The Kari AnnAlysis

Your neighbors can have a major impact on your life. From helping when you need a bag of sugar, to raising your property value. But something is off about Meredith Willis’ new neighbors, Adrien and his mother.

Adrien starts attending the same school as Meredith and Heather. All the girls are obsessed with him and his sunglasses that he never takes off, but Meredith doesn’t see it. She also doesn’t see what her sister does. It’s like she’s under a spell and Adrien is the only thing she sees.

But what can Meredith do? This is the first time that Heather has smiled since their dad died, when Heather was reaching for her cell phone and wrecked the car they were in.

Then things take the turn for the weird(er). Meredith sees something very strange in the cellar of Adrien’s home, and a shoe on the porch and why doesn’t his mom ever come outside? In the end, she may decide that not knowing may have been the better choice.

I can honestly say I never imagined to read a zombie story that made me cry. It was actually a great love story! There’s a lot of growth that Meredith and Heather need to go through after their father’s death. But who would have ever thought a zombie would be the one to push them along?

I would suggest not trying to read this book at lunch. I always read books during my lunch break, but this one was a little grotesque at times, and it just happened to be the times I was chowing down. So, there’s your fair warning.

I love books that switch narrators throughout. This book did that, with Meredith telling parts, then Heather, then Adrien. In this book though, I thought it was a little confusing. I like to know who is narrating the chapter from the get-go. It sometimes took me a couple of paragraphs to even know who I was dealing with. When I read, I always imagine a character’s voice. There were many times in this book I was hearing Meredith’s voice, then realized it was Adrien’s chapter.

Other than the narrating, I thought the book was written very well. It was amazingly descriptive and turned from a zombie looking for a mate, to a zombie, putting his life on the line for the human girl he fell in love with. As strange as this may seem, it was actually beautiful.

I give The Cellar 4 bookmarks.

ISBN: 978-0547232539
Published: May 2, 2011
Author Website
Kari got this book from NetGalley