Review: Unfed (Undead #2) by Kirsty McKay

Author: Kirsty McKay
Series: Undead #2
Genre: Horror, Young Adult, Zombies
Publisher: Chicken House
Publication Date: August 27, 2013

Fresh meat! From a hospital of horrors to a runaway zombie train, it's an all-new onslaught of the slavering undead in the sequel to Kirsty McKay's killer debut!

Just when you think you're out...it's the morning after the night of the return of the living dead. Or something like that. After running/bus-driving/snowboarding for her life alongside rebel Smitty, geeky Pete, and popular Alice, Bobby thought she'd found the antidote to the Carrot Man Veggie Juice that had turned the rest of their classmates into zombies. When Smitty (mmm...nom, nom) got chomped, Bobby pumped a syringe full of it into him herself.

But now Bobby's a prisoner in some hospital of horrors, with no clue how she got there. And Smitty is missing. What if he isn't cured after all? Bobby knows she's got to find him, even if it means facing Scotland's hungry hordes -- plus Alice's buckets of snark -- again. And this time, zombies aren't the only evil stressing her out. The brain-dead are bad enough, but how can Bobby stop the big pharma business behind the epidemic? Especially when her own mom works for the company?

Review Unfed if you haven't guessed by now is the sequel to Undead. Bobby and her friends have survived the school trip from hell and saved Smitty from a fate worse than death. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean the Happily Ever After they were looking for. Things in Scotland have escalated from bad to worse. Zombies roam freely through the streets and the stench of death is everywhere. Worst of all Smitty has gone missing and Bobby must decipher the clues to find him before it's to late. I read Unfed immediately after finishing Undead so I didn't have any sort of break between books.  I really liked that the story picks up almost immediately after the events in Undead. However, unlike the first book the sequel kicks into high gear almost immediately. Just when we come to terms with Bobby being "safe" in a hospital having survived the horrific events from the first book the Zombies show up to mess things up. From that point on it's pretty much non stop, pulse pounding action until the end. Now while I did really enjoy Unfed I can't help but draw parallels between this book and that of Resident Evil. Bobby feels like Alice to me, Zanthro is the Umbrella Corporation and Smitty is clearly Carlos. I think above all that's what disappointed me the most and kept me from rating this sequel higher. Let me be clear, the story is really good and I'm glad I read it  but it didn't feel particularly fresh. At least in the first book you have the sort of B-Rated 80's movie running through the background. I don't know... I guess what I'm trying to say is Unfed sort of read like Fan Fiction to me. I hate saying that because I don't want those reading this to dismiss the book but I can't help but feel that way after finishing it up. Another disappointment of mine is Alice. She's just such an insufferable B*tch 90% of the time. Either the Author really hates Bobby or she thinks it is acceptable for her character to treat others that way and get away with it. I was really hoping to see some character growth during the sequel or at the very least have others fed up enough to put her in her place but nope. Instead all we get is more inner monologue about how awful she is but everyone to afraid to confront her directly. Honestly, why do they keep saving someone they don't even like? It's just so infuriating to see. Lastly, I want to talk about how unrealistic portions of the book were. I know, I know it's a Zombie book so who am I to judge but personally I'd still like some sort of believability in the characters actions.  Apparently that was a bit to much to ask for though since these teenagers living in the UK mind you know how to shoot guns (Bobby growing up in the US at least made sense), drive all manner of vehicles including trains and have crazy survival skills that rival the likes of Bear Grylls and Les Stroud. I can suspend disbelief to a point but this book went beyond suspending into straight up bs territory. Overall, despite some misgivings I really did like Unfed. While I wish parts weren't so predictable or outside the realm of reality the book is still a solid story of survival amongst the undead. Unfed has the perfect mix of action, adventure, heroism and romance that will certainly keep me coming back for more. If you liked Undead then you definitely need to give Unfed a shot! With that being said, I'll be rating Unfed by Kirsty McKay ★★★★.

Want to learn more about this book or Author? Click the links below!
Kirsty McKay:
Goodreads Page
@KirkyBean
www.KirstyMcKay.com
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Want to check out my review of Undead? Click Here!