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Saturday, October 18, 2014

Week 42 Reviews: Cole...Meet Ali, Alice of Zombieland, Through the Zombie Glass, The Queen of Zombie Hearts



From Goodreads:
I promised to rewrite the scene where Ali and Cole meet in Alice in Zombieland from Cole's point of view, and today I'm delivering.

Are you curious to know what thoughts rolled through Cole's head when he first met Ali? Read on!

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…

From Goodreads:
Inspired by the childhood classic Alice in Wonderland, this harrowing and romantic story features teen zombie slayer Alice Bell who has lost so much—family, friends, her home. After a strange new zombie attack, Alice fears she may be losing her mind as well. A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do wicked things. The whispers of the dead assault her ears and mirrors seem to come frighteningly to life. She's never needed her team of zombie slayers more—including her boyfriend, Cole—than she does now. But as Cole strangely withdraws and the zombies gain new strength, Ali knows one false step may doom them all.

I have a plan. 

We'll either destroy them for good, or they'll destroy us. 

Either way, only one of us is walking away. 

In the stunning conclusion to the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, 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. 

As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies…and she isn't the girl she thought she was. She's connected to the woman responsible for killing—and turning—Cole's mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima—even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.

My first review of Alice in Zombieland, Through the Zombie Glass
My second review of Alice of Zombieland
My Review:
I was so amazing by reading this series! I know Zombie Hearts is currently the last book, but if there's reader demand, then hopefully the publishers will listen, and we'll get more (And I have a list of ideas of couples at the end!) And yeah, this is mostly going to be a review of Zombie Hearts, because I haven't reviewed it before!

It was so fantastic to be immersed in this story, of all that's been published! I loved going on the journey of Ali and Cole's love, from strangers and first meetings (which they kinda have twice, seeing as her memory gets blocked near the end!) to being full on in love, might I even call it, soul mates?

We learn a lot about the powers, from Ali gaining the ability to share her abilities with the other slayers by using her fire on them. Which is really cool! And they learn that they can give-or steal-soul powers that are really useful for slayers! And they asked a question that a vision could answer, and then got that vision! So cool!

And the twist about her mom! That she was adopted by her parents, under the table, because a) her dad really is her bio dad, and b) under the table because Sami, the name Ali was born with, had her death faked by her bio mom, Helen. Who happened to be the one who orchestrated Cole's mom to be made into a zombie. So yeah, there's complications there. And how Helen was a cousin of Ali's mom in all the ways possible except bio.

Plus this book dealt with the pain of their 4 lost friends, Lucas, Trina, Cruz, and Collins. Almost lost Justin, but yeah, he's saved! Plus, we got to meet a new gang of slayers-which is way bigger then theirs, with about 50 slayers-lead by River. I really enjoyed River. He's basically Cole, but without very many rules, that he breaks, apparently, and who doesn't have an Ali equivalent in his life!

Kat. Oh, Kat. You didn't deserve what you got, being pretty badly injured in the bomb blast, being bitten, and then being collared by Anima! And then, when biting Ali, and being cured of the zombie, her soul, and thus becoming a Witness, and then freed, all the things after the injured, shouldn't have happened! I wish that they'd used their fire on her, Kat was good, and then she could have healthy kidneys, too!

Favourite lines from Cole...Meet Ali: "Doesn't he know we’re guys?  Anytime we show a softer side, we reveal a weakness we can’t afford to have. Girls pounce." As I girl, I kinda take offence at that. Oh, well, it's Cole! "We have abilities we don’t understand and consider nothing impossible, but if I admit I'd just mind-molested a strange girl, they'll go after her, might scare her. Do I want to see fear in those ocean water eyes?  Hell, no.  Not while I so vividly remember seeing passion…" Aw, so sweet and bad ass at the same time! "It's wrong of me—I know it’s wrong—but I smile. Ready or not Ali, here I come." And I want to reread him doing so!

Favourite lines from Alice in Zombieland: "The lunacy! Justin had asked the same thing about Cole. Throw in the reaction I'd gotten from Kat, Reeve, Poppy and Wren regarding my association with both Cole and Justin, and one thing became crystal clear: Speaking to a guy at Asher High was the equivalent of picking out wedding bands." Which is a bit extreme, what, it's high school! "But Cole, I can't ever give you a ride. I don't have a car, so there's no-" Well, of course he knows that, so go Ali, for annoying him! "Realized. But please refrain from mind-punching my pretty face. I like it just how it is." We do, to! "I ruined the saccharine-sweet request by trying to punch him." Which kinda defeats the purpose of the previous favourite line! "Settle down before you hurt my favorite body part. I'm really fond of my...gut." Riiiight, your gut. "Excuses are merely the cherry topping of an E. coli-infested sundae, Miss Bell." Which is totally gross! "The note read, Doing stuff. Kissing. Fighting." Yeah, that's real helpful and specific! "Goody! Time to enact Operation Boys Will Cry." To Be With Us, should be the full title! "We can't really spy on them if they're not spying on us, now can we?" Well, you could, but it wouldn't be as fun! "Boys! I swear. I peered up, ready to tell whichever guy had decided to come after to back off. I--I should never have doubted Kat." No, really shouldn't! "Something that allows a guy to put his hands all over a girl isn't dumb, It's genius." Have to agree with that as long as the boy's hands are staying in appropriate places in public! "Here? Now? My second was more panic." First kiss that's not in a vision? Reason for panic! "

Favourite lines from Through the Zombie Glass: "Calm? Calm! I . Utterly. Exploded." Yeah, not a good idea to tell someone to calm down, when they're agitated! "...nothing would stop me from stealing this moment. 'O-kay. I should have guessed this was why you both took off so unexpectedly.' Nothing except Frosty." Ah, the troubles of young love-interruption being one of them! "Your grandmother is the toughest coc-uh, sex block I've ever come across." I can't not laugh at this! "We are what we eat, right? My brain was definitely eating that journal." Food for thought!!! "Ali Bell doesn't play hide-and-seek. She plays hide-and-pray-I-don't-find-you." Yes, she does! And "When Ali Bell gives you the finger, she's telling you how many seconds you have to live." and "Fear of spiders is arachnophobia, and fear of tight spaces is claustrophobia, but fear of Ali Bell is just called logic." and "There used to be a street named after Ali Bell, but it was changed because nobody crosses Ali Bell and lives. True story." and I heard Ali Bell once got bitten by a rattlesnake, but after three days of pain and agony, the rattlesnake died." and "Well, I heard that when Ali Bell wants to laugh, she reads the Guinness Book of World Records." Yeah, because Ali is just that bad ass! "What was the problem? I was only going ten miles an hour under the speed limit. If ten was the new word for twenty. And twenty was the new word for thirty. Whatever." Uh, if you go lower then 30, then in those words, you're not moving at all! "'You thinking you'll end up spanking me?' 'Knowing it.'" Well, it doesn't quite work out that way! "I mean, you weren't there the night we discovered you sneaking out to meet Ethan. Wait. You were there, you just didn't know we were. He freaked out. Like, hard-core." This is just so cute! "Her ace? What was her ace? What did I even care? He'd tattooed my name on his chest. He was mine, period." Yes, he is! "Alabama is an ocean of untapped, horny fish and daddy likes his seafood." Continuing your ho-bag ways? Not very smart! "I think I've told you how stubborn you are, how curious and now, even jealous, and you're also quick tempered, and you've got the meanest right cross of all time. But I get more joy from your smiles than anything else." And it continues on, but yeah, just so loveable! "He'd broken up with Mackenzie when she moved in, citing things were getting too serious. For me, he said, things couldn't get serious enough." No, they can't! "Mr. Holland's expression was all, like, oh, no, I'm going to need my balls reattached, and Cole's was all, you're about to lose something else. sucka." I can't stop laughing at this! "'Don't want Kat and Reeve to hear your best moves?' 'Don't want Kat and Reeve to hear the way you respond to my best moves.'" The cockiness in that statement is just so awesome! "Why don't you just take my sac, instead? The result will be the same." Well, you might think so, but we don't! "You may look at me and see a teenager. An afterthought. I will look at you and see a target. A dead one. I'm very good at hitting my targets." Great statement of fact!

Favourite lines from The Queen of Zombie Hearts: "Roses are red, violets are blue, be very afraid, we're coming after you." Please be slayers saying to the zombies, please! "Hey! Don't make me pimp-slap you, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. A. Because I will." Love this, go Kat! "'That boy needs rest just as much as Miss Parker does.' 'So he doesn't need any, and he's good to go?'" True words, that! "'Sweet sling, Cole. It only knocks three points off your alpha-male card.' 'I'm sure spanking a naughty little girl like you will return my number to its original glory.' 'You didn't tell me that your boyfriend had a pain-and-punishment fetish.' 'You didn't ask. But yeah, he does. I'm threatened with a spanking daily.' 'Lucky.'" Ah, how they banter with each other! "'You're my decoration.' 'And you're my toy.'" Go..uh...I can't think of a cutesy couple name for them, Aliol or Coli. Both aren't really cute! But go them as a couple! "Had to be a comical sight, two sticks trying to balance a grade-A manimal." Yeah, that would be funny! "Two choices.You'll do what she says. Or you'll do what she says. Feel me?" Oh, yeah, I think Kat does! "Ding, ding. Round one of The Bloodbath has begun." Well, it didn't really turn into much of a bloodbath! "Cole: Kat-no. U-DON'T WAIT LIKE A SWEET LITTLE TARGET, GO HOME. Me: News flash, Holland. ALL CAPS DOES NOT INTIMIDATE ME. Cole: IT SHOULD. THE WRATH OF C.H. IS NOT A PRETTY THING. Me: Bite me. Cole: This just in-I will. W/pleasure. But I want U 2 come back & get me. Currently there r no other cars available. BTW this is non-negotiable. Me: Sorry, babe, but this was an FYI exchange & not a solicitation 4 orders. U can use the time apart 2 negotiate this, (I used an emoticon to flip him off.) Cole: So that's a soft yes?" More texting banter! Love it! "Bring my boy toy home & all will be 4given." Yes, the love between Kat and Ali must be free of all flaws! "'So, I have to ask  you a personal question, because our next move hinges on your answer.' 'Ask.' 'How do you feel about stealing cars?'" Probably not what she was expecting! "A lady never smirks. Since when have I ever been a lady? I smirked." Yes. Awesome because she was right! "So, yeah, I kind of wanted to claw her face off and spit in her skull. Graphic, much? Straitlaced Ali piped up. Not graphic enough,  Bloodthirsty Ali quipped.  Hello, new personalities. So nice to meet you." Yeah, more sides of Ali! "First: that was a scary thought. A cranky Frosty was a murderous Frosty. Second: if we were going to stay together, wed need a SUV. Fabulous. 'Looks like we're all about to become freelance valets.'" Awesome! "Kat: Cake! Crazmasing! Knew U could do it, Ali me girl! Kat: WAIT. I know U Said he's good 2 go, but does he still have all his parts? I need 2 know if I can knee his man junk. HE MADE ME WORRY ABOUT HIS WELL-BEING. Reeve: Is Bronx speaking, or has he gone silent? Tell me! Please! I have 2 know which side of him I'll B dealing w/ so I'll know which Reeve 2 let greet him-the lover or the he-woman street fighter (yes, I fight. Sue me!) Kat: Would now B a horrible time 2 break up w/ him? Who cares! I'm gonna do it. Causing a girlfriend untold worry is a crime punishable by death! Kat: BTW how many people did he have 2 kill 2 survive? & is that why U left me behind (&and almost earned an alley kat experience U would never 4get?) B honest. U didn't want me 2 C the bodies, did U? Reeve: WHY AREN'T U HERE??? I"ll street fight YOU if U don't hurry." Kat: Is it bad that I'm turned on right now?" Kat and Reeve, they are so loveable! "'I'm going to regret number seven for the rest of my life, aren't I?' 'And probably part of your afterlife, too." That is a given! "'Mouth.' 'Yes. I have one." Yeah. that's what he means by that! "Reason fourteen. You are one smoking blond. All this hair...I like it wrapped around my fists." Another reason, yeah! I wonder how many we're going to get up to! "He spit the words like weapons. Which was kind of funny, considering the fact that he was actually holding weapons" and "One read There IS No Place Darkness Can Hide When Light Shines. The other read Cole Belongs to Ali, Now and Always." That is so sweet and cute! "Kick some zombie butt, dear. For sheezie." Oh, Nana's teen speak! "..that I'm to remember that just because he isn't around doesn't mean I can ride the carnal carousel with my girlfriend." Never heard it phrased that way! "Distraction was the number one cause of death among slayers. Well, that and zombie toxin, Anima plots and not asking for help when it was needed. But that was beside the point." That's a lot of number one causes! "The one we'd stolen...I mean, valeted...had already been wiped and moved." Love this running joke! "'The thought of Anima's destruction is my new happy place.' 'Not my bed? I've been usurped?' 'You aren't interested in going all the way. So yes, you've been usurped.' 'Ali Bell. Are you pressuring me to have sex with you?' 'Yes.'" Serves him right! "'What'cha doing?' 'Cole.' 'Uh, I happen to know you're not doing him.'" Give me more! "Reason fifteen. Intrepid." I think, maybe, 20. Given that we got 10 right away. 5 more should be the list we get in this one (though it'll go on in the future, we probably won't get them.) "'Customers can't be back here.' 'Good thing we're not customers.'" This is very true! "I filed the new ability in the back of my mind under the heading: Favourite toy. Subtitle: Zombies go boom, boom. Humans? Not sure." It is pretty cool! "Thanks for the invite. Maybe next time rethink sending the four horsemen of the apocalypse as escorts. They aren't exactly a welcoming first act." True, that! "Pop-Tart? Because I'm packed with fruit and super tasty? Thanks." Why do some guys call girls terms that could be considered derogatory? I mean, really. "'Please tell me you aren't one of those people who subscribes to the 'say something nice or stay silent' philosophy.' 'I'm one of those people who comes in peace...until it's time to leave everyone in pieces." Exactly. You don't mess with Cole or Ali. "Could he, perhaps, be related to Gavin?" Very possibly, or brothers from other mothers who haven't met yet! "Only and idiot wouldn't want her. Are you saying you're an idiot?" I guess he is! "'How did she do that?' 'Here's a better question. Why can't you do it?'" Yeah, it's kinda sad that you can't! "He was naked, and he didn't care that I had a perfect view of his perfect butt." It is awesome! "Even if you know the end is coming, you refuse to let me go." Reason #16! Love love love! "Hey now! We weren't making out! Z.A. was trying to eat him." Yeah, big difference! "Great! We didn't have time for this. Um. A slayer with time for Zombies? I should finally get that spanking, because dang, I was being so dumb." Well, you are incredibly busy! "If they could get hold of our text exchanges-and according to Castle, they totally could-there would be problems." A Castle reference! Love it! "I was hunting zombies. Kids like to play video games, you know?" And both are true. They just aren't connected like the police would connect it! "Possessive little buggers, aren't they?" Yeah, they are! "'I have moments, too. Practically every single one I live. So let's do ourselves a favor and make things interesting.' 'Are you challenging me to a Zombie Kill-Off?' 'Person how slaves the most evil spirits wins? Done.' 'Not done. There's no way to keep track. I ash them horde at a time.' 'Smack talk already.' 'Truth talk.' 'If you aren't good enough to count your kills, well, yo already lost. At least try to redeem yourself.' 'I didn't agree to anything.' 'Did I hear we're having a kill-off?'" First her banter with River, and then Gavin! Yeah! "Some were quite inventive, suggesting I have sex with a few of my weapons." Which seeing as he's in pain, makes sense! "'Guy was fast, but not fast nought. We were able to introduce him to our fists.' 'And our elbows.' "And our knees and boots. He didn't stand a chance.'" And he doesn't deserve it, the assassin dude! "'Reeve and I are locking horns over a joke. I say it's wonderful, and she says it's lame. We need a final ruling.' 'Let's hear it.' 'What did the zombie say during a wrestling match?' 'What?' 'Do you want a piece of me?'" I'm with Kat! "Threaten? No, darling Cole. Remove? Yes." Ali really wouldn't like it, and next line has another! "I'm sure Bronx would love to hear you've contemplated putting you hands on my junk. I'm staying and keeping my private property. Ali like me intact." And like Ali thinks, truer words were never spoken! "I'm going to live with Frosty, and he's going to cater to my every whim. When I've decided he's earned the right to be Mr. Kat Parker, I will marry him. You two will be maids of honor, or course. I'm going to force you to wear the most hideous gowns ever created. Can't have anyone thinking you're prettier than the bride." Nope, can't have that, and such a wonderful future image! "Usually 'you're so amazing, Cole.' And 'I want to be your slave, Cole.'" That's enough to not deliver on the spanking? Weak! "Has anyone ever called you sweet? Np? Good." Because blubbering should not be a highlight? "They weren't mine. They were...practice." Very true! "Any guy who makes a girl feel like she needs a bigger rack isn't worth shi-crap." Slow save, but a save, minus the teasing that gets! Also, this is very true, and the opposite is true! "Maybe I was testing my resolve. I got an F, by the way." Yes, weak resolve in the face of Ali seduction! "If you tell me Frosty saw himself in bed with Bronx, the way Gavin saw himself in bed with Jaclyn, I will absolutely, one hundred percent...want front--row seats when it happens." Me, too! "Roses R red, violets R blue, I have five fingers & the middle 1 is 4 U." Awesome poem by Kat for Frost! "Dude. You'd never win me back." Yeah, her and Kat, never would Cole or Frosty, be able to part them! "That's the only way to fight, Coleslaw." I just can't see Cole as coleslaw! "'Me? Throw myself at you? Sugar, you couldn't get laired in a whorehouse with a fistful of twenties." Jacyln and Gavin flirting! "Seriously. Enough! I'm usually a big fan of sexual tension, but this is like an X-rated kindergarten class, with two little jerks crushing on each other, both too stupid to admit it out loud." Exactly! Love River! "Sure, we'll trade you. In never." Yep. "I wanted to stand on a rooftop and shout. Hey, world! Cole and I finally had sex!" Yeah! "I think we both know that plan was destined to fail. And stupid.. And a crime against nature." It was! Good thing that it did fail! "'And you're not dying of shame for memorizing something from a chick flick?' 'Baby, that movie isn't a chick flick. It's the best wingman of all time. Any guy can get laid afterwards. Besides, the thought of Ryan Gosling made you go all dreamy and crap.'" Uh, who's Ryan Gosling? I might know his face, but I can't connect it to his name. "Names. Plural. Just how many girls did I need to hospitalize?" Probably a lot! "'I've got it all figured out. On my downtime, I'll be a survivalist, taking care of people out into the woods and teaching them how to thrive.' 'And telling them what to do.' 'That's just a bonus.' 'Well, it's perfect for you. But what about your up time?" 'Law enforcement.' 'You'll get to deal with punk kids with secrets.' 'Karma.' 'The cow.'" Love this! So cute! "Oh, no. I'd hate to have your nails embedded anywhere on me...again." Snorts. "If you're talking about my penis, I'd like to think it's precious to you, too." So stop threatening it! "...where the computer screen flashed a picture of Frost. I did a double take. He wore a formal gown, as pink as Reeve's walks used to be, complete with ruffles and bows." and "I'd like one of Cole in the same outfit. Only sleeveless." And he deserves deserves it! And the Frosty picture sound so hilarious! "Cole and I had sex. In other news, I want to smash his face." Deserves that, too! "I don't think I've ever heard you sting so many words together at once. But let me see if I got the gist of what you were saying. Cole needs to be castrated?" Yeah, that was a whole paragraph 11 lines long speech! "Yeah, but you're a girl. The braver species." This is very true! "You come back to me. Ali-cat. You're nothing without me." Go Kat and her healthy ego! "You'll what? Yell at me?" Yeah, not much to do to hurt a dead person but hurt their loved ones, but Cole would never hurt Ali! "When he wasn't gunning people down in a hallway, he was actually kind of sweet. And charming. And witty. And so hot he made my mouth water." Awesome! "I gasped at the beautiful buffet suddenly displayed before me. Strength and vitality-life. He was bronzed and muscled. Tattooed-good glory! That was my name etched across his chest, stretching from one nipped to the other. Ali Bell, not Sami. And one of those nipples was pierced!" Ali seeing Cole's bare chest for the first time, a second time! Love this! Though it's a bit different then the first first time! "I put the fun in funeral." Only Kat could possible say this without it hurting! "Let me guess. You skipped ahead. You're reading this before you glance at a single word of Ali's tale because you're too impatient, have to know if there's a happily ever after for everyone. Too bad. I'll tell you nothing. I'm evil like that. Or I was. Can you hear me grumbling?" I did! I so did that! "We'll get married-he says he may lock me down before college. Can't have other guys getting ideas about his 'gator or he'll have to give up his dream of being a crime fighter and become a felon. Bones will have to be broken. Blood will have to be spilled. I wouldn't mind the carnage. thought. I know the beast I'm paired with and love him anyway." We all do! So cute! Cole and the future Mrs. Cole. Ali and the future Mr. Ali." Yes, go Ali and Mr. Ali!!!

Yeah, this is a fantastic series, and I absolutely want more! And yeah, I have tons of couples that I'd love to read more about, like Kat and Frosty, Reeve and Bronx, Jacyln and Gavin, Mackenzie and Chance, and maybe, maybe, River and Veronica. Looked like it could go that way! Because yeah, I want to know what happens to these characters, and there's things I want to learn about them, threads that were left a bit open, in that ending, though Ali and Cole are all good! Like Kat's death! And Mr. Ankh's. We didn't get to see Reeve deal with that! I just want more books, maybe a spin off series, that's a similar set up to her adult series, with a different couple per book!

Author: Gena Showalter
Series: White Rabbit Chronicles #1.5, 1, 2, 3
First Read: September 27th, 2012, October 2nd, 2013
Second Read: September 4th, 2013
Read: October 15th, 15th, 17th, 17th, 2014
Source: Own
Reason Why: Rereading! And they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2014 Books! And The Queen of Zombie Glass is a End of Series 2014 Book, WoW Book, and WTC Book!
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Published: September 25th 2012, September 24th 2013, September 30th 2014

Alice of Zombieland:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars









Cole...Meet Ali:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars









Through the Zombie Glass:

5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars









The Queen of Zombie Hearts:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars



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