Revelation

Poppet Cycle, Book 1

By: Donna J.W. Munro

Narrated by: Kate Kelly

Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

YA dystopian, 14+

Ellie must choose between a life of wealth and greatness or her own forbidden love for her undead poppet servant Thom. Her choice will change the world. Ellie learns the poppet trade, and her family business isn’t as harmless as everyone led her to believe. With the help of a boy from the wilds named Moze, she tries to change the tragic system from within.

"In a disturbing, all-too-possible near-future USA, the dead are harvested and reprogrammed as slaves to the living, with debutante Ellie DesLoge heir to the corporation that made it all possible. That is until, like Moses, a boy comes preaching a different story. This stark yet richly layered narrative, the first in Munro's anticipated Poppet Cycle series, is a study of privilege, persecution, and the power of love. A chillingly perceptive dystopia cementing Munro as an author of note, Revelation is a novel worthy of its title." (Lee Murray, three-time Bram Stoker Award nominee and author of Into the Ashes)

The world in this book really stands out - it's a mix of old-fashioned ideas like arranged marriages, balls, and proper etiquette with futuristic technology that creates Poppets, which are reanimated dead people that work as servants and laborers. Not to be confused with zombies as they are all chipped and programmed to obey, and they don't rot.

"The questions about the poppets - Are they property or slaves? Do they have souls? - are ones the main character grabbles with throughout the book. This story also reminded me of Unwind by Neal Shusterman. Same creepy vibe, but completely different story." (Maria V. Snyder, New York Times best-selling author of the Sentinels of the Galaxy series)

"With this, the first book in her Poppet Cycle, Donna J. W. Munro has transcended the zombie genre to create something unique, strange, and disturbingly relevant. Think Dawn of the Dead chewing into The Handmaid's Tale." (Lisa Morton, six-time Bram Stoker Award winner)

©2021 Donna J. W. Munro (P)2021 Donna J. W. Munro

This is not your ordinary zombie book!

This is not your ordinary zombie book. This book is a great mix of old-world norms and a dystopian world. I love this book so much. I've read it three times and can't wait for the second book to come out. The use of ads and other documents before each chapter is so clever and adds depth to the story/world that Munro has created.

You Don't Know What You're Missing

Sometimes I stumble across a book and I'm amazed that it's not a huge success yet. This is definitely one of those books, but I think its time is coming. This is YA dystopian fiction at its best and most breathtaking, reminding me of several other YA reads that crossed over into the mainstream due to their insight, characters, and profound concepts.

The main character, Ellie, is heir to the company that manufactures poppets. Her great-uncle discovered the process of turning freshly dead cadavers into programmable servants to handle the less savory tasks in society. Yeah, seriously. But thanks to DesLoge Com, they have a gentle program that makes these zombies much more socially acceptable: no more trying to eat people. Now they're servants, companions, cooks, and more. They always have a pleasantly blank look on their faces and aren't capable of expressing any viewpoints. They don't have any thoughts. Or feelings. Or working vocal chords.

Ellie meets a new kid at school named Moze. He's definitely not from the city. As their friendship grows, he decides Ellie needs to know a few things about how her aunt's company really works. What follows is gruesome, shocking, sometimes terrifying, and definitely heartbreaking. Ellie decides she's going to change society from the inside out. Her auntie, however, has other ideas.

I was gripped from the beginning by these relatable characters. I was drawn in by the author's utopian world where Ellie enjoyed such a wonderful life, though not without its "first-world problems." But that safe space didn't last long, and I found myself in turmoil as Ellie's world imploded. As she comes to grips with reality, she realizes that she's been blissfully ignorant of nearly everything around her.

The depth of this read is phenomenal, reminding me of "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent" as it shapes a beautiful, emotional story around societal issues. Fans of young adult, sci-fi, steampunk, romance, dystopian, or historical reads will find an intriguing and wonderfully written story here, filled with rich characters that will remain with you long after the book is read.

As far as the audiobook goes... truthfully, I'd recommend reading the book. While the narrator seemed to do a good job, the sound recording was poor and will probably affect your enjoyment.