My Life as a White Trash Zombie (White Trash Zombie, #1)

by Diana Rowland

[Kim Deister]

I absolutely love this book! It is irreverent, gritty, raw, and yet filled with characters that are still sympathetic. The main character isn't just flawed... she is damaged. Yet, even with all of that, there is a lot of snarky humor that I would not have not expected.

In a weird way, this was a bit of a coming of age story for Angel, our white trash zombie. First, she has to come to grips with her new life and learn how to live as a zombie in a human world. And, second, she has to grow up if she wants to stay alive. It's interesting that dying seems to save her life... in more than one way.

I love Angel. She has had a rocky life and she hasn't risen above it. A neglectful dad, a druggie boyfriend, and an unfortunate pill-popping habit. She's a convicted felon, working dead end jobs that never last. She's a high school drop out. She has no future, not really. And then she dies and suddenly she has what she never even considered... the possibility of a future. She is not created to be anything more than what she is and I love that who she is, beyond all the damage, stays true. Her character doesn't suddenly become Pollyanna, but remains true to Angel... in all her white trash glory. I love, love, love that!

All of the characters in this book are fantastic. Kang works for a local funeral home and comes off as an Asian Goth gangster, chains and all. But Marcus, our cop love interest, he is where my heart lies. I love that he is a cop, through and through, and yet he doesn't judge. He has dealt with Angel before in her rather nefarious past, but he still doesn't judge her. Fantastic!

In addition to being a zombie novel, it is a good, old-fashioned murder mystery. Her role in all of this is very unique, and I am not going to expand on that for fear of spoilers! But there are lots of unexpected moments and twists that create a lot of suspense. If the cast of CSI survived on brain smoothies, you would be in the general ballpark of White Trash Zombie!

I'm not going to lie... the cover hooked me even before I knew what the book was about! Fantastically wonderful!

Things to love...

--Angel. I love that she stayed true to herself, even as her life turned inside out.
--Marcus. I love the total lack of judgment. That's refreshing!
--The humor. There was a lot of situational and snarky humor that I really appreciated.
--The ability to make me cringe at some of the more descriptive flesh-falling passages, yet make me laugh at the same time.

Some Quotastic Goodness

--But I'd been craving brains. The smell was like chocolate and cookies and biscuits and gravy and everything else that was delicious. It damn near drove me crazy every time I had to touch one. I’d been fighting the cravings the way I’d never fought the urge to take drugs or get drunk (Loc 40).
--“Still, waking up this early was just wrong. “Why can’t people be reasonable and only die after eleven A.M.?” I whined (Loc. 697).”
--"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 (Loc. 1871).”

My Recommendation: Fantastically fun, fantastically humorous... just plain fantastic! This is a must read for supe fans, mystery fans, and snark fans!

This review originally appeared on my blog, http://thecaffeinateddivareads.multifacetedmama.com/?p=9431.