The Harvesting (The Harvesting Series)

Layla, a master of swords who lives in Georgetown and works for the Smithsonian, gets a call from grandma to come home right away. She sounded urgent and was very vague, so Layla rushed back to her small home town. Everyone from home knows that grandma is a medium, so things look ominous when Layla discovers grandma has taken up doomsday prepping as a hobby.

Then there are zombies and some serious girl power!

While they largest part of the book focused on brain nibblers, it was cool that forest spirits and vampires were a part of the world as well.

I enjoyed this book in the same way I enjoyed the film From Dusk Till Dawn. The first half is a cool criminal gang running from the law and has this kidnapper and victim tension, then right when you think you’ve figured out what the story is going to do… It hits a quick u-turn and runs in a totally different and awesome direction!

The love triangle was interesting and played well into the plot. Not that I would know! I’m way to bro to go in for romance, right? No, I’m a sucker for a love story. As long as there is action! Anyone who follows my reviews on Science Fantasy Hub already knows I love getting duped into reading a bit of romance.

I got this book for free for signing up for Karsak’s newsletter. I’m not obligated to leave a review. I just like giving my two cents.

The author has an engaging writing style that keeps you interested and wanting to know more about the main character, an intelligent, independent woman who knows her weapons. I can't wait for the next book to see what she has in store for us and Hamletville!

The Harvesting provides a fresh take on an old genre. Zombies plus guns plus ghosts equals a fun read. Who knows what will happen in the sequel?

Not usually a fan of zombie books, but this book was intriguing enough to make me want to read the rest of the series. That's how I know that I hit upon something good. I loved the way the author tied in old cultural stories with modern day warfare, medieval weapons, extra sensory powers, legendary creatures. There's a lot happening and it all ties together nicely. I will certainly be finishing out this series and checking into her other books.

This was an interesting new take on whats kind of becoming oversaturated, the zombie apocolypse. In this book, a woman named Petra, who works at the Smithsonian, but also teaches fencing on her off time, gets a mysterious call from her Grandmother to come home to the family home in the middle of nowhere. When she gets ther, she is sent to pick up some shopping for grandma, who has her pick up all the supplies you need for the end of the world. It turns out her grandmother is a seer, and predicts the world as we know it is ending. Little Does Layla know that yep, it is, at the hands of freaking zombies! Her small town is under attack, but they manage to stop the Zombies and barracade the town. Laylas combat skills, with both blades and guns, comes in handy. Meanwhile, she has to deal with the man she used to love, and her growing feelings for his brother. After some months, a group shows up in a boat, offering to take them to a resort on an island that is infections free. Layla only agrees to go because she has to protect her friends, and she doesnt trust the group. Who are these mysterious people? How will they all end up? Well, these questions and more are answered in this book. The plot is fast moving, with lots of well laid out actions scenes, very similar to what you'd see in the Walking Dead on tv. The characters interact in realistic ways, with the exception of the love triangle. I wasnt really thrilled with it, since it seemed to drag on at times. In fact, something bad happens to Layla by one of the triangle members, and she just shrugs it off, like no big deal, and i've never met a woman yet who shrugs off something like that. I didnt think Layla's growing abilities were expanded on enough either. Kristin james did a really nice job of narrating, differentiating the charaters well, keeping a nice pace and really moving the story along. Any fan of urban fantasy or post apocolyptic stories should really enjoy this.

I was given a copy of this book free of charge by the author, narrator or publisher in return for an honest review through Audiobookblast dot com.

What I liked:

the beginning - read like the opening of a Supernatural episode from mid-season and I do not give that praise lightly!

the first half of the book - it had everything in it. There was action, an idiot to hate, another idiot to loathe, a sweet guy and a kick-ass MC. Of course, the zombies were there too!

What I didn't like:

the killing of the grandmother - made her seem like an easy plot device to get the MC into town, provide her with everything she would need and then conveniently killed so as not to be a burden.

the second half of the book - I had no idea why the vampires were lumped into this story. This part seemed like a different book completely!

there could have been a hint that the bloodsuckers had driven the zombies to attack the MC's town, "encouraging" the people to come with them to safety.

Overall, I liked the author's style of writing but was not too thrilled with the second half of the book.

I am not a big post-apocalyptic reader, but I was given the opportunity to read this book by the author. Zombies, vampires and a love story, who could resist that?

The characters in this novel were very relatable and very thought-out. You felt like you knew every character that was in the book. The story itself moved in a very rapid pace, but the storytelling was thorough and you didn't feel like parts of the story were left out.

Throughout the book, you knew that there was going to have to be in and at some point, that the story could not go all the way to the usual conclusion. Halfway through the author didn't grow up her ball into the situation, which I did not see it first and thought was interesting. However, no matter how interesting the new addition was, it didn't feel like more of a way for the author to get more pages into the book.

The end of the main part of the novel went out with a bang, which was fun. however the last paragraph of the book confused me and felt that it didn't belong there at all. I'm sure the author was trying to point us in some direction, my feeling is probably this situation sets up a second book in the series. But in relation to the rest of the novel the last paragraph just did not seem to fit in very well.

I did really enjoy this noble and was a bit afraid that I wouldn't because of the genre. I think the author did a wonderful job and I enjoyed the story and the characters immensely. I would definitely read something by this author again, although if book 2 in the series picks up where book one left off I'm probably not going to read that book.

I admit it...I have a weakness for zombies, but I have never really read a good zombie apocalypse book. So when I saw this one being advertised, I jumped on it, fervently hoping it would live up to my zombie expectations.

Layla is your typical left-the-small-town-and-never-want-to-go-back kind of girl. I mean, really, who could blame her? Rural small town has nothing on the big city life. But when her grandmother called her frantically wanting her to come home, Layla dropped everything and went. What she discovered there was mystery, lost love, death, and...yes...zombies. Layla is so my type of girl - strong, independent, and kick-ass with a sword. She has a sense of responsibility and often acts on that without thinking, which eventually puts her in charge of the apocalypse survivors, albeit reluctantly.

This book jumped right into the action, and was action packed all the way through. The author did a great job integrating the romance into the story, though I would have loved to see more Layla and Jamie! The author was able to build up the story and bring it to life (haha, to life...since they are zombies? Never mind) through her descriptions and world building, and I was definitely not disappointed with the zombies. The ending was different in an interesting sort of way, and I am definitely going to be looking for the next book to see what happens!

From Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, and Romance

This review has minor spoilers. I do mention what supernatural creatures are in this world besides the zombies.

At A Glance
Well that was a hell of a thing. Zombies, Vampires, AND Spirits! This is the kind of book that you end up loving for it's uniqueness.

The Good
The Harvesting blew my mind. I never expected it. It gives off the persona that it's just another zombie book. But it's a lie. This isn't just a zombie book. This book has everything: fantasy, horror, folklore, zombies, vampires, spirits, romance, action, drama, death, and survival. I was drawn in from the beginning when Layla's grandma foresees the zombie apocalypse and helps Layla prepare for the coming fight. When Layla helps her hometown survive and thrive during the zombies. And when Layla does everything--like walking into a nest of vampires--to protect the people she loves.

The first thing that made this book different from every other zombie book is that there is not much fighting between the humans. Zombie books always seem to portray people going after each other as the world gets consumed. But in The Harvesting, the town works together, very effectively I might add. Sure, there are a few glitches, but it was nice to see a town that can work together in a world that is falling apart.

Layla is an amazing character. She isn't super woman or anything. She has her moments of fear and insecurity. But she is one tough chick overall. She knows a lot about weaponry, both from her job in ancient weapons and through her grandmother's teachings. She takes her "crazy" grandmother in stride. She humors her when she makes Layla gather supplies and board up the house, knowing her grandmother may have a good reason for being paranoid. And when the zombies come down on the town, Layla risks her life immediately to save the few people left who are not infected. She is an amazingly thorough leader who knows how to delegate tasks accordingly. I respect people like that. I am all about take-charge attitudes from people who are competent.

I really liked both love interests in this book, but for different reasons. There is Ian, the old boyfriend who left Layla heartbroken. Then Jamie, Ian's brother, who is like a brother to Layla but might be something more now. I loved to hate Ian. He isn't a bad guy per se, just a screw-up. His actions are not always appropriate. Jamie is just pure awesomeness. He also has a take-charge attitude, like Layla. The three of them made a pretty great team. But it's Layla's feelings for Jamie that was the funniest to watch. Layla's struggle between the two love interests was completely believable, and it was nice to see her work through her feelings slowly.

The supernatural element--besides the zombies--made this book even better. We get these mystical forest spirits that help Layla with her rough journey. Then there are the creepy vampires who use the zombie apocalypse to their benefit. It's a pretty good set-up on their part, but what a creepy concept. Zombies wanting to eat you is one thing, but throw in vampires wanting to eat you, DOUBLE WHAMMY.

The action was really great. Melanie does not hold back on the horror and gore of zombie killing. The world-building was amazing. I was sucked into the writing style right away. The story flowed easily; I kept forgetting I was even reading a book. The twists and turns kept my adrenaline going the whole way through. I can't wait for book two.

The Bad
I think the first half of the book with zombies was the best part, the second part with the vampires lacked a little.

The ending left us with a lot of questions on what's going to happen next, so it was a bit frustrating.

The last chapter of the book confused me. I am assuming it is a segue to the next book, but it left me scratching my head with why it was included at all.

The Snuggly
This is not a romance heavy book, which is common in zombie books. We have an interesting sort-of-but-not-really love-triangle that works out perfectly. I loved the slow build and past love drama. I great addition to spice up the story. No sex though, but some sexual situations.

Final Thoughts
I was so pleasantly surprised by The Harvesting. It seems like books from blog tours have been really disappointing me lately, but The Harvesting broke the bad book streak. I will be keeping my eye on this author for now on. She knows what she's doing. Highly recommended.

Quotes
"Who would have thought that the end of the world would bring me the one thing I thought I wanted most."

*****

"If you ever need to slice someone's head off, this is the blade you want."

*****

"The world, it seemed, had gone silent. It was something we knew but did not talk about. We were alone."

*****

"Now, this is .44 Magnum, like the Dirty Harry movie. It has good stopping power. Lift up the safety and boom," Grandma said pulling the trigger. The gun barrel let out a resounding noise, shattering Grandma's old mantle-piece vase. "The man told Grandma this is a kill-shot gun, very powerful."

When I started The Harvesting, I was ready for a zombie book full of hordes of the undead trying to kill the last few survivors, but what I got was so much above and beyond. There is mythology and depth to the story. While it takes place during a zombie apocalypse, which is not its sole focus. The focus is on Layla, the people she cares about, and the town where her grandmother raised her.

Layla is the kick butt heroine I love to see, and she is literally the savior of her home town. As they try to band together and survive, the citizens of Hamletville encounter more than just zombies. I really loved the Russian aspect and the mythology that are featured in the story. Layla really makes the story for me, but the writing in the novel is another level. The pace of the story had me flowing through the story, and losing all track of time. The story absorbs you completely, so if you have anything that is going to require your attention, like making dinner, wait to start this book.

I cannot believe this is only the first book in the Harvesting series, because it just had some much that happened in such a short amount of time. The story ends on a sort of cliffhanger, but does give the sense of completion to that part of the story. That does not mean it does not having me foaming at the mouth for the next book in the series.

If you have not gathered by now, I loved The Harvesting. There was a feeling of excitement that took over as read the book. This is one of the best "zombie" books I have read so far this year, and I think it will remain one of my favorite "zombie" books of all time.