Synopsis:
In this heartrending spin on the zombie mythos, a brilliant scientist desperately searches for a cure after a devastating epidemic while also hiding a monumental secret—her undead husband.
Having always preferred the company of microbes, British scientist Kesta Shelley has spent her life peering through a microscope rather than cultivating personal relationships. That changed when Kesta met Tim—her cheerleader, her best friend, her absolute everything. So when he was one of the last people in London to be infected with a perplexing virus that left the city ravaged, Kesta went into triage mode.
Although the government rounded up and disposed of all the infected, Kesta is able to keep her husband (un)alive—and hidden—with resources from the hospital where she works. She spends her days reviewing biopsy slides and her evenings caring for him, but he’s clearly declining. The sedatives aren’t working like they used to, and his violent outbursts are becoming more frequent. As Kesta races against the clock, her colleagues start noticing changes in her behavior and appearance. Her care for Tim has spiraled into absolute obsession. Whispers circulate that a top-secret lab is working on a cure, and Kesta clings to the possibility of being recruited, but can she save her husband before he is discovered?
Review:
I was sent a copy of One Yellow Eye in exchange for an honest review.
Ah, zombie books. My literal favourite genre. When Tor Nightfire appeared in my inbox with this I had to request it. Immediately.
I was not disappointed. Set a few months after the zombie apocalypse, this apocalypse they managed to contain to London, we follow the last few survivors in London who are trying to go about their normal lives in the wake of living through hell. Kesta is a scientist whose most desperate desire is to join Project Dawn to help find the cure. For her husband, of course, who she has hidden in the spare bedroom, because he’s a zombie.
I mean with a premise like that who can say no? Leigh Radford expertly crafts a world ravaged by a zombie virus, where you can sense the emptiness of London’s streets, even when everyone is just trying to act normal. It’s a harrowing and utterly believable setting for such a heart-breaking story.
Kesta may be in the wrong, after all she’s harbouring a zombie after they’ve all been supposedly wiped out. But I got swept up in her plight and desperately wanted her to find what she needed. Even when it meant risking the safety of everyone. Her friends and colleagues feature heavily in her story, but ultimately she stands out because you can feel her heartbreak, and it’s clear that she’s doing everything for love.
The zombies? Oh, they’re there. A few times. In forms that will break your heart and in forms that will strike fear into you. I usually complain that there are not enough zombies, and that everything focuses’ too heavily on the human story. But not this time. This is a perfect balance, because it’s not about survival, but about desperation and love.
This is a story of what people will do for love, and the lengths people will go to to save the most important person in their lives.
I can’t spoil anything, but some of the answers we get before the end. I was so happy. An actual explanation for things that often get left unexplained.
My anxiety kept me turning the pages of this book, even when I feared what might happen next.
Leave a Reply