever gained my interest. My husband however picked up this series and devoured it, he isn't a big reader normally; but said I would enjoy this series so I decided to give it a go. I decided to go down the Audiobook route, I loved the female narrator she read the book exactly how I would want Nina to sound, so that made listening easier.

Odium is told from the heroine Nina's POV and from reading other reviewers opinions, Nina is a bit of a marmite character; but I like her. I think she is dealing the best she can with her situation and the world she is now living after the atrocities she has been through and will go through since the world went to shit. We see Nina living in a walled community in a seemingly oppressive community and when a teenage girl (Emily) is being kicked out, Nina stands up for her losing her place to.

Emily and Nina find themselves on the other side of the wall learning how to survive in a world with limited food, means of travel, shelter and little knowledge of fighting the Undead. Following Nina and watching her protecting Emily, trying to find food and shelter, trying to come up with a plan and keep them safe made me like her more. Yes she is sassy but the woman needs to be, she is blunt and isn't afraid to tell people outright how she feels! Along the way they meet Mikey and make it to a small group that have a safe haven set up. This introduces us to several new characters some more likeable than others, the problem being that humans always want more and greed gets you in trouble, it's one they don't escape from without serious consequences.

There is a villain in this story and that is The Forgotton, a group of people that were not allowed entrance to the walled communities, they were blacklisted. Made up of criminals, murderers, thieves and other societal anomalies, they are feared for their cruelty and they are hot on the heals of Nina and her group, they are introduced in the latter half of the novel so I have no doubt there is so much more to come where they are concerned.

Here is my take on Odium, the book is not one I expected to enjoy. I am a fan of Claire's writing but I stick to her MC romances typically. What surprised me was this book is advertised as a Zombie novel and it really isn't that AT ALL. It's a story about human nature, it's about how people adapt to their world changing, to new social situations, about how far people will go to survive and for me Claire wrote a deeply engaging story and she completely changed my thoughts on what this series is! If I loved it, there are so many more bookworms out there that I know will too if they try something new like I did. I found the characters in the story all completely different. They all have a complex backstory and reasons for being the way they are, no matter how long they survived in the book (and for some that isn't long). I respect the way Claire showed value to each character as they all have their part to play.

So I am looking forward to getting more of this world, and yes I even surprise myself by saying that but it's true. I want to know more about this world and how the characters I have grown attached to are going to survive the next part of the story, there are plenty of unanswered questions and I want the answers.

Odium book 1

Wow this was an awesome start to what sounds like a great new series for me. This will definitely keep me occupied for awhile I loved it

excellent zombie apocalypse, good narration

This was just how I imagine a zombie apocalypse playing out, an ongoing brutal battle for survival, something that brings the best and the very worst in the people trying to survive such horrific circumstances.

Nina has survived behind the supposed safety of the walled city, but not all is as it seems thanks to the leaders selfish thirst for power and control. When Emily, a young teenager is kicked out for stealing a mouldy bit of bread, Nina decides it's time to take a stand against oppression and leaves with her. So starts a second fight for survival outside, not just against the multitude of deaders all clamouring for her blood, but the surviving humans too! Who can they trust, when the living can be more vicious than the dead?

I really enjoyed this book, after a slowish start it built and the pace increased. Action, tension, gore, violence, heartbreak and the hint of love and loyalty amongst the anarchy kept me intrigued. Nina is a bit of a bitch, but tbh who can blame her? Trust comes hard, but she has Emily to protect now, not just herself and that in itself proves the goodness she has inside.

I listened to the audio version and the female narrator was very good, all from Nina's pov. I'll definitely be reading/listening to more of this series as I want to find out what happens to Nina, Mikey and Emily.
Rating 4.25 stars

Loved it .

Looking forward to the next book .This was my first read of one of Claire series hopefully not the last .

Great apocalyptic story

I loved this audible book! I’ve previously read odium and I thought I’d give the audio book a try but not expecting to enjoy it as much as the written book, I loved it! I couldn’t stop listening and found myself doing extra recipes just so I could listen while I cooked. It really gets you involved with the characters and wanting to find out where this awful life will lead them. I can’t wait to try the next book.

Enjoyable

Another take on the zompoc, interesting ideas of the safe areas behind the walls and one women's refusal to accept the conditions inside.