Blackout (Newsflesh #3) by Mira Grant review

Rise up while you can. -Georgia Mason

The year was 2014. The year we cured cancer. The year we cured the common cold. And the year the dead started to walk. The year of the Rising.

The year was 2039. The world didn't end when the zombies came, it just got worse. Georgia and Shaun Mason set out on the biggest story of their generation. The uncovered the biggest conspiracy since the Rising and realized that to tell the truth, sacrifices have to be made.

Now, the year is 2041, and the investigation that began with the election of President Ryman is much bigger than anyone had assumed. With too much left to do and not much time left to do it in, the surviving staff of After the End Times must face mad scientists, zombie bears, rogue government agencies-and if there's one thing they know is true in post-zombie America, it's this:

Things can always get worse.

From Goodreads

An absolutely smashing finale to one of the best series I have read. Feed hooked me & Deadline kept me reading, but this was masterful! Mira Grant is a skillful craftswoman. Between all the action (zombie hordes!), subterfuge (those darn scientists!), & monologues (do people actually get to make those in survivalist situations?), she still managed to find time for intrigue, mystery, grit, & yes, even romance.

I really wish I knew more Georgia, Shaun, Mahir, Maggie, & even Becks in real life. These amazing people are the core unit that we follow throughout their time with After the End Times, the news blog run by Georgia & Shaun. Following the turbulent campaign of candidate Ryman, and his ultimate succession to the presidency, the team finds themselves still deeply embroiled in the fight against a semi-unknown entity while on the trail of discovering the truth about Kellis-Amberlee, the virus that while curing cancer and the common cold also created zombies.

While Georgia is still technically dead, the news can always be found in the technicalities. The CDC is still public enemy #1 as far as the team is concerned and their news reporting team is dwindling in numbers quickly. After their last mishap they've had to go to ground, hiding out with some rogue scientists while they try to get a handle on the current situation. The truth has never been more important or more difficult to obtain than it is for our team currently. Luckily with a deft sense of humor and a penchant for impeccable timing, they are set to blow the story wide open.

At times this book did feel a little long-winded, almost like we were filling in time, I appreciated the fact that we revisited some old storylines in order to wrap them up while also acknowledging that this team's frontline ways aren't the only resistance around. If you enjoy thrilling heroics, conspiracies, zombies, just plain old mayhem, this series & especially this book are right up your alley.