This is Not a Test

It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to? -Amazon.com


I chose this book to read/review because I adore Courtney Summers, and I am so glad that I did. Not only is it about zombies, which is scary, but Ms. Summers puts her own unique spin on the story that makes it a hard book to put down.

The characters are multi-dimensional, and I enjoyed reading about all of them. The main character is Sloane Price. The books starts off with Sloane contemplating suicide. At first I was like "wait a minute, isn't this book about zombies?" Sloane lives with her father, and he is not what you would call a "good" father. He is very hard on her, and her sister, Lily. Lily just up and left 6 months ago because she couldn't take it anymore. So, naturally Sloane is bitter and no longer wants to be in the house alone with her father. However, when the zombies invade, Sloane finds herself taking shelter in the local high school with 5 other students. Each student is struggling with his/her own battles, while they all struggle to be a team and stay alive.

I loved how the story is about a zombie apocalypse, however the characters take center stage. I really felt the book revolved around what each character was dealing with in his/her life, while the zombies loom right outside waiting for them to make a mistake. I found the book both thought provoking and intense.

I found it hard to put this book down, as I did with her previous books. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us next!  4/5 stars!