What Once We Feared by Carrie Ryan
Released: 14th May 2013
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Series: Yes, #0.5 in the Forest of Hands and Teeth series
Format: Kindle e-book
Source: Bought
Find at: Goodreads | Amazon UK
Goodreads Synopsis:
When the zombie apocalypse hits and the dead begin to rise, Jonah and his friends are on a class field trip downtown. Panicked, they make a split-second decision to seek shelter in the Overlook, an apartment complex built like a fortress on the edge of town. But as they begin to face the realities of what it will take to survive, they realize that while making the decision of where to run was easy, living out the consequences of that decision may be impossible. From Carrie Ryan, the New York Times bestselling author of the Forest of Hands and Teeth books, What Once We Feared is an original digital short story about facing a world that is forever changed and in which survival means more than merely escaping the undead.
My Review
Imagine being given a big bar of chocolate, taking one bite and then having someone snatch it away from you. This is how I felt. I absolutely adore the Forest of Hands and Teeth series, my friends get so sick of hearing me rave about it. So when I came across this short story, I didn't think twice about buying it. But back to the chocolate, even though the bar got snatched away the tiny square tasted lovely. Just having a taste of this series again was lovely. I am disappointed the short story was very short, and I felt it very rushed. Now give me more chocolate Carrie Ryan!!!!!
Back to the story..... it was nice to see another side to this series, it kind of made me wonder how I would cope in these circumstances. I think I would be the first one to fall prey to the zombies. Dani at Pen to Paper can vouch for that as my sprint across London trying to catch our train was enough to nearly kill me off. Had there been zombies chasing us....... maybe I might have run a bit faster, but I certainly wouldn't have dropped my bag with my 14 books in it. Sadly I may have to have bashed a few zombie brains with it. I liked the characters in this book, they were a good mixed bunch of teenagers who have to pull through an zombie invasion. The first part was detailed and exciting the last part almost felt like the author had been called to eat her dinner and had to sign off quickly.
The question is would I have bough this book knowing how short it was and how rushed it was at the end? The answer is yes, because I love this series so much even a small taste of chocolate is better than none at all.
Overview
I love this series, still my favourite but felt this short story was too short and rushed at the end.
My Thoughts on the Cover
Dark and creepy and certainly suits the book. I would be drawn to this cover!