Fighting to Survive by Rhiannon Frater

Title: Fighting to Survive
Author: Rhiannon Frater
Series: As the World Dies #2
Published: November 8, 2011 by Tor Books
Rating: 

Picking up where The First Days ends, Fighting to Survive features the further zombie-killing, civilization-saving adventures of a pair of sexy, kick butt heroines and the men who love them. A hundred or so survivors of the zombie plague have found tenuous safety in the walled off center of a small Texas town. Now the hard work of survival begins—finding enough food; creating safe, weather-resistant shelter; establishing laws; and fighting off both the undead who want to eat them and the living bandits who want to rob and kill them.

My Review:

In Fighting to Survive, the sequel to The First Days, we renter the zombie apocalypse world of a small Texan town called Ashley Oakes. Here we are reunited with the kickass heroines, Katie and Jenni, along with a large group of their fellow survivors. As the second book in the As the World Dies series, the danger and zombies have stepped their game up. The undead are much more persistent and pose a greater threat as the survivors try to fortify their camp and expand the fort into the neighboring hotel and dollar store. This requires a lot of risk, danger, and above all ZOMBIE KILLING!

With more blood, gore, and casualties, this book has definitely taken on a more haunting tone. We see more favorite characters fall to the undead as well as new enemies emerge in the form of bandits. Having twice as many enemies now, the survivors are constantly on edge and that definitely translates over to the reader. There is a constant battle of fear between the zombies and bandits leaving me unsure of who I was more terrified of! As a result, there was clearly an increase in tension and adrenaline while reading this book.

Of course, not all of this story centers around the zombies, and there are some really sweet and touching moments between the emerging couples. If you haven't read the first book, I don't want to give too much away, but the romance has also stepped up in this book! It seemed a little odd at first, reading about developing relationships and bedroom scenes while there are hordes of undead outside, but you remember that these characters are still trying to salvage their humanity while living together in this stressful situation. I know I'd want that added sense of security!

Overall, Fighting to Survive, was an excellent sequel and improved upon an already favorite zombie book of mine. The progression from initial shock to the apocalypse into a working community is great to read and flows wonderfully. The story is definitely on a rise to an adrenaline fueled climax with more twists and turns ahead, so look out for the third book, Siege!