Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed The Reapers are the Angels (Reapers, Bk 1) on + 2527 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I got a copy of this book through Librarything.com's Early Reviewer program. I saw the cover and read the premise and instantly was dying to read it. I loved this book. This is a zombie novel with vision and heart, that can even be considered high literature. It is haunting and beautiful and thought-provoking while at the same time being brutally realistic. I could not put it down and ended up reading it in a day.
Temple is a fifteen girl who was born after the apocalypse; that is after dead human beings started turning into "Meatskins" and attacking and eating live humans. She is a tough girl who is struggling to find a place for herself. She doesn't need anyone to protect her, but she needs a purpose and she uncannily finds beauty and wonder in the dreariest of places. She tries to fit in with a local community until a man attempts to rape her; she kills him. Then she is forced to flee with the man's brother Moses in pursuit. She stumbles upon Maury, a slow mute carrying his dead grandmother and being chased by a pack a meatskins. When she finds an address in Maury's pocket that states there are people waiting to take care of him, she decides to get Maury to his new home.
This is not a happy read. It is gory and dark and brutal. But somehow it is beautiful too. Temple is a tough girl and a heroine that you really want to cheer on. She is so practical and so capable. She doesn't resent life, she just deals. At one point someone asks her if she hates the meatheads and her response is "Why? They are just being what they are." Temple's real skill (besides surviving everything) is finding beauty in the craziest of places.
Bell as a writer did an excellent job. The writing style is a bit different; speech is signified by a new paragraph or line rather than quotes and everything is written from an outside view. For this book it really works though. Bell's description is fabulous and really makes you feel like you are there with Temple. I really enjoyed it a lot. The characters he creates are wonderful too, full of depth and interesting. Bell delves quite a bit into the philosophy of life in this story. This is not your normal zombie story; it is more about humans and their quest to find a purpose, their quest to find beauty and hope, and their willingness to appreciate the good things they have (no matter how bad other things get).
The relationship between Temple and Moses is an interesting one. Moses swears to hunt Temple down and kill her, yet somehow they seem to be the only characters in the book who really understand each other. They understand survival, hope, and beauty and this draws them to an understanding even as Moses is hunting Temple.
This book will leave you with a lot to think about and probably leave you a little scared. You can't help but think about how you would hold up in a similar situation and if you could be as brave as Temple.
Overall this was a wonderful read. The writing style is perfect and makes this zombie book a work of fine literature. The story has equal parts action, adventure, and philosophy. It is incredibly engaging and almost impossible to put down. I loved it and will be looking forward to Bell's future works.
Temple is a fifteen girl who was born after the apocalypse; that is after dead human beings started turning into "Meatskins" and attacking and eating live humans. She is a tough girl who is struggling to find a place for herself. She doesn't need anyone to protect her, but she needs a purpose and she uncannily finds beauty and wonder in the dreariest of places. She tries to fit in with a local community until a man attempts to rape her; she kills him. Then she is forced to flee with the man's brother Moses in pursuit. She stumbles upon Maury, a slow mute carrying his dead grandmother and being chased by a pack a meatskins. When she finds an address in Maury's pocket that states there are people waiting to take care of him, she decides to get Maury to his new home.
This is not a happy read. It is gory and dark and brutal. But somehow it is beautiful too. Temple is a tough girl and a heroine that you really want to cheer on. She is so practical and so capable. She doesn't resent life, she just deals. At one point someone asks her if she hates the meatheads and her response is "Why? They are just being what they are." Temple's real skill (besides surviving everything) is finding beauty in the craziest of places.
Bell as a writer did an excellent job. The writing style is a bit different; speech is signified by a new paragraph or line rather than quotes and everything is written from an outside view. For this book it really works though. Bell's description is fabulous and really makes you feel like you are there with Temple. I really enjoyed it a lot. The characters he creates are wonderful too, full of depth and interesting. Bell delves quite a bit into the philosophy of life in this story. This is not your normal zombie story; it is more about humans and their quest to find a purpose, their quest to find beauty and hope, and their willingness to appreciate the good things they have (no matter how bad other things get).
The relationship between Temple and Moses is an interesting one. Moses swears to hunt Temple down and kill her, yet somehow they seem to be the only characters in the book who really understand each other. They understand survival, hope, and beauty and this draws them to an understanding even as Moses is hunting Temple.
This book will leave you with a lot to think about and probably leave you a little scared. You can't help but think about how you would hold up in a similar situation and if you could be as brave as Temple.
Overall this was a wonderful read. The writing style is perfect and makes this zombie book a work of fine literature. The story has equal parts action, adventure, and philosophy. It is incredibly engaging and almost impossible to put down. I loved it and will be looking forward to Bell's future works.
Helpful Score: 2
I think this book is going to have people either loving it or hating it. It's not quite like any other book I've read, zombie or not. There isn't a lot of action yet there is a lot going on. Like my favorite zombie tales, this one is about the characters making their way in an altered world and not about the gore. The fact that the outbreak took place many years before the story is interesting but not much about the origin is discussed.
Another reviewer mentioned Huck Finn and I think that's a great comparison. The story is about a teen making her way through some exciting and unsual challenges while having to be more mature and matter of fact about life than she should be at her age.
I was somewhat surprised when I looked at the back cover again after finishing the book to see that's it's aimed at a YA audience. I know my YA self would've liked this book and probably picked it up again later in life as I'm sure there were things I just wouldn't get about the story in my youth. And what I'm saying here is that for a YA book it deals with some slightly more mature themes and relationships between the characters.
The ending was a bit disappointing after going on this journey and it's not necessarily what happens at the end but how it happens. I felt a little cheated, but on the other hand it does allow other things to occur that otherwise could not.
Another reviewer mentioned Huck Finn and I think that's a great comparison. The story is about a teen making her way through some exciting and unsual challenges while having to be more mature and matter of fact about life than she should be at her age.
I was somewhat surprised when I looked at the back cover again after finishing the book to see that's it's aimed at a YA audience. I know my YA self would've liked this book and probably picked it up again later in life as I'm sure there were things I just wouldn't get about the story in my youth. And what I'm saying here is that for a YA book it deals with some slightly more mature themes and relationships between the characters.
The ending was a bit disappointing after going on this journey and it's not necessarily what happens at the end but how it happens. I felt a little cheated, but on the other hand it does allow other things to occur that otherwise could not.
This book started out with a bang and went out with a whimper.
I actually liked the writing style, I found it easy to read and it did not bother me the way it was set up.
The premise is good, and so is most of the story, but at some point in the middle of the book it goes downhill. Things happen and you meet "people" and you wonder what the heck this author was thinking.
I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. However, the blurb on the cover was right, the book did keep my attention, even after I have closed the book. But only because I am still trying to figure out what the heck happened to the story.
I actually liked the writing style, I found it easy to read and it did not bother me the way it was set up.
The premise is good, and so is most of the story, but at some point in the middle of the book it goes downhill. Things happen and you meet "people" and you wonder what the heck this author was thinking.
I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. However, the blurb on the cover was right, the book did keep my attention, even after I have closed the book. But only because I am still trying to figure out what the heck happened to the story.
Different approach for a zombie novel. I liked it, particularly the main character Temple.
The Reapers are the Angels is Alden Bells first novel and what a great career start! I bought this after cruising GR listopia for Best Zombie Books for some ideas on what I wanted to follow up Breathers with since it sparked a zombie phase. Although I'm still not sure if this is a YA novel or not but either way it's got my vote.
Two and a half decades after to world we know today crumbles into a chaotic life and death dance with the undead, in this book their called meatskins or slugs. The theme is fight or die only now it's not just the meatskins your trying to survive but each other however few and scattered the living are. Temple a 15 year old girl with a much older soul was born into this world of death, decay and corpses. Temple travels the continent alone by choice, meeting other people, seeing the beautiful miracles all the while living at the end of her knife and wits. Through chance she stumbles upon a community living in highrises in a downtown city but when she is endangered she acts on instinct killing a warrior of theirs, she leaves in a hurry knowing the warriors brother will hunt her down. Thats all I'm saying now read the book already.
This story is amazing in the fact that even in all the horridness Temple found pleasure, peace and saw the beauty God created for her. It's pretty awesome that thru all the ugliness we as a people still find the strength and drive to keep looking to the future. My heart went out to Temple, to be so alone and so self critical yet such a fighter, she truely was a badass with a blade, and yet kind hearted and understood 'the code' of mankind.
Two and a half decades after to world we know today crumbles into a chaotic life and death dance with the undead, in this book their called meatskins or slugs. The theme is fight or die only now it's not just the meatskins your trying to survive but each other however few and scattered the living are. Temple a 15 year old girl with a much older soul was born into this world of death, decay and corpses. Temple travels the continent alone by choice, meeting other people, seeing the beautiful miracles all the while living at the end of her knife and wits. Through chance she stumbles upon a community living in highrises in a downtown city but when she is endangered she acts on instinct killing a warrior of theirs, she leaves in a hurry knowing the warriors brother will hunt her down. Thats all I'm saying now read the book already.
This story is amazing in the fact that even in all the horridness Temple found pleasure, peace and saw the beauty God created for her. It's pretty awesome that thru all the ugliness we as a people still find the strength and drive to keep looking to the future. My heart went out to Temple, to be so alone and so self critical yet such a fighter, she truely was a badass with a blade, and yet kind hearted and understood 'the code' of mankind.
While not a big fan of Zombie Apocalypse novels, I have read a few; this is the first I would use the word 'beautiful' to describe.
WOW a really exciting read with a wonderful teen heroine who really kicks butt!! Every character is a great one! Read this for a new kick on zombies!
I read a couple of pages and couldn't go on. This is written in Present Tense and has no quotation marks around spoken words.
After a quarter century of zombie apocalypse, the world has learned to survive. Cope may be a more appropriate word. The protagonist in this novel, Temple, was born into it, being only 15 years old. Hence, her sense of the world is as warped as the world, itself.
Her physical and emotional journey are both far-reaching and somewhat episodic, with the accompaniment of a friend, which made me think of Huck_Finn. The characters she meets along the way range from very civilized to gruesome hillbilly. I wanted Temple to find happiness and rooted for her throughout the book. At one point, I had given up hope because of the situation she got herself into.
For a zombie book, there is very little undead action and that bothered me. Also, I quickly grew weary of Temple's inability to speak in any language but Southern Platitude. She was a bit too bitterly weathered to be believable, but it is a zombie novel, so I'll forgive her that.
Expect strong religious overtones; they are legion. Nearly every character will begin the putative inferences in one way or another upon initiating a conversation. The title, taken from a passage in the Bible, is perhaps the most appropriate one I've run across. Near the end of the novel, the reader figures it out.
That's what makes the ending the shocker it is. I had trouble processing it and still don't understand the motive, as complex as it was. The sense of honor, I suppose, is all a civilization has to cling to during a time like this, which is just as deformed and dysfunctional as the rotting dead roaming the earth.
Her physical and emotional journey are both far-reaching and somewhat episodic, with the accompaniment of a friend, which made me think of Huck_Finn. The characters she meets along the way range from very civilized to gruesome hillbilly. I wanted Temple to find happiness and rooted for her throughout the book. At one point, I had given up hope because of the situation she got herself into.
For a zombie book, there is very little undead action and that bothered me. Also, I quickly grew weary of Temple's inability to speak in any language but Southern Platitude. She was a bit too bitterly weathered to be believable, but it is a zombie novel, so I'll forgive her that.
Expect strong religious overtones; they are legion. Nearly every character will begin the putative inferences in one way or another upon initiating a conversation. The title, taken from a passage in the Bible, is perhaps the most appropriate one I've run across. Near the end of the novel, the reader figures it out.
That's what makes the ending the shocker it is. I had trouble processing it and still don't understand the motive, as complex as it was. The sense of honor, I suppose, is all a civilization has to cling to during a time like this, which is just as deformed and dysfunctional as the rotting dead roaming the earth.
