Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Series: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies #1
Official Website
Description: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." 

So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. 

What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. 

Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses,Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read.

Review: I've never read Jane Austen. I know of her works, with her fearless heroines and dreamy males. I've seen the movie with Keira Knightley. (And I was pretty confused for the full two hours) So I was kinda reluctant when I was offered to read and review the series. The cover and the idea that a husband and wife can fight side-by-side fighting zombies really appealed to me. So, I accepted, and I am so glad I did! I freaking loved this book!

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies takes place in an alternate universe where the dead are coming to life, thanks to a strange plague throughout England. Unmentionables, or zombies, are sprouting from the ground and attacking innocent bystanders. The only way to save yourself is if you have proper ninja training, or become a recluse.

That's where the Bennett sisters come in. All five of them: Jane, Elizabeth, Lydia, Kitty and Mary have been trained in the deadly arts. They fight in the honor of His Majesty, and they fight pretty well since they got their training in China, instead of the usual Japan. They're known throughout their town (I couldn't keep up with the places and the towns where they lived) as the beautiful, zombie slaying sisters. 

Although the younger sisters are boy-crzed, Jane and Elizabeth are more interested in fighting Satan's army than finding husbands. Their mother would rather them find respectable husbands, being that the two oldest are very old (25, 26). But Mr. Bennett wants to see them carrying out their civil duties. 

I really enjoyed reading Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. The premise was really cool; zombie-slaying sisters who try to find romance. I liked the sly comments and dialogue of the characters. Also, they way the reacted to situation was so dramatic, it was funny. Elizabeth was awesome!I can now understand how people think of Elizabeth as a strong, fearless heroine. She really is. And now she's more badass because she has to fight zombies!

There was a lot of action in the book. Wether it fighting zombies, or fighting jealous aunts, Pride and Pride and Zombies will keep you wanting to read more. 

I had some smile-while-I'm reading moments. The pictures were an awesome addition. I enjoyed when Elizabeths friend caught the plague and how she would act. Lydia's running away. Darcy's just Darcyiness. He's a really cool guy. And he'll make a really nice husband for Elizabeth. She needs someone equally awesome as her.

I don't like I would be able to read Pride and Prejudice, though. I thought the zombies were a great addition. The original, though, would just be romance and family. It would be boring, no? Don't shoot me

Speaking of romance, I wanted to root for Darcy and Elizabeth the entire book. Doesn't everybody? But there really wasn't any scenes between them, besides the letter, and Darcy basically saving her whole family. I was more rooting for Bingley and Jane. They had the history, not Darcy and Elizabeth. D & E basically hated each other, and at one point, Elizabeth was plotting his death! 

Overall, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was a great book. It took a classic, and revamped it, and popped out this beauty.

"What a power it was! But how to wield it? Of all the weapons she had commanded, Elizabeth knew the least of love; and of all the weapons in the world, love was the most dangerous."

- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith