This one was not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

This book was great. The cover art attracted me, the summary caught me, and the story reeled me in. I'll definitely be checking more out from this author in the future.

The plot, the fleshed out characters, even the absolutely insane rabbid infected from beggining to end made me unable to put this down! And I love the romances and the LGBT romance budding as well, I cannot wait for book two!!!!

Meh 😑. I wanted to like this book. I love zombie dystopian mayhem. This missed the mark for me. Craziness with no explanation, too many points of view, too many things that just didn't make sense. Could have done with some editing and possibly narrowing down who's telling the story.
My fave part was Captain Wright... she's a spitfire.

The world’s governments have been keeping a secret about a deadly new virus that’s been spreading all over the world, but some secrets just can’t be contained. So for Jen what should have been a great night out celebrating her 24th birthday with her friends quickly becomes a nonstop nightmare and struggle for survival when the zombie apocalypse explodes right on her doorstep. I’m a huge fan of zombie stories, especially when they are done well. And this one is definitely done well. Also I should clarify that perhaps zombie isn't quite the right word. Yes, the infected have an insane urge to bite/attack others, to spread the virus, but they are also rage filled, which made me think of that movie The Crazies. (regardless of what you call them, they were scary!) Marsden delivers a story with an excellent cast of characters and an engaging and relentless storyline. This is the first book in a duology and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
I’d like to thank the author, NineStar Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of Survivors.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2IWAH55NYVEXW/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Survivors is about a......group of....survivors believe it or not! There's a sudden outbreak of a virus that when infected by it people turn really violent and basically start biting and eating others. The story follows Jennifer, a young woman who finds herself in the middle of the outbreak in London. She has to get through the horror on the streets to reach a military base where people have been told to head to for safety. There she meets other survivors and they have to try to stay alive long enough to get to another base where scientists will be able to work on a cure.
I'm gonna have to admit that this is another book that I seriously misjudged right at the start. I initially couldn't get into the story or connect with the characters so I just decided that the book wasn't going to be much good. But as I read on I suddenly realised that I was really enjoying it and was thinking about getting back to reading it when I was busy with other things! I think that once I'd got to know the characters more and became invested in their survival I got the 'Survivor Bug' ha ha ha....
One thing I particularly liked was that the story was a mix of a normal virus outbreak and zombies. Like, the people were biting and in some cases, eating other people but they were still humans.
Now, if you read this type of book often then there isn't anything particularly unique or special about this book. There are so many books like this out there that follow the same basic plot with the cliche characters. However, I can definitely say that it is in the group of better written ones in the genre. Bizarre as it may sound, stories like this are my comfort blanket. They're easy to follow, I know what to expect, and I can sit back, relax, and enjoy the book. You know that feeling when you get home after a really long and tiring day? That feeling of ahhhh........ I can relax now? Well, Survivors felt like home!

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘇𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗲𝘀!!!

Amy Marsden and I "stalk" each other's Goodreads and Instagram sometimes (lol) so I was pretty excited to hear that her debut came out. If you haven't guessed it from the cover and book title, it is an apocolyptic zombie book, the second I've read in recent days. It's labeled on Netgalley as a LGBTQIA+ book, but it's actually a zombie book that has a female main character who harbours the tinest crush on a female soldier. And that's the extent of sapphism in it.

BUT...

This book is so much fun to read and I bet my fellow zombie-lovers would enjoy it like I did. There are many characters but the story rotates around the POV of only three of them - Jen, James and Victoria - who advance from being strangers to having their stories interwined at some point and we learn more about the characters little by little. I like how this book is a bit different as Jen gets bitten and Jen survives because she's immune but at the same time Marsden isn't afraid to eliminate other characters. She surprised me at least once and while dying is a bit upsetting, that's what makes zombie stories good, isn't it?

I certainly had fun with this debut. It's a really good effort and I can't wait for the second book of the duology to come out!

A good story somewhat let down by hyperbolic prose. The overblown style is exhausting. (Editor needs to wield the red pen more forcefully.) It gets a bit better as the book progresses.

That said, the story kept me engaged. Pandemic, infected people, bites.... They may not be zombies (they're not dead and don't feast on brains) but what's not to like for a hardened fan of the zombie/dystopia genre?

Despite liking the genre, however, I'm probably not really the target audience. This definitely reads as YA and I'm just an embittered middle-aged grump. If the style doesn't put other readers off, I can see this series growing a pretty big fan base.

This is a solid debut to the series from Amy Marsden. The story kicks off from the first chapter with lots of action going on within the space of a few pages. I liked this aspect as it had me hooked right from the start. It then slows down slightly so the main characters can be developed. This is the usual formula most writers use when starting a series and it works well. I do think this could have been done slightly better in this book by creating specific chapters from each characters view point. It wasn’t until 60% of the way through that I started to remember who everyone was. I was getting to the point where I thought I was going to have to write notes to remember who some characters were, especially the military characters as it often swapped from their official title to their first name, which was confusing at times. I also think the book would have benefitted with a timeline for each chapter or broken into sections i.e., 2 days from London falling. Because a lot happens in this first book with various locations detailed, it felt that a considerable time had passed. However, you were then reminded only a couple of days had gone by. These are minor things that I think would have helped with the flow of the book, but they didn’t detract from the story that was being told or the characters being developed. I really enjoyed Wright as a character and I hope we will find out a lot more about her in the second book. I also hope to find out more about the other surrounding characters and their background story.

Whoa this had me reaching for my walking dead dvds. Seriously, this should be made into a film. It's shockingly descriptive and true to life. I would actually say the author had been there and done it.

I understand this is a debut novel. Wow, is all I can say. Oh and when is the next book available.

If you love zombies this book is for you. Although technically they aren't zombies because they can speak and be killed. Don't need a head shot.

There are several characters involved and they all have their strengths. But together they awesome. They are funny yet serious. And OMG Victoria is a serious badass. It is action packed from start to finish. I was exhausted just reading it.

It's written at quite a fast pace which in my opinion is good as you get the feeling of never being safe and always running.

Yes, I would recommend this book. I would also advise you put your running shoes on. You're gonna need them.

Enjoy!

It’s Jennifer’s 24th birthday and she planned to spend it having fun with her friends. Instead, she ends up running for her life through the dark streets of London.
Her world is torn apart by a new disease, the likes of which have never been seen before. The government’s decision to conceal its deadly nature exacerbates the panic, and in all the confusion Jennifer is bitten by an infected person.
That’s it, right? Her life over.
Wrong.
Immune to the virus’s ravaging effects, Jennifer finds herself with a small group of survivors. Together they must fight to stay alive long enough for a cure to be found. Humanity won’t be beaten so easily.
But madness looms large, and safety seems forever out of reach.

This is a wonderful debut to read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

Zombiesque pandemic

Jennifer is in London celebrating her 24th birthday when the worldwide pandemic that governments have been trying to hide breaks all boundaries. Passed by the infected biting the uninfected, there is almost a 100% contagion rate but Jennifer soon finds out she's one of the very few worldwide that is immune.

I enjoyed this book about Jennifer and a small group of survivors and the zombie-like infected. It was a quick read and the first book in a planned duology so all the loose ends aren't tied up but there's not a terrible cliffhanger ending.

I received this book from NineStar Press through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

i got this book for free through NetGalley in exchange of an honest review...

this book has lots of action, really lots of action, for me it was kind of a let down, because i like things a bit more slow paced than the way action went through this book, but things being said, its not a bad book, for people that like to read books where the action goes fast this is the book for you, but if you're like me and like characters development, knowing them before, during and after, some slow paced story in between the action you'll feel it a bit let down...
this book its about survival, running from one end to the other, some fighting, but mosttly going somewhere...
i couldnt connect with jennifer, i did like wright and james banter, lgbt in this book was inserted in just one chapter, and it was just jennifer telling the group she was bi, and this was like after 50% of the book in... but since we were all expecting that its not really a spoiler... you only get to know more about some of the characters more than half the book in, and when they are voices in the book, you dont really know them, i really wish i had loved this book but i really cant say that...

Thank you NineStar Press and NetGalley for this amazing advanced ebook copy!

I knew after seeing Survivors it was going to be amazing!
This I going to be an outstanding debut. Its a short book but nonetheless an interesting one!
This book is addictive and intense with twists and turns in the plot that you just won't see coming.
So compulsively readable and intriguing, I could not put this one down until I knew how it ended. Oh the twists and the turns and the theories that I had, that were all wrong by the way! 

Thank you again for the opportunity to red this new novel!

3.75 Stars. Zombies! I love zombies and to get two new zombies books out at the same time, well that’s like Christmas coming early for me, or I guess I should say Halloween. Off topic a bit but I’m dealing with either a pinched nerve or carpal tunnel. I’m on modified work duty for the next couple weeks while I’m awaiting more testing. I’m supposed to be taking it easy, which unfortunately includes less typing and other computer related activities so my reviews will be shorter than normal. Of course this depends on if I can actually behave and stop myself from rambling –which we all know is not easy for me, so I guess will see how this goes but I hope everyone can bear with me for a little while.

When I saw this book on Netgalley, I was really excited since it was zombies, plus I knew it was supposed to have a sapphic character. I also recognized the author’s name since Marsden has been on Goodreads for a couple years. While I didn’t know her besides a comment here or there on either of our book reviews, but I always get excited when a Goodreads member takes the big step of actually becoming an author.

I thought that this was well written for a debut. It had its bumps, but considering it had three main POV’s, with a pretty large cast of secondary characters, I could easily see the talent and lot’s of potential in Marsden’s writing.

This is the first book in a duology and I’m glad for that. There is so much going on, lot’s of action, that I’m looking forward to getting more into the meat of things. There is a potential WLW romance that is only in crush form right now, but I have hopes of where this relationship could go. I also loved the character of Victoria. She’s a total badass, with a great backstory, and I just want lots more of her.

In the end, I would recommend this to zombie fans. It was high action, zombie fun. It does have some newbie bumps, but I thought it was a solid debut and I’m excited to read the next book.

I really, really enjoyed this book! The characters really brought this book to life - the alternating perspectives gave me a good look into everyone's minds and I felt for all of them. I love the "found family" trope and seeing this group of survivors grow together made my heart so happy. This book is raw - from its intense fight scenes to each characters emotions as they go through trauma after trauma.

The only reason that this wasn't a 5 star read for me was the ending. I understand this is a duology and that there would be a "to be continued" but the ending felt so abrupt. I wanted more closure or even a cliffhanger.

I gave this book 4 stars on my goodreads & im very much looking forward to book 2! Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Not your average birthday party.
This book starts with intensity and manages to keep the tension up throughout the entire book. It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat, not wanting to put the book down.

Amy Marsden's Survivors cannot be simply lumped with other novels in the "zombie pandemic" genre. The way she is able to show the very different human reactions to a global pandemic is phenomenal. In times of crisis you really do see this broad spectrum of human behaviour.

Told from the perspectives of three different characters; Jennifer whose 24th birthday celebration is interrupted by chaos, Sergeant James Millino, an irish soldier who was holidaying in London and Victoria, a beautiful blonde school teacher with a hidden past. It is a nice balanced amount of perspectives, gradually revealing more about each of these characters. It was especially good to see Sergeant Millino become less robotic solider boy and more human through his time spent with helicopter pilot Sergeant Wright. Hopefully in the next book we get more insight into Wright's charismatic character.

There is a good amount of flirting in Survivors. Between Millino and Wright, between Dr Roux and Victoria and between Jennifer and French soldier Alexia. A realistic way to relieve some tension.

Marsden's writing is really good for a debut novel. I enjoyed the book from start to finish. The tension created is amazing, with the reader constantly wondering who among the group may have become infected. I look forward to getting my hands on the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amy Marsden and NineStar Press for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy.

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley & the publishers for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the most exciting books I've read all year and as far as debut novels go, this was outstanding. I've spent the majority of my day curled up with as I've been unable to put it down, talk about a page turner!

The story is told through the perspectives of 3 people; Jennifer, Victoria & James, all of which are living through a zombie apocalyptic type world where a virus is running rampant, giving people the strongest desire to bite other people which in turn, causes the virus to spread.

We start with Jennifer on her 24th birthday as the world is succumbing to the virus. From the first few pages we see her world falling apart, it's so raw and emotional, she instantly took my heart.

Not long after, we meet James who is an army Sargent. He doesn't give the best first impressions but first impressions aren't always what they seem....

Then we meet Victoria and Holy moly, she's got a few secrets! She's a character I'm very much looking forward to reading about in the next book!

There's a vast array of side characters too, each of whom is as well written as the last. They bring so many levels of emotion, mystery & humour to the story. Wright is my absolute favourite, a smart, wise cracking army pilot who is incredibly fierce but has a heart of gold.

This is, at face value, a zombie apocalypse story but it's unlike so many I've read in the past, this just felt so real. The writing is done in such a way you feel the characters pain & emotions, it was so incredibly raw, and because the characters are so well written, you really do feel for them and feel a connection with them.

Overall, I love everything about this book; story, characters, writing are all brilliant. It's a proper, keep you up all night book that you won't want to put down and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone interested in zombie apocalypse stories. The way it ended has left me dying for more and I cannot wait for the next book to come out to see what happens next!

Damn, this was a fun, up-all-night and cool read!
Jennifer is turning 24 the day of the apocalypse. The government had tried to hide it, but a deadly virus is spreading. The ones who get it are marked with their death, but that’s not all: The host will have urges to bite and infect people.
This was such a cool mix of zombie apocalypse with awesome characters! (Wright, I’m looking at you, babe.)
But you know, it’s still a zombie apocalypse, which is not unheard of. I didn’t feel like there was anything new to this take, but boy-oh-boy was it enjoyable. (Especially the British touch to it *chef’s kiss*)
The writing is the absolute best—probably one of the best I’ve ever read. It’s straight forward and describes emotion so… real.

To me this was advertised as a “lgbtq” read—which it’s not. The main character is bisexual and has a little crush on a French soldier, bur that’s kinda it. I liked it that way though. This book definitely didn’t need some big romance. (Except for the tension between James and Wright. They are to die for.) Besides that, i really liked this book.

Final rating: 4,5/5. Full review is Goodreads.