Jake and Amanda are back in this sequel to Eat, Brains, Love (2013),and this time theyhave Cass psychic former Necrotic Control Division agentturned fellow fugitive tow. For the first time since turning into a zombie,things are going Jake's way: he and Amanda are doing it, they're headed to Iowafor a cure, and they have a box full of guinea pigs to keep them fromaccidentally eating Cass. But, alas, nothing gold can stay. Cass is blackmailedinto finding the cure, not to help Jake and Amanda but rather to put it into the handsof Dr. Alastaire. From there, theaction ramps up as the three get closer to the cure and meet conscious zombieslike themselves, along with others who have completely given in to theirnatures. Thrills, scares, and twists abound, though character development evolvesat a slower pace: Jake is the same chill guy making more of the same questionabledecisions. Still, there's plenty for fans to cheer about with a third book on the way.

Gr 9 Up-Jake Stephens and Amanda Blake have been on the run since they unexpectedly "necrotized" in their school cafeteria and consumed half of the senior class in Eat, Brains, Love (HarperCollins, 2013). Being tracked by Cass, a teen psychic, they narrowly escaped from the Necrotic Control Division, a top-secret military unit that unsuccessfully tried to control and conceal the zombie threat. Now the dynamic duo has an ally in Cass who has abandoned the misguided NCD in order to travel to Iowa where there are rumors of a zombie cure. But the obsessed Dr. Alastaire is not willing to let Cass just walk away. He also wants the cure and will do whatever it takes to get it. What ensues is a haphazard mission where the unlikely trio must learn to maneuver among the rational undead, the zombiefied undead, a zombie warlord and his minions, ex-NCD army dudes, and a truly psycho doctor. Hart's action-packed story unfolds through the alternating narratives of Cass, Amanda, and Jake. It is witty and full of plots twists and turns, suspense, and intrigue. Faced with difficult decisions, the protagonists must do some soul-searching while struggling to survive in an undead world. Readers will be anxiously awaiting the next installment of this out-of-control adventure. Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

Beginning where Eat, Brains, Love (HarperTeen, 2013/VOYA December 2013) ended, zombie teens Jake and Amanda are in love and running to Iowa, where a cure to their zombie virus supposedly exists. Cass, a psychic ex-government zombie hunter, accompanies them, bringing along a supply of guinea pigs for snacks. Cass has her own problems; after learning she was only the government's pawn in their partnership with a pharmaceutical company whose zombie experiments had gone terribly awry, her angry resignation caused her former boss to hold her mother for ransom: she must produce the vaccine for which Jake and Amanda are also searching. Entering Iowa means surviving zombies galore, roadblocks obstructing all state entrances, zombie hunters eager to bag more trophies, and edible food (much harder for Cass than Jake and Amanda's virtual buffets). Iowa is worse than the trip to get there, as the government's decision to torch the state impedes the dangerous vaccine hunt along with forcing each character to make unexpected choices and decisions.Alternately narrated by Jake, Amanda, and Cass, males and females will find their commentary witty, often hilarious, and enjoy the story's array of gore, suspense, action, and surprising twists. The sobering messages of adult corruption and exploitation of the zombie situation for power and money are recognized by the teens, and add needed seriousness and depth as the purpose for its many, and somewhat repetitive, traveling scenes. While the subplot concerning Cass's mother is sparse, it connects to the story's surprising, poignant ending, which possibly hints of a sequel.Lisa Hazlet.