neddieb
Written on Jan 26, 2016
Book 1 of The White Rabbit Chronicles. 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 mum and my dad one last time. I'd tell them I love them. I wish...
- ISBN13 9781472000620
- Publish Date 25 September 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Imprint Mira Ink
- Format eBook (EPUB)
- Pages 416
- Language English
- URL http://harpercollins.co.uk
Reviews
Chelsea
Written on Dec 7, 2015
Quick Thoughts:
1. Loving this more the second time around.
2. Cole is probably the most perfect character ever. I love him to death.
3. I'm liking how intense Ali is. She's not the wimpy girl who has to wait for the hero to save her. She's the one that starts the fights and dives head in.
4. I like how it's not a full retelling of Alice in Wonderland. There's lots of little pieces that are similar but it's still very different. It makes it more interesting to read.
Read October 2013
This book was not at all what I expected. I figured it would be Alice in Wonderland but with zombies. The only comparison to Alice in Wonderland is the character’s name is Alice and there’s a cloud in the shape of a rabbit. Everything else is 100% different. I love it!
At the start I was really unsure. I thought the main character was going to be super wimpy and that everyone else would have to fight zombies for her. Thank god that didn’t happen. She’s a pretty sweet character actually. She’s really badass and can take care of herself. It’s refreshing actually. I’ve never come across a teen heroine like her. I also really liked Cole, the main guy. He was a super hot bad boy. Which means he was super attractive. I love, love, loved Kat though. She was a really funny and entertaining character. It was really nice at those serious bits. I hope she’s more involved in the next book though.
The plot was really cool too. It had nothing to do with Alice in Wonderland. It was basically about a group of zombie hunters. I liked how the author made the zombies. They weren’t I want to eat your brains zombies. They were more spiritual let me bite you kind of zombies. It’s hard to explain but they were really cool. It’s hard to really change up zombies but this author did it.
I really enjoyed this book and I think everyone should give it a try! I’m really excited to move into the next one!
limabean74
Written on Nov 26, 2014
flybymoonlight
Written on Sep 8, 2014
Berls
Written on Aug 17, 2014
3.5 Stars
You ever want to read a book based on hype and the pretty cover, buy it, and then realizing your stalling because you aren't actually sure you want to read it? That was me with Alice in Zombieland. Michelle and I said we'd read it for our Was It Good For You? Feature way back in July. And I put it on my calendar several times, only to push it back. I didn't finally read it until November.
I had avoided Alice in Zombieland, despite sort of wanting to read it for two main reasons:
- Zombies. I'm still getting on this band wagon. I like The Walking Dead. And I loved Sanctuary by Pauline Creed. But that's my extent of zombie love so far. Because I don't like the gross factor. And at an early point in Alice in Zombieland I did feel a little grossed out, but to be fair, I think that was my expectations bleeding through a bit. And it never got really graphic and disgusting, so I can handle these zombies.
- The ambiguous Alice in Wonderland connection. I knew from reviews that this wasn't really an Alice in Wonderland retelling and yet, there's some clear relationship. Since Alice in Wonderland retellings have been both great and kinda bad for me, I wasn't eager for one so uncertainly defined. While Alice in Zombieland worked, I'm still kinda confused about this connection. Its not just the title. There are little connections to Alice in Wonderland. But they're so small, I'm trying to figure out if they're just a fun nod to Alice in Wonderland or if they actually mean something that I just haven't figured out yet. Like some connection to Alice in Wonderland that will blow my mind in book 2 or 3.
So I avoided it and at first, I wasn't into it really. Alice in Zombieland took a while to get going, despite a pretty intense intro. You know from page one that this major disaster is going to happen, but the lead up is slow and then after it happens you kind of float along and at about the 20% point I actually told Michelle, "I'm still not sure exactly what this book's point is!" I mean I knew there were a couple things going on, but I had no idea what the end game was or should be or what. So I was frustrated.
But there are probably two reasons I stuck with Alice in Zombieland:
- Kat, Alcie's best friend. Yeah I adore this character. She's funny, self-confident, a good friend, and snarky. My kind of girl. And there's something up with her from the start, so I wanted to know what that was. I definitely liked her better than Alice ( goes by Ali for most the book), who was a bit too indecisive for my liking.
- What the hell is going on? Yes, I kept going because I HAD to know what the point was. Despite being frustrated that it was so unclear, enough bread crumbs were there that I needed to see it through. And I'm glad I did. The world is very unique and the take on zombies is like nothing I've ever seen. Very creative and worth a slow start.
The narration was good, but not as great as I'd expected. I don't think I would have enjoyed Alice in Zombieland nearly as much had I read it though, so Natalie Gold did deliver the story well. I just had heard amazing things. And I DID think that the girls voices were fantastic. Personalities were clear and distinct, making characters come to life. The guys were just ok though. Sometimes I'd think Ali was speaking and find out it was actually a guy. Especially when they were supposed to exhibit some emotion, their voices kinda morphed into Ali's. But still a good, enjoyable read - I will continue on audio for sure. And maybe this time, I wont avoid starting it!
paperbackjedi
Written on Jan 10, 2014
Alice in Zombieland is just plain fun from the dialogue, to the story, to the characters. I never got bored, I never got tired, and I found myself laughing and smiling all the way through the book. All of the characters are given attention and detail, in many cases I found the secondary characters shining (Alice’s best friend Kat, most notably). You really got to know the characters in this book and you had genuine feelings for them (whether they be positive or negative) and I want to commend Showalter on her ability to create characters that resonate with her readers. Not only are they memorable, they are kick-ass. Alice is tough as nails and doesn’t take crap from anyone, even the boy she likes, which is just so refreshing. She demands to be the hero of her own story and goes about rescuing herself and her friends with aplomb.
The plot was equally engaging, but if you’re looking for it to parallel Alice in Wonderland, you’ll be disappointed. While it makes reference to a white rabbit, it’s nothing at all like Alice in Wonderland. There’s a lot of action (as there should be since, you know, we are killing zombies here). I did notice that the novel focuses on the action and plot rather than the emotions and feelings of the characters, which I honestly liked. I can get annoyed by spending so much time in the minds of characters because it feels like nothing ever happens and we’re just treated to the internal monologue of someone’s adventure rather than being on the actual adventure. This is certainly not the case with Alice in Zombieland. You are very much in the thick of the story, trying to figure out where the zombies came from, who the bad guys are, and why the zombies seem fixated on Alice. The first book sets up a great overall arch for the series and I’m excited to see what comes next.
Obviously, there is a deliciously snarky romance and you’ll love the witty back and forth between Alice and Cole as much as you’ll love that she is very much her own person and manages to remain true to herself and not be swayed by his bad boy with a heart of gold persona. Sure, she swoons, but she isn’t above letting him have it when she thinks he deserves it. I do love the way relationships in this novel were written all around. The book spends time exploring her family ties and her integration into a new, foreign social circle as well as setting up a romance that is based in equality and trust. Thumbs up, Showalter for the strong female protagonist that doesn’t go all gooey around a hot zombie hunter boy. I enjoyed this and if you’re looking for something that will make you smile and laugh, you should check it out.
Ace
Written on Oct 25, 2013
alindstadtcorbeax
Written on Feb 2, 2013
The same as the first time around. Babes all around, and ZOMBIEEESSSSS— what could be better?!
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Oct 8, 2012
The tale begins with a horrific tragedy and the realization for protagonist Alice Bell, that her father’s whispered fears of monsters in the night are indeed very real. As Alice embarks on her new life, home and school she must decide whether to fight or hide. Moving through the motions of living, she is forced back into reality by her snarky friend Kat and bad-boy Cole. Visions, visits from ghosts and monsters quickly have Alice taking sides and in a fight to survive. This well paced tale was filled with danger, romance, hilarious moments and zombies.
The characters in Alice in Zombieland were fun and likeable. Ali Bell’s world has been totally rocked and I initially felt sorry for her, but I came to admire this head-strong, protective, loyal, zombie kicking chick. Cole Holland is a bad-boy and head of a group of teens who are notoriously late, getting expelled and have girls swooning for them. While I would not call the relationship between them insta-love, there were some unusual supernatural elements that caused their initial attraction to each other. We quickly learn there is a lot more to Cole then his persona. Kat becomes Ali’s bestie and quite frankly I adored this snarky, outspoken wisp of a girl. If you ever need someone to be in your corner, Kat would be perfect. I found the secondary characters to be entertaining and hope to learn more about them.
Showalter offered up her own unique twist on zombies and I found it interesting. The zombies are not the kind we typically see, but exist in the spirit world. They cannot be seen by everyone, you cannot touch them and yet they can kill you…Eep! I really enjoyed this aspect of the tale, and while the storyline itself is not wholly original, Showalter’s twist on battling these zombies was. I loved how they fought the zombies, the rules and the abilities that developed. She introduced Watchers and I am hoping we learn more about them. Two teams battling these zombies, we learn an epic battle is coming and that both sides have different motives. This created plenty of tension and cool battle scenes. We learned about the two sides as Ali did, causing you to question who to trust. The romance was volatile, sweet and moved at a nice pace. While this is YA, there are plenty of hot steaming scenes that push this genre to the limit. The characters were not as fleshed out as I would have liked and at times the tale felt a little cliché but I walked away wanting more. I am anxious to see how the tale develops.
If you are looking for an entertaining and unique zombie fix with a hot little romance on the side, you will love Alice in Zombieland. I was highly entertained and zipped through the novel. I plan to continue this series with Through the Zombie Glass book two in the White Rabbit Chronicles series scheduled to be released in 2013.
Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Jordon
Written on Aug 19, 2012
Alice in Zombieland is not a retelling of Alice in Wonderland.
Thought I would let you know that now. So if you want to read this book then go into it expecting a typical YA paranormal romance, and you will love it.
There are elements of Alice in Wonderland in this book. Like the white rabbit appears and the main characters share the same name. And maybe the fact that the zombies are on a different plane yet are on the same earth. Something like that anyway. Yet as a whole this is a very different story.
I went into this book expecting an epic zombie killing adventure with bad-ass characters. What I got was a high school situated, invisible hunting zombies, predictable young adult paranormal romance book.
You can see why I was disappointed.
Therefore the first half of this book screamed cliché, predictable and was very slow paced. This is why I have only rated this book three clubs.
However, the second half of this book is what really grabbed my attention. Once I had gotten over my disappointment and accepted the fact that this was a normal paranormal romance that was probably going to end predictably; I ended up really getting into the story and highly enjoyed the last half for what it was. Even though I saw what was coming.
Alice lost her entire family on her birthday, on the one night that she was able to convince her mother and father to take her and her younger sister Emma to Emma’s ballet recital. Her father never let them leave the house after dark. Alice thought he was crazy, always muttering about monsters that rise at night yet no one ever saw those monsters.
That night on the way home she convinced her mother to drive the way that passed the cemetery as it was at least twenty minutes quicker than the alternate route. But as they got there her father freaked out shouting that the monsters were there. He yanked the wheel from Alice’s mother trying to make her turn around but instead caused the car to flip. Killing everyone but Alice. Alice thinks she see’s weird humans eating her mother and father when she slips in and out of consciousness but when she wakes up in hospital she’s convinced she imagined it.
She moves into her grandparents house after that, moves high schools and her life changes. She’s never lived a normal life. Never gone to a party, never slept over at a friends house because her father was paranoid about the monsters, she’s never had a boyfriend or even gone out on a date. So everything is new and scary. Also with the fact that she’s lost her family and she can’t get over what she thought she saw, especially since she keeps getting sightings of a weird lady hanging just beyond her grandparents’ backyard fence, wearing a wedding dress and something just seems off about her.
In this book the zombies are spirits, they are not physical and this is not about a zombie apocalypse.
At first I didn’t like that the zombies were invisible to people that did not have the sight to see them and the people that had the sight could only attack them if they were in their ‘spirit form’, which meant their literal bodies would be empty and still as they fought. I didn’t like that they weren’t zombies that literally rose from the ground and began tearing and eating human flesh. Instead they were spirits that had the hunger for the human soul and when they ate a human they disappeared into the body and ate their soul causing the bodies blood to bubble to the top of their skin. Killing them in the physical world.
That right there is one cool idea.
So once I wrapped my head around it, I realised just how cool that was. The only thing is I only realised this after I had finished reading the book. Not while I was in the middle of reading it. I believe this is because I was too distracted trying to figure out how I had completely misjudged the premise of this book. The cover and the synopsis threw me off. That being said, I love this cover, it’s just gorgeous! It just feels misleading. But so does the summary. The summary barely reveals anything about the contents of this book. Yet it is very intriguing.
I felt like the first half of this book was so slow because it set up the world and the premise, and I had been expecting zombie-butt-kicking but the zombies didn’t really turn up until half way through the book. Once it got to the point where there was zombie-butt-kicking this book got exciting.
My favourite character in this book was Alice’s best friend Kat. She was bubbly, exciting and completely honest as well as brash. Yet she was also realistic, down to earth and had a vulnerable side to her that just made me want to give her a hug. Kat is a very strong and feisty character yet at the same time caring and an absolute delight. I usually cringe when there are characters that are meant to have a bubbly and over excited personality because most of the time they are written very flat with no dimension. Kat however has a lot of sides to her, she is definitely not one dimensional.
I’m sad to say that the romance in this book is very predictable and bordered on insta-love. The direction of the story is also predictable. Multiple times through the book the word ‘cliché’ popped into my head.
So if you’re going to read this book expect a predictable storyline and cliché romance but fun and exciting butt-kicking action that happens non-stop from halfway through onwards.
I liked the end half of this book so much that I’m excited for book number two. I want to know why the zombies are so interested in Alice, and why she has abilities none of the others have.
I am intrigued.
Give Alice in Zombieland a go if you’re up for a paranormal romance with a bit of scary butt-kicking. Just don’t get hyped over it or expect it to be a retelling (It is most definitely not a retelling).
Miss J
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