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    Alice in Zombieland
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    Alice in Zombieland
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    Alice in Zombieland
    Ebook458 pages7 hours

    Alice in Zombieland

    By Gena Showalter

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Book 1 of The White Rabbit Chronicles

    SHE WON'T REST UNTIL SHE'S SENT EVERY WALKING CORPSE BACK TO ITS GRAVE. FOREVER.

    Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. 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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarlequin
    Release dateSep 1, 2013
    ISBN9781460318157
    Unavailable
    Alice in Zombieland
    Author

    Gena Showalter

    Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of over seventy books, including the acclaimed Lords of the Underworld series, the Gods of War series, the White Rabbit Chronicles, and the Forest of Good and Evil series. She writes sizzling paranormal romance, heartwarming contemporary romance, and unputdownable young adult novels, and lives in Oklahoma City with her family and menagerie of dogs. Visit her at GenaShowalter.com.

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    Reviews for Alice in Zombieland

    4.5/5

    54 ratings25 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Ive read all the books in this series I loved them all.
    • 5/5
      Loved Every bit of it
    • 3/5
      Parts of this book were surprisingly great, the relationship parts were lame and Cole is a douche purse. but I mostly like everything else and will most likely pick up book two at the library.
    • 5/5
      Unique twist on a zombie tale. easy read, had one of those love stories you want to see to the end. had a hard time putting it down.
    • 4/5
      good book
    • 4/5
      Not really what I expected, but maybe that's a good thing. To me, zombie equals apocalypse... And... I was thinking this would be a little closer to the books namesake, AIW, but this book is not a retelling. This book was closer to Buffy the V slayer with cannibal ghosts. I LOVED Ali's grandparents!!! They made this book for me.
    • 4/5
      After reading about 10% of this book I was very disappointed. It was obvious that tittle is misleading and that this will not be a retelling of 'Alice in Wonderland'. Annoyed, I renamed the book 'Alice in Melodrama-land' and started planning what to read next - because I knew that I could not read 400 pages of teenager moaning and complaining and that I will give up soon.
      But this book managed to surprise me again because by 15% I was hooked. It was an intense, entertaining and quick read. :)

      Alice is a young girl with a lot on her plate: tragic loss of her family, moving to live with her grand-parents, changing school. Oh and did I mention that she started seeing zombies that no one else can? The story is told in a first-person point of view from her perspective. She is a good narrator and it's one of the reasons this book was such a quick read. The other reasons are: saucy best friend, bad boy crush, a lot of action and adventure.

      Another big plus for this book: there is no cliffhanger in the end. And also (although there are zombies) it was not very much scary or gross. Another big plus, because I am not in a mood for horror books right now.

      So in the conclusion: Maybe I did not learn nothing new in this book and there are no great depths but it was fun!

      Gena Showalter, I am sorry that I doubted your mad writing skills. Please, write sequel to this book soon. ;)
    • 5/5
      I felt totally hypnotized. The two last book I've read were awesome, and this one exceeded my expectations. Now I think I'm afraid to start the reading the next book, because after three brilliant books I might just feel disappointed.I read some reviews about this book where people totally disagree with what I will say. First, this is not a book to compare with Alice in Wonderland. There's nothing, besides maybe a rabbit-shaped cloud, that resembles in the two stories. So, if you expected, like I did, that this is a different view on Alice in Wonderland, forget it.What I look for in a book when I read it is not which things make sense and which doesn't...specially when it comes to fiction and fantasy books. When I read, as well as when I watch a movie, I don't rationalize things, not like this. I may think about them for a few moments, but that's it. It's a fantasy book... What I look for is a story that can blow me away, making it hard to close the book and stop reading it. A story that makes me want to read more and know more, and in the end makes me want the a sequel in that same minute. And I try to look at the writing of the author, hoping it makes the story even better. In my review I'll try to show you why I liked this book so much.Okay, fans of zombie books may be disappointed with the zombies in this one. They are not the gore-zombies we are used to see, I agree about that. But while reading I forgot about that. I forgot about the "two-girls-who-like-the-same-boy-hate-each-other" thing, which is annoying and I kind of started having doubts about the book when I first read about it... but this "girly issue" is not important, specially because we almost don't read about that, it's just a tinny detail in two or three paragraphs in the whole story. The book tells us more than this.This is the story of Alice (aka Ali) Bell. She's an ordinary girl...or so it seems.The book starts with an adrenaline rush, and I kept feeling that adrenaline rush while reading the rest of the book with some of the scenes.After tragedy takes over her life, she moves to a different school and she has to start over. But from that day one, Ali's life will not be the same, whether she wants it or not, whether she runs way or she fights. And plus she has to live with an huge pain in her heart, which will make things harder for her. We read a lot about Ali's monologues, but I didn't feel bored. I think it was a good way of developing the character, letting the read know about the way she felt.She meets Kat, who will turn to be a very special friend (the best!), before school starts, and when they run into each other at the first day of school, Kat is more than happy. Kat is quite a cheerful character, and she makes me smile, as she does to Alice. Kat immediately starts telling Alice what she needs to know about the other teenagers. Alice soon meets the "bad boys gang" of the school. Among them, is Cole. Strange things start to happen, she doesn't know what she's supposed to think or to be afraid of.I like Alice, she is stubborn and when she's talking to Cole I found myself smiling quite a few times, since he is really stubborn and bossy himself. And even if she is described as someone that looks like a doll (or a "princess", as someone call her in the book), she it wild and determined. Okay, Cole kind of annoyed me sometimes with his bossy away of treating people, but Alice decides not to let him boss her around, and it turns to be really funny to read their dialog sometimes. And the way Cole protects Alice...well, I guess we can forgive him and forget about his bossy attitude. It wouldn't be the same if he wasn't bossy, with Alice proving she can handle him.But remember when I said Alice is an ordinary girl? Well, forger that... Cole and his group will find out she's not ordinary, and she does things they can't imagine.The fighting scenes were wonderfully described, full of adrenaline and energy. At the same time she has to think about training and fighting zombies, Alice has to take care of her family and starts being worried about Kat. Many things happen, things we do not expect, people may not be who they seem to be.The book kept me reading like crazy until the very last page. Now I want more of it.About the writing, I read some reviews that say something completely different from what I will say, but I'll try to, again, explain my opinion.I loved the way Gena Showalter writes. She knows how to make people keep reading. The pauses, the end of each chapter... It's easy to read and yet she managed to write everything in a way that I had to keep reading. This book is funny, somehow exciting in the fight scenes, and it exceed my expectations, even if it's not another version of Alice in Wonderland.
    • 4/5
      I will say immediately to those who are interested in only reading a twisted fairytale version of the beloved classic Alice in Wonderland with a dash of zombies, don’t read this book. Basically, if your only looking for the original Alice in Wonderland infested with zombies this isn’t the book for you. If however, your open minded about reading a story that has witty references and undertones of the classic novel in a modernized high school version of life being turned upside down by paranormal trauma then please read on. I will admit I was at first mildly disappointed when I realized it wasn’t a twisted retelling, however I was quickly pleasantly surprised by the story line and the characters. By the end I wanted to read more and I was immensely glad Gena didn’t write a twisted retell. I won’t go into extreme detail in this review to avoid spoiling it for those who have not yet had the pleasure of reading it, but I will hint at some points. To avoid confusion with whether or not this book has any Alice qualities to it at all I will immediately state that yes there is indeed an Alice feel to the overall picture. It isn’t in blunt obvious details though which make it that much better. Gena’s Alice, or as she likes to be called Ali, has her life turned upside down and metaphorically ‘falls down the rabbit hole’ when a tragic accident changes her whole life and incidentally her literal view of the world, or rather her paranormal view of the world. She meets new characters along the way some that you’ll love and of course others not so much. Thanks to Gena Showalter the zombies themselves have a fresh new twist to the typical theme that makes you feel like your meeting zombies for the first time. In essence she has created a whole new bread of zombies. There are some obvious cliché elements, but I find them endearing and vital to the strength of the story and the character relationships.Overall, the concept was well executed and created a great read that ended all to quickly for me and has me waiting for the next installment with excited anticipation. Wonderfully done Gena Showalter, I truly can’t wait until the next chapter!
    • 5/5
      This one was a surprise for me! I never expected to enjoy this as much as I did. The storyline is fresh and intriguing, the characters are well written and interesting, and I cannot wait for more! I was definitely thrown off by the title and author. I have to applaud Gena Showalter for her ya grace. I am hoping some of that adult romance will show a bit more in the end though! ;) This is definitely a series I am looking forward to getting absorbed in!
    • 5/5
      I'll read anything that references 'Alice in Wonderland', which is why I chose to read 'Alice in Zombieland.' Even though it had nothing to do with Wonderland, I can't say I'm disappointed. It was an amazing and original story. Spirit zombies? Definitely interesting. There were a few parts that I had to reread to understand what just happened. But, no complaints from me. Can't wait for the sequel to come out in October.
    • 4/5
      I loved Cole, Ali, and Kat. The characters were wonderfully written and fleshed out, both the good and bad. There were many lines that had me laughing out loud. I loved Ali's personality. I wanted so badly to love everything about the book. I just couldn't get my mind around the "zombies". I guess I am just used to my zombies via "The Walking Dead", and those are the zombies I know. These zombies were spirits and to me were just really strange. I think I would have enjoyed it more as a straight forward zombie book. It doesn't mean I won't read the next book, trust me I will, I have to find out what happens with Ali and Cole.
    • 3/5
      What I liked: Alice in Zombieland is about a girl that finds out that her father wasn’t really simply a mental case when he locked the family in at night to protect them from terrible creatures. The monsters are real, and they’re coming, and they will eat you. Ali is reeling from the tragedy of losing her entire family while adjusting to her new reality where zombies exist and she can now see them. Teaming up with others at her school, she must fight to prove that she’s worthy of sharing their secrets and fighting the good fight.What I didn’t like: The zombies in Alice in Zombieland are not zombies, but rather some type of soul-eating spirit monsters. There is little of Alice in Wonderland to be found in this book. At the beginning, I was under the impression that there would be more, but it quickly devolves to only tangentially related chapter titles and a main character with the same name. Given that zombies and Alice in Wonderland are the two main reasons I picked the title up, it was a bit of a recipe for disappointment for me. Also, the insta-love with Cole Holland was ridiculous. Even though Showalter tried to explain it away with some sort of magical something or another, it turned me off their relationship for a big chunk of the novel.Final thoughts: Alice in Zombieland can be enjoyable, if you know what to expect. Don’t come in expecting a retelling of Alice in Wonderland in any form, nor true zombies. Be prepared for the ridiculously executed insta-love and some heavy melodrama. If you can handle these things and enjoy the characters, you can find in this novel a quite different take on the teens fighting evil theme. I’ll likely continue the series.
    • 5/5
      Alice in Wonderland on steroids.I think that about sums up this book. Love it. Love Alice. Love Cole. Love Kat. Loved all of the Alice in Wonderland references (the reason I bought the book in the first place). This book surpassed all of my expectations. The relationships between the characters was amazing, heartful, and simply beautiful. Gena Showalter, you have outdone yourself. Kudos. Can't wait for the second book to the White Rabbit Chronicles.
    • 5/5
      “I’d rather the whole world consider me crazy while I go down fighting than spend the rest of my life hiding from the truth. Zombies are real. They’re out there.”Shhhhyea, Alice Bell is my kinda chick dude!!!!First chapter is titled:DOWN the ZOMBIE HOLEUm… EPIC win. Just sayin.Alice is convinced her father is insane. He sees monsters that aren’t there, walks ARMED patrols through their house all night and refuses to let them leave the house after sunset. It’s been this way Alice’s entire life. Until her sixteenth birthday, when she convinces them to go to her little sister’s dance recital. At night.And OH.MY.GOD.IN.HEAVEN.ALMIGHTY.ABOVE.Tragedy strikes after leaving the dance recital, and suddenly Alice is left all alone… And those monsters that she was convinced her father had made up- are suddenly VERY REAL.In the hospital we meet Kat, and I SWEAR, if I was reincarnated as a fictional character… It would be her. Gena Showalter was channelling me through some sort of epic, zombie-awesome telepathy when she wrote Kat! Seriously!“Don’t make me slap you out of your crazy.” KatAli (not ALICE anymore) has moved in with her grandparents and started a new school. She was prepared to get through it, day by day… What she wasn’t prepared for was Cole.Sweet. Jesus. *I need a moment*Cole is tall, dark and sexy… Bad boy the core, sporting fresh bruises everyday and he happens to be the leader of the most feared group of “guys you don’t take home to Daddy”. In short… Cole MAY be the hottest, most swoon-worthy, definition of my perfect fictional boy-toy. Ever. *sigh*Okay, so we’ve got ZOMBIES, a gang of spirit warrior/zombie fighters, an epic best friend, a rabbit cloud, a badass heroine and a sizzling hot romance- all this equals EPICNESS in the first degree!Alice in Zombieland… while not exactly a “spin-off” was freaking EPIC zombie awesome with some Alice in Wonderland undertones that set the tone PERFECTLY! I loved the characters, I loved the writing, I loved the plot… I cannot WAIT for Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles #2)!
    • 4/5
      Alice “Ali” Bell and her sister Emma lead a very… different… type of life. While their friends enjoy after school activities, sleepovers and dates, Ali and Emma have to be home by dark. It’s important to their father to keep them safe from the creatures that walk in the night, scavenging for human flesh. The problem is, their father is the only one who can see these supposed creatures. That is, until the night of Ali’s birthday when she convinces her parents to let them attend Emma’s dance recital, and there’s a horrible crash afterward. Everyone but Ali dies, and Ali believes she witnesses some type of ghost slipping inside her father’s body.Flash forward a few months later. Ali now lives with her grandparents and attends a new school. She immediately makes a new friend, Kat, who warns her to stay away from Cole Holland and his mysterious band of delinquents. According to Kat, and everyone else in the school, they’re bad news, but Ali has some sort of weird, psychic connection with Cole that she can’t seem to resist. When Ali sees a zombie bride stalking the woods outside of her house, she is afraid she may have inherited her father’s senility, but when Cole tells her he can see the zombies, too, Ali begins to understand the link between them. The big question is why are the zombies so hell-bent on getting to her?I knew going into this one that it wasn’t your standard zombie book. I also knew it wasn’t a retelling of the classic story. The zombies here are more like zombie ghosts, and I have to admit, I quite enjoyed the new take (that’s a pretty big feat coming from a zombie purist like myself). I also loved the slight nod to Lewis Carroll’s classic. The white rabbit cloud and a few other nods kept me smiling.What really made the book for me was Ali’s voice. She seriously cracked me up. In the beginning of the book, she seemed kind of bland, but after the accident she kind of blossomed into this bad-ass. It kind of felt like it came out of nowhere, but I liked it. I also really liked her grandparents. They tried so hard to be cool and hip so they could relate to her, and nine times out of ten, they ended up humiliating her.In the beginning of the book, I wasn’t sure what to think about Kat, or even Cole and the other delinquents, but Kat grew on me, as did Cole eventually.While the book didn’t completely blow me away, there were a few surprises along the way that makes me want to dive into the second book as soon as it becomes available.
    • 4/5
      I am the first one to admit that zombies aren't usually my cup of tea. And yet, I was intrigued by this book, not only because it seemed to be a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, but also because I was drawn to the story of the main character. Alice is a girl who loses everything she loves and seems to come out stronger because of the tragedy. Plus, okay, I may or may not have a thing for bad boys, and Cole seems to be a perfect specimen. And then I started seeing very mixed reviews, some from people who loved this book, and others from those who ... really didn't. Their main complaint was that this didn't seem like a retelling at all, which seemed like a good thing for me to keep in mind as I finally - FINALLY - found the time to read this (I am sure my library will be happy to get it back! I've pretty much maxed out my renewals on it, oops). And those people are totally right, because as a retelling, this book fails spectacularly. But there is a plethora of other things that made this book a success for me personally, and in the end I can't be happier that I decided to go ahead and read it.For a book dealing with zombies - and let's not beat around the bush here, there are definitely plenty of zombies - this book had a surprisingly light-hearted and humorous feel to it. I couldn't help but love Alice, or rather, Ali, as she comes to be known. While she is clearly dealing with the aftermath of the accident that kills her family - and this was done in a very understated, beautiful way - she is still a girl who is full of spunk and sass. Combine her with the absolutely spectacular best friend that is Kat (even more spunk and sass!), and the rather smoldering, ridiculously hot "bad boy" Cole, and you have a cast that drew me in and kept me fully immersed in the story. Plus this book gets major bonus points for Ali's hilariously funny grandparents, who are trying so hard to speak to her in "her" language and make for some of the funniest lines in the entire book. In fact, for me, this book had a very similar feel to Croak by Gina Damico, which was one of my favorite reads of 2012. Both deal with very serious subject matter, but it's done in a way that you don't become overwhelmed by the darkness that exists in the background. But at the same time, if you want darkness without anything light (think This Is Not A Test), then this probably won't be the book for you, so your mileage may vary!I also very much appreciated the different sort of zombie mythology (for lack of a better word) used in this book. These zombies aren't the ones you're used to seeing, and the ways that they're dealt with are quite brutal. There is a lot of time spent on Ali training to fight them, and she doesn't exactly shy away from rather graphic descriptions of what Ali and the others face when they go up against them. These sections are definitely the darkest parts of the book, and the sections that true zombie fans will most likely enjoy the most. As someone who is not a zombie fan (see my statement in the first paragraph), I liked that, while these sections definitely played a part in the overall arch of the story, there were plenty of other things to keep me entertained and help lighten the book's atmosphere. I am talking specifically about the back-and-forth romance between Ali and Cole, which is full of snark, humor, a bad boy who really isn't bad and a girl who knows exactly how to annoy him, and some rather, um, HOT makeout scenes. Let me just say that the romance fan in me definitely loved those makeout scenes!My one piece of advice to anyone thinking about reading this book is to completely disregard the title (Alice in Wonderland this is not, except perhaps in some very cursory ways), and ditch your expectations at the door. I think I enjoyed this book precisely because I did just that, and I am definitely looking forward to book two. If you're okay with zombies, have an affinity for snarky main characters, and love swoon-worthy romance, then I'd definitely recommend this one!
    • 5/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Teenage zombie killers. Need I saw more? Opening Sentence: “Please, Alice. Please.” The Review: Her Dad always said that the monsters are real, now Alice knows that truth for herself. It may be too late for her family, but it isn’t too late for Ali. Alice in Zombieland is about the new and exciting (yet highly dangerous) profession of zombie killing. What would possibly possess a normal teenager to join the fight against the undead? Alice Bell’s world turned upside down the night she lost both her parents and little sister in a car accident. What she doesn’t tell people is that she saw monsters after the crash and that is what really killed her family. Left with this impossible reality, Ali tries to come to terms with the knowledge. How does one move forward after such a traumatic event? Ali begins her journey of self-discovery in a new school where she meets the most interesting people. She discovers that she is not the only one that knows about the monsters, and there are those that make it their personal mission to fight and destroy them. It may help Ali decide to join them given the fact that she seems to have a strange connection to their leader and all around bad boy, Cole Holland. Each character in this book enhances individual aspects within Ali. Her best friend grounds her and reminds her that she is just a teenager. Cole and his crew bring out the desire for purpose. Even though this is a story set outside of our reality, I find the entire thing more accepting because of the people involved. Ali’s character is dramatic as any teenager, yet mature enough to deal with the weight of responsibility. I really liked that the main love interest, Cole, represents Ali’s new life and purpose, almost as if the two are intertwined. Could Ali be successful in this venture without the help and support of Cole and his crew? Would she even want to? Another interesting aspect in Alice in Zombieland is Ali’s unique powers. Not only is she new to the zombie hunting business, she brings something rare to the hunter’s group. Her potential contributions to the cause allow more freedom and choice. It is as if Ali is approaching her destined path in life, even if she stumbles along the way. Overall, this is just another prime example of superior writing from Gena Showalter. Her work is always worth the time to read. I feel confident in recommending this book to any and all fans of paranormal and fantasy followers. Notable Scene: “Reeve.” Pops pursed his lips. “That sounds like a made-up name to me. What exactly will be crackalackin at this party? Will her parents be there?” Again with the horrible slang, the adorable man. “We’ll swim, talk, probably play video games and Ping-Pong,” I said, sidestepping the parents portion of his interrogation. I hadn’t heard one way or the other, but I suspected a big fat no. Pops gave me the evil eye. “You’re not going to get chewed, are you?” I… had no idea how to respond to that. “Chewed?” “Don’t pretend to misunderstand, young lady,” Nana said. “Chewed. Cranked. Trashed.” “You mean drunk?” Please, let them mean drunk. This discussion had already taken too many horrendous turns.FTC Advisory: Harlequin Teen graciously provided me with a copy of Alice in Zombieland. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. The only payment received came in the form of hugs and kisses from my little boys.
    • 3/5
      I'm on the fence with this book. Some aspects of it I genuinely enjoyed, some I didn't like at all, but overall I can say that it was a good book. Entertaining, quite unique, extremely well-written and addictive, it's a fresh new take on the zombie lore, but one that is more likely to appeal to fans of paranormal romance than a typical horror reader. It's probably best to begin by clarifying that Alice in Zombieland has very little to do with Lewis Carrol's classic. It's not a retelling, it's not even loosely based around the original tale. It's an entirely different story, and the only things these two books have in common is the similar title, the name of the lead heroine and the white rabbit theme. I must say that this alone was a little bit of a let down. I did expect to see a darker, more sinister and twisted version of Alice in Wonderland. I thought it would be quirky, thrilling, perhaps a little bit gore, and definitely totally bad-ass. Well, as it turns out, if you're looking for all that, you're better off picking up Zombies Don't Cry or ZOM-B (and the last one is super, super dark and disturbing!). I won't lie, I felt just a tiny little bit cheated. And the worst part is, if not for the faked connection to Alice in Wonderland, I would've probably enjoyed this book a lot more. The storyline wasn't bad at all, the pacing was good, the intrigue was very well thought-out and quite twisty, and the ending just totally blew me away. For the most part of the book I felt that Showalter was trying too hard to mold the story into something that would be -even only remotely - resembling Alice in Wonderland. And I thought that was unnecessary. I didn't care much for the rabbit-shaped cloud, I thought it was a forced and awkward addition that was only there to draw fake parallels between the two (totally unrelated) stories. One might argue that the connection between Alice in Zombieland and Alice in Wonderland is a more metaphorical one, and the car accident that claimed the lives of Ali's family members and threw her right in the middle of a zombie-infested world was similar to Alice's falling into the rabbit hole. Two girls, two bizarre and scary worlds. But then again, we could probably say the same thing about practically every other heroine from a YA paranormal story. Aren't they all launched on crazy adventures at one point or another? For me, the connection was just a little bit too weak and unconvincing. The last hundred pages is when the real action happens, when this story finally breaks away from the chains of being Alice in Wonderland-look-alike and morphs into something truly fabulous, heart-pounding and jaw-dropping. Showalter's zombies are not your usual flesh-devouring, brainless zombies that roam around the town aimlessly in hope of stumbling across something (someone?) to chew on. They're infected spirits, malevolent souls that - denied eternal rest - are drawn to the light of the living people that can see them. And not everyone can see them. More over, only a certain group of people can actually fight them. See, fighting the evil spirits is more complicated than killing "normal", made-of-flesh zombies. To kill a spirit, you have to enter the spirit realm, which means disconnecting your soul from the body. I thought that was an interesting concept, though I'm not entirely sure why we have to categorize these spirits as zombies. Maybe I'm just a classical munch-on-your-brain-and-slowly-mope-around zombie kind of gal, but Gena Showalter's zombies were just not zombie enough for me. They were too clean, too neat and too ghost-like. I would have been perfectly happy calling them malevolent spirits instead. That is not to say that I did not enjoy this book. I did, and quite a lot at that. Once I got past the things that bothered me - and thankfully there weren't many and they weren't big enough to prevent my enjoyment of the story - I actually had a lot of fun following Ali's adventures. As I mentioned before, I especially loved the last hundred-or-so pages of this book when all the juicy and exciting things happen, secrets are revealed and your heart starts pounding real fast. I thought the conclusion of this book was totally mind-blowing, and I really hope Gena Showalter will keep this awesomeness up in the next book! I liked most of the vibrant and interesting characters in this book, with the exception of Cole. Sadly, I wasn't a big fan of his childish and pushy personality. He refused to explain anything to Ali, even though he was well aware of the fact that her ignorance would put her in danger. He didn't want to get romantically involved with her (at least at the beginning), but he couldn't stand seeing her happy with another boy, either. He was possessive, short-tempered, ill-mannered, and controlling. Personally, I didn't find him hot at all. I do like bad-boys, but only if they possess some sort of redeeming qualities and a genuinely good personality that's just temporarily hidden underneath the mask of an overly-confident, tough boy. And while Cole might still show us his more tender and caring side in the next books, for now I decided to keep a healthy distance from him. The way he behaved in the first part of the book - constantly snapping at Ali, instructing her what to do, shutting her out but not letting her move on, and more often than not being plain rude and unpleasant - that just smelled too much like a certain sparkly vampire to me (or Travis from Beautiful Disaster, if you will). And I really hope he'll show us a different, more positive side of his character in the next instalment of the series. While I generally liked Ali, I certainly did not care for her instant attraction to Cole. I did not like the dynamics of their relationship, I thought they were unhealthy to say the least. Overall, though, I thought Ali was a very authentic and convincing character, and I definitely enjoyed following her adventures. The first-person narrative offered a really good insight into her thoughts and feelings, and allowed me to understand the motives behind her actions. She was quick-witted, quite clever, brave, determined and bold. She was not easily scared, either. In fact, most of the time she would adapt to new situations and surroundings with surprising ease. Kat, on the other hand, was just pure awesome. She burst into Ali's life like a tornado and, despite her many personal problems, was always cheerful, full of energy and confident. A little bit over-the-top at times, but in a good way. I loved her, I thought she made a great friend and a phenomenal supporting character. I'd go as far as to say that she was one of the most - if not the most - complex characters in this book. There's so much more to her than meets the eye! My favourite thing about this book? Gena Showalter's excellent writing style. Her prose is straightforward, direct, honest and dynamic. At times it's more lyrical, sensual and dreamy. At times it packs a strong punch. Her descriptions are vivid and precise, her insights surprisingly accurate. It's all too easy to lose yourself in the world she created, and it's practically impossible to put the book down mid-way. The pacing is perfect, the plot moves along smoothly. It's just.. an overall fantastic reading experience. I can honestly say that I enjoyed this book - some parts more than others, but overall I thought it was a great, furiously entertaining and thoroughly captivating read. Alice in Zombieland was my first book by Gena Showalter, but it certainly won't be the last one. I can't wait to read the next instalment of The White Rabbit Chronicles and see where Showalter will take us next!
    • 5/5
      OMG! OMG! OMG! This book was as awesome as they get! I just this minute finished it and I had to get on here and say OMG! And just in case I need to spell out how I feel about it, I LOVED it! I figured I would because I love Gena Showalter's books in general, but I literally read it every second I could because it was just THAT good! I started it yesterday at about noon, and I finished it today at about noon, which is pretty good for me!Alice has led a totally sheltered life due to the fact that her dad sees monsters where no one else does, and to keep his family safe he keeps them pretty much on lock down 24/7. On Alice's 16th birthday she guilts her parents into taking her to her little sister Emma's ballet recital, which means being out after dark, and because of this she loses her entire family at once. She moves in with her Nana and Pops, changes her name to Ali, and vows to fight the evil that killed her family. Add to this the fact that she has to switch schools and ends up with a new best friend and a weird relationship with the hottest, baddest ass at the school, and her new life is off to a roaring start!I loved the characters in this book. Ali is such an innocent at the beginning of the book, but when she decides to take her head out of her .... umm, I mean out of the sand, she isn't fooling around! And Kat is the best friend that all of us want to have: she's funny, snarky, full of herself in the best way, and totally loyal to a fault. Then there's Cole, the bad boy that we were all attracted to in high school, but who scared the heck out of us! Ali and Cole have a totally unique start, and that's all I'm going to say about that because I don't want to ruin any surprises for you! Suffice it to say, they are meant to be together, if they can just get out of their own way to get there!Seeing as how this is one of Gena's books, I probably don't have to say that the pacing is perfect and the action is awesome, but I will! The main characters were great, but even better are the secondary characters! Each one has their own unique voice and there's tons of growth from start to finish. I think two of my favorites were Nana and Pops. When they take Ali in, they go out of their way to make her feel comfortable, going so far as learning the slang that all the kids use nowadays, usually with hilarious results! One of my favorite examples is when they're talking to Ali before she goes to a party at her new friend Reeve's house:"Reeve." Pops pursed his lips. "That sounds like a made-up name to me. What exactly will be crackalackin at this party? Will her parents be there?"Again with the horrible slang, the adorable man. "We'll swim, talk, probably play video games and Ping-Pong," I said, sidestepping the parents portion of his interrogation. I hadn't heard one way or the other, but I suspected a big fat no.Pops gave me the evil eye. "You're not going to get chewed, are you?"I...had no idea how to respond to that. "Chewed?""Don't pretend to misunderstand, young lady," Nana said. "Chewed. Cranked. Trashed.""You mean drunk?" Please, let them mean drunk. This discussion had already taken too many horrendous turns.They are SO cute!! Overall, I loved everything about this book and can't believe I have to wait until October 2013 to read Book 2 of The White Rabbit Chronicles, Through the Zombie Glass!! Here's to hoping the time flies by :D
    • 5/5
      It's no surprise that I adored this book. I mean c'mon. It's Gena Freaking Showalter, queen of writing! I absolutely loved this story. Not only is the story building unique and exciting, it's gives the reader a whole new spin on Alice In Wonderland. What's really cool about this book is the new plot. I like that all elements that were in the classic are intrinsically intertwined with every chapter. The bold plots grabs the reader from the start with Ali's life that is all of sudden turned upside down. It's paced well so it gives the reader time to invest in each character unraveling them slowly before the reader eyes.The love interest is definitely unique. The carefully written bonds that form with the love interest leave me wanting more. I really like the paranormal twist to the story. It amazed me of how well it flowed and made sense in the story. Once in the story you see everything unfold and you can't help but feel amazed of what your reading.The result is an gripping smart story that leads deeper into the rabbit hole. Alice In Zombieland has enough brilliance that it spills over every single page. A very fulfilling, amazing story, Alice In Zombieland rocks my socks off!
    • 5/5
      What an amazing and unique story!!! Gena Showalter really outdid herself - and with a zombie story! And if you know me at all, you know that I am not a fan if zombies, I really don't understand the craze behind it, sorry! But the whole concept of this story being inspired by Alice in Wonderland really drew me in - and did not disappoint. Most of the time, I was able to pick out which characters were who and what imagery's where taken from the original 'Wonderland' story. A few where not so easy to figure out until after I finished reading it and had some time to think about it...Alice is your typical teen, for the most part she is happy and loves her family, especially her little sister. And even though her father is 'disturbed and paranoid' and doesn't allow the family to do certain things because of it, she seems to handle it well... most of the time.In a blink of an eye, Alice loses her family in a tragic car accident... was her father right? Were his nightmarish monster fears true?... but Alice is in too much pain to think twice about it. Her family is gone and now she has to go live with her grandparents in a neighboring town next to hers. Which also means she has to go to a new school, make new friends and try to live a life without her family. Without her little sister. She will just have to do what she can do for now...Until she meets Cole.The minute Alice's eyes land on Cole there is a fierce connection - but do not be discouraged, this is no insta-love in the making. This is something else, something more that needs to be figured out, and soon... it doesn't help that Cole is a badass with swoon-worthy good looks even with the tattoos and constant bruises. He is strong, a leader and will fiercely protect what is his. But don't let him fool you and push you away, there is a well-meaning and soft side to Cole that takes a while to poke into and get used to. He knows things, things that Alice has been guessing at and she needs him to tell her if she's right or if she is as crazy as her father was.Alice is strong and an amazing heroine - she is not afraid to feel her sadness, do what's right, speak her mind and surprisingly, with all that she's been through and continues to go through, has an amazing sense of humor. She will not be told what to do nor be backed into a corner. She is prepared to fight back to honor her family and protect her new family and friends.There is never a dull moment in 'Zombieland' - set at a great ongoing pace and never a predictable moment - the zombies are everywhere. And not in the way that you think they are. Few can see these zombies. And even fewer people can stop these zombies from killing, or worse, creating other zombies.A zombie-story like no other! Gena Showalter met all of my 'Wonderland' expectations and gave me so much more! Whether your a fan of fairy-tales or gory zombies, this is definitely a book to read and add to your shelf!
    • 4/5
      I’m a huge fan of Gena Showalter, so when I heard that she was coming out with a new series I was extremely excited.Let me start my review by saying that it's been hard for me to read YA novels lately after discovering the vast world of dark urban fantasy, paranormal romance & erotica out there. There are a couple series that I can't stray from however, and now I have a new one to add to the list of ones I won't be leaving behind.Gena’s take on zombies was unique and captivating. She takes a more fantastical spin on the zombie phenomena and I found it utterly fascinating. Alice in Zombieland is truly a trip down the rabbit hole… :)In true Gena Showalter fashion, the characters were well developed and engaging. Our heroine Alice starts out as a sheltered teen and ends up immersed in a multi-dimensional world full of grief, intrigue, mystery and danger. Our hero Cole is the consummate bad boy. He’s mysterious, dangerous, and sexy as sin (yes, I developed a completely inappropriate ‘cougar crush’ on our resident hero!). Together they have a chemistry that literally leaps off of the page, and as of yet… there are no love triangles or teen angst to be seen (a big win for me personally).The world was solidly built, and the way that Gena unraveled the tale was perfect to keep the reader captivated and wanting more. The mysteries surrounding the world that is unveiled to Alice and the secrets that Cole is keeping kept me wanting more, page after page.The other thing that I can always expect from Gena is amazing dialogue. Alice in Zombieland did not disappoint there either, and there were numerous times where I found myself laughing out loud at a one liner or descriptive used.All in all this was an excellent first installment to Gena's new series. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next installment.LITERAL ADDICTION gives Alice in Zombieland 4 Skulls and would recommend it to all YA Paranormal lovers and fans of Gena Showalter.
    • 3/5
      Okay, so I'm not really a fan of Gena Showalter. I've read one of her adult novels and tried a handful of her YA novels, but I just never grew into her. Maybe it's because of her super devotion to romance and teen love stories, but I never really got into her other books. Yet, when I saw that she was doing Alice in Wonderland with zombies, I just had to pick it up. How can you go wrong with such a fun and quirky combination? Alice Bell has never been a normal teenager, especially since her dad is constantly terrified of zombies. Yep -zombies. No one takes him seriously until Alice's life completely changes in one night, and she's left on her own to take revenge on the zombies. Yet, learning to fight the undead could mean dealing with one of the most mysterious, baddest and most dangerous boys in school.Well, I don't know about you, but I was expected this book to be more like what the title implies: the classic Lewis Carroll novel(s), but with something of a zombie twist. Yet, Alice in Zombieland is nothing like that -the main character's name is Alice (or, Ali) and there's a white rabbit. The similarities pretty much end there. Yep -no quirky or whimsical Carroll overtones, no vain queens screeching "off with their head!" or anything else vaguely wonderland-related. This was the biggest let down for me -the lack of nods to the source material. The zombie aspect was decently-handled, but the romance aspect was certainly stronger -in fact, they may even want to rename this book Alice in Romanceland. Aside from that (and it was incredibly difficult for me to get past this), Alice in Zombieland is an okay read. Maybe it would have gone down easier if I was already a Showalter fan (and thus, knew what to expect), or if I was really looking for a YA romance. But, that's not what I wanted from Zombieland. Thus, I was disappointed by this book, but Showalter fans may enjoy it.
    • 5/5
      After growing up not being allowed to go outside after dark and being trained to fight an unknown bad thing, Alice Bells' family is in a car accident and eaten by zombies. She moves in with her grandparents, learns about zombies and those who hunt them and those who experiment with them. Teen angst mixed with falling for the 'bad boy' who turns out to be an uber-zombie hunter and becoming "Alice the Zombie Slayer" in what appears to be a very short amount of time makes it a somewhat melodramatic read.However, I loved it, and can't wait for the next in the series!