A Book Review: Remedium

Remedium delivers a story of escape and survival that also features a budding romance, betrayal, and human resilience. 

When the cure for diabetes became the curse, seventeen-year-old Liam’s hope to be healed from this disease was in tatters. The children who were inoculated after him turned into flesh-eating, half-dead creatures. Would he become like them?  Keeping mum about his injection, he escaped the pandemonium in school and sought safety on a farm with his mother, grandfather, friends, and their family.  Before long, their situation took an ugly turn. 

Remedium is the debut novel of the promising Canadian writer, Angela Bauman, that fulfills her childhood dream of becoming an author. (Angela Bauman, 2021)

My Thoughts 

 

The story is easy to read, well-paced, and packed with action that intensified my anticipation of what’s going to happen to Liam, his family, and friends. Although the multiple perspectives provided important information, the change of perspective caused the excitement built in the previous pages to recede as the background of the characters in focus and the initial events leading to the moment when the school was already attacked by kid zombies are being described. I was reconnected with interest when the storyline of the different characters merged at one point and went on to form a whole story. 

I rate highly the detailed description of the zombie scenes in Remedium that reminded me of those of zombie movies I watched before -- gory and scary. The scenes with children who turned into monsters tugged at the heartstrings; the heartbreak and horror that mothers felt are unimaginable. 

As for the characters, there are obvious changes in them after every chapter that made them dynamic; however, as a reader, it felt like I was watching them from a distance. I was not emotionally connected with them. I would appreciate it more if physical signals that convey emotions were more present in the scenes. For instance, Diaz,  a man who went to rescue his wife working as a school nurse, saw the little monsters in a hallway devouring bodies. After that, he reported it to his wife who was hiding in a classroom along with the other kids. Then, he proceeded to get food in the cafeteria. I was wondering how he felt and how his body reacted to the gruesome image. This gives a primal connection with the character. 

All in all the story has great potential and those who love zombie stories will enjoy this one.

 

3.5/5

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think the author chose the title “Remedium”?

2. Identify 3 major themes in the novel and how are they depicted?

3. Were the main characters able to get what they wanted at the beginning of the book? Why or why not?

4.Which character did you connect with the most? Explain. 

5.If you were Liam, how would you feel after witnessing what happened to the children after they received the vaccine against diabetes?

6.What were the surprising points of the story? Why do you think so?

7. What are the weak points of the story? Why?

8. What makes the story different from other zombie stories or movies you read or watched?

9. What are your criteria for a good suspense novel? Does Remedium meet your criteria? Why or why not?

10. What would be your alternate ending? 

Thank you Angela Bauman for your giveaway. Thank you for the chance to review this book. I understand that I would give it an honest review.

Further Information

Title: Remedium

Author: Angela Bauman

Genre: Young Adult, Suspense

Publication Date: April 22, 2020

Print length: 270 pages

ASIN: B087JYFPBD

Quotes

First Line:

"The early morning sun shone onto Robert’s face."

Reference:

Angela Bauman. (2021, April 14). Happy Bookversary to me!! [Facebook status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ABaumanFans/posts/1530353843834233