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. 

Deadline by Mira Grant review

MAJOR SPOILER WARNING. You will ruin Feed for yourself if you read below this line without having read that book first. Fair warning has been provided.
Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organization he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn't seem as fun when you've lost as much as he has.

But when a CDC researcher fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun has a newfound interest in life. Because she brings news-he may have put down the monster who attacked them, but the conspiracy is far from dead.

Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun.

From Goodreads

Shaun Mason can't get his sister Georgia out of his head. Literally. She maybe dead to the rest of the world but if he closes her out of the little space she has reserved in his brain then he really will lose his tenuous grip on reality. While he did all the things he was supposed to do, had a funeral, dealt with greedy parents, moved out on his own & continued their work, Shaun just doesn't have the same drive anymore. Life is no fun when the one person worth living it with isn't there.

At least that's how he feels until a CDC scientist who helped the Masons before shows up & all hell literally breaks loose. This woman has dangerous information that no one wants getting out. Even worse, it has to do with Georgia & Shaun's definitely not liking where this road is leading.

In the same quick-draw style of Feed, Deadline picks up running where we left off. Characters who played fairly minor roles in the first book are now on the frontlines with Shaun, fighting for the truth. He may be an Irwin, but he's got a Newsie streak in him. Even more scintillating in this book are the close quarters that the characters share. With tensions running high we can all imagine the scenarios that play out. Fortunately for those of you who prefer tame romantic scenes, you're in luck. The gore of zombie killing is just as high as the first book, but there seems to be more method to the madness.

I must admit that Mira Grant really knows her stuff. She blends current pop culture references so well with the society of the not-too-distant future that one really feels at home in the books. I truly enjoyed meeting the new characters & watching the interactions shift in respect to Georgia's missing spot.

So if you're looking for zombie fun & a fantastic dialogue to boot, then this here is your series. Luckily we don't have to wait too long for the 3rd installment. Blackout is due June 1st & that's one I plan to buy.