October 2014 Book Review: Raised Part II

 RAISED Part II

 By Sharon Stevenson 

~Book Review~

*Minor Spoilers*

IN A NUTSHELL: fast-paced, ghoulish fun and an original take on zombies. I sat down and read this in one sitting. RAISED Part II is the second book in the After Death Series. See my review of RAISED Part I here.

This series continues to delight with its sarcastic humor and twists on the zombie genre. The characters all have unique tweaks that make them exciting to read about. On this alternative magical Earth, dead doesn't mean dead. You may very well be brought back to life as an Animate, an undead slave, such as poor Pete is when he is bonded to the notorious wizard Nick. Or you may be a Clone trying to pull off imitating your original host, as seen in the very well-executed storyline with Clone #9 and Tim who try to cover up a famous rock singer's death. When the womanizing wizard Nicks sets his sights on Pete's past-life friend Kit, then Pete, Kit, and Mickey all find themselves fighting their society-imposed limits in order to save one another.

This book is told in multiple viewpoints. Usually one of my biggest pet peeves is to read a multi-viewpoint book, because I'll often find myself groaning every time it's so-and-so's chapter. This book avoids that because every character's perspective contributes toward advancing the plot in a swift, no-nonsense manner. The novel deals with cloning identity issues and enslaving the dead very subtly and with humor, which leaves the reader with quite a lot to think about. The characters grow with each installment, and I'm very excited to see what will come next! 

Recommended for fans of: Monty Python (that kind of humor), Kim Harrison, Terry Pratchett
Upcoming Book Review: Prophecy by Ellen Oh