The Dead Weight, 4 Stars

The Dead Weight by Jo Salazar. YA Dystopian Thriller.

Welcome to "A Fleeting Thought" where I post relatively short and to the point book reviews.

Book summary at end of review.

This was a fun and quick read where the action took off on literally page 33. While we follow a 16 year old character, I don't feel like it was dumbed down or made "childish" at all. I'm a certified vampire lover, but this zombie apocalypse was fun. These are zombies I haven't seen before, either.

I felt that the author did a great job of making me love or hate characters. It was a bit predictable in who was going to get killed and when, but that didn't take away from the storyline. There were certain characters that Salazar wrote to be so annoying, I couldn't wait until she killed them off. Horrible, I know. But true.

Why didn't it get five stars from me?

I did wish for a little more character development with our main character. We get some insight as to why she's at the Pegasus center, but I really wish that would have been explored more because it was so integral to why Quinn operated the way she did.

All in all, a fun apocalypse read. Thank you so much to the author, Jo Salazar, for sending me such a thoughtful and fun PR package. While I did receive this as a gift, that in no way impacts my opinions. These are my honest thoughts.

Book summary:

There used to be twelve of us. We lived behind locked doors, deemed too dangerous for society. But the carrier plague has changed all that. Now that the world has ended, survival is the only thing that matters. So far, I’ve learned two things. First, I was born for the apocalypse. Second, when someone shows you who they really are, believe them... and show no mercy.

---

After failing out of multiple foster homes and narrowly escaping juvenile detention, sixteen-year-old Quinn is undergoing therapy and rehabilitation at a residential treatment center. When Quinn and her best friend, Keisha, sneak onto the roof of the treatment center to look at the stars, they have no idea they’ll be getting a front row seat to the start of the zombie apocalypse.

As zombies, or “carriers” as the news calls them, infiltrate the treatment center, escape becomes essential. Quinn and Keisha make a pact to leave together, but several unexpected tag-alongs complicate their plans.

As the girls battle the carriers and wrestle with their doubts about each other, who will survive and who is just dead weight?