This one had A LOT of character development and focused on the relationships between the characters. Unfortunately I had completely forgotten books #2 & #3 so I didn't remember most of them.

Generally it was a poorly written book. It could have been a movie, or a tv-show. Nothing about it used its format in any substantial way. A run-of-the-mill action...thing.

So, some spoilerific notes on who everyone is, so I can reference them for the next books:

Angel Crawford
protagonist, was an addict, has dyslexia, survived a flood and the ruin of all her belongings, got her GED with help from a coworker called Nick, said she's going to apply to a college, acted as a consigliere for Pietro talking to Andrew Saber, blackmailed Saber mom with nude pics, got addicted to an enhancement drug called V12 meant to super-zombiefy her for a few moments ("super zombie powers activate"), has a dad who was violent and a drunk and now has a girlfriend and is very loving, broke up with boyfriend ex-cop Marcus because reasons, has a zombie baby called Phillip, her best friend was a Saber kid who got plastic surgery and changed her name to escape her mother's company her name is...er...sure...she's with a dude called Kyle -zombie, ex-saber- who got MAJORLY tortured by Saber Corp, Allen is a dude at work -her supervisor?- who's constantly busting her balls about stuff, evil-bad-torturing doctor Charish escaped with Saberton's help, doctor Nikas is the head doctor in the zombie lab she part-times at and Jaques-something is his assistant, Pietro ate some guy with perfect eyebrows and now wears his skin -his name also starts with a P-, Jade or Jane is a congresswoman Saber Mom tried to extort -was to be married to Pietro, now knows about zombies.
At the end of the book: Something is iffy with Nick. Angel gets addicted to the super zombie drug. She's still not with Marcus. Doctor Christie Charish is still with saberton. ( )

Really, really enjoyed this one until about the last page. Then I might have uttered, "Seriously? That trope?" And let fly a few blue words. ( )

It was slightly different from the other three novels, in that Angel is becoming an action star. (So to speak.) I like the change, but it really starts pushing her away from the simple hick girl in a more pronounced manner than before. We have less hum-drum life living and more of a superhero feel. It's not bad, not by a long shot, and it is definite character development. More that just that, it is a wonderful setup for more books to come and the brilliant segue into her old life problems. We've got a rise in this novel, setting her up for a brand new fall. It is scary, especially since she's been doing so well lately.
I'm really getting into the characterizations. I'm feeling it, and I'm scared for her. That's an excellent sign in any novel. I'm looking forward to a lot more. ( )

The thing I've enjoyed most about the previous White Trash Zombies books has been the development of Angel Crawford from junkie, high school drop out, loser to hard-working zombie morgue worker with a good heart and firm friendships.

I'm not sure whether this book presses the turbo-charge button on that development or sets us off on a completely different path. It's unsettling. I think Dianne Rowland means it to be. By the end of this book, it's clear that we're not going to have a series of Angel books that repeats the same plots and characters like a familiar soap. There is a story arc here and I suspect the ride is going to get very bumpy

Angel Crawford goes through a series of changes in this book that make her look less familiar. She is taken away from her home town to the bright lights of New York City which she gawks at like any first-time tourist and which also has some unpleasant surprises in store for her, one of which is a store owner who tries to rape her. Suddenly Angel becomes Wasp from "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest" and is one step away from killing her assailant. Next we see her in action against the Saberton bad guys (and the things they do really are I-think-I'm-going-to-throw-up bad) where, with the help of special chemical "mods", she becomes Ninja Angel, moving at speed and killing with ease. It doesn't stop there. She for plot reasons that I won't reveal, she goes on to be the one who negotiates with Saberton and becomes Power-play Angel, right down to the fancy clothes and bringing her own armed muscle who always politely refers to her as "Miss Crawford."

All of this is well done. The action scenes and the dialogue work, the plot kept me turning the pages and there's still a sort of did-I-do-that amazement, tinged with self-deprecating humour that keeps Angel from being simply monstrous.

When the time came to go home, I stated to wonder if it was "Miss Crawford" or "Angel" I'd be reading about next.

It turned out that Dianne Rowling had one more change to throw my way: the re-emergence of the old Angel who is still connected to her old boy friend, still having fights in bars, still fighting the same urges.

By the cliff-hanger end of the book the old angel and the new angel are ready to produce something different - good or bad is still to be seen but you can bet that I'll be buying the next book to find out.



( )

Just wanted to say I love that Randy's back in the picture for this book. The trashy bar fight was hilariously on point and the genuine ebb and flow of Angels relationships with the guys in her life is all too familiar... ( )