Release Day Review: Eat, Brains, Love

Eat, Brains, Love
By Jeff Hart
Expected publication October 1, 2013 by HarperTeen

Jake is your pretty typical high school student. He is worried about a paper he hasn't written over a book he hasn't read, he wants to get to know the popular Amanda better, and he likes goofing off with his friends. And then, one day in the cafeteria, he isn't a typical high school student - for some reason, he's devouring his friends - literally.

I might be a bit obsessed with zombies - I think I've seen nearly every zombie movie and read a lot of zombie books. I'm always on the lookout for more. When I spotted this title on Edelweiss, I knew I wanted to read it. I like to see what authors will do with the typical zombie story to make it their own.

Hart takes a more comedic than horrific approach, as well as altering what being a zombie means. It makes for an interesting read. I liked the dual perspective he utilizes - we hear the story from Jake, our main zombie man, and Cass, a government secret agent who is hunting Jake down. It gives us a chance to get to know both characters well and see both sides of the story. Additionally, Cass's chapters offer more insight into the zombification process and what it means. I think it works really well here, though I'm not sure how unique their voices would sound if they weren't usually talking about completely different scenarios.

I found the book more amusing than laugh-out-loud funny, but I think that works here. After all, Jake is a typical teenager, even after becoming a zombie, so his thought processes are often rather amusing. Cass, on the other hand, is not a typical teenager, so it's interesting to see her reactions to Jake's fairly typical thought processes.

Hart also alters the notion of what it means to be a zombie. Sometimes, I don't like this (Alice in Zombieland, anyone?), but, in this case, I don't really mind. I think it makes this particular book more interesting. It keeps the book moving at a nice pace, as readers constantly wonder how long Jake can go before needing to feed again.

I like that the book ends on a very open note. I hope it doesn't mean there is a sequel coming - I really liked the questions I had left unanswered when I came to the end.

This is a quick and fun read that will be perfect for fans of funny books or zombies.

Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy, provided via Edelweiss.