REVIEW: Warm Bodies

Warm Bodies, by Issac Marion
Published October 28, 2010
Publisher:  Vintage
Format: audiobook - borrowed from library
Genre:  Young Adult Paranormal Romance

 Rating:  4 STARS

(From Goodreads) 'R' is a zombie. He has no name, no memories and no pulse, but he has dreams. He is a little different from his fellow Dead.

Amongst the ruins of an abandoned city, R meets a girl. Her name is Julie and she is the opposite of everything he knows - warm and bright and very much alive, she is a blast of colour in a dreary grey landscape. For reasons he can't understand, R chooses to save Julie instead of eating her, and a tense yet strangely tender relationship begins.

This has never happened before. It breaks the rules and defies logic, but R is no longer content with life in the grave. He wants to breathe again, he wants to live, and Julie wants to help him. But their grim, rotting world won't be changed without a fight...

I did it! I read my very first zombie book! Admittedly, it was a lightweight zombie book, and I chose it because of all the hype surrounding the movie. I kinda already had a good idea what it was about. But, I had this hang-up about zombie books that I really wanted to get over, so I thought this would be a good one to start with. 

See, I'm a big Walking Dead fan. So, the zombies I'm most familiar with are evil, disgusting, soulless shells with goo dripping from their faces. The idea of a love story surrounding one of them was abhorrent. Although the zombies in Warm Bodies do eat people and some are pretty gross, they do not seem soulless, and not all are so disgusting. Case in point, R.

R was such a great character. He's a zombie with a conscience. When he eats a boy, he absorbs his memories, though which he meets the boy's girlfriend, Julie. R resolves to take care of her and keep her safe, and in turn falls in love with her. 

I think what helps this story along is the absolutely beautiful writing. Marion is deliciously talented. His words drip from the page like honey. It was almost like poetry. It was a wonderful experience. 

I think my favorite character, though, was M. He was so funny and unexpected! His relationship with R was poignant and fun. I just loved everything about him. 

Warm Bodies has caused me to take a second look at zombies. Is there a zombie book you loved that you think I should try next?