Review: Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Infinity (Chronicles of Nick #1)
By Sherrilyn Kenyon
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

To Sum It Up

: The ever sarcastic Nick Gautier has bigger things to worry about than fitting in at his prestigious high school. He’s caught the attention of the Dark-Hunters, a group dedicated to ridding the world of evil, not to mention that the majority of Nick’s classmates have been turning into zombies. Now, on top of worrying about his overworked, single mother, Nick is indebted to Kyrian, a powerful Dark-Hunter, and has taken on the task of restoring the zombies to their former state. He just needs to do all of this before curfew.

Review:

Lee was actually the one who recommended this lovely book to me. She thought I would like it, especially with all the zombies and sarcastic remarks. I did enjoy the book, and I definitely appreciated the sarcasm.

The characters in this book were great. Nick was so sassy, it killed me! I felt bad about his living situation, and I was peeved, though a little intrigued, by his deadbeat, criminal father. Nick manages to do pretty all right for himself. He has a good circle of friends. Kyrian was the “cool” guy. He swooped in and saved the day, all while keeping his mysterious bubble intact. Although I usually go for those types of guys, he was a little too angsty for my liking. The two guys who really put the cherry on the book for me were Bubba and Mark. Man, those guys are awesome! Not only were they uber smart, tech savvy, and amusing, but they were also the best zombie slayers around! I loved their whole best friends forever type of atmosphere! They and Simi, the barbecue addicted demon, made the book a lot more amusing to read.

The book itself was an easy read. It wasn’t the type of book that required your brain to be functioning at one hundred percent. I don’t think I understood or appreciated Infinity as much as I could have. I haven’t read Sherrilyn Kenyon's adult Dark-Hunter series, nor am I, being a teenager who shies away from “steamy” situations (though Lee doesn’t seem to have a problem with ‘em). My reluctance to read the adult series does not help me in the “loving this series” corner, especially since I think that Chronicles of Nick is more of a spin-off anyway. I think reading the adult books would have been beneficial; then I would have had the whole backstory and information up front and center.

Aside from being slightly unprepared, I had a lot of fun reading this book. It was light and humorous. Plus, the characters were great! Although the zombie plotline wasn’t the meat and potatoes of the story for me (the whole Dark-Hunter thing was), I was still quite fascinated with it. I’m glad Lee got me to read this.

All in All:

Infinity was a light, fun read. Those who have read the adult series should definitely check it out, and those who haven’t should still check it out.

Review: Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Infinity (Chronicles of Nick #1)

By Sherrilyn Kenyon

Publisher:

St. Martin’s Griffin

To Sum It Up:

Fourteen-year-old Nick Gautier has learned a lot about hardship during his short life. He and his mother are barely getting by, and his father is in prison. Nick doesn’t fit in with the rich kids at his posh school, where his classmates constantly taunt him. As if things couldn’t get any worse for Nick, he’s attacked one night by some guys who he thought were his friends and is rescued by a mysterious stranger with almost inhuman fighting skills. Little does Nick know that he’s about to become acquainted with an entire world of supernatural beings, and zombies in particular because his classmates are turning into them.

Review:

This was the first book that I ever read with zombies in it . . . and I liked it! I don’t watch horror movies because I’m pathetically squeamish, but these zombies were more than tolerable to a wimp like me. But there’s a lot more to Infinity than a football team of the undead. Throw some demons, shapeshifters, and a scrappy hero with razor-sharp wit into the mix, and you have one highly entertaining read.

I’m particularly fond of snarky fictional guys; in fact, the snarkier, the better. Nick Gautier’s opening line in Infinity, “I am a socially awkward mandork,” pretty much ensured that we were going to get along famously. And we did. Nick is hilarious, and his nonstop biting commentary was my favorite thing about the book. I even laughed out loud a few times, prompting stares from family members who figured that I’d finally cracked from too much time spent with fictional characters. Anyway, Nick = very funny.

This book is teeming with memorable characters, some quirkier than others. On the quirky front, we have Bubba Burdette and Mark Fingerman, supernatural hunters extraordinaire. Bubba owns a computer repair/gun shop, so, as his ad, says, if he can’t fix your computer problems one way, he’ll fix them another (presumably through the use of firearms). In the event of a zombie apocalypse, you want Bubba and Mark on your team. I also loved the demon Simi, who carries a bottle of barbecue sauce and a lobster bib in her purse in case there are any tasty zombies to eat. Simi loves her barbecue sauce!

I wish that we’d seen more of Kyrian, Nick’s mysterious savior, and Acheron, the 6’8”, Porsche-driving immortal. I haven’t read Sherrilyn Kenyon’s adult Dark-Hunter series, in which these guys and some other faces from Infinity appear. While I wasn’t completely lost as I read Infinity, there were a few times when I felt that some prior knowledge of this world and the characters might have come in handy.

With a fairly straightforward plot, Infinity is a light yet fun read, thanks largely to its sarcastic protagonist. If you appreciate the humor of someone like Jace Wayland from Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments or Cassel Sharpe from Holly Black's The Curse Workers, then you need to meet Nick Gautier. And I need to read Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series to find out more about Kyrian and Acheron.

All in All:

I’m so happy that I borrowed Infinity and the sequel, Invincible, at the same time. I can continue reading about Nick’s adventures immediately!