Also by this author: Limerence, Odium II, Limerence 2When Hell claws its way up from the dark depths of the earth, and the dead begin to walk again, for several people the zombie apocalypse doesn’t just mean the end of the world as they know it, it is also the beginning of a brave new life for them. For some it offers freedom, for others a deeper torment and unforgiving life than they ever thought possible.
The Bimbo, The Book Nerd, The Hero, & The Friends, everyone has their place. What really decides their fate in this new existence, nature, or nurture? Who they become when the world goes to hell is the true decider on their own humanity, and will ultimately decide their fates.
Forever changed, they have to learn to adapt to this dangerous and dark new world before they become one of the living dead themselves.
Odium Origins is an accompaniment to the full length novel Odium II The Dead Saga. It contains several short stories featuring some of the characters that you loved to hate.
This novella can also be read as a standalone book.
I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Amazon UK
My Review
Once again, Claire C. Riley has blown me away with her ability to make me actually FEEL while reading. It would be different, I suppose, if she were writing in a more dramatic type genre, but no. She writes HORROR! I’m not used to feeling so emotional while reading a Horror book. It’s a surprisingly pleasant feeling to be honest.
In this installment, we learn the back-stories of Matthew, Susan, Max, and Anne and Dean. These characters have each been through Hell and we learn a small portion of who the are in the Dead Saga, though not nearly enough. I can’t help but feel sorry for them each for different reason. I want to hug every single one of them and then cook dinner for them! You can tell they are mostly all good people at heart, so it’s extra hard to read about bad things happening to good people. On thing about Claire’s word choices is that she makes you WANT to get to know them better.
In Odium Origins 2, the intensity is almost overwhelming, but absolutely in a good way. It’s so intense that you can’t help but feel the character’s emotions as they are experiencing the zombie apocalypse. Confusion, panic, fear, sorrow and eventually hope. You can feel the confusion and fear when everything first goes down, and the disbelief when they finally realize it’s a nightmare come true. When they get angry that the world has come to this, you can feel their desire to destroy that which has caused them such pain. Every swing of a bat or machete is felt with such strength and intensity you can see the blood splatter it causes. You can feel when the character’s weapon sinks into a skull. When a character dies, there is such sorrow at losing one of the few who have not yet been turned into zombies; and eventually the hope that someday either they will encounter those who they haven’t been able to locate, or the hope of being able to successfully destroy the “things” that their loved ones have become.
I seriously love this book. I love the characters as well as the feeling that Claire puts into them. She really knows how to bring them to life in ways I have never encountered before. She is very obviously growing as an author. While her first few books were also really good, you can see the progression in her talent as she releases more and more stories for us to devour like a zombie with a plate full of brains.
I would recommend this book to everyone. If they were to tell me they haven’t yet read The Dead Saga or the Obsession series, I would insist they pick them both up right away. The Dead Saga books is still one of the only zombie series that I think has enough going on to set it apart from the run of the mill survivor stories we get in most zombie apocalypse books. Claire’s books are anything but ordinary, but I guess you will just have to find out how when you read the stories yourself!
Don’t forget to enter our Halloween/Andi’s Birthday giveaway for your chance to win an audio copy of Odium and Odium Origins!
About Claire C. Riley
Claire C. Riley is a USA Today and International bestselling author with almost twenty novels of various genres to her credit.
A lover of all things dark and dirty, she likes to write characters you love to hate but can’t help falling in-love with. She isn’t afraid to challenge herself, or her readers, to step outside of their comfort zones.
She also writes under the pen name of Cee Cee Riley, where she writes in the MC romance and post-apocalyptic romance genres.
Claire lives in the United Kingdom with her husband, three daughters and one naughty beagle, where she can be found whiling away her days playing board games with her kids and reading.
Author of:
Odium The Dead Saga Series
Odium Origins Series
Limerence (The Obsession Series)
Out of the Dark Series,
Twisted Magic,
Beautiful Victim
Blood Claim
Co-authored books with Madeline Sheehan:
Thicker than Blood,
Beneath Blood & Bone,
& Shut Up & Kiss me,
And by Cee Cee Riley:
The Ride or Die a Devil’s Highwaymen MC Novel Series
And coming in November – The Devil’s Highwaymen NOMAD series.
Author of:
Odium The Dead Saga Series
Odium Origins Series
Limerence (The Obsession Series)
Out of the Dark Series,
Twisted Magic,
Co-authored books with Madeline Sheehan:
Thicker than Blood,
Beneath Blood & Bone,
& Shut Up & Kiss me,
And soon to be released by Cee Cee Riley:
The Ride or Die Series
