Review: Writing on the Wall by Tracey Ward

Writing on the Wall by Tracey Ward

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic

[Goodreads | Amazon]

"I’m a girl stuck in Neverland with The Lost Boys. I’m
no Wendy, I can hold my own. I don’t need to wait
around for Peter to save me, but I’m also not an idiot. I know my enemies."

It's been nearly a decade since the world ended. Since Joss watched her parents die at the hands of a nightmare, a nightmare that stalks her even now, all these years later. That's the problem with the Risen - they refuse to die.

But Joss is a survivor. A loner living in the post-apocalyptic streets of Seattle. It's a world dictated by Risen and the looming threat of the Colonists, a group of fellow survivors living comfortably in their compounds and patrolling the wild, looking to "save" the orphans of the end. 

Orphans like Joss. 
Like Ryan.

As a member of an all male gang, Ryan is a threat as real as the Risen, a threat Joss avoids at all costs. Then one night their paths cross and Joss makes a choice that goes against all of her instincts. A choice that will threaten everything she has.

Now a new outbreak is imminent and the Colonists are closing in. Joss' solitary, secret world will be blown wide open and the comfortable numbness she's lived in for the last six years will burn away leaving her aching and afraid. 

And awake.

This book popped up on Amazon as a freebie, and I decided to take a gamble and read it. Let's just say I was not disappointed! I devoured it in one sitting, unable to put it down because of the fast pace and amazing delivery. 

Me during the entire book.

For starters, it's so easy to love the female lead. She isn't a Mary Sue. She's very real with very real issues. But in spite of them, she stays strong and true to herself. You cannot help but root for her from beginning to end without a second thought. So many female leads fall into the stereotypical Mary Sue category that I was doing my own happy dance as I got to discover more about her and her complexities as the story unfolded.

Truth be told, I've never been into the whole zombie scene before. The above gif is exactly why. I still won't be, I'm sure. (Tracey has converted me with her series featuring zombies and kick-ass female leads.) But this book was able to make zombies prominent without the over-saturation that I was weary of. Zombies are a large part of the story, but the author is able to weave so much more into it.

Unrelated, but I can just mention how giddy I got with the Middle Earth/LotR references? It made the book that much more enjoyable! I will forever picture Crazy Crenshaw as Gandalf and Radagast's love child. 

Lastly, the cliffhanger; brutal! I'll be waiting with bated breath for the next installment of the series. And I'll definitely be suggesting it to my group of friends who enjoy dystopian YA stories!