Title: Alice in Zombieland
Author: Gena Showalter
Number of Pgs. 404
Publication date: September 25, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: YA
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: YA
How I got the copy: Library
From Goodreads:
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….
I've been using a new way of reviewing that I saw over at Making the Grade. It breaks the book down and makes it easier to rate. The way it works is each category gets a score out of ten points. Then you add them all up + 50 (50% automatically for each book) and that's your score out of 100.
Plot 8/10: I thought since this would be like Alice in Wonderland, but with Zombies. I didn't find many similarities although I did enjoy the chapter titles. But eventhough it wasn't at all what I expected, it was extremely entertaining and hot! We're introduced to the world of Zombie fighting along with Alice so it's fun to see her grow and discover how the zombies work. There weren't a lot of twists or surprises in this story until the end, but I definitely didn't see it coming.
Characters 9/10: I love cole and his badass hotness. On a scale of 1 to Daemon he was about a 10...because I have yet to find a YA guy hotter than Daemon. But cole was pretty close. Besides the whole tall and handsome throwing Alice up against the wall and making out with her, he had other attributes as well. He really cared for Alice and was loyal to his friends and family. Alice was such a strong character. If I could pick any character to be it might just have to be her. She's quick witted, brave, and loyal. I love that she didn't take any of Cole's crap either. Alice's friend was entertaining and I admired her confidence. I think there's more to her "story" than she's admitting. Alice's grandparents cracked me up with their misuse of teenager's slang.
Setting 7/10: The setting wasn't anything special. Although I loved the zombie aspect of this world because it was different than any other zombie book I'd read. When fighting the zombies the characters don't just hit them with sticks they use their souls to attack kind of. I appreciated the author being original. But other than that it was almost a contemp novel in between the zombie scenes.
Pacing 8/10: The beginning was kind of slow for me because it was setting it up for Alice's life to be turned upside down. But once her world is turned upside things start picking up and it's pretty fast paced.
Style 9/10: I love sarcastic witty dialogue and this book had a lot of that. If you're looking for something to make you laugh and tear up all in the same hour this is definitely a good choice. I loved this author's writing and I can't wait for the second book.
Final Thoughts: This is a must read. Once this is in paperback I'll probably buy it, it's that good. If you're looking for a fun zombie book (that's not too scary) to get you into the Halloween mood this is a good book to start with.
Total: 91/100
"You're smart, pretty, and you aren't a douche purse."
If id had food in my mouth I would have spewed it. Douche purse? She must mean douche bag. But okay, I could roll. I was getting used to her filthy, funny mouth.
Cole cupped my cheeks and brought my gaze back to his. "Why wouldn't I dance."
Uh, maybe because at first glance he looked like he ate puppies and kittens for lunch? As for what he enjoyed having for dinner-that couldn't be discussed in polite public.
He had me backed against the bedroom wall, his body supporting mine. My legs were wrapped around his waist. His hands were flattened beside my temples; mine were in his hair. He'd imprisoned me with his strength to kiss the breath right out of me.
Quotes from: Mostly YA Book Obsessed
If id had food in my mouth I would have spewed it. Douche purse? She must mean douche bag. But okay, I could roll. I was getting used to her filthy, funny mouth.
Cole cupped my cheeks and brought my gaze back to his. "Why wouldn't I dance."
Uh, maybe because at first glance he looked like he ate puppies and kittens for lunch? As for what he enjoyed having for dinner-that couldn't be discussed in polite public.
He had me backed against the bedroom wall, his body supporting mine. My legs were wrapped around his waist. His hands were flattened beside my temples; mine were in his hair. He'd imprisoned me with his strength to kiss the breath right out of me.
Quotes from: Mostly YA Book Obsessed
