Review #92- Cruise of the Undead- Laura A. Hansen

Summary: 

Zombies on a cruise ship. What would you do? 

Fifteen-year-old Charlie is P.O.'ed that his parents have wasted a perfectly good Christmas break by forcing him on a cruise with a bunch of oldies. But the old people are a piece of cake compared to the dead people. Some late night sneaking around by Charlie and his brother Jack convince them that the unimaginable is really happening: the recently dead are walking the ship. After a gruesome attack at the Death by Chocolate Buffet, a seriously scary comedy of clashing personalities occurs when intense Charlie and his hip hop, extroverted younger brother Jack forge an alliance to defeat the zombie menace. The boys and their friends take on the zombie crew in a gripping struggle to save themselves, their families and the other passengers from an ugly undeath. 

With horror, humor, and a dash of romance, this fast-paced adventure races through the zombie-infested South Pacific.

Title: Cruise of the Undead
Author: Laura A. Hansen
Pages: 213
Series: Zombies in Paradise
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Review: Last year I had entered a giveaway, and won a signed copy of Cruise of the Undead, unfortunately I hadn't had time to read it until now. Firstly, I just want to say " Hello, who wouldn't like this book? It has zombies duh!!!" Now these aren't The Walking Dead zombies by any means, this story is intended for a younger audience. They were still flesh eating zombies, just not as intense. I loved how this book had such a fresh take on the zombie Apocolypse. Have you ever read a book about zombies on a cruise ship? Me neither until now! I found it believe able at first how the parents of the main characters didn't believe them about the zombies and said they played too many video games, then when their parents saw for themselves what was happening they sang a different tune. But the parents fell short as heros for me, because they didn't really have any idea what to do which lead the kids to essentially because the "adults". 

I feel like Laura A. Hansen hit the nail on the head with these characters. Charlie was way too cool to

 be on a cruise with his parents and younger brother, I mean he is 15. Jack, his younger brotherwas still   young enough to play with other kids on the ship, leading Charlie to be even moodier because he 

had no one to hang out with. That was until he spotted Savannah, the only other teenager. Did I mention she was a girl. Probably a hot little thing. They are grouped together and became quite the little zombie hunting team saving the adults from certain death.

I can't wait to read the second book in the series and see where they end up next. I hope that the same characters are in the next one. I would recommend this book for younger Ya readers, 15 and under, due to some of the simplicity of the story. 

Thanks Laura A Hansen for the great read and a trophy book for the collection!!

About the series:Cruise of the Undead is the first book in the new Zombies in Paradise series. Each book in the series takes the reader to a new and fabulous setting, where the reader confronts an increasingly deadly paranormal menace. The next book in the Zombies in Paradise series will be released in the spring of 2013. The books are available at Amazon.com andCruiseoftheUndead.com in both paperback and kindle versions.

Laura A. Hansen was born in a suburb outside of St. Louis, Missouri and has spent most of her life in the Midwest. In her day job she is a cancer biologist, professor, and educator, with several advanced degrees including a Ph.D. in Toxicology. Her cancer research has earned international recognition and taken her around the world, including a recent stay in Copenhagen, Denmark. Dr. Hansen has been a professional writer her whole adult life, although primarily as a scientific and technical writer. Cruise of the Undead, published in 2012, was her first young adult novel and will be followed by other books in the Zombies in Paradise series.

Dr. Hansen is the mother of two boys, who provided the inspiration for Cruise of the Undead. She started writing fiction when she wanted to capture the spirit of her crazy kids in that brief and turbulent time between childhood and adulthood – their tween and teen years. The main characters in Cruise of the Undead draw heavily from the personalities of her sons, and various plot elements were inspired by experiences on happy, but zombie-free, family cruises.

Dr. Hansen lives in the Omaha metro area with her husband, children, dog, and cat. Visit her on the web at www.cruiseoftheundead.com.