Sick

I believed the narrator was a teenage boy. Action on every page. Not thought provoking-but a quick, fun, read.

Set in an Arizona high school, this fast-paced story of a zombie virus taking over a school starts a bit slow, but speeds up quickly! Full of blood, gore, friendship, and sacrifice, it's a great read for zombie or horror loving teens.Recommended.

Not the best zombie book I've read but most certainly not the worst. It did have it's moments. It's marketed as a young adult novel so it did come across sometimes as juvenile but I still likey it. Plus it did have zombies in it.

High school is a place where many kids feel like they just don't fit in. That is definitely true for Brian and his friends, a collection of misfits who decided to skip a few classes they day of the school pep rally. They get back to school just in time for stagecraft class, and for a deadly virus to take hold of their school. A strange sickness has rapidly spread, something that gives people a drawn, wasted look and develops crusty scales, oh- and it gives the infected person a taste for human bone. Ground zero is the pep rally, but the theatre building is farther away and able to be protected. It's too bad that Brian's sister and ex-girlfriend decided to go to the pep-rally, now Brian has to find a way to get the girls out of the zombie infested hallways as well as the stagecraft class. This is a very fast-paced young adult zombie outbreak story that does not skip on the gore and held me in suspense. Centered in a high school with high schoolers as the only uninfected people left, I was really interested to see how high school dynamics would go into play. Especially since this high school was overcrowded, had a lot of racial tension and general intolerance of anyone who is different. Luckily, this group of survivors is centered in the theatre, where different is the norm. When any differences are brought up, they manage to be quickly resolved or changed in the minds of the teenagers for the benefit of survival. I was really interested in the virus itself and I got a little bit of information on it through Brian's mom, who was on the first response team. I did want to find out if there was a cure and how it began. The book really just focused on the outbreak itself and how this small group of highschoolers was able to survive. There were some very awesome moments of zombie smackdowns and creative weaponry, but there was no resolve after the teens were rescued from the school.This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

I loved it! It was creepy and definitely had me on the edge for most of the book. I couldn't even imagine what I would do in the same position that these kids were in. Just thinking about it is giving me the shivers! I love the fact that nothing is really cleared up so your left wondering what caused it or how it's going to be cleared up. It just makes you think about it for awhile after you've finished.

Brian is kind of a slacker in school. His grades aren't the best and he isn't adverse to ditching a few periods with his friends. One day, he chooses to ditch school and notices a lot of sick people around. His mother is a doctor and gets called out of town to assess a mysterious situation. This all while spreading reports of violence plague the news. He thinks it's a bit weird, but goes on with his life. Brian returns to school and helps build sets for drama instead of going to a pep rally. Lucky for him (an unlucky for everyone there), the pep rally turns into a riot as people they know have lost their minds, attacking others. Now his sister and ex-girlfriend are trapped in the school somewhere and Brian sets out to save them.Brian and his friends are the most unlikely heroes for the zombie apocalypse. Brian is a nice person, but slacks in some areas. His best friend Chad is an aggressive jerk who doesn't care about offending people or getting in someone's face. Both of them really step it up o save their friends. Brian is surprisingly protective of his sister and discovers he still has feelings for his anxiety ridden ex. Chad finds he's not as bloodthirsty as he thought and acts nobly to save as many people as possible. I thought I would hate them at the beginning of the book, but they actually grew and became people I like over the course of the novel.The zombies are a little different than the normal. The first signs of infection are normal cold or flu-like symptoms with crystal-like formations. These formations get more and more out of control until they finally become full zombie. Brian thinks they consume bone marrow to try to cure their illness, but it's never seen how true that is. Brian's mom insists that they should hurt these sick people, but that's incredibly unrealistic. When people are salivating after my flesh, I'm going to fight back and so do Brian and his friends.Overall, I liked the book and it's design. The chapter pages has the time and a growing amount of zombies as it goes along with blood splatter on the first pages of each chapter. It's a cool effect that illustrates how dire the situation is and how many zombies populate the world. The book has some flaws. Too much time was spend being holed up in the drama room. I felt it was a missed opportunity and the pacing of the novel suffered. Brian's ex-girlfriend has an anxiety disorder and I thought it would be an interesting opportunity in an apocalypse situation. Somehow, she doesn't have an negative effects because of it as if it was magically cured by something extremely anxiety inducing for everyone. It was enjoyable and it was a very fast read. I would read a sequel to see where the story goes.

Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.Sick was kind of a weird read for me. I went into it expecting this awesome, kick-ass crew of people fighting terrifying zombies that are in lockdown with them. But I didn't really get that, to tell you the truth. While there was zombies, and there was a group of people fighting them, most of the story centers around Brian and his problems with that. I felt like Chad (my personal favorite) would have been a better main character, because he was enlisting, and it seemed like he was doing a lot of the planning/fighting.But since Brian was the main character, I'll talk about him. I didn't actually particularly care for him. He was so... indecisive. I felt like he didn't really know what he wanted, besides getting his sister safe. Which is a noble cause, yes. But once his sister was safe, it was his ex-girlfriend. It's like he didn't really care who got hurt trying to save "his" stuff. (Which it seems mean to call them stuff, but I'm just trying to make a generalization.)I tried to like Brian, but... I enjoyed his friend Chad so much more! He was sweet, and even if he was prone to being a total jerk sometimes, it's still obvious that he cares. And I love what they start calling him towards the end... "Ten Ball". Like a billiards (#10 is blue stripe) ball, because of his mohawk. <3 data-blogger-escaped-p="">Now, towards the end, all sorts of things started to get weird. I generally like zombie books (gross, rotting flesh eating monsters chasing people is so me), but... I felt like the zombies were kind of shallow-ish. Their part of the story wasn't as... filled out as I would have liked it to be. Not enough action or grotesque-ness, I guess. And to be honest, I never really understood where this "plague" came from. There was some kind of explanation, but I didn't really get it.This could have been a lot more dramatic, in my mind. And the ending.. don't even get me started. I thought that the ending would be the clincher-- the thing that solved all of my problems with this book... but it wasn't. All in all, Sick just wasn't the read that I hoped it would be. Chad was the absolute best part... and I can't talk about him right now.

I have thought about this review for about a week since reading this book. My initial reaction was that I really enjoyed it but that some of it bothered me. I am still feeling the same way though, so I will write how I feel about it.Sick starts out as a zombie outbreak type storyline, someone is sick and then craziness begins. It is set in a high school for most of the book and if from the point of view of some teenage high school boys, one in particular. Now given that this was a zombie book it was right up my alley. I love these! Chaos, madness, all out bloodshed and violence; only with this book it kind of wasn’t.Brian the main character is almost too calm throughout the whole ordeal and even sometimes positive about the eventual outcome and his friends, well, they are kind of just mean kids.Apart from this being a zombie story without a really “Oh MY God Zombies are Eating Me!!!!” kind of feel it was also very racist. I can admit that while reading it some of these moments were kind subdued but they were racist none-the-less. Quotes about a black kid looking white and they didn’t that was possible, commenting on a Latino kid and constantly pointing out his race in a derogatory kind of way…. I understand that there are a lot of teens these days that think stuff like this comes off more as humorous than mean, but even if you are writing to an audience there has to be a line. These were not cool and they shouldn’t be condoned.So highlights of the book, yes there were a select few, it was set from a male point of view and I think we need more books for young male readers from the male POV. Brian the main character is overall a good kid, he loves his family and friends and would do anything to save them – that is a good quality to inspire young readers, and lastly the storyline while mostly outside of the zombie norm, was entertaining. It was easy to read and I am glad it was, because otherwise I am not sure I would have made it though it.

I pick up this story, cause well you know me. I love zombies. And a zombie tale in a high school? I’m so there!Plot: This story follows a few teenagers who get stuck in a zombie apocalypse while there are in school. One thing that really captures me in the story, is the piece by piece information of watching people get sick. First it starts off as a cold, then is escalades into a zombie feast. It’s crazy reading each chapter and watching the horrors unfold before the readers eyes. Another great aspect of the story is watching these characters, Brian, Chad, Laura and Kenzie go from teenagers to just trying to survive the day. It had an excellent plot that I would dive into again.ZOMBIES: What would you do if a zombie outbreak happen at your school? You leave the school and then you see it everywhere. It’s on the street, people are running and screaming. You look for your loved ones right? That is what Brain does. He goes on this mission to find his sister Kenzie and his ex-girl Laura. Of course, when a zombie apocalypse happens deep secrets are exposed. This apocalypse lead Brian to look at things differently. It gives Brian strength to do what he needs to do and save the ones he loves.Ending: After all the zombie craziness has happen, the ending is bittersweet. Friends have been lost and actions are done that can’t be taken back. Not to mention the change that happen in both Brian and his friends life. They are not the same. Some for the better and some bad.This is an awesome book to take you on that adventure you need. The familiar movement of life and then hits the unexpected. Sick is an successful story of survival. It captures all the emotions that teens have with the umph of fighting and thought -provoking plot. Sick is gallant.

Title: SickAuthor: Tom LeveenRelease Date: October 1, 2013Publisher: Amulet Books, Harry N. AbramsSource: NetGalley DRCGenre(s): YA Horror, ZombiesReview Spoilers: Maybe Moderate-ishTom Leveen and I have a few things in common. For one, we both went to Arizona State University. Well, I still go there. He graduated. For another, we both apparently like zombies. I mean, he wrote a zombie book and my love of zombies – while it pales in comparison to Kylee’s love of zombies – is pretty damn strong. They actually did a book launch with a zombie walk for Sick on campus but I sadly missed it because of a doctor’s appointment. Sad times, yo. I’m sure it was awesome. The State Press was there though for some reason they only have one picture.For the most part, Sick was an okay book. It’s certainly nothing special and, honestly, I don’t have a lot to say about it. It is definitely not what it claims to be in the dust cover description. The Breakfast Club meets the Walking Dead? Not even close. This book lacks any real amount of depth and doesn’t have even a fraction of the character development you’d expect for someone to make those kinds of high caliber comparisons.Sick is set in an area with which I am very familiar and so is Leveen. It’s set right here in Phoenix where Therese and I are based and, honestly could have been written about Leveen’s school or Therese’s school or any other school in the Valley (except maybe the Scottsdale schools). The characters in the book all seem like fairly normal kids. They are said to be the misfits and outcasts but, honestly, nothing about them really said that to me. So one kid had a mohawk and his ex-girlfriend has a panic disorder. That doesn’t necessarily scream outcasts – especially when one of their friends was an athlete and his girlfriend was a cheerleader. It’s more of an assortment of high school stereotypes if nothing else.So anyway.One random day of school the zombie apocalypse breaks out and Brian and his best friend Chad get stuck in the school theatre building during class. For those of you who aren’t from Arizona or Southern California, we’ve got open air sort of schools where classroom buildings are separated by walkways and students go outside to get from class to class. Brian and Chad and the rest are relatively safe in the theatre building but Brian – in some misguided sense of bravery and duty – decides he has to go find his sister and ex-girlfriend. What ensues is a series of stereotypical zombie film moments and ultimately a conclusion to the story that takes less than a day to wrap up. Honesty, if a zombie apocalypse broke out in Phoenix? You’d be screwed. No one would be coming to save you or help you because there are millions of people ready to turn into raging, sparkly zombies. (Yes, the zombies in this book sparkle.)Honestly, it wasn’t that bad. It was just predictable. The dialogue was a bit random and occasionally racist but, to be fair, that’s how kids talk and how they joked around in high schools these days. Not just here in Phoenix but everywhere. So it didn’t bother me as much as it did other reviewers. (Seriously, there were a lot of reviewers upset about that.) I just wasn’t wowed by this one. Still, it’s worth a read if just to pass the time.Final Thoughts:If you’re looking for something new in zombie literature you won’t necessarily find it here. But if you’re looking for a quick, entertaining zombie read then Sick can definitely deliver. Plus, hey. Gotta support our fellow Sun Devils!

You can read this review and more on my blog here: The Muses CircleMy Review: Zombie books are hitting bookshelves left and right and are being snatched up just as quickly. The problem is finding one that stands out from the rest. When I came across the synopsis for SICK by Tom Leveen, I was instantly intrigued. Leveen usually writes contemporary YA and has a knack for portraying angsty, teenage characters in a realistic, genuine way, such as his novel ZERO (you can read my review for Zero HERE). So when I heard that Leveen was writing about a group of misfit friends that must survive a zombie outbreak, I couldn't have been more excited. This should have been an easy slam dunk for him. Unfortunately, SICK is his first novel that misses the mark.Here is what I liked about the novel. First, I think Leveen did a great job with the setting of the story. I was a bit worried at first because let's face it, SICK is not the first YA zombie novel that takes place in a school (This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers, Generation Dead by Daniel Waters, etc.). However, somehow he takes an overused backdrop and makes it feel new. This perhaps is because the story primarily takes place in the Drama department. I know what your thinking because I originally thought it was a little odd myself. But then I thought to myself, well, if a zombie apocalypse did happen, you never know where you might be, right? Besides, once I got over my initial reservations and read further along, I realized the brilliance behind using the Drama department as the focal point of the story. Most drama students are creative and have the ability to think outside the box. Therefore, it is no surprise when props are used as weapons (like fake/wooden swords) and headsets that are normally used during the production of a show are used to communicate when students have to split up to find others throughout the school.Leveen always creates memorable characters. In SICK, it was the secondary characters that stood out. I really liked Jaime, who basically ran the Drama department and had the most common sense in the group and kept his cool during such dire circumstances. Although we don't get to see her until about halfway through the book, Hollis' girlfriend Cammy is one badass cheerleader. She definitely does not fall into the dumb cheerleader stereotype. And Chad...oh how I love Brian's best friend Chad. My favorite character hands down, Chad is this Mohawk wearing misfit who speaks his mind, often without a filter, and is loyal to a fault. And I absolutely love some of the things that come out of his mouth. Here are a couple of examples:"I'm with you, brother. Say the word, and we're off like a prom dress.""What the snap crackle fuck you talkin' about?"Leveen is also a great description writer. He has the ability to use words that can paint a picture in your mind so vividly:"We watch and scream, and cuss as the attacker tears into Jack like a carnivorous lawn mower, shredding muscle and snapping bone, spraying crimson against the window, which is almost a relief because it helps block the view of the feeding frenzy.""At a quick count, there are no less than thirty students, probably more, moving fast on their toes and knuckles, backs hunched, flesh sagging down their faces, arms engorged and glittering."I also found the storylines interesting. Brian, our main character, is in love with Laura who suffers from a panic disorder. At the beginning of the story, Brian and Laura are broken up but it's quite obvious that the spark is still there. I liked this unconventional love story. In most YA novels, authors focus on the budding of new romance. In SICK, Leveen showcases a couple who are no longer in a relationship but once faced with the possibility of the end of the world, regret and the "what if" questions take hold. There are quite a few other storylines, such as Brian's sister Kenzie's battle with cancer. Then you have his best friend Chad who has been crushing on Kenzie for years but she won't give him the time of day. There is even a hint of a gay romance with other minor characters in the book. I also like how Leveen adds little details pertaining to the complexity of being a teen in the modern world such as the problem with technology and how it can be crippling. There is a part in the story where a student wants to call home but doesn't remember his number because it was programed in his cell phone. Or the scene where Brian realizes being an adult and having to make adult-like decisions is not all its cracked up to be:"Being a teenager sucks. You're not an adult, but not really a kid anymore. We spend most of our time pushing for all of the adult stuff. Cars and money and all that. But when Jaime says home like that, I swear to God I drop to 6 years old because I understand instantly what he means. I just want to go home too."Lastly, if you're going to write about zombies, then you need to give them qualities or characteristics that will make them stand out. I must say that Leveen's zombies are no joke. They are fast, move on all fours due to their severely deformed backs. Their faces tend to melt (starts with a fever that keeps getting worse) and their sparkly skin...yes, I did say sparkly. I'm not even going to attempt to explain that one, but overall, combine with Leveen's vivid descriptions, these zombies were pretty frightening.Here is what I didn't like. First, the synopsis was a bit misleading. Brian and his group of friends are supposed to be the misfits, the troublemakers, yet other then skipping classes, there is really nothing in the story that supports that they are these badasses. Chad, out of all of them, may look the part since he sports a mohawk, however, somewhere in the story he even confesses that he has never touched drugs despite others thinking he is a druggie.Secondly, I feel that what makes this story suffer is Brian, our protagonist. He was not only boring but downright irritating by the end of the book. Brian was also very selfish and self absorbed. It was all about him and his need to find his sister and his ex. What about the other kids and their loved ones? Why is it okay for him to put all the other students' lives at risk but not cool for others to do so when they are just as worried about their loved ones? I also thought it strange that I have no idea what Brian looks like. I don't remember a description of him at all. Usually Leveen is good with characterization, but it felt like Brian was all surface. While others, like his best friend Chad are fighting the zombies and using weapons, Brian did a whole lot of nothing. The secondary characters were way more interesting then Brian. Maybe if the story shared different narrators throughout the book it would have been more bearable. I would have loved to be in Chad's head. Even Brian's ex Laura would have been an interesting narrator since she suffers from a panic disorder. I can only imagine what it must have been like for her, how debilitating such a disorder can be normally, let alone during a zombie outbreak.Lastly, I get that every author has specific plot points in order to move the story and characters along. But in SICK, Leveen seemed to miss something obvious. Let me set the scene. Someone gets bit (don't want to spoil it) and Brian's mom, who is a nurse, gives instructions over the phone as to how to treat the bite temporarily. They must find a sedative, something that will slow down the body. Brian knows that Laura takes Klonopins because of her anxiety disorder. So finding her is like killing two birds with one stone. But things don't turn out quite as planned. Did they EVER think to look in the Nurse's Office? Every school has one. Unless I somehow missed it, not once was the Nurse's Station mentioned. While they may not find Klonopin there, I am sure the Nurse's Office would have something like Benadryl. I guess I am just surprised that the author never thought to mention the most obvious place that would have medication, bandages, and other medical supplies.There is no doubt that Tom Leveen knows how to write edgy, YA literature. There have been times when some of his characters in past books felt like they were coming off the pages. While I really wanted to love SICK, this was, by far, his weakest novel. I know that zombies are hot right now, especially in YA literature and many authors want to have a crack at it. I definitely commend Leveen for trying, but I think this is a great example of an author that should stick with the genre that he knows best.Mia @ The Muses Circle