Chew: Season One by Naomi Ault
Dystopian/Zombie Apocalypse
152 Pages
Season One (Collection of all episodes in Season One)
Published by Say Vandelay Publishing (7th May 2022)
Purchase from | Amazon AU | Amazon US | Amazon UK |
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
I received a copy of this book from Book Sirens in exchange for an honest review.
The Wormwood Prion infected millions, turning them into monstrous beings unable to recognise friend from foe. Causing the insatiable need to chew, preferably human flesh. Allison Rose is lucky. She’s one of those that the cure worked on, residing now in a recovery center with others who are also lucky. The problem is that cure doesn’t take away the memories. When Allison teams up with fellow Recovery Center inmate Will, they discover that the cure isn’t the end of their nightmare, it’s just the beginning.
I was super interested in this one because it shows life AFTER the zombie apocalypse. I’ve only read one other book that was set after the events of one, and I absolutely loved it (World War Z for anyone curious), so when I saw this I just HAD to give it a go.
Initially I was a little disappointed and wondered whether I was actually going to enjoy it. This is a serialised story, so an ‘episode’ is released on Kindle Vella twice a week. This is the collection of season one episodes in one volume, I highly recommend getting these in their full season releases if you’re like me and need to know what’s going to happen next. Believe me when I say that this will drag you in and you’ll devour it (no pun intended). The first episode is told in second person, this threw me, I was concerned that the entire season was going to be written this way. I’ve only read one other book written in second person and it took a bit to get used to. I honestly thought I was going to end up DNFing this. I was wrong and I am SO glad. So if you’re struggling with that initial chapter, stick with it because it soon changes POV from the second episode onwards.
We meet Allison Rose who is a cured biter in a recovery center, she’s just trying her best to survive each day, though she doesn’t hold out any hope of them making it out alive what with the unruly people also in the RC and the experiments being conducted on them. She ends up making a deal with Will, another cured biter, he says he’ll watch her back inside the RC as long as she helps him build what they need to survive once they’re set free. When this time come Allison stays true to her word though she doesn’t know how they’re going to survive this changed world. They’re the enemy. There are many normals who are looking for someone to take their anger and grief out on, but there are also those that sympathise with the cured biters and want to help them make a life. This story follows Allison, Will and Kid as they try and navigate life post apocalypse.
After a couple of episodes I was absolutely hooked. Ault’s narration and voice was wonderful, easy reading yet incredibly immersive. I felt like I was going along for the ride with Allison and Co. and I really felt for their plight. Imagine being able to remember what you did when you were no longer in control of your own urges, body or mind. Having to live with the awful things that this Prion made you do when it activated. These characters were so real, I enjoyed every single one of them, and I really hope we see Luke again, I loved his story so much and his character. I loved that even though Will and Allison were written technically as morally grey, I still backed them 100%, I never once questioned their choices. They’re strong characters who are incredibly damaged from their experiences, yet they refuse to give up.
The world building was done brilliantly and it really gave the feel of a world and people trying to rebuild after the storm. I feel like the world itself was so rich and that the stories of our main characters have so much yet to tell us. I’m also keen to see what other people we meet along the way because I just know there is so much more yet to happen and I am here for it. By the last page, I was so invested and devastated that this season was over. I’ll definitely be continuing with the story. I need to know whether Allison, Will and Kid reach somewhere they can live safe if not happy. And I have no doubt that there will be many trials and awful experiences along the road to get there, but I look forward to seeing how they overcome each one.
Read Book. Repeat 