Name: Alice in Zombieland (White Rabbit Chronicles #1)
Author: Gena Showalter
Publisher: Mira Ink
Publisher: Mira Ink
Release Date: 5th October 2012
Pages: 404, Paperback
Source: For review (from publisher)
Rating: 4 stars
Rating: 4 stars
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. 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….
[summary taken from Goodreads]
Beverley's Review
Before reading Alice in Zombieland, I'd read a few reviews which tended towards the negative side and I was hesitant at first and hoped they wouldn't affect my own opinion of the book. Luckily, I was able to enjoy it and found it to be a wonderful start to an exciting new series.
I really enjoyed the concept of zombies being spirits. I've never read a book about zombies as they're not usually my cup of tea but it was rather thrilling and fascinating. It was a little disappointing that it wasn't really a re-telling of Alice in Wonderland, there are a few nods here and there but I would've liked to see more.
As soon as I got stuck in, I adored Alice's voice. I loved the way Showalter made Alice feel so vivid, so real. Her emotions just jumped straight off the page: her sadness, frustration, determination. As the story developed, she really grew as a character and became a strong, determined young woman, intent on avenging her family's death. Character growth was a major factor in Alice in Zombieland, and Showalter did everything in her power to exploit it to make the story easier to relate to.
The secondary characters also added real depth and colour to the book as a whole. All I can say is that the supporting cast was stellar. Kat was simply adorable: she had confidence and purpose and I loved how protective she was of Alice. Plus, her glowing confidence made me laugh out loud at points! There was also Alice's grandparents who were the sweetest souls ever and their love for Alice was immense.
However, I did have problems with the pacing. It was rather slow and nothing really happened after the death of Alice's families and I was left wondering which direction it was turning in. Thankfully, it picked up pace later on so it is a book worth sticking with as the action does accelerate.
Overall, Alice in Zombieland was a thoroughly enjoyable read, with a few nods to a much-loved classic. Gena Showalter's writing enticed and entertained, with the zombies providing an eerie atmosphere balanced by the wit and charm of both the main and secondary characters.
I really enjoyed the concept of zombies being spirits. I've never read a book about zombies as they're not usually my cup of tea but it was rather thrilling and fascinating. It was a little disappointing that it wasn't really a re-telling of Alice in Wonderland, there are a few nods here and there but I would've liked to see more.
As soon as I got stuck in, I adored Alice's voice. I loved the way Showalter made Alice feel so vivid, so real. Her emotions just jumped straight off the page: her sadness, frustration, determination. As the story developed, she really grew as a character and became a strong, determined young woman, intent on avenging her family's death. Character growth was a major factor in Alice in Zombieland, and Showalter did everything in her power to exploit it to make the story easier to relate to.
The secondary characters also added real depth and colour to the book as a whole. All I can say is that the supporting cast was stellar. Kat was simply adorable: she had confidence and purpose and I loved how protective she was of Alice. Plus, her glowing confidence made me laugh out loud at points! There was also Alice's grandparents who were the sweetest souls ever and their love for Alice was immense.
However, I did have problems with the pacing. It was rather slow and nothing really happened after the death of Alice's families and I was left wondering which direction it was turning in. Thankfully, it picked up pace later on so it is a book worth sticking with as the action does accelerate.
Overall, Alice in Zombieland was a thoroughly enjoyable read, with a few nods to a much-loved classic. Gena Showalter's writing enticed and entertained, with the zombies providing an eerie atmosphere balanced by the wit and charm of both the main and secondary characters.
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| 4 Teacups for Alice in Zombieland!
*Thanks to Mira Ink for the review copy*
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Posts
Like you, I've read mostly negative reviews of this one, but I'm glad you wound up liking it, Bev! I feel like readers who went into it with large expectations were disappointed, so I'm really glad you weren't. I may have to check this out after all! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Beverley! I've heard a lot of people say that about the pacing, but I'm glad you enjoyed it otherwise. I've been looking forward to this one so I'll have to get around to it soon! :) x
ReplyDeleteI don't think I can resist the cover. >_< I'll be reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland this month, which will allow me to finally try some of the classic's retellings. :) Shame about the pacing, but I'll be looking forward to the secondary characters.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, my library just recieved it so I might have to check it out. I'd love it if you checked out my blog.
ReplyDelete- Sunny @ www.asupersunnyspot.blogspot.com
Oh I really liked this one. I was very pleasantly surprised by it and I'm really looking forward to reading more in the series..
ReplyDeleteI still can't wait for this book. It's a shame that it's not a real retelling of Alice, but the original approach of the zombies sound great!
ReplyDeleteMel@thedailyprophecy.
Why haven't I read this book?! It sound it is great! The experience that I have had with classic re-tellings haven't been good, so it could be a good thing that this doesn't share qualities with Alice in Wonderland.
ReplyDeleteI have only read one zombie book so I really need to read more. I'll try and find this one soon. Thanks for the great review, Beverley! :)
I have read this one and loved it! Although the first half of the book was eerie and quite disturbing on my part at the end I love the premise and the overall package :)
ReplyDeleteBTW, I'm currently having a giveaway on my blog. You can check it out and join :) FOllower APpreciation GIVEAWAY!
Wow, so this is one of the first truly positive reviews I've read of this book, which is AWESOME. I love Gena's Lords of the Underworld series, and her writing style, so of course I bought this one. I'm disappointed though because the marketing was really misleading - it led me to think this was a modern re-telling of ALICE, with zombies. I guess I'm glad it's not, since there are a few other retellings out there (like Splintered) which are awesome.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad that you enjoyed this one, and the side characters! Gena usually does a terrific job fleshing out her minor characters so it's good that that's so in this one too! I'm hoping to read it this summer. :)
Molli | Once Upon a Prologue
I've read mostly good things about this one. I haven't read Alice and Wonderland and have worried a little if that would affect my reading of this book. But I'm thinking it won't. I like how you say that Alice's voice feels real. That's such an important thing to make a book stand out.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't really my kind of thing, partially because there was a lot of focus on the boys but quite a lot because there wasn't that much Wonderlandy stuff. I really loved Kat though, like you.'m glad you enjoyed this one for both of us :)
ReplyDeleteAh, I share your disappointment that this is not a retelling of classic Alice, Bev! I love retellings, especially when they stay close to the original story. Anyway, this book sounds amazing! Slow pacing doesn't bother me much, and the characters seem lovely as well. The zombie thing is really intriguing! I can't wait to read the action scenes though, almost wish that I can skip to that part immediately. ;)
ReplyDeleteLovely review as always, my dear! <3 Missed you and your amazing reviews! :)
A great review! I'm so pleased to see you enjoyed this one despite the few things you mention :)
ReplyDeleteI am not normally a zombie fan (at all) but I really enjoyed the uniqueness of this & I agree with you, I would have liked there to have been a few more Alice in Wonderland tidbits, I didn't see the connection.