Book Review: Alice in Zombieland

Alice in Zombieland

By: Gena Showalter

Published by Harlequin Teen

Release Date: September 25, 2012

Genre: YA paranormal

404 pages

Buy it on Amazon, IndieBound

 or Barnes and Noble
Source: public library




I did a Cover Crazy on this one a while back- here- so this book has been on my mind for a while. I was in the public library a few weeks ago with the kids, grabbing some vacay reads, and this one was sitting there on the feature shelf, practically winking at me. Needless to say, I saved other patrons from its incessant flirting.


What a delicious flirt this book is. First, all the nods to Alice in Wonderland are really fun. Though the plot itself is completely different, the Alice-reference device is a wonderful way to keep the book light and witty, whereas it could otherwise become quite dark and scary. I think this combination of fluffy silliness with horror is why I have seen several reviews say that the book reminded them of the flavor of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 

Next on the delicious flirtiness list is the hottie book boyfriend. The chemistry between Ali and Cole is effervescent and tart, like a fresh carbonated limeade. It's the kind of relationship that feels fated without laboring over the characters' free will. They are drawn to each other with an undeniable attraction, yet both are intrigued with each other rather than feeling trapped. They are a beautiful couple who are perfectly matched to keep each others' egos in check as well. Reading their dialog as they banter is hilarious, while reading the kissy scenes is equally interesting in a completely different way.

This book represents YA paranormal well, with some nightmarish bad guys. The zombies are all the scarier as Showalter writes them, though they are a little different from traditional zombies. The action scenes are intensely physical, with descriptions of the battles that are detailed enough to maintain continuity without becoming labored with play-by-play chapters that some books make their readers suffer. The good guys certainly have to work their tails off to stay ahead of the game, but the reader is spared the unnecessary details. 

Of course this is just book 1, so we'll have to wait to see if our heroes are successful in saving the world. I have no doubt, but you can bet I'll be reading the rest of the series just as soon as I can get my hands on them.

Summary from GoodReads:

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….


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 mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.