Alice in Zombieland (The White Rabbit Chronicles, #1)

by Gena Showalter

[paperbackjedi]

Alice thinks her father is crazy, but that’s okay because so does everyone else. From a young age, her father has tried to protect the family from monsters that only he seems to be able to see. It’s crappy because this means she can’t engage in a normal social life and go out on dates, sleep over a friend’s house, or be out after dark. One night, she manages to convince her father to let the family go see her sister’s dance recital and everything goes to hell. The monsters are real, they killed her family, and now they’re coming for her.

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.