A review by octavia_cade
Bougainvillea by Carrie Ryan

2.0

There are some lovely images in this - the bougainvillea in the water, especially - but it doesn't have the creep factor of the novels in the series. Bar the zombies attached to the outside of pirate ships, of course, but I'm kind of failing to see the logic in that strategy. Sure, it threatens land-based populations with infection (if they aren't infected already) but it's got to be easier to loot a settlement that isn't crawling with the undead, surely. Same with the pirate's desire to keep Iza alive, as if a 15 year old girl is necessary to taking over an island refuge that's already shown it's willing to follow force rather than any sense of (however shoddily defined) legitimacy. I don't buy it. I mean, the story's likeable enough, but it's severely undercut by the fact that the zombies are the most believable thing in it.