Review of Blood Ever After

[Mayang Bature]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Blood Ever After" by Sean O'Connor.]

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2 out of 5 stars

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Tyler was a young high schooler whose world quickly fell apart due to a zombie outbreak, led by a creature known as the Deaija. Tyler wakes up in a town overrun by these creatures, with white ash falling from the sky. Despite his confusion, he needs to get to safety and quickly figure out how a regular school day turned into a post-apocalyptic experience. He formed alliances with four other survivors, and they bonded, strengthening one another while they sought refuge in a much safer location. "Blood Ever After" is a story about survival in the face of various challenges that this band of survivors encountered.

This story began by introducing the ghost-like state of the town, emphasizing the destroyed buildings and corpses sprawled on the ground, which were described repeatedly and bore me. I could tell the book was attempting to create suspense with the sudden appearance of deadly beasts and a rundown town, but it clearly failed. In place of suspense, I felt confused. The novel would hold out very basic information that would have helped in understanding the story, and I never understood why. Explaining, for instance, that the voice in Tyler’s head was his dead brother would have helped a lot at the beginning without spoiling the story.

Sometimes, and this happened frequently, a flashback occurred that added nothing useful to the story. This made the transition between scenes far from seamless. Tyler could be in the middle of a conversation and suddenly recall playing basketball with his brother. Perhaps a few of these memories would be acceptable, but since this happens in almost every chapter, it becomes tiring. I was constantly backtracking to see if I was in the same scene or a flashback.

This book contained unusual humor. In the face of such danger, uncontrollable laughter may erupt from something that only warrants a light chuckle. I also thought it was strange that the book would start describing the characters' smooth skin, hair, and jiggling breasts at the most inappropriate times, such as when they were fleeing a humanoid clawed beast. It was common for some characters to slap others' buttocks and grab their testicles for no apparent reason, even during battle. As the book became more cluttered with unnecessary events, I realized it was less about survival and more about the characters having fun and making strange jokes in their hideout.

Ultimately, I did not enjoy this book. All of the main characters felt hollow to me, and I could not relate to them. They made many questionable and illogical decisions, and their escape plan only became serious about 80% of the way through the book. The brilliant plan was to flee to another town, but they never bothered to investigate whether that town was even safe. I was expecting a cool zombie origin story, but instead got a half-baked history of the Deaija. The story only mentioned its origin once, and it never explained why it wanted revenge on humans or what humans had done to offend it. All these, combined with the numerous errors I found, made the book hardly memorable to me.

I only enjoyed a few aspects of the book. Aside from the weird humor, I enjoyed the interaction of these people, who met as strangers and bonded. They quickly realized the power of teamwork. The book also shines in its description of the action, which was quite entertaining. Given all of the foregoing, I give "Blood Ever After" by Sean O’Connor a low rating of 2 out of 5. Unfortunately, the negative aspects far outweigh the positives, despite the intriguing post-apocalyptic horror genre. People who enjoy survival stories may enjoy this if they can get past the questionable logic, creepy jokes, and countless pointless flashbacks.

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Blood Ever After
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[Aaron Joseph Maupin]

This detailed and critical review of "Blood Ever After" provides helpful insights into its weaknesses, including repetitive descriptions, confusing transitions, and questionable humor. It may not motivate readers to buy the book, as it highlights flaws and rates it low. From the reviewer's perspective, the book does not appear to be a good addition to anyone's library due to its illogical character decisions and lack of a satisfying zombie origin story.

[NetMassimo]

With so many apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic stories, authors need to write strong stories to stand out. Sadly, this doesn't seem like one of them. A professional editor might help the author in revising this novel to bring out its potential. Thank you for your honest review!

[McDonald Lauren]

This story skillfully weaves elements of suspense and camaraderie, immersing readers in a thrilling adventure where the characters confront diverse challenges in their quest for safety. A riveting tale of resilience and survival in the face of an unexpected apocalypse."