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White Trash Zombie #1
My Life as a White Trash Zombie
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Horror (2011)Angel Crawford is a loser.
Living with her alcoholic deadbeat dad in the swamps of southern Louisiana, she's a high school dropout with a pill habit and a criminal record who's been fired from more crap jobs than she can count. Now on probation for a felony, it seems that Angel will never pull herself out of the downward spiral her life has taken.
That is, until the day she wakes up in the ER after overdosing on painkillers. Angel remembers being in a horrible car crash, but she doesn't have a mark on her. To add to the weirdness, she receives an anonymous letter telling her there's a job waiting for her at the parish morgue—and that it's an offer she doesn't dare refuse.
Before she knows it she's dealing with a huge crush on a certain hunky deputy and a brand new addiction: an overpowering craving for brains. Plus, her morgue is filling up with the victims of a serial killer who decapitates his prey—just when she's hungriest!
Angel's going to have to grow up fast if she wants to keep this job and stay in one piece. Because if she doesn't, she's dead meat.
Literally.
Living with her alcoholic deadbeat dad in the swamps of southern Louisiana, she's a high school dropout with a pill habit and a criminal record who's been fired from more crap jobs than she can count. Now on probation for a felony, it seems that Angel will never pull herself out of the downward spiral her life has taken.
That is, until the day she wakes up in the ER after overdosing on painkillers. Angel remembers being in a horrible car crash, but she doesn't have a mark on her. To add to the weirdness, she receives an anonymous letter telling her there's a job waiting for her at the parish morgue—and that it's an offer she doesn't dare refuse.
Before she knows it she's dealing with a huge crush on a certain hunky deputy and a brand new addiction: an overpowering craving for brains. Plus, her morgue is filling up with the victims of a serial killer who decapitates his prey—just when she's hungriest!
Angel's going to have to grow up fast if she wants to keep this job and stay in one piece. Because if she doesn't, she's dead meat.
Literally.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 5, 2011
About the author
Diana Rowland
23 books2,849 followersDiana Rowland worked as a bartender, a blackjack dealer, a pit boss, a street cop, a detective, a computer forensics specialist, a crime scene investigator, and a morgue assistant, which means that she's seen a lot of weird crap. She won the marksmanship award in her Police Academy class, has a black belt in Hapkido, has handled numerous dead bodies in various states of decomposition, and can't rollerblade to save her life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,984 reviews
January 31, 2015
I was in the market for a nice and easy read during my intermission for Robert McCammon's 950-page apocalyptic epic Swan Song, but like Tina Turner says in her song, "We never do things nice and easy." My pick was Diana Rowland's 2011 novel My Life As a White Trash Zombie, the first entry in what has become a popular series for the author. I can see why. This is a professionally written, emotionally satisfying zombie tale carried away with a light touch that emphasizes character over splatter.
A twenty-one-year-old white female wakes up in a hospital with zero recollection of how she came to be there. Confronted by a nurse with a serious attitude problem, the girl has the impression she was involved in a car accident, but is notified she suffered a near-fatal drug overdose and was found by cops on the side of a road. Naked. Her interrogation begins with the nurse asking her if she even knows her name.
"Yeah, I know my damn name," I snarled. "It's Angel Crawford." I wanted to add, And you can write it down with that pencil that's stuck up your ass, but I managed to hold it back. I knew that nurses had the power to make your life suck worse than it already did, and it was clear that this bitch considered me to be one step away from starring in my own loser reality show. Screw her. I was at least two steps away.
Angel discovers a package waiting for her at the nurse's station. A cooler contains six unlabeled bottles of a brown, opaque beverage. A note instructs her to drink one bottle every other day or risk becoming very sick. She's informed that there's a job waiting for her at the Coroner's Office. Angel is warned that if she fails to hold onto the job for a month, her toxicology results will be shared with her probation officer and she'll go straight to jail.
Angel lives in Nice, a town pinned in the southeast corner of Louisiana by swamp. She shares a sad excuse for a home with her widowed father, a bitter drunk who crawled into a Jack Daniels bottle five years ago after the suicide of Angel's mother. Angel has an on-again/ off-again boyfriend named Randy who she remembers arguing with the night of her blackout at Pillar's Bar, but after trading the bartender a couple of joints for a Percocet, Angel's memory gets foggy.
She discovers that the job waiting for her is van driver, dispatched by the parish to transport dead bodies to the morgue for autopsy. No one at the coroner's office offers clues as to how Angel got this job or who is looking out for her. She's shown the ropes by cocky pre-med student Nick Galatas, who torments Angel by revealing she's to assist the kindly parish forensic pathologist Dr. Leblanc in autopsies. Angel dropped out of high school the day of frog dissection, but to her surprise, not only seems unaffected by the activities of the morgue, but finds herself getting hungry around them.
As Angel builds confidence on the job, she meets a variety of characters. There's her partner Derrel Cusimano, a death investigator who used to play linebacker for LSU. There's a sheriff's deputy named Marcus Ivanov who under normal circumstances might be kinda hot, but Angel recognizes as the cop who arrested her for auto theft. Ed Quinn is a paramedic who worked on Angel when she overdosed and is a childhood pal of Marcus'. Monica Gaudreau is a death investigator, who later helps Angel piece together events on the night she overdosed.
Her supply of energy drinks running out, Angel receives an anonymous note urging her If you crave it, eat it. Unable to stop craving brains, Angel comes to the conclusion that she's a zombie. This is verified by one of her kind, a funeral parlor driver named John Kang who confronts Angel about the deceased he's picking up from the morgue missing their brains. Kang appears to be Angel's age but in reality, is old enough to be her father. He's aloof and wary that Angel will cut in on his business selling brains to a zombie clientele.
In Diana Rowland's ghoulish but off-beat vision, zombies are "turned" with a bite from the infected, but rather than turn into mindless flesh eating machines, maintain their regular lives as long as they mix fresh brains into their diet. Failure to do so results in hunger that can turn a zombie "rogue", as well as exhibit a putrid odor and ultimately, the loss of body parts. On the plus side, wounds heal quickly and a feast on fresh brains summons what Angel describes as zombie superpowers: increased strength and agility.
My Life As a White Trash Zombie completely charmed me. Rather than a bizarro take on zombie activity or something that MAD Magazine might've whipped up for laughs, this is a real novel. Rowland is more interested in the transformation of Angel Crawford, a woman at a dead end who's given a new lease on life. Angel starts a new job, meets interesting people and stumbles onto a mystery which her new powers give her the capacity to solve. In the process, she discovers self-respect.
I stood back while Derrel shared my observations with the detective. Abadie scowled and peered at the underside of the tractor, then muttered something vile. I almost felt sorry for him. Handling an accidental death was a walk in the park next to dealing with a possible homicide. The procedures didn't change much, but the attention to detail went several notches up. And if he hadn't been a dickwad I probably would've felt sorry for him. As it was, I allowed myself a perverse sense of satisfaction. Hey, I never claimed to be an angel.
Rowland earns points for introducing racial and sexual diversity to her cast of characters and for incorporating a variety of social issues into the story in what feels like an organic way. Rather than spending the novel battling creatures, Angel struggles with drugs and alcohol, domestic violence, sexual assault and unfulfilled relationships. The novel is laden with profanity and chock full of corpses, but the violence is not explicit and the sexual content is handled in a very discriminate, tasteful way.
The novel has sturdy construction too. Like a foundation of wet cement, Rowland pours on the intrigue. I was curious to find out what happened to Angel the night of her blackout, who turned her into a zombie and why. That cement gets harder and harder as the story progresses and by the climax, turns into a bridge that ties everything together. Rowland never once bored or confused me. I actually found myself falling in love with Angel, even if she'd probably look at me and wonder why some old guy was staring at her and about to get his ear bitten off.
Four and a half stars rounded up to five. I can't think of anything that Rowland might've done differently to make this novel better than it turned out. The superlative cover art is by Dan dos Santos, who in this interview indicated he was working his way through trailer park and lawn flamingo motifs when he hit upon a pink background contrasted with the gray skin of Angel Crawford. For once, the book inside lives up to the cover.
A twenty-one-year-old white female wakes up in a hospital with zero recollection of how she came to be there. Confronted by a nurse with a serious attitude problem, the girl has the impression she was involved in a car accident, but is notified she suffered a near-fatal drug overdose and was found by cops on the side of a road. Naked. Her interrogation begins with the nurse asking her if she even knows her name.
"Yeah, I know my damn name," I snarled. "It's Angel Crawford." I wanted to add, And you can write it down with that pencil that's stuck up your ass, but I managed to hold it back. I knew that nurses had the power to make your life suck worse than it already did, and it was clear that this bitch considered me to be one step away from starring in my own loser reality show. Screw her. I was at least two steps away.
Angel discovers a package waiting for her at the nurse's station. A cooler contains six unlabeled bottles of a brown, opaque beverage. A note instructs her to drink one bottle every other day or risk becoming very sick. She's informed that there's a job waiting for her at the Coroner's Office. Angel is warned that if she fails to hold onto the job for a month, her toxicology results will be shared with her probation officer and she'll go straight to jail.
Angel lives in Nice, a town pinned in the southeast corner of Louisiana by swamp. She shares a sad excuse for a home with her widowed father, a bitter drunk who crawled into a Jack Daniels bottle five years ago after the suicide of Angel's mother. Angel has an on-again/ off-again boyfriend named Randy who she remembers arguing with the night of her blackout at Pillar's Bar, but after trading the bartender a couple of joints for a Percocet, Angel's memory gets foggy.
She discovers that the job waiting for her is van driver, dispatched by the parish to transport dead bodies to the morgue for autopsy. No one at the coroner's office offers clues as to how Angel got this job or who is looking out for her. She's shown the ropes by cocky pre-med student Nick Galatas, who torments Angel by revealing she's to assist the kindly parish forensic pathologist Dr. Leblanc in autopsies. Angel dropped out of high school the day of frog dissection, but to her surprise, not only seems unaffected by the activities of the morgue, but finds herself getting hungry around them.
As Angel builds confidence on the job, she meets a variety of characters. There's her partner Derrel Cusimano, a death investigator who used to play linebacker for LSU. There's a sheriff's deputy named Marcus Ivanov who under normal circumstances might be kinda hot, but Angel recognizes as the cop who arrested her for auto theft. Ed Quinn is a paramedic who worked on Angel when she overdosed and is a childhood pal of Marcus'. Monica Gaudreau is a death investigator, who later helps Angel piece together events on the night she overdosed.
Her supply of energy drinks running out, Angel receives an anonymous note urging her If you crave it, eat it. Unable to stop craving brains, Angel comes to the conclusion that she's a zombie. This is verified by one of her kind, a funeral parlor driver named John Kang who confronts Angel about the deceased he's picking up from the morgue missing their brains. Kang appears to be Angel's age but in reality, is old enough to be her father. He's aloof and wary that Angel will cut in on his business selling brains to a zombie clientele.
In Diana Rowland's ghoulish but off-beat vision, zombies are "turned" with a bite from the infected, but rather than turn into mindless flesh eating machines, maintain their regular lives as long as they mix fresh brains into their diet. Failure to do so results in hunger that can turn a zombie "rogue", as well as exhibit a putrid odor and ultimately, the loss of body parts. On the plus side, wounds heal quickly and a feast on fresh brains summons what Angel describes as zombie superpowers: increased strength and agility.
My Life As a White Trash Zombie completely charmed me. Rather than a bizarro take on zombie activity or something that MAD Magazine might've whipped up for laughs, this is a real novel. Rowland is more interested in the transformation of Angel Crawford, a woman at a dead end who's given a new lease on life. Angel starts a new job, meets interesting people and stumbles onto a mystery which her new powers give her the capacity to solve. In the process, she discovers self-respect.
I stood back while Derrel shared my observations with the detective. Abadie scowled and peered at the underside of the tractor, then muttered something vile. I almost felt sorry for him. Handling an accidental death was a walk in the park next to dealing with a possible homicide. The procedures didn't change much, but the attention to detail went several notches up. And if he hadn't been a dickwad I probably would've felt sorry for him. As it was, I allowed myself a perverse sense of satisfaction. Hey, I never claimed to be an angel.
Rowland earns points for introducing racial and sexual diversity to her cast of characters and for incorporating a variety of social issues into the story in what feels like an organic way. Rather than spending the novel battling creatures, Angel struggles with drugs and alcohol, domestic violence, sexual assault and unfulfilled relationships. The novel is laden with profanity and chock full of corpses, but the violence is not explicit and the sexual content is handled in a very discriminate, tasteful way.
The novel has sturdy construction too. Like a foundation of wet cement, Rowland pours on the intrigue. I was curious to find out what happened to Angel the night of her blackout, who turned her into a zombie and why. That cement gets harder and harder as the story progresses and by the climax, turns into a bridge that ties everything together. Rowland never once bored or confused me. I actually found myself falling in love with Angel, even if she'd probably look at me and wonder why some old guy was staring at her and about to get his ear bitten off.
Four and a half stars rounded up to five. I can't think of anything that Rowland might've done differently to make this novel better than it turned out. The superlative cover art is by Dan dos Santos, who in this interview indicated he was working his way through trailer park and lawn flamingo motifs when he hit upon a pink background contrasted with the gray skin of Angel Crawford. For once, the book inside lives up to the cover.
March 17, 2014
Braaaains. Hungry for braaaaains. Brains NOW!
At least, that's the call of the American Zombie, genus and species unknown (human? bacteria? virus?) Rowland does something unusual in My Life by creating a protagonist who undergoes a traumatic experience and gradually realizes she's one of the living dead. Even though she feels almost normal. Except for those pesky cravings. And that body odor. A fan of the genre in general, I couldn't resist giving this a try after seeing how many of my friends enjoyed it. Thanks, friends!
********************
GR and I are still disagreeing on who gets to delete and/or use my reviews, so I've posted the full review at my favorite sites:
http://carols.booklikes.com/post/8266...
and
http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2014/0...
September 4, 2018
Omg I loved this book so much and can’t wait to read the rest of the series. My full review will be up on my booktube channel at http://YouTube.com/Peterlikesbooks
January 16, 2024
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.
Woo Hoo! I absolutely loved this audiobook. I found this book during one of audible's sales a few months ago and bought it on a whim. I just hoped that it would be a fun quirky story to go along with its attention grabbing title and awesome pick cover. I was instantly hooked with this one. I started this audiobook while I was doing the laundry one Sunday night and I actually found myself spending a lot more time than usual folding clothes just because I didn't want the story to stop. Anything that can make me want to do laundry deserves a medal of some kind. I really haven't had this much fun listening to an audiobook in a long time.
I love a good zombie story. I will have to blame The Walking Dead for that I guess. These stories are just so much fun and I like how varied each one can be. Angel is really my kind of zombie. She doesn't throw herself a pity party when she realizes that she is a zombie. She just tries her best to figure out what she needs to do in order to take care of herself. Angel is smart and I really liked the way she thinks about things so spending time in her head was great.
The mystery of this book really took a backseat to the wonderful characters for me. There were really two mysteries in the book. The main focus seemed to be about a series of deaths in the area but I found myself really wanting to find out what had happened that made Angel into a zombie. That was the big question in my mind and I was satisfied with the outcome.
I really liked the flow of the story. The pace that things were revealed was just right to keep me very interested. It was a very well rounded book for me as well. I wouldn't say that this book was laugh out loud funny but there were some moments of humor that I really enjoyed. Angel's realization about what she is and what she wants was just a lot of fun. She also shows a lot of growth during the book which was well done.
I loved the narration of this audiobook. Allison McLemore did an absolutely fabulous job of bringing life to this story. I am so glad that I went with the audio on this one because I can't imagine a better way to experience this story. I loved the voices that she used for all of the characters and her southern accent really was perfect for the story. I would definitely like to listen to more books narrated by this narrator and plan to continue with the series very soon.
I would highly recommend this book to others. I had a great time listening to it and would recommend to others to try it on audio if they have a chance. This is the first book by Diana Rowland that I have read and I can't wait to see what else she can come up with. It looks like I will be purchasing the remaining audiobooks in this series very soon because I need to spend more time with Angel as soon as possible.
Initial Thoughts
I absolutely loved this one! Full review to be posted soon.
Woo Hoo! I absolutely loved this audiobook. I found this book during one of audible's sales a few months ago and bought it on a whim. I just hoped that it would be a fun quirky story to go along with its attention grabbing title and awesome pick cover. I was instantly hooked with this one. I started this audiobook while I was doing the laundry one Sunday night and I actually found myself spending a lot more time than usual folding clothes just because I didn't want the story to stop. Anything that can make me want to do laundry deserves a medal of some kind. I really haven't had this much fun listening to an audiobook in a long time.
I love a good zombie story. I will have to blame The Walking Dead for that I guess. These stories are just so much fun and I like how varied each one can be. Angel is really my kind of zombie. She doesn't throw herself a pity party when she realizes that she is a zombie. She just tries her best to figure out what she needs to do in order to take care of herself. Angel is smart and I really liked the way she thinks about things so spending time in her head was great.
The mystery of this book really took a backseat to the wonderful characters for me. There were really two mysteries in the book. The main focus seemed to be about a series of deaths in the area but I found myself really wanting to find out what had happened that made Angel into a zombie. That was the big question in my mind and I was satisfied with the outcome.
I really liked the flow of the story. The pace that things were revealed was just right to keep me very interested. It was a very well rounded book for me as well. I wouldn't say that this book was laugh out loud funny but there were some moments of humor that I really enjoyed. Angel's realization about what she is and what she wants was just a lot of fun. She also shows a lot of growth during the book which was well done.
I loved the narration of this audiobook. Allison McLemore did an absolutely fabulous job of bringing life to this story. I am so glad that I went with the audio on this one because I can't imagine a better way to experience this story. I loved the voices that she used for all of the characters and her southern accent really was perfect for the story. I would definitely like to listen to more books narrated by this narrator and plan to continue with the series very soon.
I would highly recommend this book to others. I had a great time listening to it and would recommend to others to try it on audio if they have a chance. This is the first book by Diana Rowland that I have read and I can't wait to see what else she can come up with. It looks like I will be purchasing the remaining audiobooks in this series very soon because I need to spend more time with Angel as soon as possible.
Initial Thoughts
I absolutely loved this one! Full review to be posted soon.
September 23, 2015
Buddy-read with the oh-so-awesome Kat!
r, is for Rowland
3 Stars
Angel Crawford is a loser, a high school drop-out with a pill problem. When Angel wakes up in the hospital, after overdosing, with flashes of memories that can’t be true and big gaps in what actually happened the night before, things get strange. Suddenly Angel finds herself with a cooler of energy drinks from a stranger and a new job, and a whole lot of questions…
My Life as a White Trash Zombie is a novel served in courses, inconsistent courses.
First course:
Ladies & Gents, I have here for your dining pleasure:
A kale and parsley salad with shredded carrots, there’s no dressing (and our servers have taken away your water) so have fun scarfing that down for the next hour. That’s right, we expect you to eat that entire plate you see in front of you, you are single-handedly keeping the kale industry afloat. Enjoy!
Second course:
That’s right MORE kale!! This time we have blanched it and added overcooked liver on the side, still no water though. However, you may have a small serving of this blended beverage alongside! It’s very healthy… it’s carrot, tomato and kale juice, de-licious!
Third course:
Wilted spinach, that’s the whole course… and you must finish it! I hope you’re anemic like me because this shit is getting REALLY boring isn’t it? The same thing over and over and over again.
Fourth course:
This is the course you have been waiting three long hours for: A gorgeous grilled skirt steak, marinated in a mango teriyaki glaze, with a side of garlic mashed potato and crisp apple coleslaw. It’s beautiful! All the textures and flavours perfectly compliment each other - you can even have your choice of beverage with it! It almost makes the onslaught of kale and spinach worth it…. almost! However, you only have about five minutes to eat it, then you must leave! Get OUT, NOW!
I’m finally getting my life together. Too bad I had to die first.
August 23, 2015
www.melissa413readsalot.blogspot.com
"You're a zombie." he said, tone flat and curt. " You eat brains. What more do you need to know?"
I loved this book, I thought the different take on zombies was really cool.
Angel Crawford has the unfortunate opportunity to find out what it's like to be a zombie trying to exist in the real world. She wakes up in the hospital not knowing what happened to her. They say she overdosed on pills, but when I found out what happened at the end I wanted to put the beat down on someone! Lets just say she was in the wrong place with the wrong person at the wrong time.
Anyhoo, so she's left a lunchbox with some funky looking stuff blended up in jars saying that she needs to drink one a day. Needless to say she doesn't know what is going on and it's nasty as all get out. Uggg... I don't think you will find a brain smoothie at Dairy Queen. Gag a maggot! Now that that is out of my system, Angel is so confused as you would be. She can't even remember what happened to her until later.
She also has to take a job at the morgue for the drug charge. Now Angel has a very weak stomach and can't understand why the site of the autopsies are not making her sick and holy crow what is that delicious aroma. Who knew a brain could smell so good!
After awhile she finds out she's a zombie and can luckily get brains from the morgue. She has to deal with other zombies wanting brains, other zombies being brain lords dealing in selling brains. Really? And she's also learning a lot from this hot cop that she keeps running into. She is learning in a sense to become a zombie detective, which helps out when she has to find out who is now killing zombies!
I think this was a really cool mystery/zombie book. I look forward to reading the other books!
"You're a zombie." he said, tone flat and curt. " You eat brains. What more do you need to know?"
I loved this book, I thought the different take on zombies was really cool.
Angel Crawford has the unfortunate opportunity to find out what it's like to be a zombie trying to exist in the real world. She wakes up in the hospital not knowing what happened to her. They say she overdosed on pills, but when I found out what happened at the end I wanted to put the beat down on someone! Lets just say she was in the wrong place with the wrong person at the wrong time.
Anyhoo, so she's left a lunchbox with some funky looking stuff blended up in jars saying that she needs to drink one a day. Needless to say she doesn't know what is going on and it's nasty as all get out. Uggg... I don't think you will find a brain smoothie at Dairy Queen. Gag a maggot! Now that that is out of my system, Angel is so confused as you would be. She can't even remember what happened to her until later.
She also has to take a job at the morgue for the drug charge. Now Angel has a very weak stomach and can't understand why the site of the autopsies are not making her sick and holy crow what is that delicious aroma. Who knew a brain could smell so good!
After awhile she finds out she's a zombie and can luckily get brains from the morgue. She has to deal with other zombies wanting brains, other zombies being brain lords dealing in selling brains. Really? And she's also learning a lot from this hot cop that she keeps running into. She is learning in a sense to become a zombie detective, which helps out when she has to find out who is now killing zombies!
I think this was a really cool mystery/zombie book. I look forward to reading the other books!
December 23, 2021
Angel Crawford is not living her best life in southern Louisiana. Her father is an alcoholic, high school dropout addicted to pills, criminal record, and can't keep a job. That is, until the day she wakes up in the ER after overdosing on painkillers. Angel remembers being in a horrible car crash, but she doesn't have a mark on her. To add to the weirdness, she receives an anonymous letter telling her there's a job waiting for her at the county morgue. Angel discovers she no longer craves drugs, but needs brains. Thankfully a serial killer is loose to fill her morgue up with tasty treats. Can Angel figure out what happened to her and why she is now the undead.
I love this book. It is smart and funny. I will be following this series.
I love this book. It is smart and funny. I will be following this series.
September 22, 2013
This was my first Diana Rowland book, so I had no expectations whatsoever. I'm not going to describe the plot nor write spoilers.
Before reading the book I LOVED it's cover. In fact I picked it up solely because of it's cool pink zombie cover. I mean look at it! It's pink, with a beautiful woman, piercings, blood, don't-give-a-damn look...what's not to like?
But I must admit it, again because of the cover I didn't expect it to be any good. I was just in the mood for a bad paranormal romance novel as my weekly guilty pleasure that also happened to have a cover I enjoyed looking at. A book that would be fun but badly written. A B-Movie type of book.
Now that I finished not only this but also the second book in the series I can say that the cover is definitely they worst part of the book. I wish it was different because it doesn't represent the content and makes it look "cheaper" than it actually is.
Am I making sense?
The novel is written in a first person perspective, which means that we get a lot of "telling" instead of "showing". The protagonist seems very real and Rowland has not tried to do her any favors in order to score points with the readers. She is a white trash girl with a melodramatic story that manages to balance between being moving and cheesy pretty well.
The romance part is barely visible, which is one of the things I loved in this book. I was really afraid that it was going to be like the Parasole Protectorate series (too much fuss about a mystery we don't really care about because we all know it's just a pretense to hide the fact that the main theme is the romantic story). But thankfully it wasn't. The romance was not an end in itself but a natural and logical sequence of the events that took place. It wasn't the main focus of the novel either. The focal storyline was a mystery! Ok it was a weak mystery (the second novel Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues almost excels in that department) but it was fun!
I read that Diana Rowland has worked as a morgue assistant, detective, crime scene investigator etc and IT SHOWS! This was one of the most pleasant things in the book. I just began reading Married With Zombies, where the couple says that they'll use zombie movies as a reference material to fight the undead and it made me chuckle because Rowland does the exact opposite. She describes, through the eyes of Angel -her protagonist- how everything is different from the tv-shows and movies, less glamorous and more real. That constant note of realism throughout the novel makes it even more exciting and even rubs off some of it onto the whole...zombie thing.
And now that I finally came to the zombies let me say this: I HATE it when they make zombies smart. I am a huge zombie fan and I want my zombies brainless dammit! I have read stuff that try to have a new take on the zombie thing and utilize smart zombies, like Warm Bodies but I could only see it (the fact that they are capable of coherent thought) as a lazy attempt to make the zombie protagonist be eligible as a romantic interest. Imagine my surprise when I realized that the smart zombies of this book didn't bother me one bit! Of course this wasn't a random occurrence. It happened thanks to the fairly plausible bits of explanation that exist throughout the novel (as Angel slowly realizes what she has become) tied in with the more thorough one of what the zombie "virus" really is, which is explained in the 2nd book Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues. This doesn't mean that there aren't a lot of hints in this one, there are. However, in the 2nd book we also get to have a medical explanation. It doesn't delve too deep in the subject like Mira Grant's Newsflesh Trilogy does, but it's satisfying and looks, at least to me, well though out.
In conclusion: I liked this one. It was fun, exciting, had intelligent parts realistic information and even an honest attempt in character development. It was much more than I expected when I first picked it up. I can't wait for the 3rd book to come out.
PS.The audiobook has the most redneck sounding narrator EVER and it's FUN!
November 7, 2011
Five stars: Immediately purchase and devour this book. It is awesome! A whole new take on zombies. Fresh and hysterically funny. Don't miss this one!
What I loved about this book:
*Angel, she rocks! There are so many aspects of her character that I found captivating. First is her transformation. Angel starts the story as trailer trash. She is plagued with an alcohol and pill problem, she cannot hold down a job, she has an abusive, alcoholic father with whom she lives in a run down dump of a house with a beer can driveway. When Angel wakes up in the hospital after an apparent overdose, unbeknowst to her she has already started to change. Angel was turned into a zombie but she has no knowledge of the event As a zombie she is a normal functioning human except she needs to eat brains every two to three days to prevent herself from decaying. Her new zombie state helps her shed the chemical dependency. Then she begins to excel at and even enjoy her new job at the morgue. All of these factors convert Angel to a happy, contributing member of society. The beauty of Angel, is that evolving into a zombie improves her status instead of reducing her to the moaning, crazed, non-functioning creature that we attribute to this genre.
*The book has three storylines; Angel's evolvement and two distinct mysteries. The first story thread is for her to learn and adapt to her new zombie condition while trying to discover how and why she was converted into a zombie. The second plot involves Angel seeking the indentity of the person who infected her. Whoever transfigured Angel leaves only a couple of cryptic letters with clues to her metamorphisis. This person also secures her position at the morgue where she has access to essential brains. The third storyline follows Angel as she tracks down the individual responsible for killing and beheading people. Is it another zombie? These three themes all converge to make a great story. I particularly enjoyed the mysterious aspect of the book.
*This book is truly hysterically funny. I snickered and laughed at Angel's sarcastic banter. There is one specific commentary regarding Angel's views on people saying "if you ever need anything don't hesitate to ask", in Angel's mind people should be offering to come and clean your kitchen instead of making these disingenuous statements. This snarky commentary is what makes the book. It is indeed laugh out loud funny!
And the not so much:
*The morgue setting and all the descriptions of autopsy and embalming procedures while tactfully done might be a little over the top for some readers. As well as all the slurping and ingesting of brains. Don't let this deter you. This book is totally worth it!
*I wanted more resolution between Angel and her father. Angel progresses so far in her character development I felt that this was a key aspect that was not realized. Perhaps their relationship will continue on the road to recovery in future installments.
*I wish there was a little more background information into the zombie condition. Ms. Rowland's zombies are not your typical zombies. It would be beneficial to be further educated in her ideas of "zombieism" .
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was funny, snarky, unique and just a good time. The cover alone is worth the price of admission. I was thrilled to learn that this is the start of a new series. I am excited to see where Angel and her new found Zombie Super Powers will lead her. In my opinion this is a must read! Get it today and put it on the top of your TBR pile and be prepared to laugh your butt off! Then when you are done can you come and clean my kitchen?!
What I loved about this book:
*Angel, she rocks! There are so many aspects of her character that I found captivating. First is her transformation. Angel starts the story as trailer trash. She is plagued with an alcohol and pill problem, she cannot hold down a job, she has an abusive, alcoholic father with whom she lives in a run down dump of a house with a beer can driveway. When Angel wakes up in the hospital after an apparent overdose, unbeknowst to her she has already started to change. Angel was turned into a zombie but she has no knowledge of the event As a zombie she is a normal functioning human except she needs to eat brains every two to three days to prevent herself from decaying. Her new zombie state helps her shed the chemical dependency. Then she begins to excel at and even enjoy her new job at the morgue. All of these factors convert Angel to a happy, contributing member of society. The beauty of Angel, is that evolving into a zombie improves her status instead of reducing her to the moaning, crazed, non-functioning creature that we attribute to this genre.
*The book has three storylines; Angel's evolvement and two distinct mysteries. The first story thread is for her to learn and adapt to her new zombie condition while trying to discover how and why she was converted into a zombie. The second plot involves Angel seeking the indentity of the person who infected her. Whoever transfigured Angel leaves only a couple of cryptic letters with clues to her metamorphisis. This person also secures her position at the morgue where she has access to essential brains. The third storyline follows Angel as she tracks down the individual responsible for killing and beheading people. Is it another zombie? These three themes all converge to make a great story. I particularly enjoyed the mysterious aspect of the book.
*This book is truly hysterically funny. I snickered and laughed at Angel's sarcastic banter. There is one specific commentary regarding Angel's views on people saying "if you ever need anything don't hesitate to ask", in Angel's mind people should be offering to come and clean your kitchen instead of making these disingenuous statements. This snarky commentary is what makes the book. It is indeed laugh out loud funny!
And the not so much:
*The morgue setting and all the descriptions of autopsy and embalming procedures while tactfully done might be a little over the top for some readers. As well as all the slurping and ingesting of brains. Don't let this deter you. This book is totally worth it!
*I wanted more resolution between Angel and her father. Angel progresses so far in her character development I felt that this was a key aspect that was not realized. Perhaps their relationship will continue on the road to recovery in future installments.
*I wish there was a little more background information into the zombie condition. Ms. Rowland's zombies are not your typical zombies. It would be beneficial to be further educated in her ideas of "zombieism" .
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was funny, snarky, unique and just a good time. The cover alone is worth the price of admission. I was thrilled to learn that this is the start of a new series. I am excited to see where Angel and her new found Zombie Super Powers will lead her. In my opinion this is a must read! Get it today and put it on the top of your TBR pile and be prepared to laugh your butt off! Then when you are done can you come and clean my kitchen?!
February 8, 2022
So, what gives? Within a two-week span I award two stars to a Landmark Prize-winning novel oozing with Maritime Canada atmosphere, seals, heartfelt tragedy and tea cozies, and then turn around and award four stars to a white trash zombie book?
No accounting for taste, my friends.
In art, there's something called the 'Innocent Eye Test', in which a person who is not a professional critic or even very educated in the subject is invited to render an opinion. This describes my relationship with zombie literature pretty well -- I always bail out of zombie movies as soon as they get scary, and have never, until now, read a zombie book. (Pointless meandering aside behind the spoiler)
Literary fiction snob that I am, I of course had low expectations for this, but found that it was actually quite cleverly plotted, propulsively paced and the nominal zombie sympathetically rendered. And it contained lines of unexpected beauty:
For some readers, the white-trash aspect of the book will be disappointingly muted. Our hero, Angel Crawford, is a young woman with her head on straight, a woman who may be surrounded by mouth-breathing stoop-shouldered morons, but who harbors ambitions to better herself, improve her class of friends (even if some of them eat human brains) and even help others. No bestiality, no banjoes, no girl-on-girl mud wrestling, jello wresting or creamed corn wrestling. F-bombs excepted, this is almost wholesome.
Still, let's accept that there are some limitations here. Although much of the book takes place in a funeral home and several autopsies are described, you aren't going to learn any of the myriad fun facts that could attend such an event. Rowland is silent on politics, race and socionomic issues in any memorable way. It was fun, but slight. Then again, I don't think people often pick up zombie books when in the mood for serious reflection, so there's that.
I could have rated this three stars, but because it was so much more well written than I expected, one extra frontal lobe for you brain-hungry readers.
I would have missed this little gem were it not for Rambling Redhead's review.
No accounting for taste, my friends.
In art, there's something called the 'Innocent Eye Test', in which a person who is not a professional critic or even very educated in the subject is invited to render an opinion. This describes my relationship with zombie literature pretty well -- I always bail out of zombie movies as soon as they get scary, and have never, until now, read a zombie book. (Pointless meandering aside behind the spoiler)
Literary fiction snob that I am, I of course had low expectations for this, but found that it was actually quite cleverly plotted, propulsively paced and the nominal zombie sympathetically rendered. And it contained lines of unexpected beauty:
Most of the brain had been sliced into neat half-inch slices during the autopsy. It looked like pieces of bread pudding that had been soaked in raspberry syrup.See how the author maintains white-trash authenticity by not saying "one-centimeter slices"?
For some readers, the white-trash aspect of the book will be disappointingly muted. Our hero, Angel Crawford, is a young woman with her head on straight, a woman who may be surrounded by mouth-breathing stoop-shouldered morons, but who harbors ambitions to better herself, improve her class of friends (even if some of them eat human brains) and even help others. No bestiality, no banjoes, no girl-on-girl mud wrestling, jello wresting or creamed corn wrestling. F-bombs excepted, this is almost wholesome.
Still, let's accept that there are some limitations here. Although much of the book takes place in a funeral home and several autopsies are described, you aren't going to learn any of the myriad fun facts that could attend such an event. Rowland is silent on politics, race and socionomic issues in any memorable way. It was fun, but slight. Then again, I don't think people often pick up zombie books when in the mood for serious reflection, so there's that.
I could have rated this three stars, but because it was so much more well written than I expected, one extra frontal lobe for you brain-hungry readers.
I would have missed this little gem were it not for Rambling Redhead's review.
July 12, 2011
I went back and forth from 3 stars to 4 stars. I'm actually settling on 3.5 stars. The middle was really slow & I was bored. However, the ending really made up for it. I think book 2 is going to rock though and I really love Angel and someone else that is revealed at the very end of the book (yeah, I'm so excited for book 2 to see what happens with this character).
As for the boredom, I think Rowland was just trying to establish Angel's identity as a zombie. I do think it was necessary as Angel was a pretty fucked up human so switching to a zombie, is not easy. If Rowland didn't go through the trials and tribulations, the book wouldn't be convincing.
Oh and the stuff with the dad, very realistic (I should know). I liked that (not the situation that Angel was in but that Rowland made it so real).
So even though it is "just" 3.5 stars, I'm super happy excited for book 2!
As for the boredom, I think Rowland was just trying to establish Angel's identity as a zombie. I do think it was necessary as Angel was a pretty fucked up human so switching to a zombie, is not easy. If Rowland didn't go through the trials and tribulations, the book wouldn't be convincing.
Oh and the stuff with the dad, very realistic (I should know). I liked that (not the situation that Angel was in but that Rowland made it so real).
So even though it is "just" 3.5 stars, I'm super happy excited for book 2!
October 5, 2017
Loved this! Angel is a great protagonist, tough and vulnerable at the same time. I really liked how hard she works to pull herself up and improve her life. It was an interesting take on zombies too. A fresh take on the zombie genre that doesn't take itself too seriously. Recommended.
July 17, 2011
Angel Crawford is 21 years old, addicted to pills and in an on-again off-again relationship with another addict, Randy. After the death of her insane and abusive mother, she was left to live with her alcoholic and no less abusive father. She’s a high school dropout, can’t keep any job for more than a few weeks and she’s even on probation for buying a stolen car.
At the beginning of My Life as a White Trash Zombie, Angel wakes up in the hospital with no recollection of the events that occurred the night before. She supposedly overdosed, but she doesn’t remember taking that many pills at all. While still in the hospital, she gets an anonymous letter saying that she has to start driving a van for the coroner’s office or she will be reported to her probation officer. It doesn’t take her long to realize that she’s developed an appetite for brains which helps her figure out exactly how much has changed in the night of her ‘overdose’.
This was not as good as I hoped it would be, not even close. And the worst part is that I love Diana Rowland so much, I love her other series (Kara Gillian), and I absolutely adore her critique partner, Nicole Peeler. With all that love in the air, I have to wonder, what went wrong?!?
I was in such a hurry to read this book that I bought the Kindle edition while I was waiting for my paperback to arrive. Really, 10 days is such a long time! I could have saved myself the trouble, though, buying it once was more than enough. I’m not saying it’s a bad book, I can’t even find anything seriously wrong with it, I just didn’t care about Angel or her story that much.
My other problem is that it wasn’t funny at all. Rowland probably spoiled me with her Kara Gillian series which, despite being a police procedural, has its moments of hilarity. Things that were probably meant to be cute and/or funny in My Life as a White Trash Zombie were mostly just over the top and annoying.
I’m asking you to take my review with a grain of salt. I haven’t been in the right mood for urban fantasy lately and that might have something to do with my opinion of this book. Diana Rowland is still one of my favorite urban fantasy authors and I fully intend to read everything she writes in the future.
At the beginning of My Life as a White Trash Zombie, Angel wakes up in the hospital with no recollection of the events that occurred the night before. She supposedly overdosed, but she doesn’t remember taking that many pills at all. While still in the hospital, she gets an anonymous letter saying that she has to start driving a van for the coroner’s office or she will be reported to her probation officer. It doesn’t take her long to realize that she’s developed an appetite for brains which helps her figure out exactly how much has changed in the night of her ‘overdose’.
This was not as good as I hoped it would be, not even close. And the worst part is that I love Diana Rowland so much, I love her other series (Kara Gillian), and I absolutely adore her critique partner, Nicole Peeler. With all that love in the air, I have to wonder, what went wrong?!?
I was in such a hurry to read this book that I bought the Kindle edition while I was waiting for my paperback to arrive. Really, 10 days is such a long time! I could have saved myself the trouble, though, buying it once was more than enough. I’m not saying it’s a bad book, I can’t even find anything seriously wrong with it, I just didn’t care about Angel or her story that much.
My other problem is that it wasn’t funny at all. Rowland probably spoiled me with her Kara Gillian series which, despite being a police procedural, has its moments of hilarity. Things that were probably meant to be cute and/or funny in My Life as a White Trash Zombie were mostly just over the top and annoying.
I’m asking you to take my review with a grain of salt. I haven’t been in the right mood for urban fantasy lately and that might have something to do with my opinion of this book. Diana Rowland is still one of my favorite urban fantasy authors and I fully intend to read everything she writes in the future.
July 3, 2011
"It reminds me of an old joke: What did the Zombie say to the whore?"
I looked at him blankly. "Um....what?"
He winked. "Keep the tip."
Okay so you will only understand this joke if you read the book. There's your incentive ;)
I LOVE the fact that Diana Rowland chose a self loathing, drug addict, unemployed high school dropout as the protagonist in My Life As a White Trash Zombie.I guess you could say I have a soft spot in my heart for an abused underdog. Something about these characters make me excited to read their stories and cheer them on because they deserve a happy ending too! :) Angel Crawford is a perfect example of the obstacles an individual with addictions, and an Fucked up abusive alcoholic father, a mother that committed suicide while incarcerated struggle have to overcome while attempting keep her sanity.
Angel Crawford is hilariously funny, lovable, self depricating, kind hearted, witty, empatic, and generous Zombie woman. She's tough and she's not afraid to stand up for herself.
Since becoming a Zombie, Angel is succeeding at becoming a "better" person, and
taking control of her life in a positive manner.
No she's not running back to high school to get her G.E.D. or rescuing orphaned children from a burning bus, but she IS working hard at being dependable and valuable to her employer at her New job at the county
morgue...because....Well let's face it; Her life depends on it
For me that's "good" enough because I Loved Angel.
Randy her Asshole, Piece of Shit, Dead Beat, Drug Pusher On again/Off again Loser BF can't stand the
thought of Angel actually being relieved of her drug addictions, calling her a "goody two shoes" it's obvious that misery Does love company. Shes way too good for him!
She has a new surrounding of friends in her life due to her job at the morgue, and all are rooting for the new and improved self respecting Angel. I actually really liked them all, surprisingly. However there's a hunky detective named Marcus Ivankov that treats Angel with kindness and respect even though he arrested her the previous summer, that
Angel is deeply crushing on and I'll admit, I am too.;)
To sum up this new refreshingly unique character in a nut shell: Angel the previous year purchased a "slightly" used
Toyota Prius for $500.00. She thought it sounded like a pretty awesome deal, until she's arrested for possession of stolen goods and now is on felony probation. Yes she really is that naive. LOL
Just when you think you you have your suspicions confirmed about whom the killer is and/or the identity of Angel's
Zombie maker you soon discover you're wrong! I loved the element of mystery and Diana Rowland achieved it up until the end.
All of the sudden it seemed as if I could smell the brain, andnot in a oh-how-gross way, but as if someone had taken the lid off a pot of gumbo to let the aroma fill the room. And I knew it was the brain that smelled so utterly enticing, knew with every single cell of my being. What the Hell was wrong with me??!
A solid fun read and I'm looking forward to catching up with Angel a certain hunky detective and all of her new found friends in the next White Trash book;)
Like what you see here, check out more of my reviews at http://missvainsparanormalfantasy.com/
I looked at him blankly. "Um....what?"
He winked. "Keep the tip."
Okay so you will only understand this joke if you read the book. There's your incentive ;)
I LOVE the fact that Diana Rowland chose a self loathing, drug addict, unemployed high school dropout as the protagonist in My Life As a White Trash Zombie.I guess you could say I have a soft spot in my heart for an abused underdog. Something about these characters make me excited to read their stories and cheer them on because they deserve a happy ending too! :) Angel Crawford is a perfect example of the obstacles an individual with addictions, and an
Angel Crawford is hilariously funny, lovable, self depricating, kind hearted, witty, empatic, and generous
Since becoming a Zombie, Angel is succeeding at becoming a "better" person, and
taking control of her life in a positive manner.
No she's not running back to high school to get her G.E.D. or rescuing orphaned children from a burning bus, but she IS working hard at being dependable and valuable to her employer at her New job at the county
morgue...because....Well let's face it; Her life depends on it
For me that's "good" enough because I Loved Angel.
Randy her
thought of Angel actually being relieved of her drug addictions, calling her a "goody two shoes" it's obvious that misery Does love company. Shes way too good for him!
She has a new surrounding of friends in her life due to her job at the morgue, and all are rooting for the new and improved self respecting Angel. I actually really liked them all, surprisingly. However there's a hunky detective named Marcus Ivankov that treats Angel with kindness and respect even though he arrested her the previous summer, that
Angel is deeply crushing on and I'll admit, I am too.;)
To sum up this new refreshingly unique character in a nut shell: Angel the previous year purchased a "slightly" used
Toyota Prius for $500.00. She thought it sounded like a pretty awesome deal, until she's arrested for possession of stolen goods and now is on felony probation. Yes she really is that naive. LOL
Just when you think you you have your suspicions confirmed about whom the killer is and/or the identity of Angel's
Zombie maker you soon discover you're wrong! I loved the element of mystery and Diana Rowland achieved it up until the end.
All of the sudden it seemed as if I could smell the brain, andnot in a oh-how-gross way, but as if someone had taken the lid off a pot of gumbo to let the aroma fill the room. And I knew it was the brain that smelled so utterly enticing, knew with every single cell of my being. What the Hell was wrong with me??!
A solid fun read and I'm looking forward to catching up with Angel
Like what you see here, check out more of my reviews at http://missvainsparanormalfantasy.com/
November 11, 2016
Reasons to read My Life as a White Trash Zombie:
I liked Angel Crawford a lot. I rooted for her every single moment. She starts as a walking stereotype (that title is a dead giveaway), but she grows into something much more. The author took a stereotype and used it in the best way possible. Angel's life is pretty messed up. But by the end of the book, I even felt sorry for her father (a bit).
As for the ending, that was satisfying.
And another thing, even though My Life as a White Trash Zombie starts this series, it doesn't end with a cliffhanger.
It doesn't need one. As the first book it does its job pretty well. I am interested.
I've read this, but I checked the audible sample too. It is hilarious.
- you love dark graveyard humourIf any of the above looks good to you, then go for it. You won't be disappointed.
- you like reading about people finding their inner strength and willpower (surprising themselves in the process)
- you like a protagonist who isn't of the I-am-going-to insult-and/or-hit-everyone-I talk-to-because-some-readers-consider-that-a-mark-of-a-strong-woman variety
- zombies
- a bit of a mystery thrown in (someone turned her into a zombie, there's a serial killer on the loose)
- you want to read a decent first book in a series
I liked Angel Crawford a lot. I rooted for her every single moment. She starts as a walking stereotype (that title is a dead giveaway), but she grows into something much more. The author took a stereotype and used it in the best way possible. Angel's life is pretty messed up. But by the end of the book, I even felt sorry for her father (a bit).
As for the ending, that was satisfying.
And another thing, even though My Life as a White Trash Zombie starts this series, it doesn't end with a cliffhanger.
It doesn't need one. As the first book it does its job pretty well. I am interested.
I've read this, but I checked the audible sample too. It is hilarious.
November 1, 2019
3 1/2 stars
I have wanted to read this book ever since I first saw the fabulous cover on someone’s blog. It’s really eye catching, isn't it? Talk about a lucky author. And best of all, it fits its main character Angel perfectly. Well, I finally made time to read it and, uh, I’m glad I did but I didn't expect it to take nearly a month to get through.
The book starts out when Angel wakes up in the hospital with no recollection of how she ended up there. She's told she overdosed and she figures it could have happened, she really is no angel, and though she vaguely remembers a crash she isn't injured. As she's making haste to get home, she's given a bag with a note and a cooler filled with bottles of some sort of chunky goo. The note explains that she is being offered a job at the morgue and that she must accept it, as well as drink the goo, OR ELSE. She sees this as a bit of good luck since she’s a self-professed loser and screw-upper and decides to follow the demands of the anonymous letter. What the hell, her life can't get any worse right?
Angel drinks the bottled “shakes” and realizes it's pretty good, if a wee bit chunky and meaty tasting. At the morgue, she realizes she's going to be driving around dead bodies and assisting in autopsies. It skeeves her out at first but like the shakes, she realizes she enjoys it, especially when she sniffs her first human brain and her stomach starts growling. What is going on? Even though the title does kind of give away the game, I’ll let you guess.
So basically the rest of the book follows Angel as she struggles with her new and improved self (the shakes make her feel good, enhance her senses a little and make her stronger), meets some interesting guys, deals with her drunken dad, gets embroiled in a decapitation mystery and gets past her white trash upbringing and realizes life may just have something to offer other than booze, drugs and horrible boyfriends. She grows up quite a bit during this book. Yay Angel.
Angel's voice is sarcastic and self-deprecating, she’s funny and she’s crabby and sometimes she’s a defensive bitch but she’s also an optimist who takes all of the changes in her life in stride. I liked her a lot. Despite her rough upbringing she still has a soft heart and her relationships are complicated and believable. She doesn't blame her mistakes on the world and isn't a poor me type. She knows she’s a mess and knows that a lot of it is entirely her own fault.
But alas, something is off with the pacing and parts of the book are soooo draggy with very little going on that I literally had to force myself to keep going. I’m glad I did because the ending is satisfying and answers many of the questions that came up while reading. But again, it took me nearly 3 weeks to finish a 310 page book so I can’t rate it as highly as I’d like to. I think if you’re looking for a fun (albeit sometimes slow) zombie tale with edgy charm, decently drawn characters, a wee bit of gore and zero sappiness you’ll find a lot to like here.
I have wanted to read this book ever since I first saw the fabulous cover on someone’s blog. It’s really eye catching, isn't it? Talk about a lucky author. And best of all, it fits its main character Angel perfectly. Well, I finally made time to read it and, uh, I’m glad I did but I didn't expect it to take nearly a month to get through.
The book starts out when Angel wakes up in the hospital with no recollection of how she ended up there. She's told she overdosed and she figures it could have happened, she really is no angel, and though she vaguely remembers a crash she isn't injured. As she's making haste to get home, she's given a bag with a note and a cooler filled with bottles of some sort of chunky goo. The note explains that she is being offered a job at the morgue and that she must accept it, as well as drink the goo, OR ELSE. She sees this as a bit of good luck since she’s a self-professed loser and screw-upper and decides to follow the demands of the anonymous letter. What the hell, her life can't get any worse right?
Angel drinks the bottled “shakes” and realizes it's pretty good, if a wee bit chunky and meaty tasting. At the morgue, she realizes she's going to be driving around dead bodies and assisting in autopsies. It skeeves her out at first but like the shakes, she realizes she enjoys it, especially when she sniffs her first human brain and her stomach starts growling. What is going on? Even though the title does kind of give away the game, I’ll let you guess.
So basically the rest of the book follows Angel as she struggles with her new and improved self (the shakes make her feel good, enhance her senses a little and make her stronger), meets some interesting guys, deals with her drunken dad, gets embroiled in a decapitation mystery and gets past her white trash upbringing and realizes life may just have something to offer other than booze, drugs and horrible boyfriends. She grows up quite a bit during this book. Yay Angel.
Angel's voice is sarcastic and self-deprecating, she’s funny and she’s crabby and sometimes she’s a defensive bitch but she’s also an optimist who takes all of the changes in her life in stride. I liked her a lot. Despite her rough upbringing she still has a soft heart and her relationships are complicated and believable. She doesn't blame her mistakes on the world and isn't a poor me type. She knows she’s a mess and knows that a lot of it is entirely her own fault.
But alas, something is off with the pacing and parts of the book are soooo draggy with very little going on that I literally had to force myself to keep going. I’m glad I did because the ending is satisfying and answers many of the questions that came up while reading. But again, it took me nearly 3 weeks to finish a 310 page book so I can’t rate it as highly as I’d like to. I think if you’re looking for a fun (albeit sometimes slow) zombie tale with edgy charm, decently drawn characters, a wee bit of gore and zero sappiness you’ll find a lot to like here.
October 30, 2020
Angel lives in a hovel with her dead-beat and abusive father. She's an alcoholic, pill popping, pot smoking woman with a conviction, an equally dead-beat boyfriend, and she can't even hang on to a dead end job.
Then she dies, is turned into a zombie, and lands a job at the morgue. Things are starting to look up for her...except she's one of the undead, and she has insatiable cravings for brains.
My Life as a White Trash Zombie is a bit of a romp. It's a fun book which glides along effortlessly. Often by the end of a book, I'm ready for it to end, but I just wanted this one to keep going. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Allison McLemore and she is perfect for the book. Listening to her is like drowning in Southern honey.
Then she dies, is turned into a zombie, and lands a job at the morgue. Things are starting to look up for her...except she's one of the undead, and she has insatiable cravings for brains.
My Life as a White Trash Zombie is a bit of a romp. It's a fun book which glides along effortlessly. Often by the end of a book, I'm ready for it to end, but I just wanted this one to keep going. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Allison McLemore and she is perfect for the book. Listening to her is like drowning in Southern honey.
December 8, 2016
Fun zombie tale with a snarkish troubled main character. Great quick read with plenty of chuckle time thrown in.
August 20, 2017
Actual Rating: 4.75 stars
Full review also on my blog Here
TW: Abuse, Suicide, Rape (no suicide or rape is in the book but if you read it you'll understand the trigger warnings), r-word (one instance that I noticed)
I'd heard some good things about this book and it sounded interesting, so I picked it up and i'm so glad I did! Not only was it entertaining but it was also deeper and had a bigger impact than I was expecting!
Angel is such an amazing character! She's flawed, human (or...sort of being a zombie but you know what I mean). She's had a rough life. Her and her dad live in a trailer with her father's beer bottles littering the driveway. The abuse is from him to her. Her mother wasn't much better but is no longer around. I don't know how to adequately describe it all but suffice it to say she hasn't had it easy. She dropped out of high school, got addicted to pills, has issues from the way her father treats her and not really knowing how to be a grown up because no one was there to teach her life skills.
She goes through a lot of character development through-out the novel. She nearly dies and would have if she hadn't been turned into a zombie, essentially giving her a second chance. She gets a job at a morgue, which she doesn't understand why at first or how but it eventually becomes clear. She has to learn how to grow up if she is to survive. She's 21.
This book shows the effects of abuse and it never condones or normalizes it. She learns that she doesn't deserve that crap and learns how to stand up for herself. She's a caring person, realistically flawed, and she really grows into herself and is a strong character (and i'm not talking the hyped up on brains zombie strength). Angel is my favorite part about this book! I loved the entire thing though.
The plot was interesting and had me wanting to read on and know more, the writing sucked me in, the pacing was steady and picked up even more in the second half. I was never bored. I cried multiple times, I hugged the book and I squealed with joy. It made me think and at times hit really close to home for me. This story truly gave me all the feels! There are well written characters, interesting zombies, mystery and feels wrapped up in a bad-ass fast paced package!
If it sounds at all interesting to you i'd highly recommend giving this story a read! I can't wait to pick up the rest of the series!
My Booktube Channel
Full review also on my blog Here
TW: Abuse, Suicide, Rape (no suicide or rape is in the book but if you read it you'll understand the trigger warnings), r-word (one instance that I noticed)
I'd heard some good things about this book and it sounded interesting, so I picked it up and i'm so glad I did! Not only was it entertaining but it was also deeper and had a bigger impact than I was expecting!
Angel is such an amazing character! She's flawed, human (or...sort of being a zombie but you know what I mean). She's had a rough life. Her and her dad live in a trailer with her father's beer bottles littering the driveway. The abuse is from him to her. Her mother wasn't much better but is no longer around. I don't know how to adequately describe it all but suffice it to say she hasn't had it easy. She dropped out of high school, got addicted to pills, has issues from the way her father treats her and not really knowing how to be a grown up because no one was there to teach her life skills.
She goes through a lot of character development through-out the novel. She nearly dies and would have if she hadn't been turned into a zombie, essentially giving her a second chance. She gets a job at a morgue, which she doesn't understand why at first or how but it eventually becomes clear. She has to learn how to grow up if she is to survive. She's 21.
This book shows the effects of abuse and it never condones or normalizes it. She learns that she doesn't deserve that crap and learns how to stand up for herself. She's a caring person, realistically flawed, and she really grows into herself and is a strong character (and i'm not talking the hyped up on brains zombie strength). Angel is my favorite part about this book! I loved the entire thing though.
The plot was interesting and had me wanting to read on and know more, the writing sucked me in, the pacing was steady and picked up even more in the second half. I was never bored. I cried multiple times, I hugged the book and I squealed with joy. It made me think and at times hit really close to home for me. This story truly gave me all the feels! There are well written characters, interesting zombies, mystery and feels wrapped up in a bad-ass fast paced package!
If it sounds at all interesting to you i'd highly recommend giving this story a read! I can't wait to pick up the rest of the series!
My Booktube Channel
March 23, 2019
I am seriously not the zombie type but having just read this for the second time, I definitely am a Diana Rowland type! What a romp!
The story is basically a cop-styled jaunt written with a huge wink and a grin. Our hero, the novice crime fighter, really isn't even a cop but a lowly van driver for the coroner's office. And when I say lowly, I mean low. She is a pill-popping, pot head, drop-out who shares a filthy home with her alcoholic dad. Dying, ironically, was the most positive thing to happen in her life. She pulls herself together (zombie pun!) and starts to feel self respect for the first time. She no longer needs pills or pot or her worthless boyfriend. The girl just needs some brainpower!
Although the story is delivered with lightheartedness, this actually is a meaningful coming of age story about a young woman whose low self esteem gradually builds into something like redemption.
Some of the scenes in the book come across as very real, and that is because the author snatched them from actual experiences from her glory days as a police officer and her work for the coroner's office. There is horror and heartbreak seen daily by police officers, paramedic, and the coroner's team. In full disclosure, I used to work out with the author at our local CrossFit box and was buddies with her for ages before learning that she has written, I dunno, maybe two dozen books. I knew she was a former cop, but that was it. After reading this story about the fictitious Angel Crawford, I know from our little chats that certain of the novel's scenes burned themselves onto the writer's mind and heart years before she put them on a page.
Overall, this is a romp of a book, a totally fun break from my usual literary preferences but it also featured growth in a character in love with the wrong guy, a girl who allowed herself to be treated like a doormat. If we wipe away the humor, we see a damaged young woman who's made bad choices, but who is finally coming into her own. This could have been a serious, sober tale but instead it left me smiling.
Who would have thought a story about an undead girl would be a feel-good? Absolutely five stars here. Hubby loved it. My 16 year old loved it. And I think you will too. The audio, by the way, won a an Audie award and isoutstanding. The narrator sounds like Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama... great pacing, perfect accent. Loved it.
The story is basically a cop-styled jaunt written with a huge wink and a grin. Our hero, the novice crime fighter, really isn't even a cop but a lowly van driver for the coroner's office. And when I say lowly, I mean low. She is a pill-popping, pot head, drop-out who shares a filthy home with her alcoholic dad. Dying, ironically, was the most positive thing to happen in her life. She pulls herself together (zombie pun!) and starts to feel self respect for the first time. She no longer needs pills or pot or her worthless boyfriend. The girl just needs some brainpower!
Although the story is delivered with lightheartedness, this actually is a meaningful coming of age story about a young woman whose low self esteem gradually builds into something like redemption.
Some of the scenes in the book come across as very real, and that is because the author snatched them from actual experiences from her glory days as a police officer and her work for the coroner's office. There is horror and heartbreak seen daily by police officers, paramedic, and the coroner's team. In full disclosure, I used to work out with the author at our local CrossFit box and was buddies with her for ages before learning that she has written, I dunno, maybe two dozen books. I knew she was a former cop, but that was it. After reading this story about the fictitious Angel Crawford, I know from our little chats that certain of the novel's scenes burned themselves onto the writer's mind and heart years before she put them on a page.
Overall, this is a romp of a book, a totally fun break from my usual literary preferences but it also featured growth in a character in love with the wrong guy, a girl who allowed herself to be treated like a doormat. If we wipe away the humor, we see a damaged young woman who's made bad choices, but who is finally coming into her own. This could have been a serious, sober tale but instead it left me smiling.
Who would have thought a story about an undead girl would be a feel-good? Absolutely five stars here. Hubby loved it. My 16 year old loved it. And I think you will too. The audio, by the way, won a an Audie award and isoutstanding. The narrator sounds like Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama... great pacing, perfect accent. Loved it.
July 5, 2015
This was a delightful little surprise. I interrupted my Kate Daniels reread for this and I don't regret it. I loved the genuine, gradual growth that the MC Angel shows in the book. I liked the mystery. This might be a little gory for some but after reading about rebirth in Kin I think could handle almost anything. This was extremely tame in comparison.
Looking forward to the next one in the series.
Looking forward to the next one in the series.
January 22, 2024
4.5 Stars
My Life as a White Trash Zombie was unexpectedly good! I was a little hesitant that I’d like Angel being that she’s a self-described loser and drug addict. However, not only was this a zombie story, but it was also a story of positive personal growth, and a mystery. Angel is a smart cookie who had a rough start in life. I’m eager to see her take charge of her life and happiness and excel!
Angel wakes up in the ER told that she was saved from an overdose, but the flashes of memory she has doesn’t match up with the account she’s been given. Also, when Angel leaves the ER she’s given a note and instructions to show up and start work at the coroner’s office or be reported to her parole officer which would likely result in her going back to jail. A threat that motivates her to comply.
Angel’s job sounds like a nightmare for someone with a notoriously weak stomach, but there are some surprising revelations as she settles in. Also, there’s a string of murders where the corpse has been left decapitated.
My Life as a White Trash Zombie was a “page-turner”! A story I didn’t want to stop listening to! I listened to the story straight through and was tempted to continue with the next story, but it was getting too late! Allison McLemore’s performance was perfection! I loved her Southern accent, and her comedic timing was excellent! There wasn’t as much laugh-out-loud humor as I thought there’d be, more ironic, dry humor that worked well with this story.
My Life as a White Trash Zombie was unexpectedly good! I was a little hesitant that I’d like Angel being that she’s a self-described loser and drug addict. However, not only was this a zombie story, but it was also a story of positive personal growth, and a mystery. Angel is a smart cookie who had a rough start in life. I’m eager to see her take charge of her life and happiness and excel!
Angel wakes up in the ER told that she was saved from an overdose, but the flashes of memory she has doesn’t match up with the account she’s been given. Also, when Angel leaves the ER she’s given a note and instructions to show up and start work at the coroner’s office or be reported to her parole officer which would likely result in her going back to jail. A threat that motivates her to comply.
Angel’s job sounds like a nightmare for someone with a notoriously weak stomach, but there are some surprising revelations as she settles in. Also, there’s a string of murders where the corpse has been left decapitated.
My Life as a White Trash Zombie was a “page-turner”! A story I didn’t want to stop listening to! I listened to the story straight through and was tempted to continue with the next story, but it was getting too late! Allison McLemore’s performance was perfection! I loved her Southern accent, and her comedic timing was excellent! There wasn’t as much laugh-out-loud humor as I thought there’d be, more ironic, dry humor that worked well with this story.
November 15, 2015
3.5 stars
Angel Crawford was your typical white trash chick with a pill popping addiction living with her alcoholic dad in Lousiana. That is, until she woke up in the hospital after being in a car accident with no memory of what had happened to her. She finds a note addressed to her telling her about a job that she is required to take or she’ll end up dead… thinking this is a note from her parole officer and that she’s being threatened with jail she opts to take the job instead. The job turns out to be a driver for the Coroner’s Office.
Angel starts noticing odd changes like how she’s somehow able to stand the sight of the dead bodies when before the accident she was squeamish from just the sight of blood. She also starts noticing that the bodies have a pleasant scent to them… ’The smell was like chocolate and cookies and biscuits and gravy and everything else that was delicious.’ That’s when she realizes that what was smelled so positively tasty were brains and only zombies ate brains. Bodies start turning up all over town with their heads missing and it begins to look suspiciously like a rogue zombie just trying to get his next meal. Angel thought she had figured out who the killer was when he turns up as the next victim.
Angel was a very realistic character and instantly likeable for me. The story had this underlying sadness with Angel staying off the pills, being able to hold a job, and finally getting her shit together… she just had to die to do it. And between the mysteries of who turned her into a zombie and who was leaving headless bodies all over town, it had me scrabbling to finish just to find out if my guess was right. (I was right! Yay!) The ending was good, (minus the slightly corny part when she kind of OD’d on brains) and I’m looking forward to reading the next one.
Angel Crawford was your typical white trash chick with a pill popping addiction living with her alcoholic dad in Lousiana. That is, until she woke up in the hospital after being in a car accident with no memory of what had happened to her. She finds a note addressed to her telling her about a job that she is required to take or she’ll end up dead… thinking this is a note from her parole officer and that she’s being threatened with jail she opts to take the job instead. The job turns out to be a driver for the Coroner’s Office.
Angel starts noticing odd changes like how she’s somehow able to stand the sight of the dead bodies when before the accident she was squeamish from just the sight of blood. She also starts noticing that the bodies have a pleasant scent to them… ’The smell was like chocolate and cookies and biscuits and gravy and everything else that was delicious.’ That’s when she realizes that what was smelled so positively tasty were brains and only zombies ate brains. Bodies start turning up all over town with their heads missing and it begins to look suspiciously like a rogue zombie just trying to get his next meal. Angel thought she had figured out who the killer was when he turns up as the next victim.
Angel was a very realistic character and instantly likeable for me. The story had this underlying sadness with Angel staying off the pills, being able to hold a job, and finally getting her shit together… she just had to die to do it. And between the mysteries of who turned her into a zombie and who was leaving headless bodies all over town, it had me scrabbling to finish just to find out if my guess was right. (I was right! Yay!) The ending was good, (minus the slightly corny part when she kind of OD’d on brains) and I’m looking forward to reading the next one.
July 25, 2019
4.5
Not going to write another review, as I reviewed it when I first read it like 2 years ago. Original review Here. Now can I actually continue this series? I'll plan to soon!
When I first read it 2 years ago I wasn't listening to audio books. Wanting to now try to get into them I figured i'd start with listening to books i've already read. Knowing I needed to re-read this so I can continue with the series, I figured why not listen to it. So I did. It went better than I expected. Much better!
Not going to write another review, as I reviewed it when I first read it like 2 years ago. Original review Here. Now can I actually continue this series? I'll plan to soon!
When I first read it 2 years ago I wasn't listening to audio books. Wanting to now try to get into them I figured i'd start with listening to books i've already read. Knowing I needed to re-read this so I can continue with the series, I figured why not listen to it. So I did. It went better than I expected. Much better!
Read
December 30, 2021Hey, this was surprisingly... good! Really good, even.
I say "surprisingly" because, let's face it, urban fantasy isn't aging well. At all. Especially when it comes to that segment of the genre written by women for women (or at least marketed as such. You know what I'm talking about: Kick-Ass Chick mercilessly kills her way around a monster-infested world only to turn all mushy and hormonal after meeting Mysteriously Brooding or Broodingly Mysterious Handsome Demon/Angel/Vampire/Were/Whatever). And this book was first published in 2011, which in UF years means it's almost a century old. Also, I saw some pretty awful reviews around for Diana Rowland's other series, Kara Gillian, so. And, finally, artist Daniel dos Santos and his scrumptilicious illustrations have been known to lead me to read some frankly terrible stuff, and I'm now super wary of what his artistry might be covering up (hah!).
So anyway: psyched to read My Life As a White Trash Zombie I was not. And yet read it I did, because the thought that all the good UF is behind me already is too painful for me to contemplate - and so I persevere.
And, what do you know, this time I scored a little gem.
Now, My Life As a White Trash Zombie is certainly no game-changer for the genre, Diana Rowland isn't the most wildly imaginative author around and dos Santos' cover did promise an edgy story that simply isn't what this book is about. But this turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable read nonetheless.
The book essentially tells the tale of Angel's strenuous efforts to walk away from the corner where a harsh life and her own attitude have backed her into: of redneckish background, with a mentally-ill and abusive mother and an alcoholic and equally violent father, Angel never really had a fair chance. After her mother commits suicide, Angel drops out of high school and gives up on life, aimlessly drifting through it while drinking and taking pills with her boyfriend: she's not suicidal, she's just... profoundly defeated. Her redemption comes in the form of death. Specifically, death by zombies. And, man! does Angel rise to the occasion! I loved Rowland's deadpan humor: Angel's come back to life, literally and figuratively - her Big Chance - is being reborn a zombie, and seeing her trying to make the best out of this... hmm... unusual situation is both hilarious and sweet - she's a character you genuinely root for and the author made the best possible choice focusing all her attention on her heroine (no Alpha Males around, dear friends! This is truly all about Angel).
I lamented the lack of edginess the cover hinted at but I'm thinking it might have worked out for the best after all: Rowland quiet story of redemption and brain smoothies wasn't what I was expecting but I liked what I've got even better.
Read for the 2018 MacHalo Reading Challenge (aka MMFBCE™): Bad Ass Female.
I say "surprisingly" because, let's face it, urban fantasy isn't aging well. At all. Especially when it comes to that segment of the genre written by women for women (or at least marketed as such. You know what I'm talking about: Kick-Ass Chick mercilessly kills her way around a monster-infested world only to turn all mushy and hormonal after meeting Mysteriously Brooding or Broodingly Mysterious Handsome Demon/Angel/Vampire/Were/Whatever). And this book was first published in 2011, which in UF years means it's almost a century old. Also, I saw some pretty awful reviews around for Diana Rowland's other series, Kara Gillian, so. And, finally, artist Daniel dos Santos and his scrumptilicious illustrations have been known to lead me to read some frankly terrible stuff, and I'm now super wary of what his artistry might be covering up (hah!).
So anyway: psyched to read My Life As a White Trash Zombie I was not. And yet read it I did, because the thought that all the good UF is behind me already is too painful for me to contemplate - and so I persevere.
And, what do you know, this time I scored a little gem.
Now, My Life As a White Trash Zombie is certainly no game-changer for the genre, Diana Rowland isn't the most wildly imaginative author around and dos Santos' cover did promise an edgy story that simply isn't what this book is about. But this turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable read nonetheless.
The book essentially tells the tale of Angel's strenuous efforts to walk away from the corner where a harsh life and her own attitude have backed her into: of redneckish background, with a mentally-ill and abusive mother and an alcoholic and equally violent father, Angel never really had a fair chance. After her mother commits suicide, Angel drops out of high school and gives up on life, aimlessly drifting through it while drinking and taking pills with her boyfriend: she's not suicidal, she's just... profoundly defeated. Her redemption comes in the form of death. Specifically, death by zombies. And, man! does Angel rise to the occasion! I loved Rowland's deadpan humor: Angel's come back to life, literally and figuratively - her Big Chance - is being reborn a zombie, and seeing her trying to make the best out of this... hmm... unusual situation is both hilarious and sweet - she's a character you genuinely root for and the author made the best possible choice focusing all her attention on her heroine (no Alpha Males around, dear friends! This is truly all about Angel).
I lamented the lack of edginess the cover hinted at but I'm thinking it might have worked out for the best after all: Rowland quiet story of redemption and brain smoothies wasn't what I was expecting but I liked what I've got even better.
Read for the 2018 MacHalo Reading Challenge (aka MMFBCE™): Bad Ass Female.
January 1, 2016
I liked it, its right on the 4-5 star edge for me but since it's my first official review this year lets be generous. It had a nice mix of humor, a realistic main character (Angel) and a cool fantasy twist. I don't read a lot of zombie books but I'll definitely be continuing the series.
September 25, 2015
Ha! A breath of fresh air:) I did enjoy this book despite my uncertainty of how i feel about zombies. It was different and funny and I liked it:)
December 26, 2018
This reminded me a tiny bit of iZombie, in a totally good way though. Even though this was somewhat crass and crud at times, I really liked it and the direction it went.
May 23, 2011
Angel is 100% trailer trash, her father is an alcoholic who alternates between two states: asleep & drunk. Angel’s name doesn’t suit her; she’s a drug addict who pops pills. She had a dead-end on again/off again boyfriend who isn’t any much better. She dropped out of high school years ago & has a criminal record. Can you tell Angel has everything going for her?
Angel wakes up in the ER after an overdose, but she swears she was in a horrible car crash..yet there’s not a mark on her. To add to the “what the hell”, she receives an anonymous letter saying she has to show up at the parish coroners office, there is a job waiting there for her. If she refuses, she goes to jail. Lovely.
Angel gets her arse into gear & turns up at the coroners office, where she finds herself in the middle of a case. All the victims are turning up without heads, which sucks when you’ve just worken up with an intense craving for brains & are pretty sure you didn’t eat them.
“That…is a zombie, I silently shrieked to myself. Holy F-ing s#$t. That’s a motherf-ing zombie, and this s#$t is real.”
As soon as I saw the cover for White Trash Zombie, I knew I had to have it. After reading it I can tell you, Diana Rowland does not disappoint. I alternated between hysterical laughing & trying not to quote lines from the book on Twitter. Angel kicks ass! She transforms from trailer park girl to a girl who knows that it doesn’t matter how much money you have, it’s how you act & how much you respect your surroundings & yourself. I know, weird for a zombie right?
I can hear a lot of people wondering, “How can I relate to a zombie?” Trust me. You will love Angel! She’s not the “typical” zombie, she isn’t a salivating beast (all the time), parts of her aren’t constantly falling off (okay, only when she’s starving) & she doesn’t eat people (only their brains, when their dead). What do you want from her, she’s a zombie! I loved the growth in Angel, it’s amazing that Mrs. Rowland wrote a zombie with growth.That right there is what makes this such a unique book! But Angel really is a likeable character, so much so, she’s now on my list of all time favorite characters.
“Death wasn’t fair. Death didn’t give warning. Death hit nice people and nasty people. It didn’t give a shit.
Speaking of characters, there are all sorts! I loved Kang. He works for the local funeral home & is an Asian goth, chains & all. But I adored the hot detective, Marcus! Marcus has had previous dealings with Angel, but never once does he outwardly judge her. And he has a lot of ammo to judge Angel for. There are so many twists in this book, my head spun ala exorcist. I had NO idea who the bad person was & was totally shocked with the outcome. SHOCKED.
Yes, there is brain eating people but it’s funny & it’s not as graphic as it could be. Think CSI meets brain smoothies & you’ll be fine. And for the record, Mrs. Rowland knows her morgues, she’s a former crime scene investigator & morgue attendant! Thus you get the “real”, this isn’t all make believe people. You’ll learn some facts you wish you didn’t know (keep the bottom of the casket closed).
I swear to you, there are so many lines in this book I wanted to quote. WTZ is a treasure trove of quote goodness! Diana Rowland has outdone herself, I laughed though about 85% of WTZ! “Cause I’m starving ‘yo” is officially my new favorite line, I will use it in every single sentence I can. Among a ton of other one liners that had me laughing late into the night.
Then I couldn’t resist. I took a deep breath and yelled: “Zombie Super Powers, Activate!”
Diana Rowland has a way with words that used normally, would have people grossed right out but she manages to make you laugh. That’s the bonus of this book, it isn’t all brains! Mrs. Rowland has managed to makes zombies fun & intelligent, who would have thunk it? She made brain eaters cool! Fans of humorus urban fantasy, regardless of their zombie issues, have to give WTZ a try. Please. Or I’ll send zombies!
Angel wakes up in the ER after an overdose, but she swears she was in a horrible car crash..yet there’s not a mark on her. To add to the “what the hell”, she receives an anonymous letter saying she has to show up at the parish coroners office, there is a job waiting there for her. If she refuses, she goes to jail. Lovely.
Angel gets her arse into gear & turns up at the coroners office, where she finds herself in the middle of a case. All the victims are turning up without heads, which sucks when you’ve just worken up with an intense craving for brains & are pretty sure you didn’t eat them.
“That…is a zombie, I silently shrieked to myself. Holy F-ing s#$t. That’s a motherf-ing zombie, and this s#$t is real.”
As soon as I saw the cover for White Trash Zombie, I knew I had to have it. After reading it I can tell you, Diana Rowland does not disappoint. I alternated between hysterical laughing & trying not to quote lines from the book on Twitter. Angel kicks ass! She transforms from trailer park girl to a girl who knows that it doesn’t matter how much money you have, it’s how you act & how much you respect your surroundings & yourself. I know, weird for a zombie right?
I can hear a lot of people wondering, “How can I relate to a zombie?” Trust me. You will love Angel! She’s not the “typical” zombie, she isn’t a salivating beast (all the time), parts of her aren’t constantly falling off (okay, only when she’s starving) & she doesn’t eat people (only their brains, when their dead). What do you want from her, she’s a zombie! I loved the growth in Angel, it’s amazing that Mrs. Rowland wrote a zombie with growth.That right there is what makes this such a unique book! But Angel really is a likeable character, so much so, she’s now on my list of all time favorite characters.
“Death wasn’t fair. Death didn’t give warning. Death hit nice people and nasty people. It didn’t give a shit.
Speaking of characters, there are all sorts! I loved Kang. He works for the local funeral home & is an Asian goth, chains & all. But I adored the hot detective, Marcus! Marcus has had previous dealings with Angel, but never once does he outwardly judge her. And he has a lot of ammo to judge Angel for. There are so many twists in this book, my head spun ala exorcist. I had NO idea who the bad person was & was totally shocked with the outcome. SHOCKED.
Yes, there is brain eating people but it’s funny & it’s not as graphic as it could be. Think CSI meets brain smoothies & you’ll be fine. And for the record, Mrs. Rowland knows her morgues, she’s a former crime scene investigator & morgue attendant! Thus you get the “real”, this isn’t all make believe people. You’ll learn some facts you wish you didn’t know (keep the bottom of the casket closed).
I swear to you, there are so many lines in this book I wanted to quote. WTZ is a treasure trove of quote goodness! Diana Rowland has outdone herself, I laughed though about 85% of WTZ! “Cause I’m starving ‘yo” is officially my new favorite line, I will use it in every single sentence I can. Among a ton of other one liners that had me laughing late into the night.
Then I couldn’t resist. I took a deep breath and yelled: “Zombie Super Powers, Activate!”
Diana Rowland has a way with words that used normally, would have people grossed right out but she manages to make you laugh. That’s the bonus of this book, it isn’t all brains! Mrs. Rowland has managed to makes zombies fun & intelligent, who would have thunk it? She made brain eaters cool! Fans of humorus urban fantasy, regardless of their zombie issues, have to give WTZ a try. Please. Or I’ll send zombies!
November 23, 2020
A Goodreads friend recommended that I 'check out' this spin on zombie/urban fantasy. I found the book to have those qualities of YA books written for adults. That is, except for the protagonist not being a 'young person'. The story is more about the protagonist’s Feels than the existential threat of The Zombie. The story has occasionally amusing parts, although it is too anemic to slake my hunger for a brainy story.
Prose is good, but uneven. The writing was technically good. It was carefully edited, and I could find no mistakes. There was a small amount of repetition. For example, "Hallmark Movie", was the stock description for most sappy scenes. There were minor continuity problems in the story. For example, there doesn’t appear to be a problem with large caliber, bullets lodged in a zombie’s body within the author’s Zombie schema. There was almost an indigestible amount of serendipity. Descriptive prose is generally good. Dialog, including inner dialog was OK. The protagonist’s (Angel Crawford ) first person POV is used throughout. I found the Louisiana, bayou, millennial, slacker argot to be funny in places. A major issue I had was Crawford’s inner dialog occasionally didn’t match her character. She would sometimes use multisyllabic words when monosyllables would have been more in character. For example, a 21-year old, High School drop-out at 16-years old is unlikely to use the word ”frisson”. Action sequences were well done. Pacing could have been better. The mystery sub-plots and Crawford’s journey-of-self-discovery were not properly weighted.
This story includes: sex, drugs, no rock ‘n roll, and violence. Sex is not graphic, being mostly slyly spoken of and handled with fade-to-black in the breach. Drug use is softcore, although prescription drug misuse occurs. Acts of violence are moderately detailed, involving both physical violence and firearms. Body count is moderate even considering the County morgue is part of the story. Wounds and human decomposition receive detailed descriptions. I was not bothered by the descriptions. In general the story would be rated YA in content, although on the edgier side for the prescription drug usage.
Major characters include: Crawford, her Father, Randy, Marcus Ivanov, Nick Galatas and Derrel Cusimano. Crawford is the best wrought character. She's an unlikely strong, female main character at the start, although her journey-of-self-discovery finds its destination through an unlikely route. I thought swapping her original psychological dependence on pills for brains to be a nice ironic twist. Crawford’s alcoholic father (who isn’t even addressed as Mr. Crawford) was the better of the antagonists. He’s a reasonably dysfunctional parental figure. Randy (no last name) is the petty-criminal boyfriend who along with her father epitomizes and is an enabler for her pre-zombie life. Ivanov is a hunky, cop, and the love interest. Crawford’s pre-zom, adversarial involvement with the law, seems to have been exclusively with him. I frankly didn’t see the attraction. Galatas is the dork co-worker who causes Crawford to up-her-game. Cusimano is Ivanov’s besty and Crawford’s ideal co-worker.
There are several other minor characters, but they receive only a modest amount of development, or are all well within established tropes.
In the story, Crawford a Millennial slacker wakes-up a zombie (on the inside) with memory loss. She's bequeathed a life changing and fulfilling job at the County morgue by a mysterious benefactor. Then someone starts killing the zombies hidden in society. Plot was three sub-plots wound together: How'd I become a Zom, How do I not be a loser, and Who's killing all the Zoms? The journey-of-self-discovery plot, was the author's main concern and was reasonably well done. This ended with the predictable Calling the Old Man Out act. The mystery plots suffered from lack of attention. With the reveals, I thought REALLY? The lack of attention resulted in poor pacing, and a generally unsatisfactory ending.
World building was both good and bad. I liked the Louisiana, bayou setting and the white trash lifestyle. The details of the morgue were good too. I'm a bit of a student of Zombification. The author's zombies lacked any credibility, despite a hand waving "virus" explanation. The zombies were more like vampires than the traditional model. I cringed at the instantaneous rejuvenating and restorative powers of eating brains. It might as well have been magic.
Finally, this book reminded me a lot of the TV Series iZombie. This book was published in 2001. That series started in 2015. However, there are recognizable similarities.
The story had a very much made for television feel. Frankly, I'm not sure why the author adapted the Zombie trope for this book. Crawford's story of self-discovery and redemption were her primary concern. She could have written a decent tale without Crawford eating any brains. It could easily have been handled with a detoxification story line. As it was, Crawford's zombification seemed like a distraction. In addition, the zombie schema was non-traditional and poorly implemented. The end-result was a decent journey-of-self-discovery story, but a poor urban fantasy.
I will not be reading the next book in the series, Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues. Readers interested in a better white trash zombie story should read Fiend (my review).
Prose is good, but uneven. The writing was technically good. It was carefully edited, and I could find no mistakes. There was a small amount of repetition. For example, "Hallmark Movie", was the stock description for most sappy scenes. There were minor continuity problems in the story. For example, there doesn’t appear to be a problem with large caliber, bullets lodged in a zombie’s body within the author’s Zombie schema. There was almost an indigestible amount of serendipity. Descriptive prose is generally good. Dialog, including inner dialog was OK. The protagonist’s (Angel Crawford ) first person POV is used throughout. I found the Louisiana, bayou, millennial, slacker argot to be funny in places. A major issue I had was Crawford’s inner dialog occasionally didn’t match her character. She would sometimes use multisyllabic words when monosyllables would have been more in character. For example, a 21-year old, High School drop-out at 16-years old is unlikely to use the word ”frisson”. Action sequences were well done. Pacing could have been better. The mystery sub-plots and Crawford’s journey-of-self-discovery were not properly weighted.
This story includes: sex, drugs, no rock ‘n roll, and violence. Sex is not graphic, being mostly slyly spoken of and handled with fade-to-black in the breach. Drug use is softcore, although prescription drug misuse occurs. Acts of violence are moderately detailed, involving both physical violence and firearms. Body count is moderate even considering the County morgue is part of the story. Wounds and human decomposition receive detailed descriptions. I was not bothered by the descriptions. In general the story would be rated YA in content, although on the edgier side for the prescription drug usage.
Major characters include: Crawford, her Father, Randy, Marcus Ivanov, Nick Galatas and Derrel Cusimano. Crawford is the best wrought character. She's an unlikely strong, female main character at the start, although her journey-of-self-discovery finds its destination through an unlikely route. I thought swapping her original psychological dependence on pills for brains to be a nice ironic twist. Crawford’s alcoholic father (who isn’t even addressed as Mr. Crawford) was the better of the antagonists. He’s a reasonably dysfunctional parental figure. Randy (no last name) is the petty-criminal boyfriend who along with her father epitomizes and is an enabler for her pre-zombie life. Ivanov is a hunky, cop, and the love interest. Crawford’s pre-zom, adversarial involvement with the law, seems to have been exclusively with him. I frankly didn’t see the attraction. Galatas is the dork co-worker who causes Crawford to up-her-game. Cusimano is Ivanov’s besty and Crawford’s ideal co-worker.
There are several other minor characters, but they receive only a modest amount of development, or are all well within established tropes.
In the story, Crawford a Millennial slacker wakes-up a zombie (on the inside) with memory loss. She's bequeathed a life changing and fulfilling job at the County morgue by a mysterious benefactor. Then someone starts killing the zombies hidden in society. Plot was three sub-plots wound together: How'd I become a Zom, How do I not be a loser, and Who's killing all the Zoms? The journey-of-self-discovery plot, was the author's main concern and was reasonably well done. This ended with the predictable Calling the Old Man Out act. The mystery plots suffered from lack of attention. With the reveals, I thought REALLY? The lack of attention resulted in poor pacing, and a generally unsatisfactory ending.
World building was both good and bad. I liked the Louisiana, bayou setting and the white trash lifestyle. The details of the morgue were good too. I'm a bit of a student of Zombification. The author's zombies lacked any credibility, despite a hand waving "virus" explanation. The zombies were more like vampires than the traditional model. I cringed at the instantaneous rejuvenating and restorative powers of eating brains. It might as well have been magic.
Finally, this book reminded me a lot of the TV Series iZombie. This book was published in 2001. That series started in 2015. However, there are recognizable similarities.
The story had a very much made for television feel. Frankly, I'm not sure why the author adapted the Zombie trope for this book. Crawford's story of self-discovery and redemption were her primary concern. She could have written a decent tale without Crawford eating any brains. It could easily have been handled with a detoxification story line. As it was, Crawford's zombification seemed like a distraction. In addition, the zombie schema was non-traditional and poorly implemented. The end-result was a decent journey-of-self-discovery story, but a poor urban fantasy.
I will not be reading the next book in the series, Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues. Readers interested in a better white trash zombie story should read Fiend (my review).
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