Alice in Zombieland, by Gena Showalter

Author: Gena Showalter [F] [T] [W]
Publisher: Harlequin Teen [W]
Release Date: September 25, 2012
Format: Hardcover; 404 pages
Series: The White Rabbit Chronicles (Book 1)
Genre: YA, Paranormal Romance, Zombies
Avg. Rating: ★★★★✩

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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….

With the exception of Warm Bodies and a few others, I'm really not the biggest fan of zombie books. I can read them.. I just don't enjoy them all that much, and I really don't go out of the way to read them completely voluntarily. And I definitely don't go out of the way to contact a publisher for a zombie book. HOWEVER, this IS Gena Showalter we're talking about. Everyone has their exceptions.

For me, the best part of picking up a Gena Showalter novel is knowing before I even hold the book in my hands that I will enjoy it. Is that biased? Maybe, but it's completely true. There's something very genuine and unique about Showalter's writing that stays completely true to her style to let you know the book is definitely hers, yet she still manages to keep every story's tone its own and every character has their own individual voice. It's something rare that you may not always see in an author's work, especially when they have so many books under their literary belt. 

Having said that, it shouldn't be a total shocker that I really loved this book. I know that I read about people being disappointed with the fact that the title of this novel is very similar to Alice in Wonderland, so it was assumed that it was a highly-imaginative retelling when it really didn't have much to do with the classic tale at all. I can say that wasn't the case for me - as a matter of fact, that little bit didn't bother me one single bit. There's also a twist on the actual zombies in this book that some people didn't like much. Again, didn't bother me. Just the opposite actually.. I really LOVED the twist on the zombie lore of this book. It's something that I have never EVER in my life come across in a book, and that made it just that much more special of a read for me.

Alice was a great female lead. Very independent, strong and need I say hard-headed? Especially when it came to a certain boy. Cole was the sexy bad boy in the novel and I thought he was a great opposite for Alice - and I definitely mean opposite. Their ways always seemed to clash (which I'll admit at times got a little tedious for me), but the chemistry was off the charts for these two. I also enjoyed Alice's quirky best friend, Kat. She brought that special magic to the story that only some characters can pull off and managed to keep an aura of mystery to her that kept me intrigued.

The setting to this story was perfect and helped to really set the tone for the book. I loved the pace and the plot, which isn't short of amazing - but I expect no less from Gena Showalter. This is definitely a great read that I think all of my paranormal readers would enjoy. And if you're a Showalter fan, I think this is really a given that you MUST read this book. ;)

My Rating: ★★★★★

Book Source: Publisher

 

The Immortal Rules, by Julie Kagawa

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity.

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

THE IMMORTAL RULES, by Julie Kagawa, has to be the best book that I have read this year. At first a skeptic (Dystopian with a side of vampires? Yeah, I've seen that quite a few times!), the story quickly transformed me into a true believer. Though, to be honest, I don't think it surprised me any. Kagawa has a way with words that is like magic, turning simple descriptions into realistic settings that you can almost sense with all five of your senses.

For me, the characters were probably the selling point to the whole story. You have an incredible female lead that not only grows, but stays consistent in herself no matter what is happening in the book. This works incredibly well because Allison (lead) starts off as a strong character, yet somehow manages to grow and become an even stronger character by the end. The other characters stayed very true to their own stations as well. It's a very harsh world that THE IMMORTAL RULES takes place in and everyone seems to know their place in that world very well. Though, no matter how dark and dreary the world seems to be, there are always a handful of those who believe that it is better somewhere else and they will stop at nothing to get to that place. To be honest, their drive is endearing and I love the fact that it seems none of these characters seem to want to give up - no matter how hopeless they may feel at times.

This book is a little heavy... on descriptions, character emotion, story leads, etc. However, I couldn't see the book working any better with less story. Everything written in this story has a place and has a reason to be there. Every sentence has a purpose and to read it all is even more enthralling than reading a book with less... it has that much of an impact on the entire book. With Kagawa's twist of her own mythology on vampires, I know that all of my paranormal lovers will enjoy this tale. And even if you don't like vampires, if you like Dystopian stories then you will not want to miss this one. This story is about much more than vampires, but you'll have to read for yourself to understand what I'm talking about. Believe me, you won't be disappointed.

My Rating: ★★★★★ 5.00
Avg Rating: ★★★★✩ 4.29

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Title: The Immortal Rules
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Blood of Eden, Book 1
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: Hardcover, 504 pages
Release Date: April 24, 2012

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Blog Tour Review: Here Lies Bridget, by Paige Harbison

Here Lies Bridget

Paige Harbison [F] [T]

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: January 18, 2011

Genre: YA, Paranormal

Format: Paperback, 219 pages

Source: Publisher

Rating: 4/5 (3/5)

Bridget Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school. The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities. And when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget: friends don't worship as attentively, teachers don't fall for her wide-eyed "who me?" look, expulsion looms ahead and the one boy she's always loved—Liam Ward—can barely even look at her anymore.

When a desperate Bridget drives too fast and crashes her car, she ends up in limbo, facing everyone she's wronged and walking a few uncomfortable miles in their shoes. Now she has only one chance to make a last impression. Though she might end up dead, she has one last shot at redemption and the chance to right the wrongs she's inflicted on the people who mean the most to her.

And Bridget's about to learn that, sometimes, saying you're sorry just isn't enough….

I feel it's my obligation to say don't go into this book expecting a female lead that's all flowers and sunshine that you will completely relate to and just adore... because you won't. Bridget's a pretty cruel character with a bit of a nasty personality. HOWEVER, don't hate her and don't put down the book because of it... keep reading. In order for this book to be as good as it is (and it IS a great book), Bridget's attitude is necessary.



With that said, I will say that sometimes it was a little difficult for me to accept ALL of Bridget - actions, attitude and all. I will also say that the build-up of Bridget's character as a horrid person was a good portion of the book, which made the resolution feel a little hurried and maybe even a little predictable. But again, most of it is needed for this book to be as successful of a story as it is.



The writing was great, the plot was just as wonderful. Over all of that, I have to say that the character development was very meaty but this also made the character growth in the story astronomically better than most that you see. Besides seeing small areas of improvement, you're almost getting a new character - one that is still recognizable, but her whole train of thought and reactions are not like the old her in the very least. I think, if nothing else, that made the book completely worth the read... although her circumstances were fantastical at the very least, her actions are very real and make for an incredible story.

The Goddess Test, by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test
Aimee Carter

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: April 19, 2011
Series: Goddess Test
Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: Paperback, 304
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 5/5 (Avg 3.5/5)

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

I guess I should put a disclaimer on reviews of books that deal with Greek Mythology, so here it is: I am a lover of all things in Greek Mythology, so usually I'm incredibly giddy before I even open books that deal with the subject matter.

Having said that, I can tell you that this book did not disappoint me in the least. The more I read, the more it won me over. Besides the mythology, I can tell you what impressed me so much about this book: no insta-love! Oftentimes in YA books, the main character falls instantly in love with the object of her affection at the very beginning and then the rest of the book is swooning and talking about how perfect he is in every way for the other 250+ pages. This isn't the case with The Goddess Test. Instead, we get to see a relationship from what starts as an extreme dislike, then morphs from empathy to friendship and eventually, love. It's a realistic process, slow to start and blossoming into something incredible, something we can all relate to with love.

All of the characters seemed to pass the test (pun not necessarily intended). There was something that first irked me about Kate, but her actions and personality really won me over through the book. The rocky start to her friendship with Ava added even more layers to their relationship, again making it completely believable and all the more true to a real friendship. I think I said enough about Kate's relationship with Henry and the lack of insta-love, which in turn made me love them more. Henry's character was a more humble character, though I must say that I expected him to be a little more dark and fierce considering who he truly was. Same with James, whose character was also a little predictable but it didn't make me like him any less. Dylan's character seemed a little left-field and I was confused by his presence. I understood closer to the end, yet the whole opening scenes with him felt a little more like a page-filler than anything that was truly necessary to the story.

Despite some minor character issues, I can't say anything bad about this book - which means that those issues are so minor that they can be completely ignored. The story was amazing, the characters and intertwining of mythology equally so. I predicted some of the ending, but it ended up taking on more of a twist than I had initially expected. It was a pleasant surprise. It was also a fairly quick read, so there was no room for a lot unnecessary details. I enjoyed this book immensely and cannot wait for the next in the series to come out.

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