Thicker Than Blood

Madeline Sheehan, Claire C. Riley — 2015

A true friendship never dies. Leisel and Evelyn lost everything. Husbands. Families. Friends. Lives that made sense. All they had left was each other, and a friendship that could withstand anything... Even an apocalypse. Until one fateful night, the marginal safety they'd come to rely on comes to a vicious and brutal end. With the help of Alex & Jami, both unlikely allies, Leisel and Evelyn are able to escape their shattered sanctuary only to find themselves face-to-face with a much altered, much crueler life where they have to find the way-and the will-to stay alive in a world they no longer recognize. Traveling across a broken and infection-ridden country; the road-weary group are pitted against endless violence, improbable circumstances, and the ultimate loss. Everything comes at a price-especially safety, the cost of which could very well strip them of the one thing they've tried so hard to cling to: their humanity. Yet along with all the trials they're forced to endure, there's also hope in the form of love. Having loved Leisel from afar, Alex attempts to put the pieces of her fractured heart back together. But in such a savage world, is there room for love? In a place of nightmares-made-reality, where the living should be feared far more than the dead, an unbreakable friendship and a love amongst all odds can mean the difference between life and death. There are friends... And then there are Leisel and Evelyn.

Reviews

Jasmine@lovelyximperfect

Jan 21, 2023

5 stars That was not an easy read! I was a complete mess by the end! This book didn't soften anything but wow did this book ever grip me, I couldn't shake it! Everything these characters had to go through made my heart break. I personally love books that deal with survival and humanity; this book did a great showing the different sides of what people are capable of. The approach was scarily realistic, I could easily picturing those events playing out. I rooted so hard for Leisel, Alex and Evelyn they all had their fault but were amazing characters. I desperately wanted them to find a better life together. Even if that seem impossible I always had hope. Some of the best moments for me as a reader were the little ones. The small insignificant things most people don't think twice about. I loved when they were traveling and having a simple conversation, those rare moments they could joke around. I also thought the friendships and romances were portrayed really well throughout the book. I love books that are gritty and dark while still having a nice balance of friendship, love, and humor. I will admit reading this did not give me hope, quite the opposite actually but it did take me on a journey I'm not likely to forget anytime soon. I think after this I might take a break from books set in a zombie apocalypse (bye heart it's not like I needed you anyway) haha maybe a tad too much devastation for me, this is exact reason I stopped watching the walking dead. Really, though I thought this was a brilliant read, by clearly a very talented author!!

JoLee@cozysundayreads

Jun 26, 2022

Dark, gritty, brutal, raw and unpredictable read. Leisel and Evelyn friendship is truly the best. Eve who will do what ever it takes to protect her best friend. Lei was more fragile and warm hearted but had great character growth. I loved being in Purgatory, supposed safe heaven from the infected with some crazy and twisted characters. A character that really caught my attention was Eagle and can not wait to get more of him. Had some good jaw dropping WTF just happen twists that I was shocked went in that direction. Once this story picked up I could not read fast enough.

Michelle Hammond@mhammond8

Dec 15, 2021