This deliciously twisty, queer, horrifying story had me hooked! Zoey and her friends live in a world where a mysterious pathogen has infected some people, causing them to reject normal food and only crave human flesh. The world has reached a point where scientists have developed synthetic meat that staves off the cravings of the infected. While the chaos after “the Hollowing” has subsided somewhat, the world is in a state of tentative and fearful repair.
Zoey and her crew are all trying to get back to normal, even though they’ve all been infected and are now living as “ghouls” that are monitored by the government. The tight-knit group heads to a music festival in the desert, looking forward to being able to relax and enjoy themselves (and their fridge full of synthetic meat). When one of their group unexpectedly goes feral and kills someone, they must work together to unravel the mysterious cause.
The stakes are high, the music is loud, the world doesn’t trust them, and they still have to deal with their crushes! I particularly loved the diverse group of girls that the book centers around. This crew definitely gets the meaning of “ride or die”!
There is mystery, there is horror, there is romance, and there is some excellent writing. I thought the world created in this book has some interesting parallels to our own. How do we treat those that are different? What trust do we owe to each other? To the government? How does a world change after a plague has caused mass trauma? Of course, you can simply enjoy the whole novel as campy horror with a big bloody splash! In any case, these are my new favorite flesh-eating ladies, and they are not to be missed.