Saturday 21 May 2011

Book Review - Changeling: Zombie Dawn

Title: Changeling: Zombie Dawn
Author: Steve Feasey
Series: Changeling (book 5)
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Release Date: 6 May 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0330517898

Synopsis
The last instalment in the chilling "Changeling series" - in which Trey must face down the evil vampire Caliban in their most fearsome encounter yet. There will be evil spirits, zombies and complete and utter devastation in London! Will werewolf Trey and his cohorts triumph or will the world be turned to darkness forever?

My Review
I love the Changeling books and think Steve Feasey is great, you can read about when I met him here.
None of this will influence my review though. :D
When this arrived in the post fresh from Amazon I was so excited I have been waiting for it for what seems like forever. It's the last book in the series so I knew it would be packed with excitement and danger. I was slightly surprised by how small it looked at only 280 pages it's thin compared to the other books in the series, but saying that it is packed out and full of adventure. 
Trey is back from the Netherworld and trying to feel like he fits in. He doesn't want to spend his life looking over his shoulders for demons and vampires, but i doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon. Lucien, Tom, Trey and Alexa learn of a plot concerning Caliban and his sorceress Helde. A zombie army could be emerging and they have to stop it before the world is taken over. With the appearance of old friends and enemies the group are up against it. Can Trey fulfill the prophecy and put an end to it all for good, it's a lot to ask from a teenage boy, but being a werewolf does help!
I was so happy to be back into Trey's world, I slipped right back in as if being welcomed home. Tom still stands as one of my favourite characters - he's gentle, kind, honest and caring but with a hard fight in him and a willingness to do anything for the greater good. There to cheer them up when down and there to kick them up the butt when they need it too. 
I like that we see Alexa grow as a sorceress in this book, I could really get a sense for her future.
Lucien is great and mysterious as ever, and Trey is everything you can identify with, a lost boy looking for a place to fit in, but willing to risk everything to help his friends. His emotions are raw and easily shown and this helps you to connect to him - makes him feel more real.
The zombie plot is well done and got my spine tingling. I could picture the scenes and i was holding my head in protection. Feasey doesn't play on the traditional 'brains' cry which is over done but gives a new exciting angle.
I really enjoyed this book but am sad the series is over. The ending did wrap up a lot of things but I do feel there are some things that have been left open. It didn't feel like a definite ending (here's me hoping he will revisit it in the future) although that's not likely.
If you love werewolves, vampires, magic, zombies, adventure, action and mystery then this book is for you. Well written and with great pace I read it in one go and loved every minute!


My Rating
I would give this book 8.5/10 a graat adventure that will keep the pages turning and have you on the edge of your seat. But I wanted more and felt some other things could be wrapped up, I'm sad to see them go.
   

2 comments:

alshia delores moyez said...

The name Zombie Dawn sounds great! I really like that. The cover is awful scary. This is for 'children'? Wow.

Nice site^^

barmybex said...

They're for 'Teens/YA' but yeah the covers are a bit argh!
I was never going to read the series because they looked too scary, but then we had the author come to do a talk so I thought I should read the books and I just fell in love with them. They aren't too scary either just adventure and action with some cool monsters.

Thanks for stopping by my site. :D