Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

source: purchased
title: Warm Bodies
author: Isaac Marion
genre: young adult fiction/ humor/ zombie fiction
published: December 25, 2012
pages: 239
first line: I am dead, but it’s not so bad.
rated: 4 out of 5 stars
Fun, quirky and unique.

Blurb:
R is having a no-life crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow Dead. He may occasionally eat people, but he’d rather be riding abandoned airport escalators, listening to Sinatra in the cozy 747 he calls home, or collecting souvenirs from the ruins of civilization.

And then he meets a girl.

First as his captive, then his reluctant house guest, Julie is a blast of living color in R’s gray landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn’t want to eat this girl—although she looks delicious—he wants to protect her. But their unlikely bond will cause ripples they can’t imagine, and their hopeless world won’t change without a fight.

My thoughts:
On my daughter’s recommendation, last month I read Warm Bodies as part of the 24 Hour Read-a-Thon. Author Isaac Marion writes a refreshing take on zombies.
This one is kind of like Romeo & Juliet, except R is a zombie guy and Julie is still alive. We get the story through his eyes. R does not remember his name or his age, or anything really before he died. In a world where the dead walk and the living are trying to stay alive, R comes across Julie one day while out looking for food.

Julie is running with a group of others when they are overcome by zombies hunting. When R sees Julie he knows he cannot kill her so he saves her instead. He takes her home to his zombie community, an abandoned airport.
What happens to R is that he begins to change as he falls in love with Julie. He finds himself becoming more human-like and apparently, this change is contagious. Zombies and the living have never fallen in love with one another, so theirs is a one of a kind romance and one that really turns heads.

The storyline was unique, the writing flowed smoothly and I enjoyed the romance and humor. I did not find any dull spots. The characters are well written and likeable, R made me laugh throughout and he is a sweet hero.

Does that pitiful organ still represent anything? It lies motionless in my chest, pumping no blood, serving no purpose, and yet my feelings still seem to originate inside its cold walls. My muted sadness, my vague longing, my rare flickers of joy.
p.45, Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

I also liked Julie’s character. She is no damsel in distress. She is smart, sassy and she sticks up for what she believes in. I liked that these two share a love of good music, like Frank Sinatra.

Overall, a fun, quirky, sweet story about how love can change people for the better. All you need is love right?

The ending leaves it wide open for a second book and I noticed the author has penned a prequel already. I would read more of his work.

About the author (quoted from Amazon):
I’ve written a few books, but most of them are terrible. Warm Bodies is the only one so far that’s worth your time. I’m about to turn 30. I’m 6’3. White. Left handed. Mildly bearded. I write strange stories about strange events, often from the perspectives of strange things. I apologize in advance for any injury or inconvenience.

This is the movie trailer for Warm Bodies. I watched the film shortly after reading the book. It strays from the book in a few ways, in particular the ending, but was still a fun one to watch.

This has been part of This has been part of R.I.P. X.

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Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I purchased my copy of Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion.
Nothing in this post is available for download. The picture is my own.