Red Hill by Jamie McGuire | Book Review

Red Hill is a zombie/post-apocalyptic novel from Jamie McGuire.

Book Description

When the world ends, can love survive?

For Scarlet, raising her two daughters alone makes fighting for tomorrow an everyday battle. Nathan has a wife, but can’t remember what it’s like to be in love; only his young daughter Zoe makes coming home worthwhile. Miranda’s biggest concern is whether her new VW Bug is big enough to carry her sister and their boyfriends on a weekend escape from college finals.

When reports of a widespread, deadly “outbreak” begin to surface, these ordinary people face extraordinary circumstances and suddenly their fates are intertwined. Recognizing they can’t outrun the danger, Scarlet, Nathan, and Miranda desperately seek shelter at the same secluded ranch, Red Hill. Emotions run high while old and new relationships are tested in the face of a terrifying enemy—an enemy who no longer remembers what it’s like to be human.

Set against the backdrop of a brilliantly realized apocalyptic world, love somehow finds a way to survive. But what happens when the one you’d die for becomes the one who could destroy you?

Review

Let me get this out of the way first. I absolutely thought this was going to be a romance novel with a zombie apocalypse backdrop. No, no, no. That's not at all what this was which is a very good thing. This was a straight up, classic zombie novel. There was romance, sure, but not until well past halfway into the book.

There were things I loved about Red Hill. For one, I loved that everyone knew it was the zombie apocalypse. I get so tired of zombie books where no one ever calls them zombies. They make up stupid names for them and eventually figure out only a head shot will kill them. They eventually renamed the zombies in Red Hill, too, but it wasn't out of ignorance. Everyone had perfect clarity regarding what was happening and what needed to be done.

There were things I didn't love about this book, too, though. At the heart of every survival story, there has to be a struggle for basic needs. Obtaining, supplying, and rationing things like food for one. No one other than the zombies should be that well fed.

I also had some serious trouble with the characters and their reactions to the wide spread death toll as well as the sentiment behind the ending.

I do admittedly have some zombie book pet peeves, but the truth is I love the shambling, people eating, low moaning, decaying undead. I really, really do. As a zombie book, I did really enjoy the presence of classic zombies. I'm that easy to please. I just wish I had been more of a fan of the living in Red Hill as well.

5/10: Decent Read