KISS OF LIFE

It’s been one month since Adam took a bullet to the chest and saved Phoebe, the girl of his dreams, in Generation Dead (2008). Now a zombie (er, differently biotic), he doesn’t know if Phoebe’s affection is out of guilt or a love that neither will acknowledge. There’s a lot going on: A string of crimes is blamed on the zombie population, causing a greater rift between the “dbs” (differently biotics) and “trads” (traditional biotics); a mystery surrounds the experiments taking place at the Hunter Foundation, an organization dedicated to uniting both sides of the living spectrum; and Phoebe is torn between Adam and Tommy, her first zombie crush. Adam’s intermittent first-person narration reveals his difficult transformation from monosyllabic utterances to more trad-like behaviors. Although the first book poked fun at the relationship between the living and undead, this slower-paced and less witty continuation focuses on the underground (no pun intended) zombie culture. Dedicated Generation Dead fans are sure to enjoy it, however, especially the conclusion’s sudden string of events and unanswered questions that shout “sequel.” (Fiction. YA)