Review: Writing on the Wall by Tracey Ward

Writing on the Wall by Tracey Ward

I’m a girl stuck in Neverland with The Lost Boys. I’m no Wendy, I can hold my own. I don’t need to wait around for Peter to save me, but I’m also not an idiot. I know my enemies.

It's been nearly a decade since the world ended. Since Joss watched her parents die at the hands of a nightmare, a nightmare that stalks her even now, all these years later. That's the problem with the Risen - they refuse to die.

But Joss is a survivor. A loner living in the post-apocalyptic streets of Seattle. It's a world dictated by Risen and the looming threat of the Colonists, a group of fellow survivors living comfortably in their compounds and patrolling the wild, looking to "save" the orphans of the end. 

Orphans like Joss. Like Ryan.

As a member of an all male gang, Ryan is a threat as real as the Risen, a threat Joss avoids at all costs. Then one night their paths cross and Joss makes a choice that goes against all of her instincts. A choice that will threaten everything she has.

Now a new outbreak is imminent and the Colonists are closing in. Joss' solitary, secret world will be blown wide open and the comfortable numbness she's lived in for the last six years will burn away leaving her aching and afraid. 

And awake.

*The Survival Series is a spinoff of Quarantined, two books set in the first days of the outbreak as it swept across the Pacific Northwest.

Pages: 171

Format: Ebook (also in Paperback)

Published by: Tracey Ward

Genre: YA Dystopian, Post-Apocalytic, Horror (Zombies)

Rating:

Review:

Writing on the Wall is a phenomenal story with equally intriguing characters. I remember starting off reading about Joss and thinking that she was a capable character (brave and strong all wrapped up in one). She didn't need to hold someone's hand to make sure that she survived, she did it all by herself. But that doesn't mean she doesn't have her fears... she's just as human as the rest of us (and more human than the Zombies :p), I enjoyed reading that she wasn't some perfect being who never got frightened or scared, because as unrealistic as this book actually is, she was realistic. I also feel that she was a believable character because she didn't automatically do what would be noted as acceptable, she considered her options. And when it was necessary, she went above and beyond (to her standards) to do something that she did not feel comfortable doing. This made her more real to me and was probably the moment that I felt like she was a character that I knew I would click with. She had a very spunky attitude, and will to fight and survive that made her such a fantastic character. One thing that stood out to me about Joss was that in a world, like the one she was brought up in, not everything is as clear as how we would view it - in relation to our morals. Things we would view as immoral, she was unable to differentiate and determine if that was still the case anymore. Ryan has his own unique sense of humor that I adored because it reminded me of my own friends. Joss and Ryan had a way of clicking so well together that made the story come together in only a way that could because of them - which brings me to their love story. It was great! I though it moved along at a perfect rate. For Ryan and Joss, it was probably a "once in a million" chance that they would find someone that they would love because of the way their world is. I thought it was adorable, sweet, and amusing the way they interacted with each other and started falling for one another. Now on to secondary characters, well they were all very well-written. I like Nats and Lexy, but I did not like Vin or Breanne, and I'm completely undecided about Crenshaw... I don't know whether to like him or not. The world was interesting and not exactly what I would expect in a world where the Apocalypse has occurred, but I liked it's difference from other Apocalyptic worlds. Well, at least not what I expected from a Zombie Apocalyptic world. The conclusion left me begging for more.

This was one of those rare books that I could pick up and right front the "get-go" and connect with it. Writing on the Wall was also one of my "all-time favorite" Zombie books that I have read. If Zombies are you're "cup of tea", then I would definitely recommend picking this book up. The characters were so well-written and almost impossible not to enjoy and possibly not to connect with. Let me just say, if I could get my hands on book number two right now... I would have had it before this review was even up. That means I will have to wait... I really wish that weren't the case because I'm not ready to take a break from Joss's story! I cannot wait to read Backs Against the Wall, the second book n the Survival Series.

Note: I received this book free from Tracey Ward in exchange for an honest review.