Review: Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

Generation Dead @Goodreads

Generation Dead

By: Daniel Waters

Published: May 6, 2008

Publisher: Hyperion

"Phoebe Kendall is just your typical Goth girl with a crush. He’s strong and silent…and dead.

All over the country, a strange phenomenon is occurring. Some teenagers who die aren't staying dead. But when they come back to life, they are no longer the same. Feared and misunderstood, they are doing their best to blend into a society that doesn’t want them.
The administration at Oakvale High attempts to be more welcoming of the “differently biotic." But the students don’t want to take classes or eat in the cafeteria next to someone who isn’t breathing. And there are no laws that exist to protect the “living impaired” from the people who want them to disappear—for good.
When Phoebe falls for Tommy Williams, the leader of the dead kids, no one can believe it; not her best friend, Margi, and especially not her neighbor, Adam, the star of the football team. Adam has feelings for Phoebe that run much deeper than just friendship; he would do anything for her. But what if protecting Tommy is the one thing that would make her happy?" Synopsis from Goodreads


I won Generation Dead by Daniel Waters on the Fool for books giveaway hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and to The Bookish Snob. The giveaway I won was the one hosted by Memrie over at  @ Darkangel88 I got the book last week and I've now finished reading it so I decided to do a review on it to write my thoughts on it.

I have to first talk about the book cover which I loved but I wasn't sure who the girl in the cover is since Phoebe is supposed to have really black hair.  I suppose it could be some other girl but since the story is about Phoebe falling for a zombie it seems it would be her no?  of course being the curious person that I am I had to go looking for other book covers and found these two.

 

the first one is English language but the next one is the Turkish version. 

 

Looking at the Turkish version makes me believe it is supposed to be Phoebe. Looking at both covers I like the one I got because it really is pretty and the Turkish version because it seems more true to the story. The other cover seems too plain for my taste not to mention how it really has nothing to do with the story unless I skipped the part about black roses lol or it could just be for the goth thing not sure =p

The story was easy to get into at least for me because even if I normally don't read about zombies, they freak me out I will probably write a post explaining all about it, these weren't of the flesh eating kind. I really liked Phoebe at the beginning of the story but, by the end I was confused by her actions or lack thereof. She seemed so cool doing some thing out of the norm I liked that she wasn't your usual perfect cheerleader, again why the cover in my version doesn't completely work for me, shes a goth.  She wasn't that slacker goth that is some times portrayed she was smart and nice and she had a thing for a zombie boy named Tommy Williams.  She seemed like the type of character I normally really like but I'm not sure what my feeling towards her were like by the end of book one. I think in order to fully rate her on my character list I need to read Generation dead book 2 Kiss of Life.

Tommy Williams and Adam Layman were the guys vying for Phoebes attention. Tommy seemed very like-able I believe it's the first time a zombie seemed like a good catch, for a boyfriend I mean lol. Adam just took my heart thought he defended Phoebe and Tommy even when inside he was hurting. I fell a little bit for both of them but I had an issue with both of them that never quite got resolved so I couldn't completely call them swoon worthy. The next book is dealing with them still so maybe their issues will be resolved in which case I will have to came back and rate them on my characters list.

There were many other characters in Generation dead both dead and alive I liked and also disliked. Out of all of them I really liked Thornton Harrowwood because he was just a funny dude. He talked to the zombies like they were normal and out of all the others he was the only one who became friends with them simply because he could not for another reason. I liked how he talked with out thinking and did stuff that could be dangerous but even when he got hurt he still smiled and was proud. My favorite line with him in it is as follows:

"Thornton Harrowwood was allowed to carry the ball on a play and was chrushed after a three-yard gain.

"Ow," Margi sai. "I hope he gets up."

He did, and strutted as though he'd just carried the ball seventy yards for a touchdown

"You have to admire his pluck," Phoebe said

"Yes. He is as plucky young man." pg 138

I really love those lines in my head I kept picturing it and laughing about it lol so he was one of my favorite characters in all of Generation Dead. The character I really hated was Pete Martinsburg he was just evil! I must confess though there was a small part of me who felt bad for him but for the most part I wanted him to be killed or at least be turned into zombie,I would have loved the irony in that, does that make me a bad person?  He is often described as tanned, strong, with well defined abs you know the hunky kind, but in my head I always pictured him as Mary Lightly from Psych the tv show. No the person isn't a girl its a guy named Mary hes kind of weird at least on the tv show his real name is Jimmi Simpson and incase you still have no idea who he is heres a pic:

Yup he's Mary nothing like that tanned hunky description right?

Just for the heck of it a pic of Psych because I ♥ that show

 As every one can see he looks nothing like the description of Pete, not hunky at least not in my opinion. For some reason though , I think its because of Pete's thoughts, I could only picture Mary in his place never the tanned hunky football player. 

The whole book would have gotten a rating of 5/5 but wont if only because there were some things that weren't explained by the end of the book and they left me dissatisfied. I know this is a series and that is probably why they weren't. They most likely will be talked about in the next book but for me that isn't enough to change my mind. Will I be reading the next book in the series definitely  I want to know what happens next. Generation Dead deserves a: Major Crush Alert! rating or 4/5.

 

 

For now that is it on Generation Dead by Daniel Waters. Since I'm still on zombie mode, currently  reading Happy Hour of the Damned by mark Henry, keep a look out for my review of that one.

                     as always ♥, Carol