REVIEW by @_Shoe_Girl_ : The First Days by Rhiannon Frater (@rhiannonfrater)

The morning that the world ends, Katie is getting ready for court and housewife Jenni is taking care of her family. Less than two hours later, they are fleeing for their lives from a zombie horde. 
Thrown together by circumstance, Jenni and Katie become a powerful zombie-killing partnership, mowing down zombies as they rescue Jenni’s stepson, Jason, from an infected campground.
They find sanctuary in a tiny, roughly fortified Texas town.  There Jenni and Katie find they are both attracted to Travis, leader of the survivors; and the refugees must slaughter people they know, who have returned in zombie form.  

“Katie let the curtain fall back into place. Standing before the window, she felt herself let go of the old world and embrace the new. She would survive this. She would go on. That was all there was to it. She wouldn’t give up without a fight. She would do whatever it took to survive.”   ~Katie, The First Days

My FIRST ever “zombie” book.  I had ZERO desire to ever read a zombie book, and was not a fan of zombie movies.  After hearing all the hype over The Walking Dead, I decided to give the show a chance, it would be a good way to spend time w/Hubbs.  I LOVE the show.  Love.  So, I decided to give zombie books a chance.  Glad I did.
The story starts out with Jenni on her porch, in a pink bathrobe staring in shock as tiny fingers reach under the door.  The tiny fingers of her little boy.  After realizing she can’t stay on the porch any longer, as her family is trying to break out and eat her, Jenni goes to her front yard. 
Katie’s wife,Lydiadidn’t make it, nor did the guy whose truck she was currently driving, so she was on her own, trying to find her way out of this small town that she was unfamiliar with. On her way out of the town, that’s where Katie finds and rescues Jenni.  Deciding that staying in town is not an option, they leave to find shelter, and hopefully answers, elsewhere.
I love Katie and Jenni’s characters.  They are well written and seemed VERY real….so real that more than a couple times, I wanted to give Jenni a good smack.  Katie is very much a leader, a very strong, smart, determined woman.  Jenni…well, Jenni has had a rough life, and though it is understandable, she is very meek which to me, makes her VERY annoying.  She attaches herself to Katie, and almost can’t function if Katie isn’t in her sight, although after going through quite a bunch of awful things and having no choice but to toughen up, Jenni does get stronger and more likable.  A lot of other characters are introduced; optimistic people, hopeless people, determined people, and of course, people who are out for only themselves.  Each one fits very well into the story.
Overall, Rhiannon did an amazing job of making zombies, and the new world with zombies in it, seem extremely life-like.  I could vividly (sometimes TOO vividly) picture the gory scenes, could feel the characters emotions.  I really am fearful that after reading this book, that other zombie books will fall short.  They will definitely have to be AMAZING to match this!  Will be reading the 2nd in the trilogy, Fighting to Survive: As the World Dies REALLY soon, so I can be caught up in time for the 3rd installment, Siege: As the World Dies when it is released on April 24th!!
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“The crux of the argument was that Jenni was a bloodthirsty psycho and would waste all of the ammo while Juan was too stupid to understand guns were made to be fired.”  ~The First Days

I give The First Days: As The World Dies 5 Heels