The southern part of the United States has been ravaged by a disease that turns people into shakes (think: zombies) that attack and kill any living thing they can find. It has only been a decade since the civil war and cities and towns have either been wiped out, or they have built fences around them to keep people safe. All means of escaping to the north have been lost. They are on their own.
Willie (Daisy Wilcox) is only a teenager, but she's in charge of her younger brother and even younger twin brother and sister. Her mother is dead after contracting the disease, and her father is a drunk that doesn't come around very often, and when he does, he doesn't help anything. They are barely getting by, and Willie needs to pay the monthly tithe to the judge--the man who passes for the law in her town.
Her father steals a huge sum of money from a shake hunter, and Willie is on the hood for his debt. Her only choice is to follow her father through the Texas desert to try and track him down for the money. She must leave her siblings at home to fend for themselves.
I loved Willie. She's just a really good person, and you can't help but sympathize with and also root for her. She's in an impossible situation and trying to make the best of it. She's brave, tough, and unflinching. The people that end up helping her are great characters too (I don't want to say too much about them though.) I loved the historical setting. I loved the story. Devils Unto Dust was a great mix of action and character building. It certainly qualifies as a page-turner.
Devils Unto Dust reminded me a lot of another one of my favorite zombie books, Rot & Ruin. If I had read the books close to each other, I'd probably say they are too similar. But it's been years since I read Maberry's series.
I've read that Devils Unto Dust has already been optioned for a movie. If you are at all interested in apocalyptic zombie survival stories, you won't want to miss Devils Unto Dust. Add it to your list.
Published by Greenwillow, April 10, 2018
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
496 pages
Rating: 4.5/5
This one sounds like it would be a big hit with high school students! That's so great that you loved it.
ReplyDeleteThis one has been on my TBR list ever since I heard about it. It's been awhile since I read ROT & RUIN, too, so I wouldn't notice similarities. This definitely sounds like one I would like. Glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this read too and it was such a page turner. I actually enjoyed the no romance part too. This one really focuses on friendship and family.
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