| Title | : | Alice in Zombieland (White Rabbit Chronicles, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0373210582 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780373210589 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 404 |
| Publication | : | First published September 25, 2012 |
| Awards | : | South Carolina Book Award Young Adult (2015) |
If anyone had told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that's all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.
Her father was right. The monsters are real.
To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn't careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies.
Alice in Zombieland (White Rabbit Chronicles, #1) Reviews
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Whether or not you enjoy this book depends on what you were expecting to begin with. No Really. Look at that cover, reread the synopsis and decide right now what you’re hoping from this book. Is it:
a) A dark, twisted retelling of Alice in Wonderland with zombie creatures?
b) A high school melodrama about ghost/zombies with no real Alice in Wonderland connection.
If you thought B then good for you. Read this book. If you thought A then back the hell off now. This is not the book for you and you will likely be disappointed.
I thought A. From the title and the vague synopsis I believed that this would be an Alice going into zombieland and dealing with a dark, unsettling, gory version of Wonderland with many of the themes and symbolism from the original story modernized and reimagined in this book. I thought this was going to be a book version of American McGee’s Alice.
Now, just to make it clear. It’s not a book or author’s fault if that book was not what the reader imagined. But I do think the title and synopsis is misleading considering a number of people, myself included are probably a little confused about what this actually is. The synopsis is vague, mentioning only revenge and monsters and a bad boy.
So let’s clear this up. This is what Alice in Zombieland is:
Alice’s entire family die in a car crash. Her father, who always believed in zombies (they aren’t physical zombies. They’re incorporeal, evil spirits that attack and eat your soul) is eaten. Alice, orphaned, goes to a new school where students act strangely. In particular, a student name Cole who is all badass and secretive. Instalove, love triangles, special girl with special powers later, blah blah blah THAT is the story.
In fact it felt, while reading, that the Alice in Wonderland elements were shooed in at the last minute and didn’t feel as though they were native or even relevant to the story. Certainly, whilst the author links to a couple of small, inconsequential details like the white rabbit and the Cheshire cat, none of the themes of Alice seemed touched upon or incorporated into the story as a whole. Which is a shame because the coming of age in a strange and crazy world that everyone thinks is normal theme would have worked so extremely well IN A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL ABOUT ZOMBIES!
But instead of talking about what I wanted the book to be – what is the actual book like? Well, just not for me. Showalter is transitioning from adult paranormal romance to YA and I don’t think it was successful. She built Cole off the foundation of a romanticized Alpha male – if that’s your thing fine, but I think the effect is lost when the audience is reminded that this is a sixteen year old boy. Like when they’re at the club and intimidating grown men away from the girls by growling. Yeah…
Alice is a reasonable character, though not one I had a great deal of interest in. She simply capitulated too much to Cole’s cavemanish tendencies to keep my interest. The general cast is alright but it is quite sizable and burdens the plot with a great deal of what felt like unnecessary posturing and conversing over things the audience already knows.
I somewhat expected better from the writing considering this is far from Showalter’s debut novel. The action scenes did not feel well realized and the final battle was amazingly short and anticlimatic. There was a focus on the romance. To be fair, it’s by no means a single-minded focus, simply too much for me considering I had no investment in their relationship to begin with. Instalove is not a plot device that I like. I never felt that I championed the relationship between these two characters because it never seemed to me that they had any chemistry to begin with or even liked each other – at all.
My basic advice before buying this book would be to read as many reviews of it as you can by people whose opinion you trust, decide if it is something that’s going to appeal to you and read the sample online before you purchase.
Basically, would it have been too hard to have a story where Alice and the Mad Hatter throw down in a knife fight? Really, guys? REALLY?! -
Going into this I had a really good feeling that I wouldn't like it and I was right. First problem is I don't like zombies (which is obviously a personal preference thing), second problem is the fact that this is just a superficial high school drama, and the third and biggest problem for me is the fact that this is not a damn Alice in Wonderland retelling. People had warned me about that going in but I thought I'd at least get something considering the title of this and it's sequels but NOPE I was lied to. What shoddy false advertisement. Overall this just made me feel annoyed.
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As you can see this is another DNF review, because I can only take so much torture, and reading this was overkill. I made it about 120-something pages, and then I reached my breaking point.
What I Oh So Desperately Wanted: An awesome, zombiefied Alice in Wonderland retelling with lots of action.
What I Got: Crappy, unoriginal, stereotypical teen melodrama.
So we have Alice, a girl who's dad is claimed to be psycho cause he sees these "monsters". And then her whole family gets killed in a car crash with her in it and she mysteriously survives (of course, doesn't sound familiar or unoriginal at all whatsoever). She gets moved into a new school and meets this bad boy who's, and I quote, "serial killer-esque" and she immediately fantasizes about him when they first lock eyes (not kidding).
Okay. So let's start with Cole.
Where do I even begin?
He's the leader of the bad boys in the school. He's extremely gorgeous and muscular with violet eyes and his ex-girlfriend is the bitchy and perfect queen of the school.
Cole is like Patch, Daniel and even friggin Daemon, the father of all YA pricks, all rolled into one. He scowls at Ali when they first meet, and even snaps his teeth at her. What the hell?
I stopped reading this book by the time Cole became this extremely controlling prick all of a sudden, even to the point of demanding Ali to give him her number. I'm not kidding, folks. I mean, I've read about some pretty controlling YA heroes, but he just takes it to a whole nother level. A Christian Grey level.
The insta-lust was ridiculous. Not five seconds after Ali first locks eyes with him, she's fantasizing about kissing him. Literally. There's, like, whole paragraphs of a makeout scene, all in her head. And then all she thinks about is Cole Cole Cole and how muscular and hot he is.
I stopped liking Ali right about the time she meets Cole. She was so pathetic in front of him, and the fact that after they meet Cole is pretty much the only thing in her mind didn't help at all.
There's also Ali's annoying friend, Kat. She meets her at the hospital cause Kat's mom works there and all she does is talk and talk and gossip and it's so friggin annoying that I wanted to reach into the pages of the book just to slap the shit outta her.
What I'm most most most sad about is of course the faux Alice in Wonderland retelling. The title and the cover (Off with their heads.) and even the name of the series, White Rabbit Chronicles, made me think that this would be an honest-to-god Alice retelling. But no. I guess that was just some method to lure all those fairytale-retelling fanatics out there to pick this book up.
If you are one of those fanatics, as am I, I will tell you this now: This is not an Alice retelling. Save yourselves! D: If you want a good, real YA Alice retelling, try
Splintered by A.G. Howard, which I adored. <3
The 120-something pages I read were absolute torture, and there was nothing about this book that made me want to continue reading. It had numerous chances and they were all blown to pieces. Overall, this was your average teen melodrama story with some ghosts and zombies sprinkled onto it. Oh, and Alice in Wonderland references, for whatever reason.
In short, avoid this book at all costs. I definitely learned my lesson. ._. I should have listened to
Kat Kennedy's review and took it as a warning. -
OFF WITH HER HEAD!!
Alice in Wonderland with zombies? Not so much. Creative zombie ghosts lore (… you heard me. Zombie. Ghosts) with great humor and charming characters? Definitely!
Despite the title, Alice in Zombieland really has nothing much to do with Alice in Wonderland. There may be some scattered references, but it's really a unique story all on its own. While some may be disappointed, I wasn't terribly familiar with the specifics of the classic tale, so I found myself having a lot of fun with this non-retelling. Really, all I need are zombies. Wouldn't every fairy tale be much more interesting with zombies? I think so! :D
Charming, this book absolutely is! Which is funny to say for a zombie book. Ali leads this story with a tough, head held high attitude; she's feisty with a great sense of humor that I got a kick out of. Then we have her friend Kat who really completes the show. Spunky, wild, and lots of fun, Kat is a fabulous girl who I came to adore. She has a very attractive confidence and qualities that everyone would want in a best friend. Plus, she has secrets of her own that add depth to the story. And of course, we have boys; most prominently - Cole. The leader of the bad boys, Cole is sexy and fierce with a mysterious agenda of his own, and Ali hopes she won't regret putting her trust into him. His irksome attitude towards Ali motivates some pretty humoristic dialogue/banter between them; their opinions tend to clash more than harmonize. Let's just say, the tension between them is just as adorable as it is frustrating. While the romance isn't my favorite aspect of this novel--the constant back and forth between them can get a little exasperating--they do have great chemistry to work with.
Set at the perfect pace, the plot is centered around these zombies that are not your run of the mill zombies, these exist in the spirit world. While I love the traditional zombie, and at first I wasn't sure how I would enjoy this bizarre re-imagining, it's simply too creative to not have me fascinated by it all. I was a little confused with the specifics, however: Who can see them and who they can hurt exactly, is not made very clear. But we still have time to get into these details. Zombies: meet the Hazmats, a villainous company looking to experiment on your rotted ghost person! And their intentions? Duh duh duuuuuh! The Hazmats add a great mysterious edge to the plot which also opens up intriguing possibilities for its sequel. All of this adds up to a refreshingly unique little paranormal romance.
There is humor, there are zombies, there are witty characters, even the chapter titles are hilarious! What else do you need? Oh, and the sequel is called "Through the Zombie Glass". Win? Yes! Yes it does!
--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.
For more of my reviews, visit my blog at
Xpresso Reads
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Does the title Alice in Zombieland along with the intriguing synopsis and lovely cover has you convinced that you have to read this book?
No? Never mind.
But if your answer is ‘Yes’, then you need to ask yourself this:
Are you expecting to find a gory, engrossing, retelling of Alice in Wonderland with zombiegoodnessputridness?
No? Okay.
So far so good.
Are you prepared to go through the same overused insta-lust bullshit between the main characters with hardly any explanations or focus on the plot which is fairly predictable?
No? You lucky bastard!
But if it’s a still a yes, I really hope you like it. Or if you are somewhat skeptical then you can continue reading my review and then decide for yourself.
You know, the rating along with a good synopsis is enough to make me want to read a book. Gena Showalter impressed me with her work in the Intertwined series and her work in Lords of the Underworld (the first 3-4 books) was good for my taste. So obviously I wanted to see her take on the Young-Adult genre but I’m really disappointed to add that her two books I read this year ended up with nothing but a 1-star rating from me.
The prologue and I hit it off instantly. I didn’t know what to expect from this book because of the mixed ratings I had come across but I was ready to be a little disappointed. What I wasn’t ready for was to find the characters so unbearably aggravating that I had to stop reading for long intervals and then had to drag myself to finish it.
The plot, actually, is very promising. I like reading macabre zombie tales and even though you don’t find the traditional zombies here, the new type of zombies that Showalter introduced were just as savage and even though they weren’t the shambling types, their role in the story was the least disappointingOkay, I admit, I wanted them screaming “BWWAAAIIINNNSSS”…but oh well.
Anyways, let’s talk about the actual storyline for a while before I start seeing red thinking about those irritating characters, hmm?
We have Alice Bell, a 16-year old, as our protagonist who has a lunatic for a father, a submissive, loving woman for a mother and a larger than life 8-year old for a sister. She despises her father for all his crazy talks of monsters and for forcing a daily lockdown of the entire family before sunset. One tragic night she loses her entire family to a car-crash and that’s what it takes for her to realize that her father wasn’t crazy after all.
The beginning itself started giving me hints about Meyer’s involvement. Like how the girl changes city/school, gets instantly attracted to the hot bad boy who’s to be avoided according to all her newly made girlfriends, add in the staring game across lunch tables in cafeteria along with getting lost in each other’s eyes (however in this case Showalter makes it too literal because the two of them actually lose all sense of reality on eye contact) and you have the clichéd failed romance for the story. Follow this up with guy telling girl not to get involved, girl telling guy he doesn’t scare her off when he actually does, guy not being able to stay away from girl and ordering her around by asking her not to see a certain other guy friend who is the potential love-interest for a triangle in sequels, girl wanting the guy real bad and *dun dun dun* getting involved so deep that she has to lie to her family (which as we all know ends up badly) and there, you have the story! Oh just put in more bitchiness from every other character, a zombie sighting or fighting here and there, girl getting close to dying but surviving (shocker.. *rolls eyes*) and voila, you have the disaster recipe for what-not-to-do in a zombie book!
To top it all off, there is some more head-desking, face-palming and general nuisance that the book makes you go through with the predictability, unappealing characters, lack of explanation and an anticlimactic ending, that you’d find yourself with an expression like this:
Speaking of lack of explanations, I feel like Showalter wasted such a brilliant concept by revealing next to nothing about how the zombies came into being or why Alice was so very “speshul” in fighting them off or why or why . There was also that discrepancy in the last fighting scene that has been bothering me. What do you have to say for yourself, dear author? And since we’re on the topic of what’s bothering me, let’s talk about Kat, Showalter. She was obnoxious, egotistical, and got on my nerves. If you were trying to give Ali a bff, couldn’t she be hilarious without being annoying? Who the hell meets you on day one and shares all their summer secrets in a minute? Okay, forget that, can you tell me why that little surprise? Was it meant for the readers to sympathize with her? Guess what, I don’t care. It just felt like a useless thing to do or maybe it was meant as a plot device to make us suspicious of her or something? Amirite?
Well, now about the ending. I shouldn’t have expected anything better after reading only two fight scenes with no sense of looming danger or anticipation that a zombie book makes you crave for, but seriously, the ending could’ve been so much better. I admit that I hadn’t expected on the other team, but again it failed to leave an impression.
Umm…after so much beating around the bush I think I can’t avoid talking about what made me the most peevish about this book, right?
Thought so.
So shall I startrantingtalking about Ali and Cole?
Okay…*cracks knuckles*
Ali, where should I even begin? You know I felt real bad for your loss and your family’s death must have been quite traumatic. I know you needed something to make you feel less guilty and take your mind off things for a while. I really wish lusting for the bad-boy who was actually a manipulative, condescending jerk wasn’t your way of dealing. Hadn’t you been mad on your dad for ordering you to stay home and not letting you live life like a normal teenager? How could you find Cole’s bossiness charming then? Was it the violet eyes? I understand how that along with his sexiness would have made your mouth water but really girl, doesn’t a personality count? You mouthed him off a couple of times but secretly thinking thoughts like, “Please want me!” was what made me want to slam your head against the wall. I hope you realize that you getting bitten by zombies every time gave me a sense of peace. Also, your bitchiness wasn’t warranted most of the times. In the end all I have to say to you is:
Cole…Dude, you were what? 16? I understand that your father having knowledge on everything zombie gave you a sense of superiority or whatever, but did that give you a right to order around all your friends and treat them like your minions? Someone had to take the lead, it was necessary, but who left you in charge? You know what, I don’t entirely blame you. I blame the others who succumbed to your alpha-male role. I don’t hate you but every time you spoke, I just wanted to say:
I don’t care for all the other zombie slayers, I just don’t. Frosty was a whipped puppy on Kat’s leash, McKenzie was..okay, I think. She was jealous and clingy in the beginning but she didn’t bother me. The others like Trina, Bronx, Reeve etc. etc. made no difference to me with their existence. Also, I would have liked an explanation for Cole and Ali’s connection but needless to say, I didn’t get one.
Yeah, I’m done. Did I make you suffer much? Sorry.
I feel exhausted too after writing this review *cough *just as I was exhausted after finishing off the book*cough*. My rating makes it quite clear that I won’t be looking forward to any sequels. If I do, blame it on being a masochistic lion.
*snickers* See what I did there?
*sigh* -
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! Sweet Jesus, Ali is not your typical sit-back-and-take-it heroine -- she's wild for a girl who looks like a doll, and I SERIOUSLY LOVE THAT. Go kick some invisible zombie butt, Ali! (: ♥
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Alice in Zombieland is, quite frankly, not what I was expecting. It's BETTER. It ROCKS. It totally KICKED ASS, which I guess should've been expected of a Gena Showalter book incorporating zombies into my favourite childhood story. I always used to want to go to Wonderland before, but screw that now -- one ticket to the kick-ass world of Alice's Zombieland, please!
This book starts off with a bang -- and I mean that literally. Ali's crazy dad, her adorable little sister, and her loving mother are all taken away from her in an instant where she learns that maybe her certifiable father wasn't so insane after all. Then she moves in with her grandparents, becomes BFFs with the hilariously amazing Kat (BEST BEST FRIEND EVER, NO JOKES), and meets Cole.
Now this is where I fell in love.
Cole is the leader of the school gang, a total badass, and extremely irritating to Ali -- especially when she realizes that his gang kills zombies instead of act broody without reason. Except these zombies aren't like what you'd expect. They're invisible to those who can't see them (like Ali couldn't before the accident), so there are only a select few who are equipped to fight them. He proves his worth a million times when he kills zombies, protects Ali, and puts up with her stubborn streaks like a guy with a gold medal in the PERFECT BOOK BOYFRIEND category.
(And I know that many people find possessiveness unattractive in a male protagonist, but I LOVED how protective he was of Ali! You could easily see how much he didn't want her hurt, how much he wanted to protect her -- yet at the same time, he couldn't exactly deny her the chance to fight the monsters that murdered her family. Especially after she proved that she was ass-kickingly worthy of being the heroine of this novel, too. They were a perfect, sizzling, and amazing duo!)
What I love about Ali is that she wants to help out almost immediately. She takes the risk of learning to sword-fight and hunt like any self-respecting heroine would -- even when she faces with death more than her fair share of times.
What I love even MORE about Ali is her snark. Seriously. I think ALL of my favourite characters possess hilarious snark of some kind, and Ali has definitely got some of the funniest wisecracks in book history!
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Kaylee's Conclusion...
Alice in Zombieland is A HUNDRED out of A HUNDRED shades of awesome, and FIVE out of FIVE shining stars of rewarding greatness. The beautifully fitting cover, the sexy yet sweet romance, and the powerful storyline full of many twists and turns make it a book that I feel EVERYONE needs to own!
So what's stopping you? I want no excuses -- this book is a MUST on your buy lists for this fall! (:
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TEASER:
Cole cupped my cheeks and brought my gaze back to him. "Why wouldn't I dance?"
Uh, maybe because at first glance he looked like he ate puppies for breakfast and kittens for lunch? As for what he enjoyed having for dinner -- that couldn't be discussed in polite company.
"Because you think it's dumb?" The words emerged as a question rather than the statement I'd meant them to be.
"Something that allows a guy to put his hands all over a girl isn't dumb. It's genius."
(quoted from the ARC) -
4 COLE STARS <333
I think everybody knows Alice in Wonderland..but did you know that there is also another Alice?? With Zombies...Yes yes you heard me...there are zombies in this book...like many of them!!!But these zombies weren't what I expected and the concept was different because the hunters had to fight leaving their bodies aside and using the spirit!!It was interesting and very unique!!
Alice moves in with her grandparents after her parent's and sister's death.She tries to accept her new life and fit in by meeting new people at her new school!One of them is Cole a member of a group, which causes many fights
Do they fight a lot or something else is happening???
But this isn't the only problem..Whenever Alice goes at school and sees Cole they have visions..Sometimes
they fight zombies and other times they are kissing..
They are drawn to each other..It is obvious that there is something between them..
I loved Alice and Cole!!They have a strong relationship!!Alice is amazing!!I loved her sarcasm and the fact that she was so brave!!Cole,Cole,Cole *sigh* he is dangerous,mysterious and so sexy!!
"This is becoming a very bad habbit," Cole growled, suddenly keeping pace beside me. His arm wrapped around my waist. "You run, I chase."
The only thing that disappointed me was that the whole story took part in the real world. I wanted more fantasy..
But still it was really good!!Can't wait to see what will happen in the next book!!
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My Goodread friends have either really, really liked this book or really, really hated it. Now, I know why, and I have so many things to say about it - and not good ones.
First of all, I thought this book was going to be a parody of Alice in Wonderland or have some kind of parallelism or allusion to it, but the only things that lined up were a character named Alice and the mention of a white rabbit - in this book, it was the stupid clouds. So yeah, not much correlation to Alice in Wonderland.
Now where to go from here. This book was like watching a scary movie where the characters are just heading towards trouble, and you're yelling, "Stop! Don't go any further! Turn back!" Yet, they still run straight into it, KNOWING nothing good can come out of it. In fact, Alice even referred to it as a scary movie. Why would go you go outside Alice? Please, tell me why? Stop! Abort! Abort!
And the concept had potential, but nothing was ever explained. I know that Showalter plans to keep things for the sequel, but a book is incomplete when you don't even BEGIN to explain things.
On a side note, I'm not opposed to instalove, but in this book, it was just downright ridiculous and corny. The meeting of the eyes and immediately physical effects, the tunnel-visions, all of it. And And the hot-cold relationship that they have? I'm all for bickering that gets you a bit riled up, but in this book, it was just annoying because they were such an ass/bitch, and it was built on drama, not chemistry. And while Alice tells Cole to go away, she's silently praying, "Please. Want me." Ugh! Their conversations were either frustrating or sickeningly corny.
Come to think of it, the whole book was pretty irritating to read. I think Showalter tried TOO hard to make this book "smart" if you know what I mean. I was overloaded with the "Pretty Kitty" and "Mad Dog" or play on words like "pain in the neck" when referring to the sword knick. Try answering someone asking you how you're doing with a "I'm so good, I should be illegal." Too much. Just too much.
There were annoying characters. All of them were, but the two I could not stand were Alice and Kat. Alice was such a bitch. I understand being sassy and being a smart-mouth, but her character was written to the point where she was just snarky and downright rude.
And Kat? Who goes and tells someone they just met all about their dramatic relationship and sex life? She's dramatic and obnoxious. She's nosy and interfering. And her attempt to be such a badass was irritating. And what was up with her surprise? Can we be more cliche? Why? Why did you have to do that? Sometimes, annoying best friends can be written to where they are charming, but Kat was just too much.
I know Showalter is a great writer, and I respect her and her works. But with this one, I just couldn't. I didn't just "not like" this book. I found it irritating and just really, really bad - and for me, it wasn't a "so bad it was good" type of book. -
I was obviously expecting too much from this book, because boy was I disappointed.
Alice was an okay character, I felt sorry for her because of the way she lost her whole family, and the way she blamed herself for it. It must have been really hard for her to find herself so alone, and to have to deal with the knowledge that the monsters her father raved about were actually real!
The storyline in this revolved around Alice learning to fight zombies, and it got old real quick. I got bored. I felt like half the book was info-dump after info-dump, and I didn’t really care for the insta-love romance either. I mean really?
The ending to this did save this book for me a bit. At around the 90% mark it actually got interesting. It didn’t last for long though. Can’t say I’m desperate to read the next one. Just another example of not buying the sequel before you read the first one Sarah.
6 out of 10 -
Not much of an Alice book at all. But so much fun! Review to come.
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I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but Alice in Zombieland has very little to do with Lewis Carroll’s classic. In fact, aside from the title itself and the white rabbit-shaped cloud that warns our Ali of danger, there’s nothing connecting the two. As someone who stays as far away from retellings as possible, I was overjoyed when I discovered this, but if you go into this expecting a new version of that story, you might find yourself disappointed.
Alice in Zombieland is, above all, a fun little book suitable for younger audience. While there are plenty of hot scenes and sexual references in there to contradict what I just wrote, the overall story lacks enough substance and depth to satisfy a more mature reader. This is mostly due to formulaic narrative and stock characters. That’s not to say, however, that this book is not worth reading – it is, as it has several things going for it, but it’s not nearly as original or exciting as I’d hoped.
The story is all too familiar: Ali’s entire family dies in a car accident caused by her schizophrenic father who was trying to save them from invisible monsters. After the tragedy, Ali goes to live with her grandparents, where she soon discovers that her father wasn’t nearly as crazy as he sounded. Monsters start popping up everywhere, but with them comes a group of young people led by the scorching hot Cole Holland, all of them trained to kill the zombies and defend humanity.
Although I liked Cole well enough, he didn’t even come close to provoking the reaction Showalter was going for. All the ingredients were there: the initial rudeness, the mystery surrounding him, the incredibly attractive looks, overprotectiveness, strength and impressive fighting skills, but I just never felt truly enthralled by him, not for a split second. It’s probably because, as a love interest, he seemed just a bit too plastic. Take this quote for example:
I knew he was strong, determined, protective, and that he cared about his friends more than he cared about himself. He obeyed no rules but his own. In the Wild West days, he would have been an outlaw.
It’s true, Cole is all those things, which makes him exactly like hundreds of other characters that showed up recently. I’ve seen authors work with this mold and still manage to create something unique, be it through the sense of humor or something else entirely. But Showalter just didn’t succeed in making Cole memorable at all.
Where she failed with him, she succeeded with Alice… at least up to a point. Alice is also a stock character, but unlike with Cole, Gena Showalter managed to breathe some true spirit into her, which is why she’s the only thing I’m sure I’ll remember about this book.
Oddly enough, Showalter’s take on zombies was the most original thing about Alice in Zombieland, and my favorite part, to be honest. Existing only in the spirit realm, they cannot be seen or touched by just anyone, but that doesn’t mean they can’t do real harm. In order to fight them, Cole and the gang have to separate their spirits from their bodies, and it’s the first thing Ali had to learn as well. While I’m usually a blood-and-gore kinda gal, I found it all very interesting, although a bit confusing at times.
All in all, Alice in Zombieland is a fun, but rather unmemorable book that, I fear, was written merely to satisfy the market, and not in a creative outburst of any sort. A lot of adult authors are deciding to write YA these days because, let’s be honest, that’s where the money is, but some manage better than others, and Gena Showalter falls somewhere around the middle.
Do I think this book is worth reading? Definitely, if you’re looking for a compelling, fun read you’re likely to forget in a short while. There are times when a reader needs exactly that.
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Reading Progress:
This is how I reacted to this book:
(Link:
http://sammo6661deth.deviantart.com/a...)
Actually review here:
Note: I read the translated version of this book.
There is one word I think is the most suitable for this supposed Alice in Wonderland retelling, and this word is ridiculous.
(1) Calling this book an Alice-retelling is equated to lying. All of the Alice-references are so poorly done and senseless (a bunch of teenagers throwing a regular beer-and-disco-music party is equated to the Mad Tea Party, great isn't it?) it feels more like an insult to the original text than a respectful homage.
(2) This book is more about stupid teenage high school drama and over-the-top love triangles than Alice. I'm not kidding.
(3) The heroine Alice (aka Ali) spends a lot of time drooling over the masculine bad boy love interest Cole and fantasizing about making out with him (again I'm not kidding) than grieving over her dead family and worrying about the crisis of zombies going around eating people for dinner.
(Link:
http://vampirekiki.deviantart.com/art...)
(4) As to the zombies....they only have spiritual forms and they are 'eating' the goodness in people then in turn making them zombies too. Why would they do this? Because they are evil. Not because they are hungry or need human flesh to keep their bodies functional.
Zombies with no physical forms? Zombies who eat people because they are evil!? Then why would those creatures be zombies at all? Why don't call those creatures 'phantoms' or 'wraiths' instead? Is the author so eager to ride the success of the recent zombie hyper, e.g. The Walking Dead and all those zombie movies out there?
(5) All the bullshit about Christianity and God and Good vs. Evil
I know, the heroine and her family are Christians, but must she keep talking nonsense about God so very often? I mean, do real-life Christians talk like this? It's so annoying.
To make thing worse, even Christian rock bands get mentions here and there. *facepalms*
And the nonsense about how the war between zombies and people who can 'see' them is the epic Good vs. Evil battle is also annoying as hell.
(6) The basic concepts about man-eating monsters and people who fought them could have worked out just fine if the author actually has some basic writing skill and style to save her life. But she doesn't, so the entire story turns out to be very flat, toneless and fake. The heroine lost her entire family? Monsters stalking her and wanting to eat people? I never felt worry about her and her friends, the writing is just that bad.
(7) Last but not least, the heroine's dear dead mother taught her teenage daughter that her virginity is a gift when the good woman was alive.
Okay, I'm alright with the 'don't do it when you are not ready and certain' message, but what the actual fuck about this 'virginity is a gift/valuable' BS? It's just downright backward and sexist. Have you ever heard a guy's virginity is a gift before? No? Like never? Now can you see what I mean? -
This book was so fun!!!!
“Never forget that evil is evil. You cannot change it. You cannot lead it to the light. But, if you let it, evil can lead you to the darkness.”
I loved this book, surprisingly. I was really hesitant and I had actually decided to not read it some time ago, but back in August I noticed my BFF Lauren wanted to read it and I thought it would be fun to read together...WELL, we finally got to it, and I enjoyed it immensely!
The last "Alice and Wonderland" retelling I read was...not good. I didn't enjoy it all that much - It turned me off to this book...but when L said she wanted to get to it this month, I was very much on board. I am happy to report that there wasn't much of an Alice in WONDERland vibe. If this is supposed to be a 'retelling' of sorts, its an incredibly loose retelling.
I loved the characters [Mostly Cole...always Cole]. I'd seen the name Cole Holland on my GR feed numerous times, but I had no idea from which book he came.....I DO NOW!!! As soon as I saw his full name, I was excited to get to know him. He's great. Love, Love, Love! ALICE....I loved and hated her, but overall, I mostly loved her. She was sassy, and a fighter, I could definitely see us being friends! [Especially when her best friend Kat, somewhat reminds me of myself]. But, she rushed into things, and in doing so, acted quite stupidly at times. The other characters.....You either love or hate them. I found her Grandparents to me the most amusing of characters.
THE ZOMBIES: Obviously that isn't a spoiler, because...HELLO, its in the name. I won't go into detail, but I will definitely say that the way the author went about it, has got to be one of the most original ideas when it comes to the monsters.
As tragic as I found the beginning to be....I didn't really think much on how the book as a whole would turn out. I knew it'd be full of bad ass fighting, and infatuations, and humor...but I didn't think it would also have so many more heartbreaking moments. No details...but I will say, that the fact that I wanted to cry...makes me love this book all the more. I absolutely love when a book can make me feel the characters emotions. It says a lot about the writing style, and I can totally say I loved it here.
The ending of this book made me want to jump right into book two. UNFORTUNATELY, that won't be happening....but I did order books two and three before I was even halfway through this one. *Excitement*
come find me:
www.facebook.com/ReadsAsh
IG: ash.reads Twitter: @ReadsAsh -
I enjoyed this one very much.
I liked the plot, the characters, the "zombies", the story, but specially, I liked the romance.
The romance is the main reason I gave it 4 stars. Usually, YA Fantasy books leave me wanting for more romance, but this one satisfied me so it gets 4 stars. -
English review at the bottom
¡¡¡Pasen, pasen todos a ver una nueva versión de libros de adolescentes de fantasía en la cual no encontrarás cosas nuevas!!!
Hacer entrañable un libro es dificil, se necesitan aspecto únicos y originales que los lectores estén pidiendo así que este libro te gustará sí:
Querías ver a una adolescente insegura, que se siente culpable y poco atractiva (aunque toodos creen que es sexy), que repentinamente tiene que mudarse con un familiar al que casi no conoce. La tenemos.
Sentías la necesidad de conocer al nuevo chico malo y peligroso de tus sueños, que tiene unos ojos singulares, cabello de película, cara estilo Holliwood (exactamente así dice Alicia que es su rostro) y cuerpo tentador. Que no dejara que su interes amoroso tome decisiones y la considera muy frágil. Aquí está y viene acompañado con el circulo cercano (amigos, familia) que odia y desconfía de la chica nueva.
Querías conocer a la amiga mandona y que, aunque no lo acepte, está necesitada de atención y un poquitín celosa. También aparece
Extrañabas los triángulos amorosos donde los hombres se odían y la chica, al menos por un tiempo, está indecisa. Aquí lo encontraras
El convertir a moustros que históricamente hemos considerado repulsivos en seres hermosos pero peligrosos es un idea que te parecio genial la prímera vez que la leíste y aun te fascina. Felicidades, en este libro también sucede
Te gusta que por sólo hablar con un chico, o dos, o tres, o los que sean, las chicas sean consideradas zorras y los rumores comiencen a rondarlas. Yep, tambièn aquí podrás encontralo
Ok, si querias algo de esto, ve a leer esté libro porqué aparte de los que menciono arriba hay otros aspectos, personajes y situaciones tan cliché que aparecen durante la lectura pero mencionarlo sólo demostrará lo poco original que lo sentí...además del hecho de que lo detesté.
La historia ya está muy vista, está demasiadotomadabasada en otras que ya fueron creadas antes. La parte "original" tampoco es la gran cosa y, aunque serviría para que la historia se orientara hacía algo más interesante es muy desaprovechado, primero porque sucede ya pasado algo así como el 90% del libro y segundo por que es resuelto muy facilmente. Además, lo que hicieron con el mito de los zombies no me gusto nadita
Todo está demasiado centrado en la relación amorosa, que por cierto se me hizó muy forzada y no logre creerme que fuera más que atracción sexual, y muy alejado de los zombies, que vamos esa es la razón por la que llama la atención. Pero tienes una proporción más o menos así: 70% lanorelación de Cole y Alicia, 20% entrenamiento para combatir zombies, 10% zombies.
El final busca dejarte con algunos cliphanger pero no veo sentido a continuar esta saga porque deja demasiado expuesto el que los novios serán la parte central y .... yo paso.
Creo que este libro es la prueba de que puedes tener una idea que prometé (porque Alicia en el país de las maravillas ambientada en una zona zombie donde ella es totalmente bad ass es, en mi imaginación, una idea genial) pero no saber como desarrollarlo y perder por completo la dirección.
Sólo hay dos cosas que realmente me gustaron, la primera fue la portada, porque en ella sí se siente la esencia del cuento de Lewis Carroll, y la segunda fueron los nombres de los capítulos, que hacen referencia a aspectos del mismo cuento.
Y como conclusión final:
_____________________________________
Come, come and see a new version of fantasy teen books in which you won’t find new things!!!
Making a book remarkable is difficult, needs unique and original aspects that readers are asking for, so this book will like you if:
You wanted to see an insecure teenager, who feels guilty and unattractive (though everyone thinks she's sexy), who suddenly has to move with an almost unknown familiar. We have it.
You felt the need to meet the new bad and dangerous boy of your dreams, who has unique eyes, movie hair, Holliwood style face (that’s exactly the way that Alice describes his face) and tempting body. That won’t let to his love interest make decisions and considers she very fragile. Here it is and it is accompanied by the close circle (friends, family) that hates and distrusts the new girl.
You wanted to meet the bossy friend who, although she does not accept it, is in need of attention and a little jealous. It also appears
You missed the love triangles where men hate each other and the girl, at least for a while, is undecided. You will find it here
Turning monsters, that we historically had been considered repulsive, in beautiful but dangerous creatures is an idea that seemed great to you the first time you read it and still fascinates you. Congratulations, this book also happens
You like that just by talking to a boy, or two, or three, or whatever, the girls are considered foxes and the rumors begin to prowl. Yep, you can also find it here
Ok, if you wanted some of this, go read this book because apart from those mentioned above there are other aspects, characters and situations so cliché that appear during the reading but mentioning will only show how little original I felt ... plus the fact that I hated it.
The story is already very seen, tootakenbased on others that were created before. The "original" part isn’t the big thing and, although it would serve to make the story oriented to something more interesting is very wasted, first because it happened when we pass like 90% of the book and second because it is solved very easily. Also, what they did with the myth of the zombies I did not like at all
Everything is too focused on the love relationship, which seens to be very forced and I cannot believe that it was more than sexual attraction, and very far from the zombies, that, in fact, is why it catched my attention. But you have a ratio like this: 70% thenorelationship of Cole and Alice, 20% training to combat zombies, 10% zombies.
The end try to leave you with a cliphanger but I don’t see the sense to continue this saga because it leaves too exposed that the boyfriends will be the central part and .... I pass.
I think this book is proof that you can have a great idea that promised (because Alice in Wonderland set in a zombie zone where she is totally bad ass is, in my imagination, a really cool idea) but not knowing how to develop it and lose the management completely.
There are only two things that I really liked, the first was the cover, because in it you can feel the essence of Lewis Carroll's tale, and the second was the names of the chapters, which refer to aspects of the same tale.
And, as a final conclusion:
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“Let’s see what I can do to change that, shall we? We’re going on a little adventure, you and I. When I give an order, you’ll obey it. There will be no asking politely, no matter how much you bat your lashes at me.”
4.5 stars
Where do I start with Alice in Zombieland....well, to be honest zombies are really not my thing AT ALL! I've read several zombie books and just cant see what all the hype is about - they just don't do anything for me, but because of all the awesome reviews on this book, I wanted to give it go and yes, it's official.... Gena Showalter has convinced me that this zombie book RULES and I just want more and more of this amazing and unique world.
Alice in Zombieland is a fun filled adrenaline ride, full of thrilling, engaging and explosive scenes and I really loved every minute of it. Gena Showalter really delivers in her excellent storytelling and gives us readers little signs of the original Alice in Wonderland. I have to say, I love the original story and I really enjoyed trying to spot them out in this book. I just wanted to try and unravel what each sign meant, especially the rabbit in the sky. It was a very intruiging twist but what I enjoyed about this novel so much is that it screams UNIQUENESS. The zombies in this story aren't just you're regular walking dead but there something different, and no, I'm not telling you and spoiling it for you, so I guess you're going to have to read the book for yourself but trust me what I say you won't be disappointed. This is why I enjoyed this book so much more to other zombie books...so yay!
Now, the characters.....I need to talk about Cole first. *SIGH* I love him. He's just....wow. He literraly takes my breath away, he's that amazing. It was interesting to see why he is the way he is, he's broody and moody and people are scared of him but they have every right to be. He's the top slayer and he'll do anything to protect those he cares about. Now Alice, she's such a likable girl from page one, even through her losing her parents she tries to remain strong but it's not until she meets Cole that she really finds out what's going on. That her father was right...zombies are real and their after her. Another interesting part of this book was following Cole and Alice's romance, there's something very special that gives them a very deep connection, and even though we still don't know why this is, it still gives me hope that these two troubled characters can survive the battles and still remain in love. I'm very eager to see what happens with them.
So if you're a fan of superb storytelling, excellent and interesting characters, with a romance that you will root for and a captivating story, then this is the book for you. Gena Showalters give a whole new meaning to zombies and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.
A big thank you to Mira Ink for giving me the opportunity to review this book. -
Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars!
The same as the first time around. Babes all around, and ZOMBIEEESSSSS— what could be better?! 😋
RE-REEEAAADDDD! 💚💚💚
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Star Rating: 4.5 Stars
Love. Although the series really has nothing to do with Alice in Wonderland... and the tropes are beyond typical... that’s okay because- ZOMBIES! Badass female Heroine!
It’s a unique take on Zombies as well. I’m just a sucker for zombies, truly unique takes on them, and anything related to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (even if this doesn’t relate remotely to AAIW and the relations that do show up in the plot are cheesy AF). Guilty pleasure read for sure. -
THAT. WAS. AMAZING! *grabby hands* I NEED the 2nd book in my hands. now.
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The first thing I'm going to address about this book is the cover. I love the cover and it's perfect for the book. Before I go into the review I wanna say I'm not into zombie books. Nor do I like or enjoy the concepts or books that are about zombies. So throughout this book something was missing. Alice the heroine wasn't a good heroine at all in fact I really disliked her. At the beginning of this book I really hated her whole self punishment bullshit. Cole was probably the most interesting character without him this book would have been one of the worst reads. The whole zombie hunting group aspect of this book I hated. I would get it if there would be like 3 people who do it. But there was like 10 teens with some adults. I also want to say that this was too fantasy for a book that isn't in a high fantasy genre. This book was interesting and it never got boring or dull. And it didn't lack action. Overall I'm rating this book 2.75 stars it was just a little bit under average. Side note: I read this book because I thought it would have some resemblance to Alice in wonderland. Which is a story that's in my personal favourites. It didn't at all it had two minor similar things. So don't pick up this book expecting it to be a twist off the original.
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Alice in Zombieland. The name alone screams Burtonesque-Resident Evil promise. Yet readers approaching Gena Showalter’s latest Young Adult offering with such hopes will find themselves disappointed. Instead, Alice in Zombieland will appeal to fans of the likes of Twilight and Vampire Diaries, those desperate for unrequited romance, dark teen angst and dangerous secrets. Leave your expectations at the door, and climb down the rabbit hole...
The Story:
Alice’s father’s always been nuts. He sees monsters—walking corpses, hungry for the living. But that’s the thing: only he sees them—until her entire family, Mum, Dad, and beloved little sister, are killed in a car accident, leaving Alice the lone survivor.
Now Alice sees them, too.
And they see her.
The 101:
I know, I know, I used the dreaded ‘T’ word up there, but, in truth, Alice in Zombieland is the closest I’ve come to Meyer’s progeny’s cousin. Perhaps this is the point which needs addressing first: Contrary to the promises of its name, Alice in Zombieland is not a fantastical take on the zombie apocalypse. It’s a straight up YA paranormal, heavy with the tropes of its genre: Absent parents, protagonist with previously unknown power, new school, small town? Check. Controlling, untouchable bad boy with a dark secret? And then some. Alice in Zombieland is, in fact, a compulsively readable addition to its category, but in a genre turgid with paranormal tales of angst driven romance, it does little to set itself apart.
While Alice does have much to recommend it—amongst them a fascinating, eminently creepy take on zombie lore, and a wonderful cast of secondary characters (none less than Alice’s fantastic best friend, Kat, and her sweet, funny grandparents)—it’s let down by two its most crucial players: Alice, and her love interest, Cole Holland.
Alice, whilst a fairly engaging protagonist, feels somehow spurious, her voice sounding more like an adult attempting to channel a seventeen-year-old than an authentic teenage narrative. While people seldom speak precisely what they think, there seems a disconnect between Alice’s inner vulnerability and uncertainty, and the brave, ballsy girl she projects when she speaks. Alice’s dialogue is one of the highlights of the book, her tenacity making for fabulous verbal smackdowns. She is never at a loss for the right thing to say, her words as fierce a weapons as her fists—this girl can fight–but everything admirable about Alice crumbles around one boy: Cole Holland.
Condescending, controlling, and a borderline sociopath, Cole Holland screams ‘bad boy,’ and not in a good way. He’s a deeply disturbing YA paranormal archetype, second perhaps only to Patch Cipriano of Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush ‘Saga’. Yet, while even I admit to Patch’s appeal (and the guy is a confessed attempted murderer), Cole left me cold. The connection Alice and he share is disturbingly intense, and the power gradient in their relationship unhealthily balanced. While the Alpha archetype irks me little in adult romance with a female lead who can hold her own, it leaves me profoundly uncomfortable in young adult. Nevertheless, the chemistry between Cole and Alice is palpable, and will hold strong appeal for readers looking for heady, smoking-hot romance—it certainly kept me reading.
The Verdict:
Alice in Zombieland is a book with many problems, yet it’s also compulsively readable, with a teen romance boasting unparalled heat and chemistry. Paranormal readers will devour the tome, just don’t look too deep. The reading experience is kind of like making mud pies: Fun at the time, but leaves you feeling dirty.First Thoughts:
Eh. How is it that a book can be this much of a mess, yet so compulsively readable? It's a lot like watching a car wreck - I couldn't look away.
The chemistry is smoking, but I have a big problem with the love interest, Cole Holland--the unholy offspring of a messed up Edward Cullen/Patch Cipriano coupling. Controlling, condescending, and a borderline sociopath. Uh-huh. So hot.
I hate making this comparison (comparing anything to this seems lazy), but Alice in Zombieland really is the closest thing I've ever read to Twilight.
Alice in Zombieland has a LOT of problems... but I couldn't put it down. Kind of like making mud pies. Fun at the time, but leaves you feeling dirty.
This review originally appeared on my
blog -
WE’RE NOT IN WONDERLAND ANYMORE..
Seriously we’re not, if you’re looking for an Alice in Wonderland retelling this is not it! I’m obsessed with anything and everything Alice and the only reason for reading this book was the: ‘Alice in Zombieland’, ‘White Rabbit Chronicles’ and ‘Off with their Heads’ description the cover. All these signs clearly point to a retelling but this isn’t the case, don’t be misled. If you are looking for an Alice retelling I highly recommend A.G. Howard’s Splintered series.
Right so now I’ve overkilled the point that this book isn’t a retelling onto the book itself...
Alice hasn’t had much of a life at all, she’s never allowed out after dark, that means no dates or sleepovers so therefore no real friends, all because her ‘crazy’ father says that monsters come out at night to hunt humans. One night Alice and her family get into a car accident where her entire family dies. Newly orphaned Alice is sent to live with her grandparents and start a new school, on her first day she meets violet-eyed bad-boy Cole. Cole introduces Alice to a whole new world in which the ‘monsters’ her father used to talk about are actually Zombie’s and it’s their job to stop them.
Zombie’s are not my thing like at all, they’re gross end of, but I really did like this book! Once I got over the initial disappointment that I was not in fact taking a trip down the rabbit hole, I started to enjoy this new world. Alice ‘Ali’ was a good enough heroine who has lost everything and goes through the journey of trying to piece back her life, she does so with her best friend Kat. I loved Kat she’s one of those characters that has clearly drank tonnes of diet coke with a bunch of mentos, she’s confident, takes no crap and isn’t afraid to stand up for her friends. We could all do with a Kat in our lives!
I loved the romance but I have to agree with everyone else on the topic was it didn't really fit well with story, like at all! First off I think maybe the author forgot that these kids are sixteen because Cole and his group were tattooed and pierced up, going into clubs and scaring away grown men? Doubtful. It was very easy to forget these facts and fall for Cole being the obvious Alpha male of the group and to heed to his every word but then he would 'show off his muscles' and he’d 'go lift some weights' and reality would hit me.. Seriously how much can a 16 year lift? Would I be impressed/swooning? Oh hell no. For Shame Cody!
I’m still not a fan of Zombie’s though, they are too creepy for me but I think I’ll be reading the next book because there are some serious questions that I need answers to because usually at the start a new series there's the heroine and she's obviously different and wanted by everyone but we actually didn't find out why she was different? This beyond annoyed me so I really want to know why. Also the theory behind zombie's, spirit and faith I completely skimmed. If more than a few pages of explanation are needed then it's simply not worth reading and it was far more complex than it needed be.
I think I’ll stop ranting now because I really did come to enjoy the book and even though I did have my issues with it, just be willing to overlook a few details in the process. This is definitely for lovers of paranormal and some zombie butt-kicking action.
For more visit
Literary-ly Obsessed -
This book was awesome!! I love Cole and Ali, especially Cole :-)
The whole group of slayers are awesome.
This has been a very different take on zombies I have ever read.
Looking forward to reading more of them! -
When I first saw this cover I thought it was going to be a retelling of Alice in Wonderland with Zombies instead of villains... dang I was wrong. Showalter just used Alice Bell's Name and cute things from the wonderland books like 'curiouser and curiouser' otherwise it was a completely new and very action packed start to a brilliant series that I can't wait to dig into.
Alice's dad is crazy, certifiable. He claims there are monsters no one else can see and won't let the family go out after dark. He has weird self defense lessons that involve 'not letting them eat you' rather then how to beat off a mugger. Oh and he spends his nights wandering about the house with a gun peering out into the darkness. Then on her birthday she begs her mother to convince her to dad to go to her little sister's recital... her entire world is thrown and now she realizes her dad wasn't as crazy as she once thought.
From there we meet a gang of what looks like hooligans, but who are zombie slayers... only these zombies are evil spirits that consumes the hosts' spirit not brains. Fighting these creatures is no easy task and Ali will have to decide what she wants to do with her broken life.
Ok so I'm going to say it... Cole is hot. Really Hot, and dominant, but Ali is no push over. I love her character. She punches, kicks and beats creatures up... yet keeps asking for more. There are slight spiritual tones in this book. Her characters aren't really religious so to speak, but it requires faith to leave their bodies, and to understand the battle between good and evil. These tones aren't overbearing, but rather important to her characters, so it works well.
If you are interested in a new type of zombie, if you love the idea of a hero with violet eyes and a smexy stare... then pick up this book. I can't wait for the second installment in the White Rabbit Chronicles
Zombies and romance up at HEA
http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyev... special Zombies and Romance post will but up later this month on the HEA Blog! -
Re read November 2019**
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Originally posted on
A Reader of Fictions.
As soon as I heard about this book, I super wanted to get my hands on it. Zombie retelling of Alice in Wonderland? Umm, yes, please! How could that possibly go wrong? Well, it turns out, it could go wrong in a number of ways. Alice in Zombieland has a certain appeal, but not the one that I suspect most readers will be expecting when they crack its spine.
The very first thing you need to know about Alice in Zombieland: it has nothing whatsoever to do with Alice in Wonderland. Just sit back and soak that in. The only Alice in Wonderland references are in the title, the chapter titles and the white rabbit cloud that serves as an omen of doom throughout the book. These three things do not a retelling make. In fact, the links are so limited and on such a surface level that it appears this facade was set up only to bring in more readers; this may work, but those hear for Alice in Wonderland are going to be disappointed.
The next thing you need to know: the zombies aren't really zombies. Showalter decided to try to do something new and original with zombies. She sort of succeeded, but mostly just managed in making them confusing and less cool. See, I wouldn't really call these guys zombies at all; I would call them ghosts. If you're thinking, Wait, What?, believe me, I am with you, friend. These 'zombies' inhabit a spirit plane, and are visible only to people with zombie-fighting powers. From what I was able to gather, they're basically evil ghosts, their evil manifesting in rot.
In theory, I guess this was sort of a cool idea, but, come on, the whole point of zombies is being corporeal right? My biggest issue with this, though, was that it seemed a bit uneven. For zombie fighting, the slayers leave their bodies behind and fight in spirit, because they cannot punch the zombies as a living person. What happens to them in spirit will manifest on their bodies, though. The zombies have no interest in the body. If this is the case, why do they go nom on humans who can't see them? The precise degree to which the zombies were spirits was not entirely clear to me, and I'm just having major suspension of disbelief issues with the whole things. Can't we just call them evil spirits?
The third thing you need to know: Gena Showalter is a romance author. A lot of romance authors are branching into young adult these days, since there is a huge market in YA for romance. Some of these transitions are better than others. Most of the time, though, it's entirely obvious what the author's background is, although Inara Scott did surprise me. Alice in Zombieland is more about the romance than about anything else.
The story itself does entertain, assuming you can put those issues aside, but it's a mindless sort of fun, like when a real zombie eats your brain. How much you like this novel will depend to a large degree on whether you find Showalter's writing amusing. She tries pretty hard to be funny, and, if you don't think she is, it's not going to be pretty. Some of her jokes worked for me, but others fell flat.
Speaking of flat, let's talk about Alice, or Ali as she prefers to be called. No, I'm not talking about her chest (although she does complain about her boobs not being huge a couple of times maybe), but about her personality. Well, Ali does try really hard to have a personality. The problem is that she doesn't back up her inner sass and thoughts with actions, at least not at the important moments. Ali is one of those characters that thinks she is the biggest badass of them all, but really isn't.
One of the few characters that I really liked was Kat, Ali's best friend. Thought Kat is someone I would loathe to pieces in real life, she was really realistic and reliable for a YA best friend. She has substance, flaws and owns who she is, good and bad. When Ali needs help, Kat's there. If people are mean to Ali, you can bet that Kat will threaten either a verbal or physical smack down. Kat truly has her back. This would be great is Ali in any way returned the favor. Ali constantly forgets about Kat, and doesn't pay much attention to what's going on with Kat or to inquire if she's okay. Ali is an awful friend, but, when they're together, all of Ali's thoughts are about just how much she loves Kat. Actions speak louder, Ali dearest.
Then there's the romance portion of the evening. We have yet another half-hearted love triangle. Actually, it's probably not even half-hearted; it's more like quarter-hearted or sixteenth-hearted or something. As the hot new girl in school, Ali immediately attracts the attention of the two hottest guys (who obviously loathed one another even before the competition over Ali), straight-laced Justin and bad boy Cole. Not for one single second of the book is there a question of Justin every standing a chance, making him an incredibly pathetic, whiny character.
Showalter did avoid instalove sort of, but she didn't want to have to cut back on the number of kissing scenes. Solution: every day when Cole and Ali first make eye contact they share visions. These visions are not of anything practical or plot-enhancing (well, they are once or twice, but COME ON), but of Ali and Cole having incredibly hot make out sessions. Meanwhile, they're staring at each other like major dopes. Of course, when they do kiss irl, they nearly get off right on the dance floor at a club, because they're so into one another and omg it's so amazing. RIGHT.
As a couple, they really irritate me. I should be happy because, despite her immense attraction to Cole, Ali does try to keep a level head. She refuses to date him officially until such a time as she feels she knows him well enough to make that kind of commitment. Unfortunately, she spends pretty much all of her time wanting to bitch slap his ex out of jealousy and having smexy visions with him. In classic YA style, too, he constantly tells her what to do and she snarks in her head while doing precisely what he pleases. In one scene, Kat tells her about a text from her on/off bf Frosty (THAT NAME) asking her to do something, and Ali thinks about a text from Cole TELLING her to do something and smiles like that's CHARMING. No, it's goddamn not. Stop it.
My favorite characters by far, though, and my favorite part of the whole book, were Ali's grandparents, who take her in after her family dies. Sassy grandparents are such wonderful characters, and these are such sassboxes. I seriously loved their interrogations of the boyfriends and their attempts to use modern slang. They were sweet, caring, and funny.
Depending on your expectations and what you like out of a book, you might love this. I was entertained for the most part (who doesn't secretly enjoy a hot mess?), although the book could have been shorter and, you know, better. However, the issues were so major and my interest in the characters so moderate that I do not personally plan on continuing with this series. -
Alice in Zombieland tells the story of Alice, who goes by Ali, and her life ends up being a non-stop zombie hunt. Alice is a sixteen years old girl, pretty ordinary, except that she's not. She has a pretty regular mother, an absolutely funny and charming little sister and a "crazy" father. She's always lived with her father rules:
Never go out at night.
Never to venture into a cemetery.
And never, under any circumstances, to trust someone who wants you to do either.
But we all have our time and after all the family went to Alice's sister performance as a birthday present to Alice, there comes this accident where everyone dies, except Alice and what she sees change her already changed life. Zombies roaming around, eating her dad. Alice's life is never the same and after her family dies she's forced to move in with her grandparents, not knowing what was going to happen. She's made some friends and meets the bad boys, but this particular violet eyed guy holds her attention and BAMM, she has a vision of the two of them kissing. She's not sure how that happened but a terrible feeling is suffocating her. Zombies are hunting her down and she's got no idea in what rabbit hole she got herself into.
I really have to say I loved this book a lot. Gena is one of my favorite writers and this book was so much fun I couldn't put it down! I fell in love with Alice and Kat!
I've wanted to pick up this book for a while now but I just didn't. See, zombies aren't really my thing. Never read so much about them to be honest, but boy didn't I love this book.
Call it a retelling isn't exactly right, though. I'll call it an inspired on book, but that doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable at all, it was pretty cool.
Alice was such a joy to read. She's fierce, lovely, funny, loyal, stubborn, she doesn't let anyone bosses her around, strong... she's just awesome, okay?
And you gotta love Kat. I mean “Besides, life’s too short to pretend and play games like that. I want to spend my time hanging out with people who make me feel good about myself. People who make me happy.” That girl so damn loyal and funny and I wanna be her friend.
Overall, I liked all the girls in this book. Truly. They were different and they all gave something to the book. Do I need to say I absolutely loved Alice again? She's so bad-ass just by being herself. And then she kills zombies on top of that.
Now, the boys didn't make that much of a impression to me, and I have to say I only started liking Cole about 5 chapters before the end, but I did like him a lot. He was so cute, actually. And Frosty, (lol, I loved the nicknames) was also really cute. I mean, the boys were alright but in my opinion, they were eclipsed by the girls and I know it's not a competition, but what can I do? Loved 'em all.
I'm so intrigued, though.
Why Alice has those zombie-like thoughts? maim... kill... destroy...?
She's one hell of a special slayer but why does she have does abilities?
What the hell with those shared visions with Cole?
I need to read the next book like now!
Gena's books are always so funny. Man, she just got me in the mood! -
Absolutely loved this take on zombies and Alice in Wonderland, It was fast paced and well written I was so drawn to every character! Even the underdeveloped ones I can't wait to read the next book.
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I think I may be in the minority of reviewers who didn’t enjoy Alice in Zombieland. With a stunning cover and alluring premise what’s not to love? I think when I read the word zombie; I should have taken that as a sign as I haven’t had much luck with zombie books except for one. But I went in with the hopes that it would provide something different and different it certainly did.
The beginning of the book I had no problems with, I found myself thrown into the mix from the get go, with several questions flying around the place. Do these so called monsters Alice’s dad sees really exist? And if so why are they hanging around here of all places? And the continued pace certainly kept me on my toes. I think what let me down was that I was unable to form a strong connection with any of the characters. Yes there was such a varied bunch; surely one would have stood out? Sadly no, each time I thought I was getting to grips with someone’s character, they would do something which would grate on me for the rest of the book. That’s not to say I didn’t have fun with this book, there were parts which totally had me hooked and I’m positive that the characters I found to be lacklustre in places will be more rounded and developed by the second book.
Despite not enjoying Alice in Zombieland as much as I’d hoped, I’m sure a lot of others will find this a spell-blinding read.
This review can be found on
The Readers Den -
This was an incredibly fun and action packed book. Even though the title is Alice in Zombieland, it’s not really a retelling of Alice in Wonderland. There are some nods to it but nothing huge.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. It had just enough romance and action. The supporting characters were great as well. Cole is a hottie. I wasn’t expecting to be swooning over a guy in this book but I was. I also loved Kat. I loved how loyal she was.
I will definitely be picking up the rest of the series. -
I love Cole.
