Synopsis: Imagine finding your first love, only to be ripped apart by the apocalypse. Peyton Anderson will never forget the day she was forced to make a choice–between her family–and Chris Parker, the boy she’d given her heart. Now, four years later, as she steps from the fallout shelter and into a dead and broken world, he’s the only thing on her mind.

All Chris “Chase” Parker wanted was to take Peyton away and keep her safe from harm. But he waited for hours in the rain on judgment day and she never showed–breaking his heart without ever telling him why.

Now the two of them have been thrown together once again, reluctant chaperones to a group of orphan children in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead still walk…and feed. As they begin their pilgramage to the last human outpost on Earth, can they find a way to let go of old hurts and find the love they lost–all while attempting to save what’s left of the human race? -Goodreads

Review: The further I got into this book the more convinced I was that the author rummaged around in my head, took a lot of my favorite things and made a book out of them. Apocalypse, zombies, virtual reality, Disney… The list goes on, so needless to say, Tomorrowland was a very fun read. The writing and both story lines (alternating back and forth between before the apocalypse and after) were fantastic and sucked me in immediately.

While both stories were epic adventures in themselves I definitely preferred the after story with the butt-kicking and zombies, but each plot had some very cool elements and fantastic cliffhangers to keep you fully pulled in to both stories at all times. In 2030 there are some great futuristic aspects like virtual reality and TV shows you can just pop yourself into. On the flip side, in 2034 the main characters have to keep a rag-tag group of kids safe, which made for some really fun moments.

The two main characters, Peyton and Chris/Chase were both well fleshed out and dynamic. Between the two stories lines they had both been through a lot and made some important changes as people. By the time the zombie apocalypse is going full force these two are both tough as nails. Peyton actually becomes a deadly fighting machine with razors imbedded under her nails, the whole she-bang, yet at the same time she finds a lot of comfort in the protection Chase promises. At first I found that a little sad that someone so tough would still want a boy to look after her but after everything she had been through it does make sense that she would want to be able to rely ob someone besides herself for a change.

One aspect I had a small issue with though, all of the characters kept referencing things from our time even though the book is set in 2030/2034. While I hope things like 80s music and Ghostbusters are still remembered in a couple of decades, I have to doubt that they’ll be mentioned that frequently. Small pet peeve. There was also a brief forced arena fighting plot point that didn’t really stand out for me among the huge amount of arena fights I’ve read/watched, so while that part might still work for a lot of readers, I’m ready for a change from those stories.

Tomorrowland is absolutely a standalone novel (I feel like I’m seeing a real increase in these lately) and wraps up neatly with a good sense of closure. Overall, this is a quick, super entertaining read that will leave you feeling satisfied like you’ve been on a wild rollercoaster ride. Plus… Zombies! How could you say no?

Buy the ebook @Amazon (US) @Indigo (CAN)

Rating:

Second Opinions:
@The Bookish Brunette
@Reading Diva
@Death Books & Tea