Review: Alice in Zombieland - Gena Showalter

I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.

I'd tell my sister no.

I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.

I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.

Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mum and dad one last time.

I'd tell them I love them.

I wish . . .

The White Rabbit Chronicles:
Alice in Zombieland
Alice Through the Zombie Glass
The Queen of Zombie Hearts
A Mad Zombie Party

Visit Gena Showalter's website for more information

Review:
I love Gena Showalter's adult books and I love the original Alice in Wonderland story so there was no way I could resist reading Alice in Zombieland! I have to admit that I was expecting a retelling of the original tale with added zombies but I really enjoyed the way Gena Showalter has come up with something unique and original but with hints at the original story woven throughout. I love a book about scary, people eating zombies (I can't be doing with this new trend for zombie romances!) and these zombies are particularly frightening. I don't want to spoil things by explaining what makes them unique so you'll have to read the book to get the details but trust me it won't be what you're expecting!

Alice has led a very sheltered life thanks to an incredibly overprotective father who claims that there are monsters out to get them. The rest of the family think her father is crazy but they have to be very careful to stick to his rules to keep the peace. After a losing her family in a tragic accident Alice has to move in with her grandparents. She is devastated by her loss and starting at a new school where she doesn't know anyone only makes things worse. As more and more strange things start to occur around her Alice starts to question her sanity - has she inherited her fathers madness or was he right all along?

I don't want to say too much about the story so I'm going to talk about why I loved the characters instead. Alice is a great heroine, she is smart and determined and although she is devastated by her loss she picks herself up and keeps going. It isn't easy to start over but once school starts she makes an effort to find friends. She has a very supportive friendship with Kat and I loved the way they stood by each other no matter what happened. Alice's grandparents were two of my favourite characters in the book - they tried so hard to make Alice feel welcome and their attempted use of teenage slang was hilarious. They never manage to get their words quite right but their attempts were so sweet. Parents I advise you to take notes as they interview Alice's date before he takes her out - that is how you scare boys senseless!!

Now this wouldn't be one of my favourite books if it didn't have an excellent romance and anyone who has read anything by Gena Showalter before will know how good she is at creating heroes to fall for! The first time Alice sets eyes on bad boy Cole something strange starts to happen to her, no it isn't a case of instant love - it's much more unusual than that! Cole is a bit of a moody bastard, he is constantly skipping school and when he does turn up he is covered in bruises from fighting. He isn't the kind of boy that Alice would usually be interested in but he might be the only person who can give her the answers she needs. I love the fact that they have such a love / hate relationship, they spent a lot of their time bickering but you just know the chemistry between them will be off the charts when they do get together. Although Cole can be arrogant and standoffish he does have a much softer and very caring side. He is protective when it comes to those he cares about and will do whatever it takes to keep his friends safe. Alice may be drawn to Cole and she may have the hots for him but that doesn't turn her into someone who is willing to go along with whatever he tells her to do, in fact there are plenty of times where she does the exact opposite. In Alice's words "I wasn't going to jump when he said jump. I was more likely to give him the finger." I do love a heroine who stands up for herself!

Although there is a hint of romance that is by no means the main focus of the book. The story is action packed and left me breathless. It's the kind of book that makes you irritated when real life intrudes and you have to put it down even for a minute. From beginning to end I was hooked on Alice in Zombieland and I will be buying my copy of Through the Zombie Glass the moment it becomes available!

Just in case my review hasn't convinced you that you need to read this book I'm going to leave you with the awesome book trailer:



Source: Received from Mira Ink in exchange for an honest review

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