One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford | Horror Fiction Review
This started out great but disappointed me in the end.
It’s been ages since I read a zombie novel and read this along with the Horror Spotlight discord https://discord.gg/xQuPPJus6U.
This one is set soon after a mysterious outbreak strikes in London that makes the infected sick, then they die and then they rage back to life to infect others. Supposedly the outbreak is now over and contained and scientists are rushing to find a reason and a cure and of course probably find ways to use it for nefarious reasons.
Scientist Kesta lost the love of her life and the only person she cared about in the outbreak when he was bitten. She’s told everyone he is dead but the moans and groans and noises coming from her home tell another story. She’s been accepted into a secret group called Project Dawn who are working on the cure (and the other things) and uses her knowledge hoping to cure her husband Tim.
This was an engrossing read, drenched in melancholy and grief, but it was also a frustrating one. The pace is a bit leisurely and there is a lot of science jargon to decode (or let go over your head as it did mine). Kesta is single-minded to the point where she makes some very bad and possibly deadly decisions and she does them all for herself. Not humankind, not for her neighbors, not even for Tim, if you’re asking me. I found her incredibly selfish and most of her actions reckless to the point of ridiculousness. I understand grief and how it can consume and change people, but she took it to an entirely new level and the last 1/3rd was painful to read. I may have enjoyed it more if I actually experienced the all-encompassing love between Kesta and Tim or perhaps maybe knew anything about Tim besides the fact that he was possibly the best husband in the world and the only person who could love her but hearing about it after the fact made it difficult for me to feel much of anything except surprise and revulsion at her actions. I mean come on, has she never seen a zombie movie? I think Shaun of the Dead is mentioned at one point so someone here has. You just don’t do the things she does unless you're a selfish creature. I know this is fiction but damn it’s like she lost all common sense by the end.
There is also some detailed animal experimentation here so be warned.
I’ll give it a 3 but know that I’m being very generous with that 3 today.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Publisher Plot Synopsis
In this heartrending spin on the zombie mythos, a brilliant scientist desperately searches for a cure after a devastating epidemic while also hiding a monumental secret—her undead husband.
Having always preferred the company of microbes, British scientist Kesta Shelley has spent her life peering through a microscope rather than cultivating personal relationships. That changed when Kesta met Tim—her cheerleader, her best friend, her absolute everything. So when he was one of the last people in London to be infected with a perplexing virus that left the city ravaged, Kesta went into triage mode.
Although the government rounded up and disposed of all the infected, Kesta is able to keep her husband (un)alive—and hidden—with resources from the hospital where she works. She spends her days reviewing biopsy slides and her evenings caring for him, but he’s clearly declining. The sedatives aren’t working like they used to, and his violent outbursts are becoming more frequent. As Kesta races against the clock, her colleagues start noticing changes in her behavior and appearance. Her care for Tim has spiraled into absolute obsession. Whispers circulate that a top-secret lab is working on a cure, and Kesta clings to the possibility of being recruited, but can she save her husband before he is discovered?
Tammy is hosting the SUMMER OF HORROR over on her booksbonesbuffy.com and you should check it out for more horror fun. Click the pic to check out her blog.
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