Revenants is the start to a novella series in a world that's suddenly been ravaged by zombies. Not much description is given about the world-building or nature of the zombies since the point of view is from one main character who is in the dark about what's going on around her as she has stayed secluded with her father. The focus of the story turns to a soldier that helps her and that she feels an inexplicable pull towards. This was quite a mysterious novel as it left much unexplored, but she is trying to piece together parts of her past that are brought up.
The writing and language used is a bit inconsistent as the characters dialogue is spoken with heavy accents and slang, but this is not really reflected in the characters internal monologue/thoughts and the prose switches and is at some points quite poetic. This is not necessarily a good or bad thing, just that it was a bit inconsistent.
I felt that the pacing of the plot was a bit inconsistent as well because I thought they were in danger of attacks and needed to flee sooner but instead spent the time in the damaged house. I was a bit confused by certain descriptions of the setting when the house was attacked, and by the flashbacks/visions that were mentioned because things go unsaid and I'm not sure if I'm interpreting things correctly.
Other than these criticisms, the plot is very interesting especially the mystery of the voices and the reveal at the end that leaves us intrigued about what will happen next and her understanding that things aren't as she thought they were. I'm curious if the origin of the zombie 'disease' or the military politics will be expanded on in the next installation, but most intrigued by the soldier's character and the main characters unreliable memories.
Thank you for the ARC!

Dead things are coming. A soldier appears outside of a cabin just before all hell breaks loose. This book wasn't really for me and I had a hard time engaging in it.

Thanks to NetGalley and BDA Publishing for the ARC.

I'm not really into Westerns, but Western horror? Making a niche genre even more niche? Hell yeah, now you have my attention. Here, we're all 'westward ho!' because the South's got zombies. It's very stylized, but between the way the accents are written and the magical dream sequences, it's hard to tell what is actually happening. I also didn't know this when reading, but this is the first in a series, so it does end rather suddenly.

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Check out this review of Revenants on Fable. https://fable.co/review/a9803f80-a81d-4a0a-b17f-3de692caf571/share

Revenants by Mel C. Bell offers an intriguing premise, blending supernatural elements with a moody, atmospheric tone. The story delves into themes of loss, revenge, and redemption, with a unique take on the undead that sets it apart from typical narratives. The world-building is creative, and the author’s voice shows promise.

However, the pacing felt uneven, and some characters lacked the depth needed to fully connect with their struggles. While there are moments of brilliance, the story occasionally gets bogged down in exposition, which slows the tension. That said, fans of moody paranormal tales might find it worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. While it wasn’t entirely my cup of tea, I appreciate the opportunity to explore Bell’s vision.

Excellent book, loved it! Looking forward to more from this author! Apologies for the lateness of my review

This was short, but I really loved the style, voice, and characters. Would love to read an extended or more indepth exploration of this book. Thanks!

Many thanks to NetGalley and BDA Publishing for providing me with an eARC of Revenants in exchange for my honest review!

This zombie horror western novella gives off an atmosphere that's as grim as it is gritty, and that's what pulls me in right away as we dive into this tale. I'm seeing some of the reviews criticize the dialect, which is interesting, since it's an aspect that vibes with me. I find that it adds more flavor to the characters and infuses their world with a lived-in quality. At the same time, though, I do think the worldbuilding could have been fleshed out more deeply to give me a greater sense of where we are. I understand that we don't have much time to accomplish that in a novella, so it has to be done as economically as possible, but still, it's something that stands out to me and has an impact on stopping the story from being as strong as it could be. That being said, I'm still compelled by what we've got here, and I'm intrigued as to how this will apparently be adapted into a graphic novel. I'd appreciate this desolate and ruthless landscape having a visual facet to it.

Overall, I'm officially rating Revenants 3.75 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding up to 4 stars. I'm looking forward to more from Mel C. Bell here.

Based on the premise that this is going to be a graphic novel, yes yes and more yes. I can see the potential and I am super excited to see the final result.

I guess I didn't realize going into this book that it was a short story being adapted into a graphic novel. I was expecting more, and as a result, it felt somewhat disjointed/rushed. The writing was clever and well developed, I just wanted it to be more. I will withhold my final verdict until I am able to read it in the graphic format.

I was so into this story, I would gladly read a full length novel of this story. The writing has such great potential. It's full of great descriptions and vivid visuals. Their commitment to the dialogue, the voice of the characters, really engrossed me. I look forward to what this author releases next.

Rating: 2.9 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 3/5
-Story: 2/5
-Writing: 4/5
Genre: Horror, Western
-Horror: 1.5/5
-Western: 4/5
Type: Ebook
Worth?: Eh

Hated|Disliked|Meh|It Was Okay|Liked|Really Liked|Loved

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

A zombie western was wild but sadly not wild enough or something like that. I wasn't really scared and the western part was okay. Did I enjoy the characters? A bit, but nothing to ride home to.

Revenants by Mel C. Bell is a gripping blend of supernatural intrigue and emotional depth. The story follows a protagonist navigating a world where the dead return, forcing her to confront her past and the unresolved traumas that haunt her. Bell’s evocative prose and well-crafted characters draw readers into a compelling narrative filled with suspense and unexpected twists. Themes of loss, redemption, and the search for identity resonate throughout, making this a captivating read for fans of paranormal fiction.

Thank you to BDA Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Cowboys and zombies, oh my! I enjoyed the written accents and writing. I didn't know the tale was incomplete when I requested this, no wonder it felt unfinished! I look forward to the next installment.

Revenants
Mel C Bell

Great premise and there's a lot of potential here ...
But it definitely feels like a rough draft, in my humble opinion.

Also, I found myself getting rather lost and confused.
Granted, I believe this is the first in a series, but ... still ...

I don't know about this one.

Maybe it suffered from me reading several 5 star horror novels recently.

I'll re-read it in a couple months and see if I feel any differently about it.

3 / 5

If you like zombie-Western-horror-romance shorts, give it a try. It might be for you! 😊

Once I got into this read, I enjoyed it. Truly a fun combination and commitment to a Wild West scene with a zombie twist. I thought the prose was dark, lyrical, and lingering. Unfortunately, I think the book’s brevity works against it. It seems that the dialect was utilized to provide more character, instead of providing more space to create fully rounded characters. Though I understand this isn’t the full story and there should be other installments to come that I can look forward to. This horror novella has a lot of potential, and I hope to see a longer novel with more world building and character development.

Thank you to NetGalley & BDA Publishing for this e-arc.

Rated up. My Rating 3.5

This is definitely an introduction to a much larger story, but it is a nice starting point. There were parts that I had to re-read for clarification only to find that, there weren't any. Not getting that clarity was not there in the sense of a plot hole as much as it creates some mystery to be revealed later.

I loved the imagery. It is descriptive in a way that evokes a physiological response.

My main "issue" is that the language of the narration is disproportionate to Madeline’s perceived intelligence. It is overstated whereas dialogue and internal thoughts from Maddie are simple and improper. It’s jarring, but a good use of discerning the difference between the two. So, I’m not entirely sure what to make of it. It read more like a screenplay than a cohesive story, which made it hard to follow.

In spite of that, I am definitely excited to see where this goes after the reveal at the end of this one.

I think this has a ton of potential. I've read somewhere that this isn't the final form. I think it will either be a series or a graphic novel series and I would definitely read it. There's enough here to get me interested, but not enough here for me to actually care about it. I will definitely keep an eye out.

Revenants is a short and disturbing story that will definitely be well suited as a graphic novel. The setting is creepy in itself being secluded and in a wooded area. The events seem to take place very quickly over a short amount of hours and this is how I would picture an event like this happening. There would be some rumours and then it would literally be at your door knocking. I would definitely reread as a graphic piece. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

I didn’t know I needed a zombie romance but here I am and loving it.

I kind of wish it was like 100 pages more of this because it was beautifully written and the story really held my attention… Like couldn’t put it down and was kind of sad when it was done.

I can’t wait to see what else Mel Bell has in store for us.

Thank you Netgalley and BDA Publishing for the eARC for an honest review.

3⭐️ Thank you NetGalley for approving me to read this!!!

This is a short story about a woman realising her world is taken over by zombies.

This book is fast paced, kept me intrigued the whole time, and zombies and cowboys in one book? Immediately sold.

I think my favourite thing about this book was the way the characters accents were written. It was so entertaining and I felt so immersed into the situation. I really enjoyed the writing style as well, I just felt at times I was super confused as to what was happening.

The other thing is I’m quite a character driven reader and would have liked to see more growth between the characters, and within each character themselves. Obviously with only 70 pages that’s a bit hard to do, but that’s why I didn’t rate it higher than 3 stars.

I look forward to hopefully reading a sequel? Highly recommend this suspenseful little read. 💕