Author: Kirsty McKay
Release date: 6th September 2012
Publisher: Chicken House
THEY’RE BACK... AND THIS TIME THEY’RE HUNGRY.
THE GOOD NEWS: BOBBY SURVIVED HER UNREAL SCHOOL TRIP. THE BAD NEWS: HER BEST BUDDY SMITTY IS MISSING, THERE ARE UNDEAD EVERYWHERE AND THEY’RE GETTING HUNGRIER ...
IT’S A NO-BRAINER. SOMEHOW SHE MUST FIND SOME LIVING FRIENDS – AND THE ANTIDOTE – BEFORE EVERYONE’S TOAST.
Bobby wakes up and realises that maybe the worst is yet to come. Having survived the coach crash and not (yet) being bitten by the undead, she’s one of the lucky ones. With her mum and Smitty missing, Bobby must carry out a search through zombie –ridden Scotland. But with more than just zombies hot on Bobby’s tail, will she ever escape and find her loved ones?
The novel manages to maintain a fast paced chase momentum throughout detailed locations, taking the reader along for the ride. Unfed offers typical zombie story tropes, Bobby wakes up in a hospital which is also a holding/ testing facility for zombies and she gets chased across Scotland by military style mercenaries that clearly work for some evil pharmaceuticals company... ring any bells? I’m not suggesting that this story is boring or predictable, just that it offers a comfortable narrative security (at least at the beginning of the novel) and this allowed me, as a reader, to settle into the story before it all really kicks off! As the novel progresses and Bobby searches for her mum and Smitty, clues are revealed as to what has happened with the zombie outbreak, why her mum and Smitty are gone who exactly is chasing her and why. It’s almost a murder mystery but with more intrigue!
I think my favourite part of the book was Bobby’s internal conversations with Smitty. Smitty was Bobby’s love interest in the last novel and in this book, it’s clear that Bobby misses him very much. He is the driving force urging her not to give up her search and at times their conversations are really touching (as well as funny). Without revealing too much, he doesn’t make a physical appearance until towards the end but these little occasional one liners mean that he has become my favourite character. He is the typical teenage bad boy but his clear affection for Bobby (both in her head and when they meet again) create multiple layers to his character and offer some light relief amongst all the mystery and horror that Bobby faces.
Similarly to Undead, the audience are left on a cliff-hanger… much to my annoyance! If you are a fan of apocalyptic zombie novels you’ll definitely enjoy this but I think it would also appeal to mystery lovers. There are codes to crack, clues to unravel and lots of adventure. Those who Bobby is relying on to help her often have ulterior motives, keeping her and the reader on their toes. This book kept me hooked because at each turn the danger increases and despite some mysteries being solved, there are always more in their place!
4.5/5 Another really good book by Kirsty McKay.
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