Book Review: Zombies vs Unicorns

I haven't really finished this book. I can't. It saddens me. Let me explain.

This book started when two writers began an argument about which was better zombies or unicorns. It turned into this big deal so they got other authors together (including Scott Westerfeld, Naomi Novik, Meg Cabot, Cassandra Clare and Garth Nix) to create an anthology were authors took sides and created this book. I saw part of the blog argument and then picked up the book at the library the other day. I mostly got it for my boyfriend because he loves zombies and when he saw the title he seemed interested.

I started reading the stories in order, until I got to a creepy one about zombies. I am super terrified of zombies. I routinely have panic attacks about them which is normally brought on by the fact that my boyfriend finds them fun and talks about them and reads books about the all the time. And then I have night mares and stay up late reading romance novels until I am not scared any more. So yeah after that first creepy zombie story I switched to only reading the Unicorn stories.

This anthology got the length right, all of the stories I read had enough time to develop a character and a connection to plot before it ended. One Unicorn story was rather hysterical and involved a drunk girl who was not a virgin and a surly unicorn that just wanted help. The story were unicorns are vicious and predators was interesting as well. There was one about a princess having an affair with a unicorn that I skim read a little to fast and cant tell you what happened because it wasn't interesting.

The one zombie story I did manage to read was rather epic and involved a new kind of zombie that was half cured enough that he had the ability to function on a certain level, enough so that he didn't want to kill the boy he liked. Gay zombies was a turn I was not expecting. The second one had that whole end of the world thing that creeps me out to no end and I rushed reading that one.

The thing that I really loved was that each story was prefaced by a mini argument or discussion between the two authors that started the fight. I found myself reading those no matter what, even for the zombie stories that I skipped and I enjoyed them greatly.

This is a book I suggest to anyone that likes zombies or has an interest in hearing more about this battle. There are some very comical moments and well written short stories. The cover also entertains me to no end to see zombies and unicorns in full on battle.

White Cat by Holly Black

Some might know Holly Black for her modern fairy tale series or Spiderwick series. So when I saw there was a new series by Black I thought I would give it a try. I have never read any of her other work so I was going into the book with a blank slate.

The back of the book didnt really give me that much to go on but quickly I picked up on the story. Firstly it takes place in modern day but in what might be called an alternate reality. In this reality there exists people with the ability to "curse" you just my touching. There are simple curse workers that can do luck, or emotions, there are also more complicated ones that can curse you with pain, memory loss or kill you.

The main character is Cassel, the only member of his family that is not a curse worker. The book starts off with him waking up on the roof of his boarding school. We also learn that Cassel believes he murdered his best friend when he was in middle school. After the roof incident occurs he is sent home for a few weeks were he spends time cleaning out his old family house, and starts to really think about what has happened to him in the past.

It took me a lot longer than it should have to put together the fact that curse workers needed to touch some one, and thus people wore gloves all the time. Black chose to write in a style that makes the reader pick up on facts over time because the story is being told by Cassel and we don't learn anything until he thinks about it. It made me a frustrated when I was first reading. The one thing that gets me is I am unsure as to how the next book will proceed after how the book ends.

On the bright side the book is an original idea and seeing as the market is currently be flooded by nothing but vampire trash I am excited for anything new and original.

It might not be a buy book, but it is something to pick up or borrow.