Viral Dawn

Viral Series, Book 1

By: Jade Lazlow

Narrated by: Elizabeth Lee

Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

What if your world collapsed in seconds, thrusting you into an apocalyptic nightmare where your every move might be your last? An explosion at the army depot unleashes a deadly genetically-engineered virus that turns people into flesh-eating zombies.

High school senior, Casey Williams shelters at her high school with friends and other survivors of the outbreak. They're safe for now, but supplies are running short, and tempers are running shorter. Casey anticipates the looming humanitarian crisis and knows they must find other refuge or face chaos inside. She braves the savage world beyond the school's security fence in an attempt to save herself and her friends. With sheer grit, she leads a small party to find help at the militarized safe zone. Once there, she arranges for her friends to be transported to safety only to learn she's placed them in even greater danger. Determined to seek justice, she fights the living and the undead in her quest to survive in this new dystopian reality.

©2012 Skyler Rankin (P)2019 Skyler Rankin

Great story

This book started off slow. Casey's dad had died and she was responsible for unwanted foster brother. Once they were back at school, a terrible accident happens, Casey works hard to save the people in the school. Due to circumstances beyond her control, Casey and a group of her friends take to the road to find the safety zone. They find it but it is not what they expected. And they are forced to hit the road again.

Enjoyable

I thought the story had a good premise and flowed well. I would try more.

High School Zombie Outbreak

This book starts out slow. With that being said you need to understand she is building a great background. Casey has a lot of family issues and then to add to it an out break happens by the military. Since this is for YA it reads quick which is perfect for the targeted age. The over gore is not too heavy and a little romance. This is also a great book to get you intrested into the genre.

"Honest Review in Exchange for Promotional Copy"

*3.5 stars out out of 5 stars*
Overall it was alright and the narrator's performance was fair. I wasn't wowed but still liked this book just enough. I usually don't get into YA stuff much but the right genre, like a viral outbreak and zombies, will peak my interest.
In the beginning we get an introduction to the young adult female main character and her younger foster brother with mental development issues. Main character describes herself being somewhat an introvert with depression and dissociation which doesn't really affect the story much. Without know the book description or seeing the cover art, one would wonder what to expect until a chemical explosion, a visible cloud from the explosion and the lockdown for safety. But to turn this into a YA zombie apocalypse story, there was also a viral bio weapon explosion along with the chemical weapon explosion at a nearby military weapons depot not far from the school which turns those exposed outside into zombie. Some parts had the potential to be better but as Book One, not a bad start.
I recieved this free promotional review copy audiobook and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

I Could Not Put it Down

First I’d like to say, this is my very first Zombie book. I am a fan of dystopian fiction, fantasy, mysteries, science fiction, to name a few. But, Viral Dawn by Skyler Rankin completely swept me away.
From page one till the end, I was enthralled. It is exceptionally well written, well researched and I could imagine myself as a young high school student fighting for my life under these circumstances.
Ms. Rankin made me think of so many what if’s while I listened to this book. What if some of the government studies were meant to build some kind of military master race and went bad, releasing a potent chemical that infected people.
What if a part of the experiment was designed to get cells to regenerate?
As I was swept into the horror of not only the attempt to survive being eaten or killed by a zombie but to become one, it felt real to me. I was living in this book.
Like the main character Casey I worried that in the so-called safe zone, the research for a cure was something more sinister.
This is a book that will draw you into a world and keep you captive in it past the end. You will not want it to end, and you will become impatient for the sequel.
There are just enough gore and zombie mobs for those who love zombies, but it is also a book that you will adore even if you are not (like me a zombie fan.)
The narrator Elizabeth Lee did a fabulous job of portraying a smart, streetwise, high school student and kept you captivated throughout the book.

Teens against Zombies

When you read a lot of books in a certain genre, you come to expect certain things in that genre. In books about a zombie apocalypse, here are a few of those:

A main character that rises above anyone's expectations and becomes a Kickass hero/heroine
An evil group (often military) that has its own agenda, often working against the survivors
At least a little romantic interest
Deaths of a few characters that the reader has come to know and care about
Plenty of descriptions of zombie battles, gore, blood and rotten flesh

And, I have to say, "Viral Dawn" has all of these elements! But, I would categorize this book as a YA Zombie book since it focuses so heavily on the teenaged characters.

The main protagonist, Casey Williams, is a high school student facing a lot in her life. Her father has just died, her mother is more interested in her job than in Casey's welfare, she has a foster brother with major developmental disabilities and she is suffering from depression (you think?). After a horrible start to her day, she is forced to stay after school for detention. And, that's when it hits the fan!

As Casey's father says, "Things are never so bad that they can't get worse. Be thankful for what you have." This is the main theme of this book and is proven over and over again.

At first, I had a little difficulty getting into this book. The first third or so is pretty slow going, with a lot of descriptions of Casey's home life, problems with her foster brother, and typical teenaged angst. Then, after the zombies come, Casey and her friends are locked in at the high school, which is used as a shelter for those lucky enough to be inside.

But, there is plenty of action, too. In this scenario, there is (supposedly) a release of a virus from a local military facility that is infecting people and turning them into zombies. Our intrepid heroine and her three friends seem to be the most mature and most intelligent of all of the people in their shelter (which is a little hard to believe). The military personnel that show up to "help" have to be assisted by Casey's friend, Matt, in order to venture out into the infected zone. Then, you have several adults who turn into total jerks and/or wimps at the first sign of trouble. But, our Gang of Four is able to conduct scientific experiments and accomplish more than all of the adults put together.

There were a few continuity issues with the book. For an example, Casey and her friends go outside to gather supplies (once again, only the teens can seem to be able to do this). The author mentions that she is wearing sneakers unsuitable for a lot of walking. In the next scene, it is mentioned that Casey removes her boots in order to shower.

The narrator, Elizabeth Lee, does a pretty good job, but at times her performance seems a little rushed and unemotional. I would expect more excitement/horror at some of the things that were happening and Ms. Lee's voice doesn't really change to fit the mood of the story.

All in all, this is a pretty good book if you enjoy the Zompoc genre. There are a lot of totally unbelievable moments in the book, but since we are talking Zombies, who knows what is realistic and what isn't? A lot of the story is pretty stereotypical, but overall is worth the read/listen. I will be looking forward to continuing this saga. I was given the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this book and chose to review it.

Things are never so bad that they can't get worse.

This book was an interesting read. Though I love the walking dead and zombies, I have never read books in this genre. The characters were well defined and the story very well constructed. I suffered a few frustrations with Casey, the main character's mother for her lack of responsibility toward her children and leaving her teenage daughter to fend for herself and little foster brother with disabilities. Casey proved to be strong and responsible and that was comforting.
The writing was very clear and beautifully written. the narrator's voice was very clear and precise and made the audiobook enjoyable to listen to. I look forward to book two of this amazing novel!