Title: Those Who Survive
Author: K.N.Milde
Pages: 457
Rating: 5/5
Spice level: 🫑Plain but tasty


"Tomorrow is Recruitment Day.
Or, as I like to call it, Sign Your Suicide Contract Day."

It's been a while since I've read a zombie book, but when I read the blurb I just had to read it. It's everything my teen dystopian self adored! Forced into army recruitment. (I'm a sucker for films like private Benjamin, so this book was right up my street) Fraternising. Gory bits. Attitude and underdogs. The book itself is fast paced read and it was finished before I knew it.

The characters were fun. Teenage angst attitude and wanting to fix the world. The back stories were great and helped empathise with all the characters and seeing it from each perspective. There was so much emotion, misunderstood communications, and although slightly predictable, thoroughly enjoyable. The diagrams Of uniforms, equipment, and the different types infected were a really nice touch. I do hope there is a sequel as I have more questions and would love to know what happens to Lori!

You'll love this book if you like
- enemies to friends
- young adult dystopian reads
- zombie/infected
- secrets
- opposites attract
- underdogs

60/100 or 3.0 stars

The world-building was done well and I did like our main protagonist, Ashley. This is fine overall for a YA/Teen zombie apocalypse story.
The first 40% of the story was interesting and got my attention. Unfortunately, as the story went on, my interest and enjoyment decreased.

It is a pet peeve of mine when an author decides to use made up swear words. Each time I had to read "deaddamn," I wanted to scream. If you don't want to swear or use certain swear words for religious reasons...just don't include them. If it is to not age the book out of your target demographic...don't use them. It's really that simple.

Typically one to read Romantasy and romance, I picked up Those Who Survive with zero expectations and it completely blew me away!
The story follows Ashley, who is forced to join the very organization she despises in order to save those important to her. I enjoyed seeing Ashley’s transformation throughout the book, and appreciated that she wasn’t immediately the best at everything and actually struggled a bit at the beginning during training.
The world building was *chef’s kiss*! I was completely immersed in the post-apocalyptic world K.N. Milde built, from the setting and how the training camp operated to the different types of zombies and how they functioned within the story.
An action-packed and emotional read, if you’re a fan of zombies or post-apocalyptic worlds, you have to read this one!
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter for the arc!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I must say that I was not sure about this one when I started, not being much of a zombie fan overall, but I actually really liked this. I enjoyed the focus on the camaraderie and friendship rather than a romance. I also very much appreciated the detailed descriptions of the virus and all the different types of zombie. Recommend if you are a fan of the genre!

Those Who Survive is a bit of The Last of US and The Walking Dead, with a bit of Attack on Titan. We follow Ashley, one of the Privileged in this apocalyptic society, who plans to escape the walled city with her friends, entering infected territory. They all have their reasons for wanting to leave the safety of the city but Ashley can’t forgive SPORE, the military that defends what’s left of humanity, for the death of her father. Unfortunately things go sideways after their group encounters infected after leaving the safety of the city. Ashley is saved by SPORE, but is forced to join their ranks and enter cadet training.

I flew through this book, the characters were lovable and complex and the mystery of the Exiled had me hooked. I felt that this novel avoids a lot of common YA tropes, such as a main character who is inexplicably good at everything and can do no wrong. I was invested in Ashley’s growth as she struggles with training and who she can trust in an environment of intrigue and difficult choices.

The setting of a military training academy was also a nice touch. It avoids the pitfalls of survivors on the run giving focus to the mysteries that will be explored. It was interesting to see the military training side of a zombie apocalypse story and the politics of surviving, the organization of the society, and the different types of zombies. I hope the author will revisit this world again. While story is wrapped up nicely, there is potential to follow-up on events that happened in the climax and conclusion.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher. I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Fast-paced and intense, Those Who Survive delivers a gripping dystopian ride with high stakes and sharp twists. Ashley’s struggle against both the infected and the system that betrayed her makes for a compelling, emotional journey. A strong debut that balances action, heartbreak, and rebellion.

I love this mix of zombies and the struggle of living in a dystopian future. It reminds me of The Last of Us. I love the writing style, it really suits the plot and mood in the story. I would love to read more from Milde.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

This book was interesting but I felt like I had read similar to it. I enjoyed the story and the concept but I kept having the nostalgia of reading this before which is the reason I cannot rate any higher

I loved this book! At first it was slow to start and took me a while to get into it but when I got to the second part of the book, I was hooked. I love Cris and Ashley and their journey and all of the friendships. I am not normally a fan of zombie books but I have to say that I may be now because of this book. I was constantly on edge wondering what was going to happen next. I would definitely recommend this book to any dystopian lovers.

Thank you to net galley, the publisher and K. N. Milde for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is perfect for TLOU fans. It incorporates the infected whilst placing the main character into a militarism atmosphere, one in which Ashley grew to hate.

Those Who Survive is like The Last of Us mixed with modern tropes like enemies to lovers. The main character is relatable but can also make you frustrated with some of their decisions—or lack of decisions. The story jumps into the action quickly, which makes it a fast and enjoyable read.

There are some tougher themes, depending on your comfort level, but that’s expected in the post-apocalyptic world K.N. Milde has built. Fans of the genre will feel at home in this bleak but captivating setting.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy (ARC) of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly loved this book. I thought it would be very YA as the main characters are teenagers, but it didn't read as YA at all. It was fast paced and clever and constantly kept me guessing. It was full of emotion and heart ache, whilst also being completely action packed and bad ass. I genuinely hope this book gets more traction as I think it is so well written, and a glorious debut.

It was thrilling and enjoyable. I like post apocalyptic and survival books and I feel like this book scratched the itch of everything I love about this type of books. The story gripped me and left me wanting more. PTSD, you don’t know who to trust, it involves some themes that are scary close to reality.
Overall I’m happy I read the book.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

It's been SO long since I read a good dystopian / post apocalyptic book so when this landed in my inbox I thought I'd give it a go.

This book has total Last of Us vibes but with a different plot, so if you loved that show you will love this. Ash is human and lives in one of the five sectors which are kept separate from the 'outside' where the infected roam. SPORE are the sector protection force, and they hold the line between humanity and the infected. Years ago, Ash's dad was a celebrated soldier for spore, but he was killed and left for dead by his comrades, and ever since Ash has despised spore and all they stand for. But after her attempt to escape enlistment goes south, she is forced to join the one thing she truly hates...

I honestly loved this book. I thought it would be very YA as the main characters are teenagers, but it didn't read as YA at all. It was fast paced and clever and constantly kept me guessing. It was full of emotion and heart ache, whilst also being completely action packed and bad ass. I genuinely hope this book gets more traction as I think it is so well written, and a glorious debut.

If you are a fan of zombies, dystopia and post apocalyptic stories, make sure you give it a go.

Thank you @onemorechapterhc and #NetGalley for the e arc.

I love zombie stories! And more importantly, I love reading about how humans struggle, survive and find joy in the middle of the world falling apart. Milde did a great job with this world and these characters! I was interested throughout the book and enjoyed the mix of emotional growth and zombie action!

This was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed from this type of book. I was engaged with the world and the characters that was going on in this plot. I thought the characters were everything that I wanted and thought they worked well in this storyline. K. N. Milde has a strong writing style and am excited for more.

This is a post-apocalyptic story. I had always wondered what it would be like to live in a world where the unimaginable is the main theme and survival is of the utmost importance.

In real life, though, the unthinkable does happen but we are the zombies.

This story has all the elements of a sci-fi/fantasy/suspense. I appreciated all the effort that went into creating the world I just read about.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsUK #OneMoreChapter for this #ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

#ThoseWhoSurvive #KNMilde

There was a lot going on in this story but it was really
Fun and kinda crazy! Romance, survival, a training academy. I don’t know that it was for me but it wasn’t the books fault, just the genre I’m realizing I don’t like. I think others would enjoy a lot!

Reads like a zombie comic with a hint of the movie Aliens. Themes similar to Fourth Wing-- enemies to lovers, never know who to trust, and a Draconian fascist government bent on stupidly destroying more humans than the enemy does. I may have missed something, but it looks like no people of color survived the apocalypse.
This is romance not military fiction, which consistently favors drama over logic. To save herself, the main character doesn’t bother to pick up her own shoes, a superior weapon, or any spare ammo when she has a chance, making me want to throw the book. Her frequent wounds conveniently go away and don’t cause issues. The SPORE are stuck at puzzling low tech (Civil War medicine) with no strategy. The arbitrary differentiation between types was not believable or consistent. When the “intelligent” person with medical training ignores the fifth type in her hands, it broke my suspension of disbelief altogether. I stopped recording logic issues somewhere around a dozen but won’t bore you. I will say that the portrayal of child-soldiers with PTSD even before serving seemed realistic.