Kiss of Life

Who would have thought a book about teenagers starting to come back from the dead would be so relatable to real life issues? This book series is absolutely amazing and it really makes you think while also being lighthearted and fun

When Phoebe's best friend Adam takes a bullet for her, she finally understands that he loves her. And when Adam comes back as a differently biotic, Phoebe vows she'll do all she can to bring him to a higher level of functionality. The theory goes that love is what helps zombies function more normally, but in order to devote himself to Adam, Phoebe must break up with her differently biotic boyfriend and zombie leader, Tommy Williams. Matters are made even more complicated by Tommy's crusade for zombie rights and recognition. While there are some people who are open to the differently biotic and want to help them, still others are convinced the teens risen from the dead are evil and need to be exterminated. Will the zombies' uphill battle for the right to exist be successful--or will their efforts only bring them in harm's way? Kiss of Life is a fantastic sequel to Waters' awesome debut Generation Dead. The writing and characterization were great and the plot satisfactory, but what stood out most to me was the unmistakable, if possible unintended, social commentary. Although America prides itself on being an advanced and modern nation, it is still capable of quite heinous crimes against minority groups and the unfamiliar in the spirit of fear and intolerance; the evidence is stacked through history, which Waters may or may now have been discreetly referring to throughout the novel. I saw so many parallels between the zombies' struggle in this story to the civil rights era, to name a historical example. What it all boils down to is acceptance and tolerance; it's frightening how some people can lose sight of those qualities so quickly. I also really liked how this novel didn't automatically assign the religious to the intolerant list, because while there are the zealots, the religious can also be some of the most generous and kind people. Aside from the fact that this novel is mostly about zombies, the situations it presents are scarily realistic. Kiss of Life is just a great read both for the story and the simple truths about life and love it presents. This novel will be eagerly enjoyed by fans of its prequel Generation Dead as well as by those who liked Night Road by A.M. Jenkins and Peeps by Scott Westerfeld.

Kiss of Life is the second book in the Generation Dead series. The first book being Generation Dead. I absolutely loved the first book, and would obviously recommend you read that one before reading this one! At the end of the first book, Adam is shot by Pete. He jumps in front of Phoebe and sacrifices his own life for hers, and then rises from his death minutes later. Phoebe expected her boyfriend Tommy to be the one to defend her and when he made no such move; she begins her resentment towards him thus ending their burgeoning relationship before it even had legs to stand on. Adam who loved Phoebe, but couldn't bring himself to tell her, is now stuck in a body that won't respond. Some zombies "wake up" from the dead and all their motor functions do not work as they should, speech, walking, reactions are all in slow motion. Having been freshly killed, then awake moments later one would think that Adam would have more mobility and could speak better but for some reason he is behind the curve and its up to his loved ones to nurture his "self" back to life. I loved the way Daniel Waters wrote for Adam, I felt the frustration and sadness and it broke my heart AND lifted my heart when his old Sensei came around to help him gain back strength, and just to be there for Adam when he needed him most. Phoebe, feeling guilty that Adam took the bullet meant for her, explores her feelings for him by being his shoulder to lean on and by believing in him and staying by his side. Did she love him after all? Does she still love Tommy although he disappointed her? Which undead beau will she ultimately pledge her still beating heart too? Along with Phoebe, Adam and Tommy we of course have all the other zombie kids. Karen, Colette, Melissa, Tak, George, Tayshawn, and many more. After Petes attack he is sentenced to community service at the Hunter foundation, where all these undead teens are taking classes! The anti-zombie movement gets deadlier, while the "Sons of Romero" which is the pro-zombie movement gets more creative. I loved this second book, maybe even more than the first. I am so attached to each and every character and like a good author , Daniel Waters has penned a world where I can escape to, and surround myself with his richly fleshed out, albeit some pale cold flesh, characters. I am waiting with baited breath for the third installment!

Kiss of Life is the follow up to Generation Dead. Daniel Waters again goes the distance with this book. He rips social issues apart such as racism, sexism and the anti gay movement. We see humanity at its most basal form, showing us that people can be cruel when anything goes against their beliefs. In this round Phoebe is trying to reanimate Adam who seems to be 'waking up' slower than other bionically different. She's still trying to reconcile feelings between Adam and Tommy when Tommy decides to go on a mission to help bridge the gap between zombies and the bleeders. Pete, who you remember killed Adam in the first place, is working at the Hunter's Center to undergo community service and therapy, is being recruited for the Anti Zombie movement. Meanwhile the Hunter Center gets exposed for what it really is doing to the zombies, and more and more zombies are being killed, massacred, burned, crucified, with the law not behind them, but certainly not stopping them. This book was brilliant Daniel Waters is an amazing break out author and his light 'teenage' tone masks the deeper uglier issues that are seen in today's society still. I recommend this with two thumbs up and 5 stars all the way!

I went into this novel with high hopes and I was not disappointed. After about having a heart attack when book one Generation Dead, I hoped this one left off where the last one had ended. It did and I was pleasantly surprised. The two books were extremely different, but both equally good. This one seemed a little more on the emotional side, with me hoping that Adam would come around faster. I fell in love with him right alongside Phoebe. I found myself a little bored with Pete's chapters, but I read them anyway, figuring they'd be important to the plot. They were, but I still just wanted to skip ahead to Phoebe and Adam's chapters. I look forward to another in this series, and I figure I won't be disappointed - the story was wrapped up, but there were several loose ends, character wise - Colette, Karen, Tak, Pete, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and definitely will watch for another book in the series in the future.

A friend picked up Generation Dead for me on a whim. The cover had caught his eye and he knew that I enjoyed a good book, be it Steinbeck, King, Rowling, etc...anything GOOD. Well Generation Dead was awesome! Purely and simply fantastic. The allegory and characters all spoke to me and of course the ending kicked my a**. I had no idea this was the beginning of a series when I finished it and well, that was last August. I was stranded on a beach in Florida, staring at the ocean oblivious to any natural beauty because I was devastated :) That for me folks = GREAT READ. I just finished Kiss of Life last night and I LOVED every minute of it...it was a great continuation of the story. I was a bit worried in the beginning as it was slower than I had anticipated and pretty sad (atleast for me); but given the ending of the first book, I am glad that Mr. Waters took the time to explore the ramifications and effects of those events. It helped me remember why I loved the first book and furthermore, the characters. Phoebe breathes on the pages, blissfully unaware of her own beauty and confused like all of us are/were in our teens; Adam is struggling to find himself given the events of the last book (his sensei visiting really got me...well everything with Adam pretty much did); and Pete is lost and as vile as ever. I enjoyed getting to know Karen so much more as well Tak. The world that Mr. Water's has created really expands with this book and I am grateful to have read it. It's such a strangely relevant story with the way the world is nowadays - polarizing politics, the fight for rights, and just the sheer craziness of finding one's self in a world that doesn't seem to make any sense - maybe that's what affects me so much...who knows? I won't give anything away plot or detail, it's just not my thing. All I can say is I can't wait to read the next installment of Phoebe, Adam, Margi and all the other characters I now love even more. I haven't wanted for a sequel so much since Harry Potter...and that is saying something. The board is set for a crazy third book...they'd better get to publishing it soon! Read Generation Dead and Kiss of Life...and tell EVERYONE you know to do the same. I'm 27 and think this book would appeal to anyone...I only wish I'd had a series like this to relate to when I was in my teens. Regardless, I love it just the same at my age. READ IT is all I can say.