The Awakening

Zombie Uprising Series, Book One

By: M.A. Robbins

Narrated by: Laura Jennings

Length: 3 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

A deadly secret lies hidden beneath the arctic tundra, but now the ground is thawing...and the dead are rising...

Jen Reed joins her retired archaeologist father in remote Alaska, hoping to re-establish a long-missing relationship. But when the thawing permafrost outside a village reveals the burial ground of a 19th-century whaling crew, Jen and her father fail to heed the warning of village elders and begin removing bodies for study.

As the bodies thaw, they begin to move. To rise. To feed.

Communications are cut off and a deadly storm is bearing down on them. Can Jen find a way to save her father, survive the zombie onslaught, and warn the outside world of the coming plague before it’s too late?

The Awakening is the first book in the Zombie Uprising series. If you like heart-pounding action, hordes of undead, and a kick-ass heroine, you’ll love The Awakening.

Buy The Awakening now and be instantly transported into a deadly struggle to survive the zombie horde.

©2018 Cottage Street Press (P)2019 Cottage Street Press

I'm on the fence.

I'm not sure how to feel about this book. I mean, I finished it. It was fairly short, so it was quick. The audio narration was good.

I like the glimpses into native Alaskan culture (though they could've been explored more thoroughly), and I really like that the zombies came from sailors from the 1800s surfacing as the permafrost thawed instead of the normal bio weapon gone awry origin.

But it often felt clunky, and the tropes were a bit heavy handed.

The arc between the MC and her father felt underdeveloped, rushed, and at times, cheesy. I like that the author wanted to put the psychology aspect into it, but it just wasn't handled well.

And then, there's the dialogue. I had two problems with that.

One. These characters do a LOT of planning in the moment. Like... zombies coming at them (and these are not all slow zombies), door splintered, backed into a corner, and they have a full conversation about what to do. Multiple times, this happens, and each time is as unbelievable as the last.

Two. Nearly everything the MC said was a one liner meant to make her seem edgy or funny (or like she spoke before considering what she should say), but every single one fell flat for me.

The kind-of cliffhanger ending (though somewhat predictable to anyone with a tendency toward cynicism) made me kinda want to continue the series, but the dialogue alone makes me question that impulse.

Super fun!

Well developed characters, interesting setting, great action. The plot was fast paced, but there were enough pauses in action so that it didn't get monotonous, like many zombie books. Highly recommended.

Weak

Not getting the main character and her Dad story. Dislike these apocalyptic tales where they kill off, constantly, everyone but the main 2 or 3 characters who you really don’t care about. But then again, it seems only the main characters survive their stupid decisions. Just not a story you can get into. Couldn’t finish it.

Nice job

This was pretty much a blast to listen to. It was just a great story from beginning to the cliffhanger! Can’t wait for the next book.

Meh

Not the best but not the worst book I've ever purchased. Though the description says that the book is about an archeological dig that goes wrong, there is very little plot relating to that topic. Thought there would have been more about that as that is why I bought the book. Laura Jennings did a good job narrating.