THE QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS

Hostilities between Anima Industries and the zombie slayers escalate into all-out war in this trilogy conclusion.

The teenage zombie slayers’ relative peace is shattered when Anima, the evil company doing zombie research, launches a series of attacks meant to eliminate them. When faced with a comrade’s severe injuries, Ali discovers via a desperate experiment that the magical zombie-killing fire heals slayers. Unfortunately, though, it can’t help dead slayers, so Ali and friends must find their fellow survivors before it’s too late. Publicly, Anima’s made it look like the attacks were a gang war between Cole’s group and another band of teenage zombie fighters—leading to a tense union of both crowds. While at times it is hard to keep track of the large cast, it’s always safe to assume that any given guy is an alpha male. Meanwhile, Ali and Cole incrementally progress in their physical intimacy (subject to comical interruptions). Between finding the missing slayers and the slow march to sex, the story becomes repetitive at times, but Showalter’s witty zingers will keep readers cackling. A mysterious woman heralds yet-undiscovered abilities for Ali, as well as devastating secrets from the past that endanger aspects of her personal life and reveal more of Anima’s history. The ending thoroughly concludes the series.

Funny, sexy, action-packed and tragic in all the right moments.