Post Apocalyptic Fiction Review: The Harvesting by Melanie Karsak

The Harvesting by Melanie Karsak (The Harvesting)


review request from the author

Synopsis from Goodreads
It's all fun and games until someone ends up undead.

Though Layla reluctantly returns home to rural Hamletville after a desperate call from her psychic grandmother, she could never have anticipated the horror of what Grandma Petrovich has foreseen. The residents of Hamletville will need Layla's help if they are to survive the zombie apocalypse that's upon them. But that is not the only problem. With mankind silenced, it soon becomes apparent that we were never alone. As the beings living on the fringe seek to reclaim power, Layla must find a way to protect the ones she loves or all humanity may be lost.

"To label this a zombie book would be a false pretense . . . this is so much more than that. What you start out with and what you end up with are very different, and those twists and turns in the middle will make your heart beat faster over and over again."-- Colossal Pop

Amazon  US/UK | Amazon kindle US($3.99)/UK(£2.64) | The Book Depository US/UK | Fishpond 

8/10

* * *
This was such an easy read, I went through it within few hours. 

A bit awkward, a bit detached like someone describes it as an outsider, but it's fast and it's crazy and it's very interesting.



Apart from  Layla's Russian grandma who is called by male nickname, Layla's Russian heritage is handled well. She is an interesting woman, a medieval weapons specialist and she inherits a preternatural gift of seeing hidden things from her gran as well, so when the apocalypse begins she is ready to protect a small town where she grew up from the hoards of zombies.

However, this is not a very predictable book, because there are not only zombies, there are other preternatural forces at work, and along with Layla we have to figure out how to adapt to this new world and how to keep her friends alive.

I loved Layla's friends especially when they got out of Hamletville and things became more... shall I say old school horror? *grinning* I don't even want to spoil the surprise! I just had a hell of an enjoyable time, and hope you will too.

The ending is kind of bizarre as it switches to another set of characters, while I wanted to find out what happens to the set I've gotten to know, but I guess this is in preparation for the next book in the series.

Apart from that, recommended.  A pretty sweet read.

* * *
В общем-то прикольная книжка вышла у Мелани Карзак.  Лейлу она сделала наполовину русской, ясновидящей и к тому же махающей шашками. Ну да, бабушка у неё почему-то отзывается на кличку "Петрович", но я давно уже махнула рукой на неточности в произношении. Ну не могут бедные американцы никак понять что и как мы зовём у нас в России. Единственная, кто меня поразил своими знаниями это Кэтрин Валентэ. Вот женщина пишет книги так пишет, ну совершенно по-русски, да ещё с таким талантищем, что слёзы на глаза наворачиваются.

Но вернёмся к Лейле. Она - специалист по средневековому оружию, которого бабуля внезапно зовёт обратно в маленький городок Гамлетвиль, где Лейла выросла. Наша девуля приезжает обратно, обнаруживает, что бабуля запаслась едой, оружием, топливом, укрепила забор вокруг своей фермы, и на следующий день тут же начинается апокалипсис, который "Петрович" предвидела.

С этого момента от Лейлы зависит выживание и защита Гамлетвиля и его жителей от орды зомби, но на этом её неприятности не заканчиваются. От бабушки ей передаётся дар ясновидения, и когда всякая нечисть начинает вылезать из кустов и книга превращается в старомодную историю ужасов, Лейла с её друзьями борется не на жизнь а на смерть, чтобы выжить и победить.

Интересно, просто и читается быстро. Неплохо, рекомендую.

Comments

  1. I am so not sure about this one

    ReplyDelete
  2. It irks me when people try to do "Russian" and it's not proper. Why go there then? I don't know - it's just a personal pet peeve I guess. But, I just won an ARC of Melanie's upcoming steampunk novel - Chasing the Star Garden - excited to check it out! :)

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  3. This sounds great, K. And a fast read! Glad you liked it. Funny about that gram's nickname though. ;)

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