Hearts Still Beating by Brooke Archer
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Web ID: 17335552Must read
Brooke Archer's debut was the post-apocalyptic sapphic opus I never knew I was missing. I've read this marvelous slice of horror and romance twice now. I'm on pace to read it three times before its even released. Mara and Rory's journey was everything I've ever wanted to see in a zombie wasteland full of haunting regrets and slivers of hope. I foresee purchasing multiple copies of this fantastic work of art. It'll become a genre classic for me and everyone who reads it. Rating: Five of the biggest and brightest stars you've ever seen!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
You've thought about the zombie apocalypse, but...
What about after? 17-year-old Mara wakes up in a medical facility to find that she's actually dead. She fell victim to the virus that wrecked the world and is now an early patient being treated with a medication that allows her to control her more zombie-like urges. Rory is alive, but nothing like the best friend Mara remembers. Rory has had to step up in her family and in their militia-obsessed town and is closed-off and tough as nails as a result. Awkwardly for both girls, Rory's parents are Mara's godparents, and since her blood relatives were, uh...eaten...the girls are now housemates while Mara is reintegrated into society and observed by the doctors and scientists running the medical trials. More awkward than that? The last time the girls saw each other was their first and only kiss. The vibe of this book reminded me of "The Host" mixed with "The 5th Wave" and "Warm Bodies"--which is to say, it was a great time. I loved the premise and the world-building, but found it interesting that the book started where it did instead of during the actual apocalypse. It worked but I liked it so much that I almost wish it was a duology and that this was book two, I'd have loved to see more of the progression of the world and how the characters got here firsthand, and think it would have made the emotional beats hit harder. Definitely check this out if you're in the mood for a standalone with some nostalgic dystopian vibes and sapphic rep! Thanks to BookishFirst, the publisher, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Solid Story
All in all, I would say that this is a solid story. So if there's a reader out there that's looking for a post-apocalyptic romance, that features sapphic zombies, I would definitely say they should give this book a chance! I thought the main character of Mara was really well written. I loved learning more about her, and that even as a zombie, she was the more emotional character we were following. One thing that I didn't love is that I didn't feel all that connected to Rory as a character. I guess I was just waiting for her to give me more as the story went on, and she never did. I was disappointed in that, because I did feel like I could connect to Mara. With that said, I did like watching their relationship unfold, and liked them together. Another thing that I think wasn't as strong with this book was the fact that so much of the action happened in the past, to the point where I felt like the author should have just done a separate book at that past action (and then made Hearts Still Beating a sequel).
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Zombie Love Story
Ok, I will admit I wasn’t sure what to expect from a sapphic zombie love story. I was prepared to struggle, but very quickly into this one and I was entranced. The story is told from two narrators Mara a 17 year old girl who was turned by a “Tick” but is part of the new trials on a medication that pushes the Tick back and lets the human be in charge again. The other narrator is Rory, a girl who has had to grow up far too fast as she has protected and cared for her family. Before the world ended Mara and Rory were neighbors, friends, and had stolen their first kiss right before everything fell apart. Mara is sent to live with her godparents, Rory’s parents, because her own were dead. Mara isn’t sure about going, but she doesn’t want to stop getting the daily injections that keep her in charge.. Rory is disgusted to hear that the Altered (the medicated and re-humanized Ticks) are being brought to the island especially Mara. Not everyone on the island was ok taking the group of 15 Altered in, so they are all struggling to find their footing and figure out this new world order. Among all the mixed feelings and fighting Mara and Rory have to (re)discover how they truly feel about each other. Overall I gave this one 4.5 stars rounded up for a really realistic and creative zombie apocalypse.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
cool read!
I was very happy to receive an Advance Review Copy of "Hearts Still Beating" by Brooke Archer, as I was intrigued by it from the moment I read the plot description! For starters, the cover is really pretty and absolutely made me wonder what the book was about. There definitely was romance, which you would totally expect, but there was also a healthy dose of zombies (and a fair bit of blood and guts, so if that is not your scene then this definitely is not the book for you--truthfully I did not enjoy that aspect of this book at all, but other parts made up for it!) The character development was terrific, I really enjoyed getting to know Rory and Mara, and I love the relationships that existed within Rory's family, especially with Rory's mom Sam. There is also a theme of grief, which I always appreciate because I think it needs more attention in books! Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
For fans of The Last of Us
I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway. The fact that it compared the story to the tv show The Last of Us, which I enjoyed, is what got me interested. I do enjoy a good zombie/post-apocalyptic story. This had a lot of really interesting aspects and unique details. The story is told through the POV of both Mara and Rory. Mara was infected with the Tick, or the virus that created the zombies. But somehow the scientists have found a type of drug that can help the Ticks become human, mostly, again. Mara is one of them, and is being sent to live with her godparents. Her own parents are dead, she killed them. She has an older sister, but she won’t take her. Mara’s godparents are Rory’s parents. But Rory has been dealing with living through this new world. She’s felt like her parents didn’t take care of her at times and she now calls them by their first names. She lost one of her younger sisters to the Ticks, and then had to kill her sister herself to keep her from turning. Mara and Rory had been best friends, maybe more, before all this happened. So the two of them are learning whether any of that friendship or more is still there. But of course you know in a world like this the guys running the towns aren’t always as good of guys as you think there are. And there are also all the people who don’t trust that this medication will actually help the Ticks, or even if it does, they still think they all deserve to die because they killed people before. Also Mara’s older sister wants her dead too. Seeing the way the world had changed was interesting and I liked both the things that reminded me of favorite shows and movies, as well as the newer takes on things the author had. I liked the characters’ growth and how they came to figure things out. There was also a unique change in what happened when the medicine wasn’t given for several days, and how different zombie/ticks reacted to not having it. Definitely a good read!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Zombie apocalypse sapphic love story
Hearts Still Beating is set in an apocalyptic world in which a zombie virus has ravaged the population, turning the infected into cannibalistic killing machines called Ticks. Scientists have developed a medication which can reverse the zombie changes and restore an affected person's humanity. Mara, who did horrendous things as a Tick, is one of these patients, called the Altered. Her treatment is successful and she going to live with her godparents and her former best friend and crush Rory. Rory has been traumatized by loss (as has all of humanity) and is resistant to Mara's arrival, worried that she will start killing again. The story is tense, compelling, beautiful, emotional, violent and tragic. The world building was excellent. This book makes the reader think about what makes a person human vs. a monster. Hearts Still Beating is a story about the triumph and survival of love after trauma and change. I could not put it down.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Zombie Romance
For anyone who enjoys post-apocalyptic books, add this book to your list. Rory and Mara were two teenage best friends who hadn't quite come to terms with their feelings for each other when their whole world was turned upside down. A parasite that turned people into "Ticks" led to the zombie apocalypse. The book takes place after a possible cure is developed, and Rory and Mara meet each other once again. Only this time, Rory was changed by the past and Mara was changed by the parasite. Is it possible to trust somebody after watching the violence that they are capable of? After watching them become something less than human? Hearts Still Beating was a good read and is sure to capture your attention. Even if you survive a zombie apocalypse, you have to learn to survive the world that comes after it. Mara and Rory have to navigate life and love in the wake of the disaster.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com