A Mad Zombie Party by Gena Showalter

Title: A Mad Zombie Party (White Rabbit Chronicles #4)

Author: Gena Showalter

Publisher: Harlequin Teen 2015

Genre: YA - Fantasy

Pages: 424

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries; Seasonal Series - Audiobook

Ali Bell and Cole Holland's crew of zombie slayers thought they'd won the war against Anima Industries, the evil company responsible for capturing and experimenting on zombies in an effort to discover the secret to immortality. In the last epic clash, the slayers lost many of their crew and closest friends. But Frosty, the ice man himself, has not recovered from one casualty in particular—the love of his life, Kat Parker.

On the path to self-annihilation, Frosty receives a message from beyond—Kat's spirit returns, insisting he partner with rogue slayer Camilla Marks. Frosty will do anything for Kat. Except that. Camilla is the one who betrayed them all, leading to Kat's death.

But when Anima rises from the grave to become a force the slayers may not have the strength to overcome, Frosty, Camilla and all the slayers will have to work together to survive. And one broken slayer will learn that sometimes, the line between hate and attraction is blurred…and the road to redemption isn't through revenge, but in letting go of the past and grabbing hold of the future.

I have loved this series, but the last book just didn't grab me. It boils down to the change in narration. I was all for Ali's voice and her perspective. Changing it to a split narration between Frosty and Milla just threw me and I never really connected to them. I definitely wanted to finish this series, but didn't love the storyline and characters in this one.

White Rabbit Chronicles:

#1 Alice in Zombieland
#1.5 Cole... Meet Ali
#2 Through the Zombie Glass
#3 The Queen of Zombie Hearts
#4 A Mad Zombie Party
#4.1 Kat in Zombieland

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter

Title: The Queen of Zombie Hearts (White Rabbit Chronicles #3)

Author: Gena Showalter

Publisher: Harlequin Teen 2014

Genre: YA - Fantasy

Pages: 459

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: A to Z - Q; I Love Libraries; Seasonal Series - Great Friendship

I thought I had nothing left to give. I thought wrong. They started the war. Now I will end it.

Alice "Ali" Bell thinks the worst is behind her. She's ready to take the next step with boyfriend Cole Holland, the leader of the zombie slayers…until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realizes that humans can be more dangerous than monsters…and the worst has only begun.

I sped through this volume just like the first two. I can't get enough of Ali and Cole and all the assorted fun characters. I am right there for the big mysteries. These books are just so much fun to read. I don't want to put them down and can't wait to see what happens next. This particular volume had some very interesting developments. We finally get to meet the head of Anima and see some big developments in Ali's abilities. Lots of fun. Can't wait to pick up the next one.

White Rabbit Chronicles:

#1 Alice in Zombieland
#1.5 Cole... Meet Ali
#2 Through the Zombie Glass
#3 The Queen of Zombie Hearts
#4 A Mad Zombie Party
#4.1 Kat in Zombieland

Next up on the TBR pile:

Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter

Title: Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles #2)

Author: Gena Showalter

Publisher: Harlequin Teen 2013

Genre: YA - Fantasy

Pages: 478

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: A to Z - T; I Love Libraries; Seasonal Series - Read a Book While Eating Chocolate

Zombies stalk the night.
Forget blood and brains. These monsters hunger for human souls.
Sadly, they've got mine…
Alice Bell has lost so much. Family. Friends. A home. She thought she had nothing else to give. She was wrong.
After a new zombie attack, strange things begin to happen to her. Mirrors come to life, and the whispers of the dead assault her ears. But the worst? A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do very wicked things.
She's never needed her team of zombie slayers more, but ultra bad-boy Cole Holland, the leader and her boyfriend, suddenly withdraws from her…from everyone. Now, with her best friend, Kat, at her side, Ali must kill the zombies, uncover Cole's secret and learn to fight the darkness.
But the clock is ticking…and if she fails at a single task, they're all doomed.

This is exactly what I needed to read this weekend: a fun, sometimes horrifying young adult fantasy. I devoured every word, reading this one in only two days. I couldn't get enough of this fast-paced adventure. I was desperate to see what happened to regular Ali and Zombie Ali. I kept yelling (in my head) at Cole to get his shit together. I speculated on the identity of the spy and actually got it right for once. I can't wait to pick up the next volume.

White Rabbit Chronicles:

#1 Alice in Zombieland
#1.5 Cole... Meet Ali
#2 Through the Zombie Glass
#3 The Queen of Zombie Hearts
#4 A Mad Zombie Party
#4.1 Kat in Zombieland

Next up on the TBR pile:

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Title: Alice in Zombieland (White Rabbit Chronicles #1)

Author: Gena Showalter

Publisher: Harlequin 2012

Genre: YA - Fantasy

Pages: 404

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - YA Retellings; I Love Libraries; Seasonal Series - Character Growth

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. 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.

This series has been sitting on my virtual TBR shelf for years now. I'm always a sucker for Alice in Wonderland adjacent books and movies. Most of them are super dumb, but I watch or read anyway. Thankfully this one was delightful. I sped through this volume in just over a day. I couldn't put it down. I loved the references here and there to Alice. I loved the zombies (gotta love the zombies). I loved the various side characters that added a bit of flavor to the story (Kat is hands-down my favorite). And I very much loved Ali and Cole. My one little issue is the over done trope of characters withholding important information "for their own good." Seriously there would be a lot less conflict and heartache in books if people were just upfront with information and their thoughts. But I know, being honest doesn't make for good conflicts in books. Oh well. Still really loved this one and can't wait to grab the next volume from the library.

White Rabbit Chronicles:

#1 Alice in Zombieland
#1.5 Cole... Meet Ali
#2 Through the Zombie Glass
#3 The Queen of Zombie Hearts
#4 A Mad Zombie Party
#4.1 Kat in Zombieland

Next up on the TBR pile: