Feed (Newsflesh Trilogy #1) by Mira Grant

Title: Feed (Newsflesh Trilogy #1) 
Author: Mira Grant (website and here)(Twitter)
Publication Date: May 1, 2010
Publisher: Orbit (website)(Twitter)
Source: library loan
Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary from Goodreads:

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED. Now, twenty years after the Rising, bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives - the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will get out, even if it kills them.

EDITED: If you think you've read this review earlier in the week, you did...sort of. After Christina commented but didn't say anything about her own blog, I realized that the wrong draft went live. Ooopies. 

Ever since my friend Mandy got me watching The Walking Dead, I've become a bit obsessed with zombies. I was never really "into" them before that but now, oh yeah. Then while reading Christina's back reviews, I found one for Feed and was immediately intrigued. I looked on my library's website and apparently don't know how to spell f-e-e-d because it didn't show up. Fast forward several months and I am passing through the adult section and happen to glance up to see this trilogy sitting on the shelf. I may or may not have gasped loud enough to make the little old lady down the way glare at me. Just sayin'. Christian's blog is one of 5 that I read every single day so when she rated it so high, I knew that I'd enjoy it too. I loved this book. One of my first 5 of 5's in many a moon.

Feed is an interesting take on the usual zombie tale. Heavily political, it imagines what would happen after an outbreak. The changes that would need to occur and the ways that people would react were portrayed in a very interesting way.

George (Georgia), the main character, is spunky and has a dry wit. Everyone that has read this blog for long knows that I have a Master's Degree in sarcasm so her character was my favorite. George's brother, Shaun, was one of the most fun characters I've read in a long time. He liked to poke zombies and stir up trouble.


In their world, bloggers are the main news sources and there are a ton of regulations and rules to follow. The use of blogging was highly entertaining and I loved this uniqueness in the story. As a blogger I know the time and stress that goes with having a blog and can't even image how hard it would be to tell the news in a straightforward and unbiased way.

I wish I had read this one on my Kindle because I would have marked quite a few quotes. My favorite is from George:

The different between the truth and a lie is that both of them can hurt, but only one will take the time to heal you afterward.

The characters were wonderfully written. A couple of times I was misty eyed over a character. Such a tough living situation and yet they wanted so much to just be ok. 

This one is almost 600 pages but didn't seem that long at all. The pacing was excellent. The action was constant and fast. I enjoyed the political aspect of it but can see where some readers might be thrown off. 

And oh the ending...gah. 

The biggest praise I can heap on this one is that as I closed the book after reading the last page, I wished I had the next one to start right then. That's huge. I rarely want to read the next in a series so quickly.

I loved this one and can't wait to see what happens.