Thursday, February 5, 2015

Ashley's Review: Play Dead by Ryan Brown

Play Dead
Play Dead by Ryan Brown
Publication Date: October 19th, 2010
Genre: Young Adult Horror
Pages: 344
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Read: August 19, 2014 to January 17, 2015 (off & on)


~Summary~

Today’s #1 New York Times bestselling thriller writers agree: Ryan Brown’s compulsively readable first novel is unbeatable—a darkly humorous, rich and pungent zombie shocker that melds our national obsession with football and the newest wave of fascination with the undead.

For the first time in Killington High School history, the Jackrabbits football team is one win away from the district championship where it will face its most vicious rival, the Elmwood Heights Badgers. On the way to the game, the Jackrabbits’s bus plunges into a river, killing every player except for bad-boy quarterback Cole Logan who is certain the crash was no accident—given that Cole himself was severely injured in a brutal attack by three ski-masked men earlier that day. Bent on payback, Cole turns to a mysterious fan skilled in black magic to resurrect his teammates. But unless the undead Jackrabbits defeat their murderous rival on the field, the team is destined for hell. In a desperate race against time, with only his coach’s clever daughter, Savannah Hickman, to assist him, Cole must lead his zombie team to victory. 

....in a final showdown where the stakes aren’t just life or death—but damnation or salvation. Boundlessly imaginative and thrillingly satisfying, Play Dead gives small-town Texas an electrifying jolt of the supernatural, and is unquestioningly The Zombie Novel of the Year!
The Comeback Story of the Season . . .

~My Thoughts~

Go big or go home, that's what Texas is known for and this book doesn't fall short of that.

I honestly didn't know what I was getting myself into when I found this book at a thrift shop in 12'. But the cover was intriguing and the summary caught my interest, so for a $1, I said what the hell. If you don't take this seriously and take it lightly, you'll enjoy it.

Diving head first I was surprised by how many point of views we got, at least four- probably more. And it's an instant change between chapters so it'll take a little while to feel for who's point of view you're reading now. It was disconnecting sometimes. I was actually shocked that we also got to see the bus crash happen while being behind the heartless murderers eyes, though at the time not all knew the plan was to get rid of their rival team for good. It was crazy how serious everyone took football to the extreme that the opposing team would cut off the rival quarterbacks fingers so he couldn't play, well let's just say that back fired. Again, take this lightly because this whole book is filled with extreme situations that would never happen (at least I pray it'll never happen).

The Badgers, our main guy Cole's rival team is filled with a bunch of sore losers. They're afraid of losing this season and end up being tortured again by their couch because of losing (like I said, it's extreme). So they take to doing a new form of steroids to make sure they win every game but when they find out the Jackrabbits are in the finals they think of new forms of cheating, like cutting off Cole's fingers with a hatchet.

With so much craziness and gore, which you expect from a zombie book, you'd think a girl that loves this stuff could never get bored of it.

Well, there's a first for everything.

I think the main reason why I lost interest after a while of reading, when I would read this, was because of the extreme situations- it's just soo unbelievable! And some of it is just so stupid, not really the action but the thinking of some of these characters that bring them to do these stupid stuff. Like seriously come one, must be all those steroids the bad guys were  taking.

And sometimes I would just lose interest in between the action. I don't know why but I did, which is why it took me half a year to read- because I just couldn't fully get into it. There was too much going on and again, it was extreme over the sport of football. Just don't get it.

Overall I liked it but once I finally finished it I was happy for it to end. Play Dead is an roller coaster of extremes after extremes and once I reached the last page, I just didn't get it. Sometimes I would get sucked in and sometimes I would laugh at the conversations between Cole and his love interest- whom I pictured Holland Roden the whole time. Complete description to the T and reminded me of her character on Teen Wolf too.


But I don't think I was 100% satisfied. I was happy Cole and her got together and that the team was able to move on (sorry for the spoiler) but just, what was the point? Maybe it's cause I'm not a huge football fan haha. I enjoyed the paranormal aspect, the zombies and the old hag. But the extremes for the football aspect, like why? Maybe if you're a huge football fan you'll get it. 


Gives you a good haunting


Sweet Readings Everybody!

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