Stung [Review]

Stats:
#1 in series
304 Pages [Hardcover]
Published 2 April 2013
ISBN:  0802734189
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Synopsis:
There is no cure for being stung.

Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered—her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand—a black oval with five marks on either side—that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. She’s right.

Those bearing the tattoo have turned into mindless, violent beasts that roam the streets and sewers, preying upon the unbranded while a select few live protected inside a fortress-like wall, their lives devoted to rebuilding society and killing all who bear the mark.

Now Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall.


My Thoughts:
Stung starts out in true Walking Dead fashion with our main character waking up in a "zombie" apocalypse. Fiona wakes up in a dusty, decrepit looking room in an even more dusty, decrepit, and very empty house. She doesn't recognize herself in the mirror - she looks older and more womanly than when she went to sleep. She hears a noise in the house and it ends up being her twin brother turned "zombie" - she has a strange tattoo on her hand that she doesn't remember getting.

I really loved Stung's version of the zombie apocalypse, which included the extinction of bees - and the creation of a new bee that got a little out of hand. Those with the tattoos have received vaccinations to prevent the bee flu that is being spread by the new genetically created bees. The vaccinations worked okay for a while, but then those who were lucky enough to receive any amount of the vaccine start to go insane. The more they received, the crazier they are.

The romance was a little bit cliched, but I honestly don't mind it that much. I also loved the cliffhanger and cannot wait for the next installment.

Disclaimer: I received an e-galley copy of Stung from Bloomsbury USA Children's Books via Netgalley.


Previous Review:
The Selection by Kiera Cass [here]

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