by Jane Austen and Steve Hockensmith
I must preface this review by saying that I was on board with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies back when all we had to go on was that gorgeous cover. After all, what could be better than this now most famous of mash-ups? Elizabeth the ultimate slayer, and Darcy her haughty equal in all things kick-ass-ish.As it turned out, the shock of reading the Bennet sisters vanquishing the Undead shaolin style was too much for me. I didn't even finish the book and I felt like a total failure. Then Dawn of the Dreadfuls fell into my lap and it changed my perception of the series completely.
I was bogged down with too many books to read yet needing to read the book desperately, I downloaded the audio version and I am so glad I did. With the luxury of having the book to peruse while I listened to the narrator do all the work for me, I was able to let go and completely immerse myself in the story. The author, free from the constraints of working within the über classic P&P, is able to give us our beloved characters as they begin their training in the Dark Arts. The dialog is more accesible and the story much more zombie-centric. I loved seeing Elizabeth struggle to get her first Zombie (ahem, pardon me), Unmentionable kill. Mr. Bennet fend off Mrs. Bennet's advances for a male heir while returning to his study of the Dark Arts. We get the Austen-like characters who are not as they seem, the hero isn't always the hero and neither is the the villain. As for the character of Master Hawksworth, all I can say is YUM (and some ICK too for good measure)!
As soon as I finished Dreadfuls I dove into Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and it was like I never broke my stride. I am a big proponent of audio books, but only when they have a good narrator as this series does. Try either format, but I highly recommend you start this series with Dawn of the Dreadfuls!
*I recieved a review copy of Dawn of the Dreadfuls from the publisher and purchased the audio myself.
