I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A young woman must stop an extinction event and contend with her darker half in author Nzondi’s “Deathcon: A Zombie Story.”
The Synopsis
Love survived death—now it has to survive the apocalypse.
On the second anniversary of her boyfriend’s death, Cozy Coleman, a rising star in a world where necromancy is mainstream, boards DeathCon, a horror-themed convention cruise where she and her two best friends—the Scream Teens—are hired as headline necro-tainment.
When a brutal she-wolf attack kills Cozy, she awakens reanimated, caught between life and something far darker. Her resurrection reveals an extinction-level virus beneath the Pacific—one that could turn the Hawaiian Islands into ground zero for an undead apocalypse.
As the ship locks down, a covert military unit arrives to contain the outbreak, led by a hardened operative Cozy recognizes instantly: the boyfriend she’s been mourning isn’t dead, but deep undercover. Furious at the lie yet still madly in love, Cozy is forced to fight alongside him as the ship descends into chaos.
With ravenous creatures overrunning DeathCon and time running out, Cozy must confront what she’s becoming—and decide whether love, trust, and her dangerous power are enough to stop the end of everything.
The Review
This was such a compelling and unique twist on the zombie apocalypse narrative. The balance of action and horror was thrilling to read and the compelling world building was astounding. The idea of necromancy being a source of influence and stardom was amazing and the infusion of culture was great to read.
The heart of this narrative was the rich character dynamics and the compelling mythos of the story. The way the author brought chilling horror and monsters to a more modern setting, and included things like the modern revitalization of cruises and social media influencers impact on our culture was fascinating. The emotional core of Cozy as a protagonist was in her loss and subsequent shock in finding her lost love alive again, and how their connection rises and falls back and forth as the story progresses.
The Verdict
Thrilling, compelling and entertaining, author Nzondi’s “Deathcon” is a must read occult horror story that readers will instantly be hooked by. The twists and turns of the novel and the dynamic character growth give readers a brilliant new world that is easy to get lost in. If you haven’t yet, please grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Nzondi (also known as Ace Antonio-Hall) is an award-winning American author whose work blends psychological horror with emotionally driven science fiction. He holds a BFA from Long Island University and is a former Director of Education for New York City schools and Sylvan Learning Center.
His debut novel, Confessions of Sylva Slasher, was published by Montag Press in 2013. In 2019, his science fiction–horror novel Oware Mosaic won the Bram Stoker Award® for Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel, making Nzondi the first African American author to win the award in a novel category.
Nzondi currently resides in Los Angeles, where he continues to write speculative fiction exploring trauma, identity, and survival.
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