My take On: Feed by Mira Grant

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

NOW, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives-the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.

Firstly, I'd like to send my deepest thanks to Stormi of Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh, My! because it is due to her and a great contest that she hosted that I had the pleasure of reading this book. Thank you, Stormi!
 
This really was a pleasure to read. The story was told by one Georgia Carolyn Mason, called George by her beloved brother Shaun, and she was witty and insightful and a real treat. One of my new favorite characters right off the bat!
The world, which was revealed with, seriously, perfect pacing and just the right amount of detail at just the right times, was a post-zombie apocalypse world, but it wasn't the one you're used to reading about. The zombies were caused by our own hubris, as is typical, but the world went on almost as usual (aside form the innumerable, and painful, virus scans that the government as well as private citizens rely on to keep them safely separated from the Infected and the zombie-proof security standards to which every post-Rising building, from homes to schools to hotels, was built.). There was still internet, still government, and still bloggers. In fact, blogging had taken on a big roll in the society after the Rising. In the wake of the dead coming back to devour the living, bloggers had been the only ones paranoid enough to believe that it wasn't a hoax and report the news accurately and honestly, and they helped a lot of people survive the first horrendous weeks with constant updates and tips shared from George Romero movies.
As a result, most of the media is now online, though bloggers still catch a lot of flack from the print media.
George and her intrepid brother are news bloggers and report for their site, After the End Times. Goerge is a newsie, a blogger who reports the truth as it is with no spin, and she has a passion for finding telling the truth. Shaun is what's called an Irwin and takes great joy in poking zombies with sticks (you can see why they're called Irwins now, right?) and posting his footage on the web. There's one more category of bloggers, and that's the fictionals who make up stories and write poetry to keep the house-bound populace from getting cabin fever.
I loved the the different strata of bloggers and how their field mirrored their personalities. George was a very cut and dry character, but she still had a wicked since of humor; and Shaun was... he was a wild man! He was like a chihuahua hopped on Mountain Dew, but he also had an incredible soft spot for his sister. That brings me to my favorite aspect of this book: the relationships. George and Shaun were what the average person would call "co-dependent," but the way they always had each others backs no matter what, and in the world they live in "no matter what" comes with a heavy price tag, moved them up the ranks to being two of my all-tie favorite characters.
The story takes off fairly early when the Mason's, plus their resident fictional Buffy, nail a job as the first bloggers to report on a campaign trail. They follow the campaign and. along the way, uncover a conspiracy that strikes close to home, but could also have global implications.
With a good deal of mystery, political intrigue, and enough zombies to shake a stick a stick at, I give Feed...

...Five Zombies!

For me, this book had everything! I laughed, I cried, I threw up in my mouth a little bit, I cried some more... It was the closest thing to a perfect zombie book and I truly cannot wait to read the next installment of the Newsflesh series.

Happy Zombie Month!