I was soooo excited when I won a fabulous signed hardcover for Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton and a paperback copy with a pile of goodies for Colel by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Kira Jane Buxton has definitely delivered on this original, unique glimpse into her zombie world where animals are the saviors and humans are the ones in need of saving. They can’t do it as individuals, it takes a murder to save a village. Hollow Kingdom is filled with every emotion I can think of, terror and fear, sadness and happiness, lost and found, tears and smiles, despair and hope.

4 Stars

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I really liked this book. I am always on the lookout for something different, something original, something I haven't read one hundred times before. I have also been reading a lot of zombie books lately so I kind of think that this book was written for me. This was a different kind of zombie story and one that I won't forget any time soon. I am so glad that I took a chance and decided to give Hollow Kingdom a try.

This story is told almost entirely from S.T.'s point of view. There are a few other characters that get a quick point of view, but this is really S.T.'s story. S.T. is a bird. A pet crow to be precise. He has been dependant on his human, Big Jim, and likes his life. He knows that it is time to venture out on his own when Big Jim loses an eye and goes a little crazy. S.T. and Dennis, Big Jim's hound, leave the house and begin an adventure more intense than they could have ever imagined.

I loved S.T. from the start of this story. I thought that the author did a fabulous job of bringing this bird to life. I felt his uncertainty, his loyalty, and his desire to make things as right in the world as he could. S.T. is a smart little bird with a very large heart. He takes his quest seriously and puts himself at risk in order to save the lives of others. S.T. isn't the only great character in this book. We get to know Dennis through S.T.'s eyes and I couldn't help but fall in love with that dog. There really is a nice cast of characters that help to bring this story together.

I loved the way that this story was told. I was surprised by the level of humor throughout the story. S.T. knew how humans operated based solely on his experiences with Big Jim so his knowledge was a bit skewed. This story was also an emotional one. There were times that I got choked up but the turn the story took. I also appreciated the underlying message of the story. The reason behind the demise of humans is something that I would have to say has had a negative impact on our world in a lot of ways. I also liked the fact that we got to see how the animals fared without our interference and it was quite clear how much better the world can work when we work together.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. This funny, touching, and insightful story was unlike anything that I have read before. I will definitely be reading more from this talented author in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing.

Initial Thoughts
I really liked this book. A lot. I have been trying to decide if I should give it 4 or 5 stars. I am going with 4 for now but that might change. This book was funny, touching, and insightful. I thought that the whole concept was very well done and I really liked the underlying message. ST, Dennis, and all of the other animals were all great characters and I had a wonderful time going on this journey with them.

What a trip, this read was. It had all the drama, intense action, death, love, hope and despair you expect in a zombie apocalypse read but it wasn't from the human viewpoint. This was the world as seen by animals, domestic, wild, captured, and other. They have personalities, and voice their beliefs all while trying to figure out this new world without the old humans. There is so much going on, so many things to consider.  Animals trapped in homes, cages, zoos, aquariums, domestic meeting wild, territories, and food sources, all asked all answered in unique ways. The personalities, from cute adorable to hideous drool faces, all captured attention, some left me in tears. The twists never stop and nothing happens that is expected, it's a ride. E ticket all the way. Winner !

This would be one fantastic movie. 

And so it begins, a new...... can't tell you