Don't be afraid of your strengths. Use them, develop them, and never rely on others to keep you safe. -Kellan

Phase Two: Evaluate by [a:Rose Wynters|7033186|Rose Wynters|https://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-e0ba3b90c110cd67123d6a850d85373e.png] picks up three days after the events of the first book of this series. Tabitha, her parents, her only surviving neighbor Jayden, her best friend Amanda and her dad, and Sara, the woman they picked up on the side of the road, are all living as comfortably as could be in their situation in the mansion owned by the mysterious Kellan who rescued them from a horde of zombies at Tabitha's house. In this installment, Kellan is teaching them how to use weapons and survive. He takes a raiding party consisting of Tabitha, Jayden, and Amanda's dad back into town for supplies and that's where all the excitement begins in earnest.

"You did good today with your shots," I told him. It was an understatement. Jayden was a natural. He'd hit the bulls eye with each shot.
"Thanks," he replied dryly. "Must be from all of the video games I played when I was younger."
We both laughed, and it felt good. It was nice to think about something normal.

Tabitha is an awesome main character. The entire story is told from her POV and I felt as if I was living things through her, experiencing what she does, and laughing out loud at her inner thoughts. Jayden is your cute next door neighbor that you never had the guts to talk to, but now find you're all of a sudden not just talking, but friends because of a zombie apocalypse....at least that's how it is for Tabitha. I loved reading the progression of their relationship, however I smell a love triangle coming on. In just the first few pages of this novella, Kellan and Jayden are sizing each other up and trying to mark their territory (bad analogy but very true!). And this continues throughout the book, much to Tabitha's dismay. Kellan is such a mystery. No one knows who he is, why he had a mansion with all the supplies he has, or what he may or may not have known about this apocalypse. There's also an addition to their group, Drake. I will say nothing about Drake other than that he is a surprise and I'm not sure if I love this character or if I should be leery of him. I'll let you read and decide.

I so love this series! It's funny, brings tears to my eyes, and makes you cherish all the little things (like having a working bathroom and going to a grocery store for food). After the initial raid in town, the plot jumps forward about three weeks and the rest of the story takes place then, a month after zombies destroyed their world. I will not spoil this story and tell anything other than I loved it, read it in one sitting, and am eagerly awaiting the next book! If you enjoy horror without too much gore, suspense, irony and YA lit, check it out!