Published September 25, 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Format: hardback, borrowed from a friend
Genre: young adult paranormal
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Rating: 5 STARS
(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 made no bones about the fact that zombies and horror are not really my bag. Hence, my reticence with starting Alice in Zombieland, despite all the wonderful things I had heard about it. I mean, it's about zombies, and zombies = bad. Right?
Wrong.
Alice's dad is nuts. He sees monsters. As a result, he has sheltered Alice and her younger sister in order to protect them. And then, after an awful car accident that kills everyone in her family but Alice, she finally sees the monsters too. She moves in with her grandparents, switches school, and finds out that there are others out there who see them too. Including the dashing and dangerous Cole. Soon, Alice is recruited into Cole's band of zombie slayers. And, there's got to be a reason that the zombies seem to be going after Alice, right?
What an amazing and creative take on zombies! This book took me completely by surprise. Who knew I'd be giving 5 stars to a "zombie book?!"
In Alice in Zombieland, not everyone can see the zombies. Only those with a special ability to separate their spirit from their body can see them. And, the zombies only exist on the spiritual plane. But, they can still kill people. They don't eat brains, or even flesh, really. They're after your spirit. Those that can fight the zombies can split their spirits from their bodies in order to take them on. They can ash them with their hands.
Alice is such an amazing heroine. She's only 16, but acts so much older than that. Her family is dead, she has this new, scary ability, she sees monsters on a nearly daily basis - if it were me, I'd be sitting in a corner rocking and crying like a baby. Alice sets out to get answers. And, when she discovers a powerful connection with her new school's resident bad boy, she knows where to get them.
Speaking of the bad boy, Cole is perfection. He's misunderstood, scary, and an all-around good guy shielded by tats and piercings. And, he has many of the answers to Alice's questions. It turns out they work well together - in more ways than one. Their connection is intriguing and sexy and exciting. When they look at each other for the first time each day, they get a glimpse of the future. Sometimes that vision is good. Sometimes, not so much. Cole and his violet eyes are absolutely captivating.
I love Gena Showalter's writing. It's sharp and witty. Alice and Cole's banter and snark back and forth was brilliant. And, the things that have sprouted from her imagination amaze me.
There is, of course, a larger story - a bigger plot that will carry through the series. A corporation set on experimenting on the zombies and trying to use them as weapons is trying to thwart the slayers' efforts. And, there's also a reason why the zombies are hunting Alice and why her powers are so much stronger than everyone else's. I can't wait to find out what those reasons are. I can't wait to read more about Alice kicking serious zombie ass. And I definitely can't wait for more Cole.
2 comments:
I've heard so many mixed things about this series, but my cousin absolutely ADORES this series. I may need to give it a go myself!
I really want to read this book. Reading your review makes me want to read it even more. Great review. :)
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