Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry

Goodreads
519 pages, YA Zombies, Dystopian
Benny Imara #2
My Rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis

Six months have passed since the terrifying battle with Charlie Pink-eye and the Motor City Hammer in the zombie-infested mountains of the Rot & Ruin. It’s also six months since Benny Imura and Nix Riley saw something in the air that changed their lives. Now, after months of rigorous training with Benny’s zombie-hunter brother Tom, Benny and Nix are ready to leave their home forever and search for a better future. Lilah the Lost Girl and Benny’s best friend Lou Chong are going with them. Sounds easy. Sounds wonderful. Except that everything that can go wrong does. Before they can even leave there is a shocking zombie attack in town. But as soon as they step into the Rot & Ruin they are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, insane murderers and the horrors of Gameland –where teenagers are forced to fight for their lives in the zombie pits. Worst of all…could the evil Charlie Pink-eye still be alive?

In the great Rot & Ruin everything wants to kill you. Everything…and not everyone in Benny’s small band of travelers will make it out alive.

My 2 cents

I am so happy to tell you that I love the sequel better than the first book! Dust and Decay is all about Tom taking Benny, Nix, Lilah, and Chong out to the Ruin to find out what the jet was they find in the first book.

But Tom hasn't been outside of town for months now, and things have changed for the worse in the Ruin. The group is separated and each battling their own demons. Gameland is still alive and well, and there's word that White Bear has taken over, and become more ruthless. 

The book is full of action. A lot of it is pretty gory, like the first book. What I loved was we actually learn a lot more about the characters, and get to see them at their best and worst. What annoyed me was how DUMB the boys were in this story! Morgie, Chong, and Benny all do stupid boy things, and I just wanted to smack them in the heads!

Tom is amazing as ever, from beginning to end. We also get to meet a whole new cast of bounty hunters, most of them friends of Tom. The ending was amazing, with some really good kick butt moments, but also very, very sad. Things are set up nicely for the third book!