Alice in Zombieland: An Intense YA Urban Fantasy Retelling of Wonderland Overrun by the Undead

Okay, so Gena Showalter has already been dabbling in the YA world with her Intertwined series (hmm I need to finish that series). It was pretty tame, at least the first one was for Gena Showalter. But maybe she was just testing the waters. This one, this one has all the sizzle YA can handle along with the signature fights and strong female characters she's known for. And yes, it's got drama, but this is high school, who doesn't have drama in high school? First, I didn't know if I was going to like Ali, but oh yes, I loved her from the start. Whether she was indulging her little sis Emma or talking to her friend Kat she was sweet and caring or dishing it right back. Anyone else would have fallen apart from the loss that Ali suffered and the subsequent developments, but she was almost stronger because of it because she finally, belatedly understood her father. And wow, what a nightmare he had been living. Now Ali keeps the night time watch. An unusual connection with bad boy Cole freaks them both out for several days in a row, but Ali becomes a bit obsessed with him, trying to figure out what is happening. And that's when her world goes completely crazy. Trying to tell Cole what she sees without actually telling him is almost impossible but she doesn't want to sound....well, like her dad. She regrets all those times she thought he was crazy. Gena Showalter does a nice job of balancing Ali's loss with the discovery of her new world, new friends and allies, and a new romance. No insta love!! I never expected anything less from such a seasoned romance writer. The lore around the zombies is...well it's not as creepy as I usually find zombies. I actually found it interesting and I can't wait to learn more. It seems there will be more heartbreak to come, but one thing was put to rest for which I was glad. Cole is not the bad boy everyone thinks he is, but because of his "hobby" zombie fighting, he's always bruised and broken as are his friends, so assumptions are made that he is in a fight club of some kind or always getting into fights. He actually leads a ragtag band of zombie slayers. Other notable characters are Frosty who is in love with Kat. The barbs Kat throws at Frosty could probably slay a few zombies even though she knows nothing about it. She is a fantastic side character. Oh and the villains! There are more than the zombies! A company that collects the zombies the slayers slow down and do horrible experiments on them. And they have recruits in high school. Lots of lies and betrayals. But like I said, it's high school, always drama. I had so much fun reading this novel! I cannot wait for the next one in the series. I feel like there was closure but plenty was left open for the next book and the next. I'm glad I purchased this one so I can read it again. I love books with just the right amount of romance, friendship, heartbreak and zombie killing. This one had everything! I highly recommend this one for an enjoyable read. Oh, I did forget to mention the Alice in Wonderland references. I loved searching them out! There were several, some more obvious than others and it was fun to see where they led. I'll be looking forward to more of that in the next novel. You'll definitely see the white rabbit! I'd recommend this one for the older crowd, 15 and up just for the sizzle in the romance and some suggestive talk. I purchased my copy of the book for my own enjoyment and review. Heather

Gena Showalter does it again. She has me reading late at night so I can finish reading a spectacular book that she's wrote and she makes me neglect my duties at home. She also has me falling in love with yet another male character. Gosh, darn you, Gena! Seriously, Gena can write an amazing adult paranormal romance book and paranormal young adult book. I've read almost everything written by Gena and she never fails at keeping me turning the pages and then leaving me hanging for more. She's one of my auto-buy Authors who I will drop what I'm reading currently to read her books or even squeeze in between reviews because I'm one of her diehard fans. I love her writing style and the amazing books she comes up with. When I found out Gena was writing another young adult series and combining zombies and Alice in Wonderland, I was ecstatic. I pre-ordered the book and waited anxiously at my door until my mail man delivered the book. =) Alice Bell has never gone out on a date, never did any sports that required her to stay out at night, or even gone to a slumber party due to her over-bearing, controlling father who makes her and her sister come in before it gets dark and stay indoors. See...her father has always believed in monsters and those monsters are out there to kill them. He has been trying to keep his family protected from them. Alice has never seen a single monster and does not believe what her father says. She thinks he is completely crazy. When her little sister begs her to ask their parents to let her go to her Ballet recital which is during dark hours, her parents agree, but with stipulations of course. Then the unthinkable happens and before you know it, Alice is being hunted by those monsters that her father warned her about. She's also without her family because of that one tragic night, she chose to ask her parents to let her little sister go to her recital. Now Alice is seeing monsters behind her grandparents house because she lives with them now and she also is forced to go to another school. She meets Cole and the first time she sees him, they end up having visions of the future. Cole is the bad boy that Alice should stay away from, but for some reason, she's fascinated by him and his friends that always look beat up and tired. She knows they are trouble, but she can't help, but fall in love with the bad crowd...especially when it comes to the leader, Cole. Cole has a secret though, that could probably put Alice in a lot danger...but she's willing to give up everything to find out the truth and what is really out there that her father feared. That's just my little take on the book above...no sorry, no spoilers from me. Gena definitely has a great start to the series. I love her take on zombies and throwing in Alice in Wonderland in the mix. I'm a HUGE fan of Alice in Wonderland and Gena definitely wrote a great zombie story. (this is actually my first book that involves zombies..and I definitely plan to read more now) If you're a fan of young adult books that are paranormal, have zombies in it, and would love a different version of Alice in Wonderland...then definitely check out this book. Gena Showalter fans who have read her Intertwined books will love this book as well. I'm looking forward to next year because I want to know what happens next to Alice and Cole and all their friends. Umm...especially, Cole...seriously, he is a HOTTIE. =)

Cattura ed appassiona, si arriva alla fine senza accorgersene.... ma per fortuna c'è il seguito... ed allora si prosegue con passione

I love this series and have hard time putting down.

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.

Étant une fan inconditionnelle de Gena Showalter pour ses romances paranormales et contemporaines, je m’étonne d’avoir attendu si longtemps avant de me lancer dans les Chroniques de Zombieland. Toutefois, je ne regrette nullement d’avoir repoussé l’échéance compte tenu du fait que je n’aurai guère besoin d’attendre la publication de la suite. Tant mieux, car ALICE AU PAYS DES ZOMBIES est un vrai petit bijou dans le genre Young Adult. La vie d’Alice Bell change du tout au tout après qu’un accident de voiture ne tue sa famille le soir de son anniversaire. Vivant depuis 16 ans selon des règles strictes imposées par son père qui impliquent des cours de self-défense et l’interdiction de sortir après le coucher du soleil, Alice « Ali » Bell a une vie plutôt calme et ennuyeuse malgré les excentricités de son père. Sa mère, sa soeur et elle assistent aux épisodes fréquents de paranoïa aiguë de l’homme de la maison et restent impuissantes face à son alcoolisme passif. Ali pense que son père est fou et que sa mère se voile la face. Si bien que c’est tout un débat pour organiser une sortie le soir de son anniversaire pour aller voir sa soeur Emma danser à un spectacle scolaire. Néanmoins, Ali obtient ce qu’elle veut et la famille passe une ultime soirée avant un accident fatal qui laisse notre héroïne orpheline. Or, Ali n’a pas seulement assisté à la mort tragique de sa famille, elle est témoin d’un acte traumatisant qui la pousse à questionner sa santé mentale et à remettre en question la folie présumée de son père. Aurait-il eu raison? Y-a-t-il des monstres dans ce Monde? ALICE AU PAYS DES ZOMBIES a peu de choses en commun avec le roman de Lewis Caroll. Il ne s’agit aucunement d’une énième interprétation de l’histoire avec un twist moderne. Showalter nous embarque dans une aventure totalement inédite où l’ennemi est le mal absolu qui se manifeste ici sous forme d’esprits zombifiés. Après qu’Ali emménage chez ses grands-parents, elle change d’école et fait la rencontre de sa nouvelle amie Kat et d’un groupe de jeunes à la mauvaise réputation dont le leader, Cole, déclenche chez elle de mystérieuses visions. Ali apprend très vite que son accident a débloqué chez elle son habilité à voir les zombies et à les combattre grâce à des pouvoirs spéciaux. Jongler entre son nouveau rôle de tueuse de zombies et sa vie de lycéenne n’est pas chose simple pour Ali mais notre héroïne a la tête sur les épaules et un très bon fond. Le lecteur s’identifie et s’attache facilement à elle. L’auteur n’exagère pas sa peine au point que nous ayons pitié d’elle et elle donne assez de répondant à Ali pour imposer le respect et nous faire sourire. Face à un personnage aussi charismatique que Cole, Ali trouve sa place. Je regrette que nous n’ayons pas plus d’historique sur Cole. Il reste sur le registre du beau garçon qui dégage sex appeal, danger et autorité et échoue à susciter un attachement émotionnel qui ne soit pas uniquement basé sur l’attirance d’Ali pour son corps musclé. Kat – a contrario – attire l’attention du lecteur dès le début. Elle est l’élément comique du livre et la glu qui maintient Ali ancrer dans le monde réel. C’est l’un de mes personnages préférés et elle est de loin le plus attachant. Showalter maintient un très bon rythme durant tout le livre jusqu’à la fin qui perd de son élan. En effet, la scène finale de confrontation entre Ali, nos tueurs de zombies et leur ennemi n’est pas très impressionnante . Mille questions m’ont traversé l’esprit qui ont remis en question le réalisme de la scène – ou plutôt sa faisabilité. ATTENTION SPOILERS! Comment Justin et Jaclyn peuvent-ils travailler pour Anima Industries en sachant tout ce qu’ils savent? Comment est-ce que les zombies se sont échappés au point que les membres d’Anima soient submergés? S’ils les contrôlent si bien, pourquoi se sont-ils comportés ainsi? Si nous présumons que Anima Industries est comme son nom l’indique une grosse corporation avec des moyens tels qu’ils peuvent étudier les zombies, organiser des raids et faire exploser des bombes, comment se fait-il que la sécurité soit si nulle dans leurs propres locaux? Comment Mackenzie s’en est-elle sortie après avoir attendu aussi longtemps – semble-t-il – pour l’antidote? Si notre horde de tueurs de zombies est si suspicieuse après avoir été trahie par le passé, comment est-il possible qu’ils soient passés à côté d’un traître dans leur sein? Toutes ces questions constituent les failles de ce roman très prometteur dont je ne peux attendre de m’attaquer à la suite! Note finale : 4/5.

ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND hat mich überrascht. Ich hatte bei Weitem nicht mit so einem guten Buch gerechnet. Ali lebt mit ihrer Schwester und ihren Eltern recht zürück gezogen und wenig in die Gesellschaft/Nachbarschaft integriert. Der Grund ist leicht gefunden: Ali's Vater hat sie nicht mehr alle. Er ist der festen Überzeugung, dass Abends menschenfressende Monster aus ihren Verstecken kriechen, die offensichtlich auch nur er sehen kann. Daher bestehen in Alis Familie recht einschränkende Regeln, frühes Abendessen und striktes Ausgehverbot ab Einsetzen der Dämmerung bis zum Aufgang der Sonne. Es ist nun schon nichts besonderes mehr, dass Ali's Eltern ihren Geburtstag vergessen, aber dieses Jahr will sie das zu ihrem Vorteil nutzen. Ali kleine Schwester hat Abends eine Theateraufführung und Ali bettelt ihren Eltern den Besuch mit der ganzen Familie ab. Selbstredent, dass dem nur sehr widerwillig und unter strengsten Auflagen zugestimmt wird. Der Abend läuft super, die Aufführung ist klasse und auch nach der Vorstellung werden sie nicht von "Monstern" angefallen - hätte Ali auch nicht anders erwartet. Auf dem Nachhauseweg mit dem Auto müssen sie eine andere Route fahren, die sie direkt an einem Friedhofsgrundstück vorbei bringt und das ist der Zeitpunkt den Alis Vater zum "Austicken" nutzt, weil angeblich vor ihnen auf der Straße Monster sind. Er reißt das Lenkrad umher und verursacht einen Autounfall. Als Ali wieder zur Besinnung kommt muss sie feststellen, dass ihr Dad doch nicht der Spinner ist, für den sie ihn immer gehalten hat. Denn dort sind Monster, halb verweste Menschen, die ihre Eltern aus dem Auto zerren und sich über sie her machen. Nachdem Ali ihre gesamte Familie an ihrem Geburtstag verloren hat muss sie nach und nach die Wahrheit lernen und erkennen, dass ihr Dad immer Recht hatte und das es andere wie ihn gibt. Andere, die diese Monster jagen... Alice in Zombieland ist der Hammer! Spannungsgeladen, frisch und frech geschrieben macht das Lesen richtig Spass. Auch ein wenig junge Liebe ist dabei, die allerdings die Story nur begleitet und sie nicht ausmacht. Super!