Genre: YA, Paranormal Fantasy
Format: e-book
Source: Won through Blkosiner's Book Blog - Thank you!!
Goodreads Summary
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….
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 mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.
I have been in cover-love with this one forever...and now I can say that I'm in book-love as well
Having read this one now, I'm furious with myself that I didn't read it sooner.
The Good
Are there monsters in the dark? While Ali's dad sure thought there was, Ali wasn't buying it. Cue tragic and traumatizing events and Ali finds herself in a whole different world.
The characterization in this book was astounding. I fell in love with them right away. Not only is Ali such a wonderfully woven girl, but all of the side characters are fantastic. When she meets Kat, the first thing I think is, "Wow, I'm going to love her." She's blunt, she's sarcastic, she's a little damaged, and she has a way of magnetically drawing you in. What is it about characters named Kat or nicknamed Kitten that I love so much? It's a formula that has worked so far.
Bad boy Cole is much more of a mystery. There is a lot of fog surrounding him in the initial meetings, but Ali can't seem to keep away. That is until she has to and this girl is good at shutting people out when the time comes. Good for you, Ali!
THE STORY THOUGH...I had no idea where this book was going to take me, and I'm actually glad to have been so much in the dark. I loved every single minute of it. I read it in one sitting, not able to pull myself away. I absolutely had to know how it went, and I was not disappointed. It's set up so well to go even further and I immediately went in search of book 2.
The Bad
I'm worried about Kat...enough said.Also, I FINALLY read my name in a book...spelled the way that I spell it...and let's just say that I didn't care for the character at all.
The Romance
The romance was very well-written. No jumping in immediately into a relationship, but there was a great spark and interest that led into getting to know each other better. I find myself invested in their lives, and waiting to see how it turns out.
Conclusion
With Alice in Zombieland, I was completely immersed in the story, the world, and the characters. I feel invested in everything that happens. This book was written so smoothly and I can't wait to continue this series. Very recommended.
Excerpt
His confident facade faded, but still he said, "I'll change your mind and I'll win you back. It's just a matter of time.""Actually, it's just a matter of time before I feed your balls to my dog." In an aside to me, she said,"Remind me that I need to buy a dog."
Just like that, I knew. Kat was the best friend I'd ever had. She supported me, believed in me, no matter what. And I wanted to be an awesome friend to her, too. I wanted to keep her forever.
"I can't promise we'll ever use you for a hasty getaway," Cole said, "but with a little work, you might be able to race my grandmother - while she's on her scooter."
"Im not usually that bad. I'm sorry. I just...the accident...on top of seeing the rabbit..."
"Besides, life's too short to pretend and play games like that. I want to spend my time hanging out with people who make me feel good about myself. People who make me happy."
Hahaha, told you, told you. I knew you would love this one. So you! Are the characters not just amazing! And such an interesting spin! You should try some of Showalters adult stuff. So good.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I'm feeling like I'm going to regret not having read this one yet as well, Jaclyn. I admit to loving the cover and that being why I picked it up to check out in the first place. But you know me and zombies...BUT I'm gonna give this one a go. (and Generation V, too ;) Lovely review!! Oh, and I'm sorry the Jaclyn in the book was unlikable. ;)
ReplyDeleteYou did :D Your advice on books for me hasn't led me wrong yet! I'll look up other books. I hadn't read Showalter before until now.
ReplyDeleteOh Brandee, it's soooo good. I'm not a big zombie fan either, but the few that I've chosen to read based on other reviews and friendly recommendations, have been excellent. I loved Warm Bodies a lot too. This is one of those where you don't really know what to expect until you read it and I was delighted with what turned out. Yeah, too bad about the Jaclyn, but still thrilled that there's a character with my name :D
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to read this one for a while. I think Aussie Bookworm sold me on it. Your review makes me want to pick it up right now! Kat sounds awesome. And that is so cool that the story was a big unknown just waiting for you to discover. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!
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