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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
More like 3.5. Not quite a powerful 4 but the series has potential to head that way.
Awesome bits:
Alice in Zombieland has nearly NO connection with the famous wonderland tale aside from some names in common and a cloud in the shape of a white rabbit.
The author's take on zombies is totally fresh and new to me and was worth digging in deeper to read more.
Alice is religious and attends church but it is only a PART of her rather real and nuanced character and not something done for the sake of Cramming In Religion or something.
Cons:
The pacing was a bit all over the place. Likely this was because, to me, so much time was spent building up the relationship between Ali and Cole that we have to force the actual zombie-plot into the 1/3rd of the book that wasn't centered on that budding romance. So it loses some of the and plot-point emotional connection and tension-building-potential in an effort to concentrate instead on making the reader swoon again over the hunky leading male.
Overall: fun, new take on zombies that kept me reading and worked to set the groundwork for a world that I wouldn't mind dipping back into in 2013 when the 2nd book comes around!
Awesome bits:
Alice in Zombieland has nearly NO connection with the famous wonderland tale aside from some names in common and a cloud in the shape of a white rabbit.
The author's take on zombies is totally fresh and new to me and was worth digging in deeper to read more.
Alice is religious and attends church but it is only a PART of her rather real and nuanced character and not something done for the sake of Cramming In Religion or something.
Cons:
The pacing was a bit all over the place. Likely this was because, to me, so much time was spent building up the relationship between Ali and Cole that we have to force the actual zombie-plot into the 1/3rd of the book that wasn't centered on that budding romance. So it loses some of the and plot-point emotional connection and tension-building-potential in an effort to concentrate instead on making the reader swoon again over the hunky leading male.
Overall: fun, new take on zombies that kept me reading and worked to set the groundwork for a world that I wouldn't mind dipping back into in 2013 when the 2nd book comes around!
3.5 stars
This book was really enjoyable but towards the end i began to lose interest, the second book does sound interesting and I want to see what's next for the characters.
This book was really enjoyable but towards the end i began to lose interest, the second book does sound interesting and I want to see what's next for the characters.
Intriguing concept, nicely realized. Doesn't have any correlation with the Wonderland books (which might have been nice to see, but there's enough interest here not to make it necessary). Problematic is the neediness of the heroine, another in the series of teenagers set up for co-dependency in a less than healthy relationship.
this book needs a new title..... I was hoping for a Alice in Wonderland dark retelling, what I got was some stupid HighSchool BS. Dropped it after 2 chapters, and since I bought my copy I promptly traded it.
Alice in Wonderland retellings:
"Splintered" by A.G Howard
it's okay, but they do love triangle nonsense and both of the guys are douche bags, over all it's a decent side companion
"The Looking Glass Wars" by Frank Beddor - I really liked this one, it's a legit retelling, but I will say the characters aren't too deep, and I don't recommend the sequel book. This first one is solid enough though.
"Heartless" by Marissa Meyer - a tale about the Queen of Hearts.... I loved the Lunar Chronicles but I could not bring myself to care about Catherine.
"Queen of Hearts Saga" (3 books) by Colleen Oakes - fully expected a repeat of Heartless but was pleasantly surprised, this is the best of the book versions of retold/companion Alice in Wonderland. I liked that they made Dinah complex and sympathetic but not completely placated or admirable.
Of course there's the American McGee Series to check out for a proper gothic horror version- the 2nd game (Madness returns) comes with the first as a Download but I will say the first runs on a old engine and make Alice run very very quickly (take some getting used to).
Alice in Wonderland retellings:
"Splintered" by A.G Howard
it's okay, but they do love triangle nonsense and both of the guys are douche bags, over all it's a decent side companion
"The Looking Glass Wars" by Frank Beddor - I really liked this one, it's a legit retelling, but I will say the characters aren't too deep, and I don't recommend the sequel book. This first one is solid enough though.
"Heartless" by Marissa Meyer - a tale about the Queen of Hearts.... I loved the Lunar Chronicles but I could not bring myself to care about Catherine.
"Queen of Hearts Saga" (3 books) by Colleen Oakes - fully expected a repeat of Heartless but was pleasantly surprised, this is the best of the book versions of retold/companion Alice in Wonderland. I liked that they made Dinah complex and sympathetic but not completely placated or admirable.
Of course there's the American McGee Series to check out for a proper gothic horror version- the 2nd game (Madness returns) comes with the first as a Download but I will say the first runs on a old engine and make Alice run very very quickly (take some getting used to).
I feel down a rabbit hole and in to a land of "I can not stand one more moment of this book."
Every new Gena Showalter series I pick up fascinates me further. Whether it’s her paranormal adult novels or her YA books, I’m always highly entertained. This series is no exception! Sleep was not to be had until I finished this book last night. Now I will say there wasn’t much in the way of a connection to the Lewis Carroll classic Alice in Wonderland. Still I absolutely couldn’t put it down. I haven’t exactly read much in the way of zombie novels, but this was wonderful and warm in spite of the heavy subject matter. I felt awful for Alice and the tragedy that’s befallen her life, but she’s got fight, no question about that.
Alice Bell’s life has been anything but normal, all because her father is more than a little crazy. He believes there are monsters out there in the dark and runs his families lives accordingly. Alice has never been to a slumber party or any event that would keep her out after dark. Their house is a fortress and her father drinks to keep himself calm. Her mother indulges her father’s quirks and Alice has learned not to buck the trend. But her little sister Emma hasn’t quite learned to live with it all yet. She is the light in all their eyes and while it’s Alice’s birthday, she’d do anything to make her sister happy even if it means fighting her parents to let Emma perform at her recital that night. That one decision changes Alice’s life forever and shows her maybe her dad wasn’t as crazy as she thought he was.
Ali has certainly had a horrific time of it. I can’t image losing your entire family like that in one fell swoop, leaving you the only survivor. Top that off with suddenly starting to see that the things that go bump in the night might not be as fictional as you thought and wow, suck city. Yet I loved Ali pluck! As more and more pieces came to light she just kept soldiering on. But not in a way that belittled or denied the pain of what she’d went through. The way she bottled everything up initially, couldn’t even think her sister’s name, until it couldn’t be pushed down anymore and all went boiling over was so true to life in my opinion.
Ok so this is definitely leaning towards an insta-love/destined mates kind of thing with the insane connection between Ali and Cole, but it worked for me. I liked that it wasn’t smooth sailing between the two of them, that they were teenagers not sure what the hell was going on with the visions and feelings cropping up between them. Cole, for obvious reasons, comes across as a bit older than the high school age he really is, but that makes sense to me with all the fighting he’s had to do in his life. Yet, he’s not one hundred percent smooth with the girl yet. Course I am susceptible to bad boy adoration and Cole has that number down perfectly. :D
I found the idea of these “spiritual” zombies fascinating. I liked that they weren’t your stereotypical zombies stumbling around sending everyone screaming. Stalker zombies…sweet! I enjoyed that these kids weren’t instant healers either. They didn’t have superpowers per se, just the abilities to destroy zombies. Sure they’re “more than” other kids, but they’re not superhuman to the unbelievable degree.
Then there’s Kat…best friend ever! I love her complete self focused monologues when she’s really such a caring soul dealing with something too big for someone her age. I adored how she took Ali under her wing and just claimed her as her best friend. Oh and yes, darling, make that boy beg! Sure he may not really be guilty in the way you think he is, but every boy deserves to have to crawl every once in awhile. I enjoyed the dynamics between all the kids actually. Of course our nasty section of baddies…grrrrrrr! Spreading rumors and being awful little guttersnipes trying to control yucky zombies that just need to be dead, horrid little pests is what they are.
Sure this book is a little melodramatic and over the top in places, but I kinda like that in my YA fantasy. I like our growly alpha male bad boy and his group of deviants still fighting the good fight. There’s plenty of action to keep things interesting and an engaging tone to keep the story flowing nicely. I don’t look for anything incredibly deep with my YA fantasy novels and yet there’s a lot of under currents and huge life changing events that Ali’s dealing with in this story. I for one was enthralled and can’t wait to read book 2!
Alice Bell’s life has been anything but normal, all because her father is more than a little crazy. He believes there are monsters out there in the dark and runs his families lives accordingly. Alice has never been to a slumber party or any event that would keep her out after dark. Their house is a fortress and her father drinks to keep himself calm. Her mother indulges her father’s quirks and Alice has learned not to buck the trend. But her little sister Emma hasn’t quite learned to live with it all yet. She is the light in all their eyes and while it’s Alice’s birthday, she’d do anything to make her sister happy even if it means fighting her parents to let Emma perform at her recital that night. That one decision changes Alice’s life forever and shows her maybe her dad wasn’t as crazy as she thought he was.
Ali has certainly had a horrific time of it. I can’t image losing your entire family like that in one fell swoop, leaving you the only survivor. Top that off with suddenly starting to see that the things that go bump in the night might not be as fictional as you thought and wow, suck city. Yet I loved Ali pluck! As more and more pieces came to light she just kept soldiering on. But not in a way that belittled or denied the pain of what she’d went through. The way she bottled everything up initially, couldn’t even think her sister’s name, until it couldn’t be pushed down anymore and all went boiling over was so true to life in my opinion.
Ok so this is definitely leaning towards an insta-love/destined mates kind of thing with the insane connection between Ali and Cole, but it worked for me. I liked that it wasn’t smooth sailing between the two of them, that they were teenagers not sure what the hell was going on with the visions and feelings cropping up between them. Cole, for obvious reasons, comes across as a bit older than the high school age he really is, but that makes sense to me with all the fighting he’s had to do in his life. Yet, he’s not one hundred percent smooth with the girl yet. Course I am susceptible to bad boy adoration and Cole has that number down perfectly. :D
I found the idea of these “spiritual” zombies fascinating. I liked that they weren’t your stereotypical zombies stumbling around sending everyone screaming. Stalker zombies…sweet! I enjoyed that these kids weren’t instant healers either. They didn’t have superpowers per se, just the abilities to destroy zombies. Sure they’re “more than” other kids, but they’re not superhuman to the unbelievable degree.
Then there’s Kat…best friend ever! I love her complete self focused monologues when she’s really such a caring soul dealing with something too big for someone her age. I adored how she took Ali under her wing and just claimed her as her best friend. Oh and yes, darling, make that boy beg! Sure he may not really be guilty in the way you think he is, but every boy deserves to have to crawl every once in awhile. I enjoyed the dynamics between all the kids actually. Of course our nasty section of baddies…grrrrrrr! Spreading rumors and being awful little guttersnipes trying to control yucky zombies that just need to be dead, horrid little pests is what they are.
Sure this book is a little melodramatic and over the top in places, but I kinda like that in my YA fantasy. I like our growly alpha male bad boy and his group of deviants still fighting the good fight. There’s plenty of action to keep things interesting and an engaging tone to keep the story flowing nicely. I don’t look for anything incredibly deep with my YA fantasy novels and yet there’s a lot of under currents and huge life changing events that Ali’s dealing with in this story. I for one was enthralled and can’t wait to read book 2!
This book is not what I expected but I really enjoyed it anyway.
Good balance between the fight between good and evil, the journey of a character and young adult romance that I use to love so much (especially when there are dark mysterious hot boys involved).
I liked the original way zombies are portrayed, intriguing way to handle horror and paranormal.
I am definitely going to read the second one.
Good balance between the fight between good and evil, the journey of a character and young adult romance that I use to love so much (especially when there are dark mysterious hot boys involved).
I liked the original way zombies are portrayed, intriguing way to handle horror and paranormal.
I am definitely going to read the second one.
waaayy too much kissing, not nearly enough zombies. so boring and horribly paced.