The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

HOLY SHIT.

When I got this book I knew that it was supposedly good, but it was far from what I was expecting. The Girl with All the Gifts was fresh and original, and though the main essence is similar to what we've read/seen many times already, Carey puts a fresh spin to it.
More times than I can count, the revelations in the book made me gasp, curse, and literally break out in cold sweat from feeling my heart hammering in my ribcage at the finale. I actually let out a huff of breath when I was done with the book; it felt like I had actually seen it all played out in the pages.

I've read a fair share of zombie novels, and you can almost spot the similarities in them. But this... it fucked with my brain. In a good way, of course.

When I read the title, I wondered what the possible 'gift' could be. And then when I read it, I wondered how what Melanie had could possibly be considered a 'gift'. But you'll get the explanations in due time as the story progresses.
What is amazing about this book is not the average thrill that comes with regular zombie novels. Just when you thought you had something figured out, something else happens to change the course completely. It's like the M. Night Shyamalan of books. My heart is still thumping as I'm writing this now.

It's fascinating to watch (read?) how Melanie slowly learns about what she is, why she's different, and chooses to use it to help. Another thing I was amazed about Melanie was how smart she and all the other kids at the base was. That not only did they have the 'gift' and are able to control it, but that they could actually be taught. And in Melanie's case, her ability to feel such affection (or rather, love,) towards Miss Justineau.

This is definitely one book that I will treasure for a long, long time.

View all my reviews