Hearts Still Beating

January 22, 2024
A zombie apocalypse complicates two queer teens’ burgeoning romance in Archer’s affecting, adrenaline-fueled debut. Shortly after best friends Mara Knight and Rory Blake first kiss, the Letalis Tichnosis virus sweeps the globe, turning those it infects into mindless flesh-eating monsters dubbed Ticks. The girls get separated when their respective families flee San Diego, only to reconnect three years later, at 17, on the Island, a settlement off California’s coast. In exchange for much-needed antibiotics, the Island agrees to house 15 of the Altered—Letalis Tichnosis survivors whose homicidal urges are largely suppressed by an experimental drug. Rory’s family is still reeling from her sister’s death following a Tick attack, so Rory is deeply conflicted upon learning that an orphaned Mara is part of the Island’s new Altered population and will be living with the Blakes. Things get even murkier when the Island’s self-proclaimed, virulently anti-Tick leader starts targeting the Altered and their hosts. The resolution feels pat and some secondary characters lack depth, but escalating stakes, nuanced plotting, and a visceral first-person-present narrative that alternates between the emotionally complex protagonists’ POVs combine for a gratifying read. The boldly drawn cast is intersectionally diverse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Penelope Burns, Gelfman Schneider.

February 15, 2024
Grades 8-12 It's been six months since Mara woke up in the facility that either saved her life or ruined her undeath. She's one of the Altered, a former zombie--or Tick, as the living call them--who has been treated with a miracle drug that lets them regain their humanity. Unfortunately for Mara, it does nothing to wipe out the traumatic memories of her actions while the Tick reigned supreme in her body. When she is sent to live on the Island community with her godparents and their daughter, Rory, the girl Mara has been in love with for years and kissed just before the end of the world, she must deal with the anger and hatred of her community and her crush as well as her own self-loathing. Told in alternating first-person chapters between Mara and Rory, this debut novel struggles with inconsistent and contradictory world building but is perfect for fans of The Last of Us looking for a queer take on the classic zombie story.

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February 15, 2024
For 17-year-old Mara Knight, the battle to become human again is just the beginning. With the Tick--the ancient Letalis Tichnosis virus--wreaking havoc on the world, Mara gets bitten by someone who's been infected, and she turns into one of the mindless, brain-eating creatures who aren't dead but certainly aren't alive, either. When Mara gains consciousness some time later (after being given Dyebucetin, an experimental drug), she's deemed safe to be around and is resettled on the Island to live with her godparents. While Samantha and Isaac Blake and their two young children are pleased to see her, Rory, their older daughter, who used to be a close friend and crush, treats Mara with anger and suspicion. While Mara struggles to come to terms with the horrific time she spent as a murderous monster, traumatized Rory grapples to rediscover her trust and her own humanity. This original, adventure-filled love story unfolds in chapters that alternate between the two girls' points of view. Their voices are at times difficult to differentiate, but the will-they-won't-they tension between them is delicious. Readers will delight in this well-built near-future dystopian world, and they'll root for Rory and Mara, who are cued white, on their journeys to find themselves and express their love for each other. A fascinating political subplot adds a rich extra dimension to this accomplished post-apocalyptic debut. A richly realized and distinctive queer zombie romance. (Dystopian romance. 14-18)

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April 1, 2024

Gr 7 Up-In this distinctive new take on the zombie apocalypse genre, best friends Mara and Aurora, who are in the middle of a budding romance, are separated when the Letalis Tichnosis virus ends the world as they know it. Their families take different paths. One leads Aurora, now hardened and going by Rory, to a relatively safe island community where the only monsters are political. The other leads Mara to become a "Tick." While controlled by the virus, she is forced to watch her body commit unspeakable acts of violence before ending up in an experimental government program that tries to bring Ticks back into consciousness. Deemed safe, former Ticks, now dubbed "Altered," are placed back with their families. In Mara's case, with her godparents, in Rory's home, reuniting them years after their first and only kiss. Rory, having suffered much loss at the hands of Ticks, is not at all happy to live with one, but her hate is complicated by the love they shared that was never fully realized, and when the island leadership starts targeting the Altered, she has to pick her side. VERDICT A riveting, unique, and delightfully queer adventure. Recommended for all libraries.-Kayla Fontaine

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