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    Donners of the Dead
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    Donners of the Dead
    Unavailable
    Donners of the Dead
    Ebook261 pages3 hours

    Donners of the Dead

    By Karina Halle

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    A note from the author about this book: Donners of the Dead is a historical horror romance set in the Old West of 1851 – couples were often thrust into marriage together with short courtships, racism was widespread and not overly frowned upon, and women had little to no rights. What wouldn't fly in today's day and age was unfortunately the norm back then - it is worth keeping that in mind when reading this book. There are themes of racism and prejudice that might upset sensitive readers.There is also sex, adult themes, and gore, because, you know, zombies.

    ~~~Jake McGraw was unlike anyone I’d ever known. He was brash, rude, unapologetic and arrogant; chauvinistic, close-minded, and terribly stubborn. He was built like a tree, tall with a hard chest and wide shoulders and hands that looked like they could wrestle a bear. He was a cigar-chomping, scruffy-faced, beast of a man. I was pretty sure I hated him. And I know he hated me. But among the flesh-eating monsters in these snow-capped mountains, he was the only thing keeping me alive.~~~

    The year is 1851 and pioneers in search of California gold are still afraid to travel on the same route as the tragic Donner party did years before. When the last wagon train to go into the Sierra Nevada mountains fails to arrive at their destination, Eve Smith, an 18-year old half-native girl with immense tracking skills is brought along with the search party, headed by an enigmatic former Texas Ranger, Jake McGraw.

    What they find deep in the dangerous snow-covered terrain is a terrifying consequence of cannibalism, giving new meaning to the term “monster.” While the search party is slowly picked off, one by one, Eve must learn to trust Jake, who harbors more than a few secrets of his own, in order to survive and prevent the monstrosities from reaching civilization.

    Additional note: This book contains two excerpts from upcoming books - Karina Halle's Dust to Dust (Experiment in Terror #9) and Madeline Sheehan's The Beginning of the End. As such, Donners of the Dead ends at about 95% on your ereader.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKarina Halle
    Release dateFeb 23, 2014
    ISBN9781311469373
    Unavailable
    Donners of the Dead
    Author

    Karina Halle

    Karina Halle is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of Disarm and Discretion in The Dumonts series as well as The Pact, The Offer, The Play, and more than fifty other wild and romantic reads. A former travel writer and music journalist, she currently lives in a rain forest on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and their adopted pit bull. There they operate a bed-and-breakfast that’s perfect for writers’ retreats. In the winter, you can often find them in California or on their beloved island of Kauai, soaking up as much sun—and inspiration—as possible. Visit Karina online at www.authorkarinahalle.com.

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    Reviews for Donners of the Dead

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    • 4/5
      Loved this story. though I don't recommend reading it while eating. not your average zombie book. first crushes, first loves and adventure, throw in some head removal with an axe and you have another great read by non other, Karina Halle
    • 2/5
      I was generously provided an e-ARC from Rockstar PR. Thank you!Things are subject to change in the published version. Please keep that in mind while reading this review.I was so excited to see that Karina Halle was going to have a standalone zombie romance coming out in just a few months! (This was when she announced it a few months ago.) I was just finishing up Shooting Scars at the time and I knew that I loved her writing. Her writing style is very fast-paced, thorough-but not boring or overly explained, and just so damn sexy. When I received the ARC I thought that I was going to die of happiness. As part Native American, myself, I was excited to see that the main character, Eve was a Native also. It isn't something that is covered in modern novels a lot.As you can see from the synopsis above, there is a warning that people were racist in this time period. Of course she couldn't write around something like that. I am glad she didn't. I didn't have a problem with the racist characters. Jake was old-sour-Jake and her uncle was typical of older men in the West. However, what I was offended by was Halle's representation of the main character, Eve. I loved that she was educated with help from a friend, and I loved that she "wasn't a lady". What I didn't like was the first half of the book, Eve would talk about how her nose could pick up scents that other people's couldn't (and also a brief moment where her vision stretched farther than most).This quote is from the e-ARC I was provided. Things might have been edited in the published version."'I don't think he's coming back,' I said quietly, my voice sounding deep in the stillness.""'How do you know that?' Pat said scornfully. 'Don't tell me it's your half-breed mumbo-jumbo.'That was precisely why, but of course I didn't say that."Let me reiterate the fact that I respect Halle as an author and as a person. (She is very awesome to her fans on Facebook and Twitter. Very down to Earth.) With that said, I am not upset with the racist dialogue in this book. It is something that is real, whether it was back in this time period or in the 21st Century. What upset me (and what I couldn't really get past) while I was reading the rest of the book, was the fact that her "super Native powers" (...that is what I am calling them) were not explained. I thought that they might be at the end of the book. I was hopeful so I kept reading. I am glad I did because the romance was great.The fact that Eve was hired to be the groups' tracker was understandable. She was half-Native and well-known in the community as a tracker. That sounds good. I can get on board with that, she had talked about how close she was with her Native father. When it came time to actually track something, Eve was all over the slightest smell and she could identify it right away. This, is sometimes the case with people... when they are up close to something, not walking upright in the snow.I just wish this idea was handled differently. Maybe tell us that she has special powers. It would be plausible, there are zombies after-all.The romance was great. Of course... it's Karina Halle... or Karina "fucking" Halle! as her fans often say. Sometimes there is so much build up to a romance that it can be unbearable, but Eve and Jake, I felt, were realistic. Jake is a tough Ranger who has killed many people in battle, among other things. Eve is a petite, young, tenacious girl. With everything happening on their trip up the Sierra Nevada's their relationship is understandable. I didn't feel much for Jake, but I did like how he treated Eve despite their situation and his reputation. Okay, maybe things weren't perfect... but it was the Old West!The zombies were okay. With the exception of the horse-zombie at the very beginning I felt that they just sort of... happened.... There was an explanation as to how the zombies were made. They eat flesh and they turn themselves. But, I didn't feel that there was a good enough story behind them. It's titled Donners of the Dead for a reason, but it didn't much focus on them.But... lots of other people die. So that was fun.Possible spoilers below.The end wasn't satisfying. It left me feeling like the story was told for no reason. I know this was a romance. A short one at that... only 140 pages. (Yes, it was good.) But they left the mountain and didn't look back. Basically saying "Oh yeah, the zombies might still be up there... I guess we shouldn't trek up there again." They didn't notify anyone!Donners of the Dead might have satisfied me if it were a series. I am sure people say that a lot with standalone novels. The fact is, for me, anyway, that the beginning was not fun. Her "special Native Powers" were not explained and the epilogue was a predictable happy ending. It was definitely not what I was expecting.
    • 5/5
      First let me start off by saying two things: 1) I normally don't read anything considered historical. Not sure why but it's just not my thing. 2) I also tend to stay away from Horror stories, I prefer romance. Those two things being said I ADORE anything written by Karina Halle and even though this book is obviously not something I would normally go for, I gave it a chance and like any other Karina Halle book I have read, I LOVED it. *BEWARE* Fan-girling here for a second. Karina's writing is so fluid and just pulls you in instantly. In everything I have ever read by her, I see myself there. I experience the story. Whether it be the rush, cons and steamy scenes it T.A.T or scared out of my mind in the E.I.T and Devil's Metal Series, I feel like I am there experiencing ever single thing! I know going in that even if the story is primarily focused on other things aside from romance, like in this story, that I am going to enjoy the ride.

      I have to say I liked Eve instantly. She followed her instincts and her heritage. She trusted her senses and they never let her down. It is prefaced that there is some racism in this story, and there is, but not as much as I assumed there would be. Eve is considered a halfbreed, half white and half Indian. Like her father she is considered a tracker, her sense of smell alone saves this girl for real. That blew my mind, but I believe it possible. She is asked to go on this journey in search of the Donner family who were lost in the mountains and then the rescue team that was sent out never returned except for one lone man. She knew instantly that something wasn't right but agreed to go.

      Jake is a bit of an asshole. But that being said I understand why he is hardened but it is easy to see that just because he is an ass, doesn't mean he won't stop harm coming for anyone in his team if he can help it. They go into the mountains in search of one thing, but find something so unexpected it is almost unbelievable if they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes.

      This story kept me on the edge of my seat. Waiting to see what would happen next. This is a horror story, but for those leery of reading because of that alone, there is also romance. But remember when survival is forefront in your mind who has time for love. It's all about getting out alive. Finding yourself and love is just a bonus.
    • 4/5
      ‘It was more than a sense or a smell, picking up on who was here before. There was a feeling that something terrible happened here and that feeling was snaking up my body, intent to drown me in it.’It’s 1851 and in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, 18 year old half-native Eve Smith is approached by a group of men requesting her assistance in tracking evidence of the Donner Party. A seemingly simple excursion quickly turns into a nightmare brought to life.Growing up in Northern California, I learned a lot about the Donner Party early on and even went on a few field trips to visit the sites. The information I read about never bothered me too bad because the issues these people faced seemed like such an alien concept. Donners of the Dead really brought that concept to life and I’m going to be hard-pressed to ever get it out of my mind.‘It raised its head and looked at me. There was no air in my lungs now, the whole forest seemed to still at that moment, as if it too were chilled by the monster’s presence, the smell of evil. It was when it smiled at me with bloodstained teeth that I snapped out of it.’The monsters that Eve and her party discover in the woods seemed at first to be some type of zombie but Karina Halle applied the Algonquin based Wendigo legend to explaining these creatures. The following is a line from a website explaining the Wendigo legend which describes these gruesome creatures perfectly: “By eating another human being, even out of necessity for survival, a human can be overcome by these spirits and be transformed into one. The fear of turning into this creature was so strong that it was preferable to kill one’s self rather than resort to cannibalism.” -Source“We’re still human even in the fact of beasts, even with our lives at risk. When you’re close to death, love is sometimes the only thing that makes sense in life.”The romance between Eve and Jake was a bit out of left field for me considering Jake’s racist leanings toward Indians due to them being responsible for the death of his family. Seeing him overcome his issues in order to be happy with Eve was touching but didn’t strike me as being very likely especially how quickly his feelings develop. The perilous positions they continued to find themselves in the middle of do enough to justify these doubts though seeing as they needed someone, anyone, to rely on.Donners of the Dead is an eclectic mix of cannibalistic horror and romance but is an enjoyable, thrilling and unforgettable read.