Zom-B: Baby (Zom-B #5)
Author: Darren Shan
Published: 2013
On Goodreads
My Rating: 
Rated Z for a zombie teen at a crossroads in her undead life.
…Instead of finding answers,
B finds a horror beyond imagining…
After receiving the news that B was vaccinated and it’s the reason she’s a revitalized zombie with a soul per se, she’s also told that she’s meant to be a part of a war in good versus evil. Dr. Oystein tells her all of this and that she is a welcome addition to his Angels, the league of good revitalizeds that are training to defeat Mr. Dowling, the creepy clown that B has had a run-in with a few times. The crazy part? He also tells her that it’s God that has set him on this path.
It’s not easy to take in and B is struggling to choose whether she wants to be a part of the Angels and a part of this war. It’s all a little farfetched. B takes some time, wandering around London to figure out if this is the path for her. She’s not out to find a new family or friends, but this could give her purpose. As she journeys, she runs into an old acquaintance and…an old nightmare.
Zom-B in review so far…
B still faces being a zombie, but she’s found a place to fit in and a mission to be a part of. Or at least she thought she had. After getting strange news about Dr. Oystein’s and the revtializeds mission, she isn’t sure. Her time alone really puts things into perspective, especially after a run-in with Timothy the artist and those creepy babies she’s had nightmares about.
This moment is one I’ve waited for since the beginning of the series. B’s development and conscience has been a thing of intrigue. After getting this second chance at (un)life, she’s really taken into account how to live. When religion became the main subject, I couldn’t blame her for wanting to take some time to think about her next steps, especially with the background she has as a cruel bully and the family she came from where she endured abuse and the racism that her father promoted. It’s actually what makes this one of my favorite installments in this series. There’s much more depth to her character.
Shan has done a phenomenal job keeping the story fresh in the city of London and also giving some serious creeps. I like that he stays in one place because then he focused on the action. There’s always somewhere new to check out and I really like because it’s like getting a tour. The story still remains fresh and original and while I’m still not sure if I like it or not, I’m still reading if only to see where and how this ends. There are still moments of blah here and there I wish I could skip is all.
Overall
Still garnering my attention with its little snippets of progression and gore and horror, this installation actually provokes thought and emotion with B. It seems while she may be battling whether she’ll be like her father or not, she also begins to confront who she wants to be and who she could be. The obstacles and new bits of info that come in the books, like the creepy babies and the artist Timothy, truly add a whole new layer to this series. This was probably one of my favorites. There was more inner turmoil versus zombie action and it truly brought more to everything.
Quotables:
“Three against three. Sounds about right to me. This world has always split down the middle when it comes to gurus. One man’s prophet is another man’s crackpot.” (Rage, p. 37)
More to come soon…
-K.
P.S. Song today? The Joke by Lifehouse.
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The Scarlet Reader 
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