Brilliant zombie book!

Very well written, on edge throughout! You can really get into this book and imagine exactly how they are feeling! The narration is also very good!

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excellent zombie apocalypse, good narration

This was just how I imagine a zombie apocalypse playing out, an ongoing brutal battle for survival, something that brings the best and the very worst in the people trying to survive such horrific circumstances.

Nina has survived behind the supposed safety of the walled city, but not all is as it seems thanks to the leaders selfish thirst for power and control. When Emily, a young teenager is kicked out for stealing a mouldy bit of bread, Nina decides it's time to take a stand against oppression and leaves with her. So starts a second fight for survival outside, not just against the multitude of deaders all clamouring for her blood, but the surviving humans too! Who can they trust, when the living can be more vicious than the dead?

I really enjoyed this book, after a slowish start it built and the pace increased. Action, tension, gore, violence, heartbreak and the hint of love and loyalty amongst the anarchy kept me intrigued. Nina is a bit of a bitch, but tbh who can blame her? Trust comes hard, but she has Emily to protect now, not just herself and that in itself proves the goodness she has inside.

I listened to the audio version and the female narrator was very good, all from Nina's pov. I'll definitely be reading/listening to more of this series as I want to find out what happens to Nina, Mikey and Emily.
Rating 4.25 stars

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Zombies for girls

This very much feels like a zombie story for girls. Not just because of the female lead but because it focuses a lot on relationships. That's not a bad thing. It allows the reader to really get to know the characters and care for them.

The story itself is a solid zombie story. It doesn't break new ground but what it does give us is a different perspective from the usual testosterone filled stories. The voice of the MC has a wry, self-deprecating humour that is both entertaining and disarming. It gives a real sense of the character. This is reminiscent of, though not as good as, the brilliant Zombie Fallout books from Mark Tufo, and indeed all of his books, that have great humour that manages to humanise the characters in a way rarely seen in this genre.

The narration is lively and entertaining. The characters are distinct and skilfully brought to life.

I am looking forward to listening to book 2.

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Loved it .

Looking forward to the next book .This was my first read of one of Claire series hopefully not the last .

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Odium book 1

Wow this was an awesome start to what sounds like a great new series for me. This will definitely keep me occupied for awhile I loved it

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Enjoyable

Another take on the zompoc, interesting ideas of the safe areas behind the walls and one women's refusal to accept the conditions inside.

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This Was Spot On... I Loved It!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

For me I was a bit wary when I heard Odium The Audio Book was coming out, As Odium was one of my favourite book of all time. So I brought this with some trepidation but thought I'd give it a go, and I'm glad that I did as it was brilliant! It captured the characters as well as I had hoped for and played out as dramatically as when I first read it.

What did you like best about this story?

My favourite part must be the way the essence of these characters were captured, which is a difficult thing to do, Especially when a person has read the book and has a connection to these characters. I had a set mind set with these characters, and each one was captured pretty much perfectly which sets the tone for this to be an enjoyable audio book

What about Jennifer Reilly’s performance did you like?

I thought Jennifer captured the snarkiness of the main character Nina brilliantly, and did just as well with the supporting cast! (Drunk Steve being a favourite)

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The story flows easily here and doesn't drag any where and if I had 11 hours spare I'd listen to this in one sitting. A great story captured and delivered into a great audio book

Any additional comments?

Any fans of the Odium Saga will love this! Jennifer has captured these characters wonderfully and I hope the other books in this saga come out as audio books, as I for one will definitely be getting them. Good job on bringing The Odium world to life.

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Deaders brought to life!

I jumped straight into this after I'd read 0.5 - Nina's Story. It started pretty much where 0.5 ended, but I think it could be read and work without reading it too. As this is still from the POV of Nina though, I'm glad I read 0.5 first for a bit of background story.

Throughout this story we follow Nina during life outside the compound of "the walls", on the run, after being pretty much kicked out for sticking up for a teenage girl, Emily. This is the first time she's been out there since the apocalypse began, and so much has changed.

During their travels they meet Mikey who leads them to a new group within another compound, but not all is as it seems. Secrets are revealed. Relationships are tested - and formed. Characters are lost, new ones introduced. There are a lot of characters in this one and I did struggle to keep up a little

We meet many Deaders along the way and Riley's descriptive writing of these scenes is once again superb, helping me to play out the story in my head. Though I knew what was probably coming, it was still sort of jumpy! There is so much going on in this  book but it all flows seamlessly and I can't wait to read the next one.

AUDIO
This was my first listen by this narrator and she really brought the story to life. She depicted the different characters voice tones and accents (where needed) really well so the characters were easily distinguishable.

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Brilliant read. 5 STARS

Wow!! I’m absolutely blown away with how much everything about this book plays out so vividly in my mind. The settings, the characters the emotions... I’m reading and feeling like I’m living in fear because it all feels so real.
If there was anything more to fear than death it was becoming it was to become the undead- or a deader.
The narration is great but I’d like male characters’s voice to be more masculine since it’s all from Nina’s POV.

If you’re a walking dead fan this one is for you.
Amazing, recommended to me by a friend and I cannot wait read the next instalment!

Fantastic read and 5 Stars!

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A book that is about so much more than the un-dead

Odium is a book I didn't think I would pick up. I am not a fan of anything that has Zombie themes in it, the whole dystopian vibe is not a troupe that has ever gained my interest. My husband however picked up this series and devoured it, he isn't a big reader normally; but said I would enjoy this series so I decided to give it a go. I decided to go down the Audiobook route, I loved the female narrator she read the book exactly how I would want Nina to sound, so that made listening easier.

Odium is told from the heroine Nina's POV and from reading other reviewers opinions, Nina is a bit of a marmite character; but I like her. I think she is dealing the best she can with her situation and the world she is now living after the atrocities she has been through and will go through since the world went to shit. We see Nina living in a walled community in a seemingly oppressive community and when a teenage girl (Emily) is being kicked out, Nina stands up for her losing her place to.

Emily and Nina find themselves on the other side of the wall learning how to survive in a world with limited food, means of travel, shelter and little knowledge of fighting the Undead. Following Nina and watching her protecting Emily, trying to find food and shelter, trying to come up with a plan and keep them safe made me like her more. Yes she is sassy but the woman needs to be, she is blunt and isn't afraid to tell people outright how she feels! Along the way they meet Mikey and make it to a small group that have a safe haven set up. This introduces us to several new characters some more likeable than others, the problem being that humans always want more and greed gets you in trouble, it's one they don't escape from without serious consequences.

There is a villain in this story and that is The Forgotton, a group of people that were not allowed entrance to the walled communities, they were blacklisted. Made up of criminals, murderers, thieves and other societal anomalies, they are feared for their cruelty and they are hot on the heals of Nina and her group, they are introduced in the latter half of the novel so I have no doubt there is so much more to come where they are concerned.

Here is my take on Odium, the book is not one I expected to enjoy. I am a fan of Claire's writing but I stick to her MC romances typically. What surprised me was this book is advertised as a Zombie novel and it really isn't that AT ALL. It's a story about human nature, it's about how people adapt to their world changing, to new social situations, about how far people will go to survive and for me Claire wrote a deeply engaging story and she completely changed my thoughts on what this series is! If I loved it, there are so many more bookworms out there that I know will too if they try something new like I did. I found the characters in the story all completely different. They all have a complex backstory and reasons for being the way they are, no matter how long they survived in the book (and for some that isn't long). I respect the way Claire showed value to each character as they all have their part to play.

So I am looking forward to getting more of this world, and yes I even surprise myself by saying that but it's true. I want to know more about this world and how the characters I have grown attached to are going to survive the next part of the story, there are plenty of unanswered questions and I want the answers.

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