Book Review: Warm Bodies (Warm Bodies #1), Isaac Marion

Title: Warm Bodies
Series: Warm Bodies
Author: Isaac Marion
Published: 2013 (originally 2010), Vintage Books
Pages: 239
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Rating: 4.5/5

R is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow dead. And then he meets a girl. First as his prisoner, then as his reluctant guest, Julie is a blast of colour in R's grey landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn't want to eat her, he wants to protect her. He wants to breathe again. He wants to live. This unlikely bond will cause transformations they can't imagine, but their hopeless world won't change without a fight.

I really liked (almost loved) Warm Bodies.  It is the first zombie book that I've read.  However, it doesn't always seem like it is a zombie book.  R rarely eats any humans throughout the story.  I went into it expecting something similar to Twilight (the whole teenage girl falls for supernatural being/dead person).  I couldn't have been more wrong!!  Warm Bodies is brilliantly funny and quirky.  And R's narration is just plain hilarious, for example:

"I am Dead, but it's not so bad. I've learned to live with it." 

and: 

"She is Living and I'm Dead, but I'd like to believe that we are both human. Call me an idealist."

and: 

"I would like my life to be a movie so I could cut to a montage."

I really liked R.  He is just such as sweet guy and has such a unique point of view.  To put it simply, he's different from the other zombies and he's very much aware of it.  He was desperate not to be a zombie and he really wanted to change.  R's character also developed quite uniquely - at the beginning he could barely say one word but his speech gradually improves as the story progresses.

I also quite liked Julie.  She isn't the cleverest of people but she isn't afraid to get her hands dirty and fight a few zombies.  Of course, there are times when she is too terrified to move but who wouldn't be when faced with Boneys.

Also, the Biology geek in me loved the anatomical drawings at the beginning of each paragraph.  I would literally sit and study them for ages before starting each chapter.

I did occasionally get a bit confused when Perry would cut into the story with his memories and thoughts.  But reading them again cleared this up.

Overall, I really, really liked Warm Bodies and can't wait for the sequel.  I'm also going to look into getting a copy of The New Hunger - the prequel to Warm Bodies.  I can definitely see myself re-reading Warm Bodies in the future.

Also, I watched the film and loved it.  This part isn't in the book but I giggled far too much at it:

Goodreads / Amazon UK / Book Depository

Isaac Marion / Goodreads / Twitter

Follow me via Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Bloglovin and Pinterest.

Feel free to leave a comment.