I had thought of subbing the novella around, but after finding this image, it was too perfect to pass on.
The Twelve Dancing Zombie-Killing Princesses is available at Amazon and Smashwords.
Here's the blurb:
Meilin’s never believed in fairy tales. Happy ever afters might have
happened in the old days – before zombies. But this is 2089, and the zombies
beyond City are nothing like the ones your parents warned you about.
When their father promises riches to the one who can rid their city of
zombies, the twelve King sisters rush to develop a solution that won’t bankrupt
Dad.
The war overseas left Will disillusioned, but fighting zombies at home
is a cause he can embrace. Meilin’s another. Tough but sweet, she might make
him believe in life again, and maybe even love, if she doesn’t kick his ass
first.
When zombies kidnap her family, Meilin must rescue them. But can she
and Will save them from the worst fate of all?
Reviews
Reviews
I love fairy tales and zombies,
usually not together, but when I saw The 12 Dancing Zombie Killing
Princesses I couldn’t help myself.
I’m so glad I didn’t.
The
12 Dancing Zombie Killing Princesses is a short story and I finished it in just a
few hours, but boy is there a lot going on. Lots of action, and romance. The
zombies in this book aren’t your run of the mill undead, which Will and Meilin
figure out quite fast. The plot sucked me in, moving fast and keeping me
entertained as well as on the edge of my seat. Each new development pulled me
deeper into the story wanting to know what was going to happen and if they
would save Meilin’s family.
Dark Divas Reviews - 5 Divas and a Recommended Read!
This is a short book about Will, who
returns to City from war wants to become a zombie fighter, on his way home he
encounters the 12 adopted daughters of the city's mayor who appear to have some
plans of their own ...
Of the 12 girls you only properly get to know Zoe and Meilin who are
both wonderfully strong characters, very bright and capable and not at all
fond of been treated as mere girls much to Will and their fathers discomfort.
Will is quite sweet but is also a hardened soldier and his main
motivation is to help his mother. I found it easy to slip into the authors
world and also liked the way she humanised the zombies even if they are the bad
guys!
Julie's Book Reviews - 4 stars
Casting Call - Who did Cate envision in these roles? Find out here.
Excerpt
Miles from the boundary surrounding City, Will had somehow stumbled
into their realm. He could tell by the stench, first of all, the unmistakable
rot of flesh that permeated the air, made worse by the night’s humidity.
Second, they left an obvious trail – they’d pushed through branches and snapped
off the ends, shuffled across the forest floor and crushed undergrowth,
basically clearing a path, visible enough in moonlight to follow. No wonder
City residents had given up on farming the Grey Zone. Worse than grey – a
fallow, and foul, wasteland.
Hopefully the zombies would make enough noise to cover the accidental
snaps of twigs beneath his boots. It helped that some asshole blasted music
somewhere nearby. Club music, of all things. Why so far from City? No one lived
this far out, not these days. Like the other zombie-infested areas, people
clustered their homes behind protected boundaries.
He caught sight of something moving ahead and ducked behind a tree.
Yep, a zombie.
How many, though? New to zombie hunting, Will found it difficult to
guess, and it might end up being the one variable that could get him ripped
apart.
He followed at a safe distance, always glancing behind and to the side.
Two advanced from the rear, a few more on either side of him. Hell, he’d put
himself in the middle of them. If he scrambled off, they’d charge him and not
stop until they tasted blood. No, better to make like one of them and move
slowly. And don’t sweat it – the phrase took on critical importance;
perspiration would be a dead giveaway. Like he used to before deer hunting,
he’d masked his scent to throw the zombies off. No advance warnings for his
prey. Will wanted to keep the element of surprise.
Careful not to make any sudden movement, he increased his pace to get
ahead of them. Every step brought him closer to the source of the music, and to
the crazy lighting. In a clearing, about a dozen females danced on a makeshift
floor. A freaking disco ball sent orbs of light fluttering across the forest, a
disorienting effect.
Will had to warn them. The girls appeared to be about his age, so they
had youth on their side, but where were their vehicles? Had someone dropped
them off to dance in the middle of nowhere? Stupid. Really stupid, in every
aspect.
No sense keeping up the slow pace. He jogged ahead. The nearer he came
to the dance floor, the more he couldn’t believe it. King’s daughters! He and
his friends used to joke about wanting to get them alone, but he’d never
dreamed he’d have the chance, and especially not like this. Adopted sisters,
all about the same age, they looked more like a mini U.N., each one a different
nationality.
Maybe he’d been in the service too long, but the four years he’d been
away, the sixteen-year-olds he’d last seen had grown into amazing women.
Strikingly beautiful, and their graceful moves meant they were in top physical
shape. Good thing, they’d need to put it to use very soon.
Their names escaped him except for one. Meilin. Since the first time
he’d glimpsed her, when they were both kids, she’d especially captured his
attention. If their father hadn’t hired a private tutor, he’d have pursued her
during school.
Petite, but excellent muscle tone. Long dark hair cascaded like a
silken waterfall down her back, flowing with each sway of her hips. Hands
raised above her head, eyes closed, as if lost in the music. The sweetest face
he’d ever seen.
He glanced back. No sign of the zombies yet. It would take them awhile
to reach this place. He hadn’t danced with a girl in forever. He wanted to
dance now. With her.
