Review: Unfed - Kirsty McKay

They're back . . . and this time they're hungry.

The good news: Bobby survived her unreal school trip. 
The bad news: Her best bud Smitty is missing, there are undead everywhere and they're getting hungrier . . .

It's a no-brainer. Somehow she must find some living friends - and the antidote - before everyone's toast.

The Undead Series:
Undead
Unfed

Visit Kirsty McKay's website for more information

Review:
I loved Kirsty McKay's debut Undead and I was hoping we'd get to see a sequel so as soon as I found out that Unfed was being published I couldn't wait to read it. Once again the author has hit the ball out of the park and created a fabulous read that is perfect for zombie fans.

The story continues right after the end of Undead, Bobby and her friends have been picked up by another school bus and think they've managed to leave the zombies far behind them but when the bus crashes they quickly find themselves back in danger. With Smitty missing it is up to Bobby, Alice and Pete, along with newcomer Russ, to find him using the clues that Bobby's mum has left for them. Even if they do manage to get the group back together can they find a way to get out of Scotland now that the country has been overrun by zombies and officially quarantined from the rest of the world?

Bobby is exactly how I remembered her - she is strong, resilient and knows how to kick zombie butt, there is no way she is going to give up on Smitty and she will do whatever it takes to find him. Pete tends to be the brains behind the operation and is great when it comes to figuring out the clues they have been given even when he isn't the best at physically fighting. Alice can be a bit hopeless but she always manages to look perfect and I have to admit to laughing at some of the things she gets up to. I did find myself missing the banter between Bobby and Smitty during the first half of the book but that was more than made up for when they finally catch up with him. Smitty manages to come up with such completely crazy ideas but they wouldn't have got as far as they did without him that's for sure. Newcomer Russ is a bit of a wild card, I was never quite sure what to make of him but there is no doubting that the others needed his fighting skills.

All the things I loved about Undead are back in Unfed - the black humour has a real British flavour to it and the book made me laugh out loud numerous times as I was reading. You also have all the blood and gore you'd expect from a zombie horror story. Anyone who loved the first book will enjoy this one just as much and if you haven't started the series yet then it's one I'd highly recommend.

Source: Received from Chicken House in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback

Review: Undead - Kirsty McKay

It was just another school trip - stuck on a bus with a bunch of freaks ...

When their ski-coach pulls up at a roadside cafe, everyone gets off except for newbie Bobby and class rebel, Smitty.

They're hardly the best of friends, but that all changes when through the falling snow, they see the others coming back.

Something has happened to them. Something bad. Soon only a pair of double-doors stands between those on the bus and the Undead outside.

The time has come to get a life . . .

The Undead Series:
Undead
Unfed

Visit Kirsty McKay's website for more information

Review:
Bobby is the new girl at school and was forced into going on the pre-term skiing trip as a way of getting to know the rest of her class. She hasn't found it easy to fit in though and when they stop for lunch on the journey home she decides to remain on the coach rather than be forced to sit with her class mates. It turns out to be the best decision Bobby could have made though, especially when class mean girl Alice arrives back in hysterics saying that everyone in the restaurant is dead and that one of the teachers just tried to eat her!

I don't read a lot of horror but I'd heard enough good things about Undead that I wanted to give it a try. I'm so glad I did pick it up because Kirsty McKay's debut turned out to be a book I couldn't put down and I read it in one sitting. The story has everything you could hope for in a zombie novel - tough protagonists who are going to face extremely difficult situations if they want to survive, scary zombies and plenty of gore. The black humour was fantastic and I was alternating between laughing out loud and wanting to hide behind a cushion while I was reading the story.

Our heroine Bobby is one tough lead, she is smart, brave and funny and I liked her from the beginning. She is the kind of character who is prepared to make a decision and stick with it and she doesn't sit around waiting for someone to come along and rescue her, she is going to do what she needs to to rescue herself and help her new friends / allies too. Another character I loved was Smitty, introduced as the school bad boy the only reason he was still on the coach was punishment for his bad behaviour but he is actually a really nice guy when he lets it show. He is another character who is willing to fight to survive and without him and Bobby I can't imagine that Alice would have lived through more than the first couple of chapters. I loved the banter between Bobby and Smitty, that was a definite highlight of the book for me.

I'm not sure if Undead is the first book in a series but there is definitely room for Kirsty McKay to write a sequel and if she does I'll be first in the queue to pick up a copy. Even if she writes something completely different it will be a book I'm going to buy and if the humour is anything like it was in this one I already know I'm going to love it. This is a great debut and one I'd definitely recommend to horror and zombie fans.

Source: Received from Chicken House in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.