Sherry and her family have lived sealed in a bunker in the garden since things went wrong up above. Her grandfather has been in the freezer for the last three months, her parents are at each other’s throats and two minutes ago they ran out of food. Sherry and her father leave the safety of the bunker and find a devastated and empty LA, smashed to pieces by bombs and haunted by ‘Weepers’ - rabid humans infected with a weaponized rabies virus.
While searching for food in a supermarket, Sherry’s father disappears and Sherry is saved by Joshua, a boy-hunter. He takes her to Safe-haven, a tumble-down vineyard in the hills outside LA, where a handful of other survivors are picking up the pieces of their ‘other lives’. As she falls in love for the first time, Sherry must save her father, stay alive and keep Joshua safe when his desire for vengeance threatens them all.
The idea of books about humans that have become inhuman seems to be picking up at the moment, there's quite a few in the market already and also a large number that are going to be published in the near future, it's definitely a theme that I'm attracted to but at the same time I was wary going into this book after how similar books have impressed me (Dark Inside) or let me down; (The Way We Fall). This book did neither, this book simply entertained me for an hour and a half (I'm a quick reader!) but didn't incite any excitement or disappointment in me. It could have been much worse but it could also have been much better.
I really liked how this story started, right away we pulled into Sherry's claustrophobic life in the underground bunker, we start to question why they are living in the bunker and why they haven't left earlier and it isn't long until we're thrown into the action. After the initial action there is a bit of a slow part, then the action picks up again, then the pace drops. The pacing is pretty inconsistent for the whole book, but it isn't a massive deal as it's a pretty short book so it doesn't drag too much.
The characters were good enough, though at times they lacked development. I thought that while Sherry was independant, she was also naive and put herself in danger without considering the circumstances. My two favorite characters were Tyler, who was intriguing despite only being a minor character and Geoffrey who is definitely a character that i can't work out. Joshua was a good enough character, different to the cookie cutter guys in a lot of books but at times he was too angsty and it put himself and others in risk. The relationship between Joshua and Sherry was awkward at times, but it was a realistic kind off awkward. i liked the relationship but I also wish we saw more of the development of it.
Overall, The Other Life is a book that I enjoyed enough. I read it one sitting and never wanted to put it down, but at the same time it wasn't an edge-of-your-seat page turner. I think I will read the sequel, but it isn't going on the top of my to read pile.
Overall Rating: C
Released 15th May by Marshall Cavendish
Received as an eGalley for review from netGalley
No comments
Tell me your thoughts on the post, the book, the world. I like volcanoes, feel free to tell me about volcanoes.