Zurvival Saturday (25)



For this week's Zurvival Saturday I decided to review the Book Schoolgirl Apocalypse by John Cairns.

It begins in a small Japanese village. A mysterious affliction transforms men into zombies who kill women on sight.
For the few women who live to see the second day, a harsh new world awaits where the only rule is survival of the fittest.

Sakura is a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl, naïve and unprepared for the violent murder of her family and friends. Will she give in to starvation and madness? Will she crawl into a hole to die?

Aoi, a sociopathic beauty, finds this new hell to be her personal utopia. In this lawless land she can amass a fortune and indulge in her darkest fantasies. Beware any who would stand in her way!

Okamoto is an alcoholic lab technician in a remote mountain research facility. Her life of hazardous waste disposal ends abruptly with the bloody chaos of the crazed men and the arrival of an angelic boy, mysteriously immune to the affliction. Will this broken woman rise to the challenge to protect the boy and young Sakura? Will these desperate few survive long enough to discover the force behind the apocalypse?

Author: John Cairns
ASIN: B008KODMTO
Publication Date: July 11, 2012
Publisher: LANTIS K.K.
Amazon Page: Click Here
I was loaned a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any way for them.

Review:

Schoolgirl Apocalypse oh how I love thee. This little gem was brought to my attention a month ago when it went Free on Amazon. Unfortunately I missed it at the time so marked it on my Zombie wishlist for later purchase. Fast forward a month later and I get the offer to have it loaned to me through Kindle. I kid you not I had this book devoured in one sitting under 2 hours. Yes, it was that good.

Now if you don't watch a ton of Asian media the themes in the book might seem a bit unconventional but I assure you if you give it a chance you won't be disappointed.
I even heard a movie was made based on this but haven't had a chance to view it as of yet.

In Schoolgirl Apocalypse all the men turn into killers, these aren't your traditional zombies (think 28 days later meets Resident Evil 4) but I still would classify them as such based on behavioral patterns.
A lot of women die in this book and because the deaths are rage fueled they can be at times brutal. I myself found this interesting but it might be off putting for some.

As for the story itself its certainly unique. Schoolgirl Apocalypse follows three characters Sakura,Aoi and Okamoto. All the women featured in the book are at different stages in life and I found the choices made by each character reflect that. Sakura is the Schoolgirl in the story. Coming from a fairly traditional household I found her character had the hardest time adapting to this crazy world. That being said I felt by the end she had embraced the hand dealt her and had become a very solid survivor. Okamoto however I would of liked to have learned a bit more. Her story is told in the beginning and end but during the middle she just pretty much disappears. It works for the story but I wouldn't of minded seeing a few glimpses extra.

My favorite character was Aoi. Yes she was a crazy psychopath and even downright unlikable in the beginning but the girl had complex layers and I really cannot wait to see where her story heads in the next book. As for the ending....all I can say is it definitely has a certain flair to it. The ending might be annoying to some but I felt it was fitting considering all the tiny clues given throughout. Schoolgirl Apocalypse is left on a cliffhanger and personally I would of liked to have seen a few more pages before it closed but that's just my own personal gripe.

Final Thoughts
If you like Action, Unconventional themes, fantastic world building and strong enjoyable characters then this book is for you. I know I will continue following this series and definitely checking out more books from this Author. Therefore I will be giving Schoolgirl Apocalypse ★★★★.

Now for this weeks questions. How do you feel about gender specific zombies? Have you ever heard of the book mentioned above? Leave your answer in the comments below. I love reading your responses.

If you would like to participate in this or any upcoming Zurvival Saturdays, grab the button below and link me in the comments so I can check it out.

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