Woohoo my first ‘official’ read for Beat the Backlist. Ouch, I know it’s the 24th but it’s been a crazy month! I’ve read a few books but unfortunately the ones I started in December (like Up To No Good) don’t count (at least the Amazon reviews count, yay)! I’ll definitely contribute a lot more to my team next month! Go dragons!

Ebb Tide

The Southwind Saga Book 1

Author: Jase Kovacs
Category: Zombie Survival Horror, YA/NA Dystopian Adventure, Nautical
Suitable for: Teens+
My Rating: 5 Stars
Format Read for Review: Kindle copy provided by the agent/author/publisher in return for an honest review.
Pages: 321

“Dad used to say we killed the world because we couldn’t stand the wait. We died from chronic impatience. Oil choking the reefs and smoke the air and you get the picture. Because walking was slow and sailing took too long. We drowned the world in convenience.”

Description: Alone now for a few years a 19 year old girl named Matai sails the seas looking for scavenge to bring back to her small community of survivors living on an island. She comes across a cargo ship wrecked on a small uncharted island. She finds loads of valuable items, but also an undead with powers unlike the other mindless zombies, and the secret of how the island has remained uncharted.

“The world may have died but I have never felt more alive.”

In Short: I really loved this book and read it quickly! I recommend it to anyone who likes the sound of a character driven zombie survival horror at sea. Also, If you love zombie survival video games as much as I do then you’ll enjoy this book.

“No people to be found. Everyone is dead. At least, that’s what I pray.”

Pros: The first thing I noticed while reading this book was the attention to detail. From the ship sailing, to the survival gear/training, to this world’s version of “zombies” everything was well thought out, descriptive and immersive. I’m not knowledgeable about these subjects but it seems well researched. The settings are so well painted, you could definitely see and feel the surroundings. I loved the ending, it was a happy ending, as happy as you can get during the zombie apocalypse. This book had a great solid conclusion and works as a stand alone. But after getting to the end I definitely did want to see what adventure awaits Matty next. I thought she was such a likable character. Strong, smart, meticulous in planning but also quick to improvise and problem solve. She may be a little crazy, talking to her imaginary friend and all, but she is coping with her situation admirably. I thought the monsters were interesting. They are like zombies but with some vampire-like strengths and weaknesses. This book is well written and fast paced; I read it quickly and enjoyed it thoroughly.

“Wouldn’t do to fall up here, not fifteen metres up. Wouldn’t that be a way to go? Survive the apocalypse and die by slipping on bird shit. That would be comedy gold.”

Cons: I have no notable issues with this book.

“I have lived hard and had too many people die to bring me here to let these abominations win.”

Parent’s Guide: Violence, gore, zombie horror. Some language (infrequent).

“It never ends, because that’s what life is. The struggle ends only with death.”

 

 

 

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