The Reapers are the Angels: A Pleasant Surprise

I should be honest, right?  Well, when I first heard my class would be reading books about human-eating corpses, I couldn't help but to roll my eyes a little bit.  I like books with friendships and emotional journeys and not just bloody brawls, so I wasn't too thrilled to have to read one.  Besides the Harry Potter series, I don't read a lot of fantasy or science-fiction.  Zombies would be a stretch.

But to my pleasant surprise, I love The Reapers are the Angels.  I mean love.  The zombies are just like surrounding window-dressings or decorations -- they don't play as much of a part as I expected.  There's religion through characters named Moses and Abraham, mentions of God, and a Sunday service, and there's Temple's struggle to find herself and have friendships with real people like Malcolm.  Also to my pleasant surprise, the little bit of the story that is about flesh-eating zombies is really entertaining.  I love a little adventure and mystery with my emotions, even if it just functions as a backdrop.

Temple, though she's a rough girl not afraid of anything but intimacy, is a very likable character.  She's funny and cunning.  There have been times when I really want Temple to just stay in place and be happy by becoming part of a community or staying friends with somebody.  When Temple was with Ruby, who helped her heal and escape, I wanted (and sort of expected) Ruby to remain in the picture.

I can't wait to read more of this not-too-gory, emotive book -- so far, it gives a good name to zombie literature, something I previously wouldn't take too seriously.