Undead + Unfed by Kirsty McKay

This was a shaping up to be a very horror light week so I decided to squeeze in two quick and easy titles - Kirsty McKay's teen zombie horrors, Undead and Unfed. I actually won these as part of Scholastic's This is Teen giveaway over on Facebook. So thanks, Scholastic!

Bobby was never keen on the class ski trip anyway, but her mother thought it would be a good idea. After living in the states for a number of years, their return to England has left her feeling out of whack as the new girl who doesn't quite fit in. They stop at a remote cafe for lunch but Bobby decides hanging out on the bus would be better than joining her classmates for another round of meal time teasing. And boy is she right! Before long, all of Bobby's fellow students - with a few exceptions - have become literal mindless zombies ready to chow down on the few remaining living.

It's no secret that I love a good fun read. That's exactly what Kirsty McKay's books are: fun times with zombies. A school trip, a zombie outbreak in the middle of nowhere, zombie kills with snowboards, a creepy castle, and a super fun conspiracy, what's not to love?

Sure it's all teen. The characters are a little cliche: the new girl, the bad boy, the smart kid, and the popular girl. And of course this is a pretty typical zombie outbreak story when it comes down to it. But McKay has a snarky way of writing and I was in the mood for exactly this kind of book this week - fast, easy, gory zombie horror. (Plus, these covers are so Dead Snow!)

And there's a sequel!

Unfed picks up six weeks after that fateful trip. Six weeks after it was discovered that Bobby's own mother's employers, Xanthro, were responsible for the zombie outbreak. Bobby is being held in a military medical facility along with Alice, Pete, and Russ - a new addition to their group. Smitty and Bobby's mother are both missing but Bobby has reason to believe they may both still be alive. In order to find them, the four teens must escape the facility (now overrun with zombiefied patients and armed military) and brave a countryside plagued with zombie cows and goats to track down Smitty and Bobby's mom. 

Now the teens are not only in the middle of the zombie outbreak but unraveling the actual plot that resulted in a mass infection. With the evil Xanthro goons on their tails Unfed is possibly even more fun than its predecessor! Kirsty's teens are clever but believable and her overall sarcastic and witty style is infectious in and of itself. I dare you to read these and NOT enjoy them!

Ratings for both: 4/5