ARC REVIEW: Mortality (The Hitchhiker Strain #1) by Kellie Sheridan

Title: Mortality
Series: The Hitchhiker Strain #1
Author: Kellie Sheridan
Publisher: Patchwork Press
Release Date: March 19th 2013
Pages: Paperback, 271 pages
Source: ARC obtain from Author through NetGalley

Summary from Goodreads:
After surviving a deadly plague outbreak, sixteen-year-old Savannah thought she had lived through the very worst of human history. There was no way to know that the miracle vaccine would put everyone at risk for a fate worse than un-death.

Now, two very different kinds of infected walk the Earth, intent on nothing but feeding and destroying what little remains of civilization. When the inoculated are bitten, infection means watching on in silent horror as self-control disappears and the idea of feasting on loved ones becomes increasingly hard to ignore.

Starving and forced to live inside of the abandoned high school, all Savannah wants is the chance to fight back. When a strange boy arrives with a plan to set everything right, she gets her chance. Meeting Cole changes everything. Mere survival will never be enough.

This is my second zombie book/series, my first being the Forest of Hands and Teeth series. Mortality’s dual POVs and action filled plot made Mortality quite a fast read. Mortality reminded me a lot of The 5th Wave but with zombies. The way the zombies took over the world reminded me a lot of the movie, The Crazies. Combine the two and you have Mortality!

There are a lot of parallels to be made to various alien invasion stories and infectious disease spreading stories. The plot was fast paced and definitely full of action. One of my only reservations is the originality of certain plot points. Sheridan did add a new twist on the zombie infection that was a nice addition but there was still a lot of stereotypical zombie apocalypse plot points. For example, there is a rouge army that is trying to re-build and restore some order to society.  When the first zombie cure came out it was only given to those with money and prestige (which then backfired).  Makes sense but it is a common thread in other stories too.

I also commend the way the two POVs intertwined with each other and kept the story moving. The first person point of views made it easy to feel the emotions the characters were feeling, grow attached to them, and root for their success through their journeys.

The two story lines progress at different rates, one story line gives more background on how the world came to be in their current state while the other story line explains more of the current status of various survivors. Between both story lines, the background and history is clearly described while explaining the current situation both girls face. We are left with a bit of a cliff hanger but it is not a cliff hanger to complain about!

I would recommend Mortality if you enjoyed the style and overall mood of The 5th Wave and if you love zombies. It may not be to most original zombie story but it was a well written, well developed edge-of-the-seat read. I look forward to reading the rest of the series!