Passing Strange by Daniel Waters

Passing Strange

Karen DeSonne always passed as a normal (if pale) teenager; with her friends, with her family, and at school. Passing cost her the love of her life. And now that Karen’s dead, she’s still passing—this time, as alive. Karen DeSonne just happens to be an extremely human-like zombie. Meanwhile, Karen’s dead friends have been fingered in a high-profile murder, causing a new round of antizombie regulations that have forced them into hiding. Karen soon learns that the “murder” that destroyed their non-life was a hoax, staged by Pete Martinsburg and his bioist zealots. Obtaining enough evidence to expose the fraud and prove her friends’ innocence means doing the unthinkable: becoming Pete’s girlfriend. Karen’s only hope is that the enemy never realizes who she really is—because the consequences would be worse than death.

Passing Strange was sent to me to review by the publicist, so thank you!

The world of Generation Dead is quite interesting. Very unexpected and it is known that zombies do exist. This was my first Generation Dead novel but I found that I needn't read the others to get into this one as it works well as a stand-alone.

At first, I was very surprised with the changing of POV, it took me off balance and it was hard to get used to at first but once the novel progressed, I became accostumed to it.

Karen was a good character, if ever a bit distance. There were moments where I felt that I really knew her and then she pulled back and I wasn't so sure. Maybe this has to do with the POV change?

I really liked Pete's character, though. It was very three-dimensional and we see him change through the rest of the novel and come to terms with himself and the world he lives in.

Tak is another one I liked. He is a loyal friend who will do whatever with Karen.

Oh, and I didn't expect the end AT ALL. Which was really good. I did, though, wish that Pete wouldn't have found out about Karen until later but I was glad there was more to the story instead of just that.

In one sentence:
"A definitely unique read!"

Plot: 4
Characters: 4
Writing: 4
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 4
Average: 4.2