Realms of an Open Mind

I'm a HUGE fan of Jamie McGuire. HUGE. I freakin' love her, so when I discovered that she was collaborating with one of my favorite monsters - zombies - I was stoked, to put it mildly.

I won't say I was disappointed. I can't. But I also can't do my usual 5 stars for McGuire, as much as I want to. Red Hill is a fantastic read - especially for the special month of October, but I can't really say that it blew me away.

Red Hill is reminiscent of The Walking Dead. Completely. It's a beautiful thing, but... it felt too familiar, if you know what I mean. From the way the story began, progressed, and ended... It was almost as if I'd heard it all before.

In true McGuire fashion, though, the characters of Red Hill really do their job of sucking you in. I love when authors use multiple points of view, and in this book, McGuire's characters cross paths and come together perfectly. 

In addition to her well developed characters, McGuire's writing style is the super glue that holds her stories together. It's witty, smooth, and just flows in a way that holds your attention and doesn't let go. 

I think the only thing that is keeping me from an all-out rave review here is the ending. It was... abrupt. Almost to the point that it was anticlimactic - it definitely left me a little deflated and wishing for more. 

But you know, I've been in a bit of reading slump lately, and I finished this book in two days. I couldn't put it down. McGuire's descriptions, characters, and writing style have a way of doing that, and even though I can't say this is my favorite of her novels, I can definitely tell you that it's worth your time. 

Get your zombie on ;)