Kick at the Darkness by Keira Andrews

KA Books Presents http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YD5XLP4/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_0

Blurb

College freshman Parker Osborne is having the worst day ever. He humiliates himself trying to pick up a cute guy, he hasn’t made any friends at school, and his stupidly hot jerk of a TA gave him a crappy grade on his paper. He’s going to drop Adam Hawkins’ film class and start fresh tomorrow after he’s had a good sulk.

But Parker’s about to find out what a bad day really looks like—if he can survive the night.

A virus is unleashed, transforming infected people into zombie-like killers. After these quick and deadly creepers swarm campus, Parker only escapes thanks to Adam swooping him onto the back of his trusty motorcycle. Now they’re on the run—and stuck with each other.

When they’re not bickering, they’re fighting off the infected in a bloody battle for survival. Their only hope is to head east to Parker’s family, but orphaned Adam has a secret he’s not sure Parker will accept: he’s a werewolf. Can they trust each other enough to find some light in these dark days?

Review

When I read the blurb I said – what? Keira Andrews? Yes! Zombies? Heck Yes! Werewolves? Eff Yes!

(I used a different word than heck and eff but…)

I was NOT disappointed.

This story captures your attention right from the beginning.

Parker is an uptight, insecure freshman at Stanford. He’s used to being the big fish in a small pond and now he’s … not.

He meets his TA Adam over a bad grade in what is supposed to be a super easy class. Adam, of course, thinks the course is important and not just “filler” so he’s offended by Parker’s disdain.

It isn’t too long before the two accidentally meet in the quad on the day the “creepers” (zombies) take over the university. In a move that changes both their lives, Adam rescues Parker on the back of his bike and rides off with him to safety.

In the beginning there is a lot of sexual tension – Parker thinks Adam has a girlfriend. Adam has a secret he’s trying to keep from Parker. But both are really attracted to one another.

Of course at every turn they are also battling this unknown element – the virally infected hordes who mindlessly try to eat you if you get in their way.

Over the course of days and weeks they head cross country, trying to reach Parker’s family on the East Coast, and stay alive through both creeper invasions and vigilante challenges.

When Adam gets bitten it looks like their time together may be over or at least changed, since nobody knows how the disease is transferred. Luckily they meet someone who can help with that information.

The ending is… well… appropriate. I’m not sure if she’s setting us up for a sequel (Please, please, please!) or if a Zombie Apocalypse only has so many endings… but … it’s a definite HFN for their survival and HEA for their love.

**

What I loved about this book was the many different layers. Both Parker and Adam have felt marginalized in their lives – for different reasons. The fear of the unknown pushes them together faster than normal, but it still feels very organic and real. The human nature shown by the mobs of scared people felt real and the reaction to a possible cure brought up some real moral questions that struck a cord.

I loved Keira’s Rumspringa series and was so happy to see that her writing chops are well prepared to cover this entirely different genre.

In fact – maybe even better?

I highly recommend this book and give it 6 of 5 hearts!

*More more more!!!