Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

R is a young man with an existential crisis–he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, noidentity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.
After experiencing a teenage boy’s memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and stragely sweet relationship with the victim’s human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world. Isaac Marion website



I am a huge fan of anything zombie related and when Maggie Stiefvater suggested this book on her blog I knew that I was going to be a fan....and I was.  The story is from R's point of view and he is a zombie.  What makes this story different from other zombie stories out there is that even though R has difficulty communicating verbally he still has internal thoughts and in a weird way dreams of a "life" for himself.  R meets Julie one night when he goes out feeding with a group of fellow zombies.  He eats a portion of her boyfriend's brain and sees clips of his past with Julie and through these clips R feels instantly connected to Julie and keeps her safe from the other zombies.  R takes Julie to his home at the airport, hides her out in an abandoned plane and shows her his humanity as they talk and share stories from Julie's past and from what R can remember.  A lot of the time they bond of music, which I am always a sucker for. They have an unspoken hope for a better life for everyone. As the days go on Julie sees that R is different and begins to hope that their could be a change or cure when day to their current situation.

It was nice to see that even if one day the zombie apocalypse does happen we can still have a sense of humanity and a connection with other beings.  It was a strange love story between R and Julie but it was never not believable.  Isaac Marion really does a fantastic job of describing the details so that you feel what R feels. You see the destruction around him, but that you also see the beauty and hope that is surrounding him waiting to be found and nourished.

I also liked how this story really makes the reader think about their current lives and how we can be zombies ourselves.  Sitting back and watching our lives race before us or watching what happens to our world and never doing anything about it.  I was constantly putting the book down and reflecting on my own life.  I highly suggest this book to everyone.  You will not be disappointed!!!

Bianca