Undaunted written by Kat Falls, reviewed by Rebecca Lowe

Summary: In Lane's parents' generation, a disaster changed the face of the nation when a theme park company created animal hybrids they couldn't contain. The creature DNA was unstable and soon humans became infected with animal DNA, leading to insanity and death. Desperate to escape the virus, the United States was partitioned off, with many people trapped in the Feral Zone. In the conclusion of the two book series, main character Lane returns to the Feral Zone to find a cure to save the man she loves. She struggles against the cruelty of the military forces stationed in the Feral Zone, whether she can trust the son of the woman who caused the virus, and the danger presented by those infected. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Inhuman (book one) and Undaunted are a refreshing take on the classic zombie story. For readers who are looking for something a little less scary, this series offers a lighter and more optimistic take than what is normally seen in the genre. One thread of the narrative is issues of human rights and the disenfranchised. Knowledge of the people still living in the Feral Zone has been kept from the rest of the citizens living in the safe zone. Lane makes an effort to expose the truth and present those infected but not yet feral in a humanizing way to citizens back home through the use of social media. Her video has unintended consequences, inciting fear and also celebrity worship of someone who appeared in the video but these consequences are somewhat glossed over and easily resolved. Lane also attempts to help orphans. The orphans instantly appealed to me as sympathetic characters. They have all lost their parents to the virus and have nowhere to go, living on base at the sufferance of the military forces until they hit puberty and are kicked off. Even though the children are uninfected, no one is allowed to cross the Wall to the safe part of the country. The plight of the orphans and other uninfected people in the Feral Zone and their inability to cross the Wall is easily transferrable to current issues with immigration. These issues are also easily resolved at the conclusion. The relationship between Lane, Rafe, and Everson avoids the overdramatization seen in most ya stories that feature a girl and two boys. There is some innuendo but nothing happens beyond some kissing and a hand on her bare hip while actually going to sleep. Overall, Inhuman and Undaunted are a good choice for students interested in light dystopic fiction.