Midland By Scott Alan Wade

While it’s never easy being a teenager, the dangerous world that challenges Sam Grace makes it even more difficult.  Overrun by the living dead, her world is far from normal; however, Sam Grace is not like most teens.  Growing up on the family’s mesa-top farm has forced Sam to mature far faster than her 15 years.  She’s been hardened by the relentless, back-breaking work during the day and the horror of the roaming dead at night.  Complicating this already difficult life, Sam must now care for her gravely ill mother as well as her younger brothers and sister--a weighty responsibility regardless of one’s age made even worse by the nighttime attacks by the dead.

After fighting off a particularly large zombie attack, Sam makes a difficult and fateful decision: to save her mother’s life she must go to town to retrieve needed medicines, but this means leaving her siblings to fend for themselves.  Accompanied by her dog and with only her guns to protect her, Sam rides her horse into town on what truly is a life or death errand.  Her journey is far from easy with Sam confronted with the dangers of the trail, the perils of a town overrun by zombies, and something she didn’t expect: survivors, all working to prevent her from returning home to her family.  While a lifetime of danger has taught her to be strong and self reliant, this trip to town forces Sam to confront her deepest fears, and surprisingly, some unexpected emotions.  

Review Time:

Sara's Review:

I didn’t really know what to expect when I picked up Midland.  There are so many zombie apocalypse stories out there right now that they tend to meld together.  However, Midland was, I thought, excellent…and original in its characters and plot.  It felt like a zombie western to me.
 

In this novel we meet Sam.  She has been living in the desert, in a mesa top farm, with her family, caring for her mother and younger siblings.  She’s not you’re normal 15 year old, as she’s been hardened by the role she’s been forced to take.  She decides that she must go into town to find medicine for her mother, and this is where the adventure begins.  Suffice to say, Sam is a total badass.  If there were a zombie apocalypse, I would totally follow her anywhere.  I would put Sam in the same badass category as Katniss Everdeen.  She’s the female YA version of Daryl Dixon.  She rules.  I love her.  Complicated, tough and well-written female heroines are hard to come across, in my experience.   She is awesome.
 

This book has it all – horror, a little bit of romance, adventure.  What really carries this story, however, is Scott’s writing style.  It’s fluid and easy to follow, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat.  There were parts that I literally found myself holding my breath or grasping my blanket tightly.   I could not put this book down from the first chapter, and by the end – when I was finally able to breathe again – I had a smile on my face.  I give this book 4.5 stars; it is easily one of my favorites this year.
 

 

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