The Other Life

TITLE: The Other Life

AUTHOR: Susanne Winnacker

SERIES: The Other Life #1

PUBLISHER: Usborne

FORMAT: ARC

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Note: An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Another addition to what is becoming an alarmingly large zombie/apocalypse genre; The Other Life is an entertaining tale with a few unexpected twists. Perhaps not the most captivating novel I have ever read, it has all the key components of what could potentially become a fascinating series.

What I liked most about Sherry was that she was endearingly normal; she didn’t throw herself around in stupid acts of ‘heroism’ and managed to keep a relatively clear head in what I would consider terrifying circumstances. However, sometimes I felt she was a bit too calm. For instance, when she came out of that bunker for the first time I would have expected a joyous or astounded reaction, when all we got was five minutes of dribble about the sun and long grass. I was particularly looking forward to seeing the psychological impacts of her experiences and how she would deal with them, but though it was definitely present in Joshua I was slightly disappointed by the lack in Sherry.

I do wish that perhaps I’d read this book closer to when the second comes out, as the contents were mainly just an introduction to the world and I would have liked something…more. Just when the big ‘twist’ is revealed and things start to look interesting the book ends, and then you have to wait a year to get into the actual plot. Perhaps this is a good thing though, as I certainly do want to read the sequel and find out how Winnacker intends to extend on what she has begun here.

I wasn’t such a fan of the character development though; after 200+ pages I barely felt any real connection to the characters and had no idea of who they really were. Even the main characters lacked some substance, and this made the book feel less realistic, as if there was more imagery than actual content. The writing was also quite flat and simplistic, and did not lend a hand to the already quite flimsy world the author was trying to create.

In short, this is an enjoyable read that’s great for whiling away a couple of hours on a lazy afternoon. I didn’t exactly love this book, nor did I dislike it, and I would wholeheartedly suggest that some areas be drastically improved for the next title in the series. Though I like where the plot seems to be going I felt that it was lacking and somewhat predictable, and perhaps I will wait to see the next few books in the series before I make a final conclusion.