ARC Review: Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles #2) by Gena Showalter

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.

From Goodreads

Alice Bell has been through a nightmare in the last few months. Coming to grips with the fact that your dad wasn't nearly as crazy as you thought because the monsters he was constantly protecting his family from really are real, losing said family all the same, & discovering your true purpose as a slayer would shake anyone. Ali is resilient though. While still settling into her new surrounds with Grams & working around the clock between school and slaying, Ali is still managing to enjoy time with her friends and most importantly Cole.

But there's always a rabbit hole waiting just around the corner for the smart-mouthed heroine. The zombies are becoming bolder & so the slayers follow suite. Unfortunately that boldness leads to accidents. When Ali begins to have cravings for violence and attacking her friends, they all know something's wrong. The clock is ticking & right when she needs them the most, those most capable of helping her are pulling away, especially Cole. 

This was another wonderful installment in the White Rabbit Chronicles series. You've all read my rants & raves about Gena Showalter's other works, so it comes as no surprise that this book is just as riveting as the rest. Her ability to breathe such life into these complex & mysterious characters is something that has always mesmerized me.

We pick up not long after we left the gang in Alice in Zombieland. That being said, things quickly continue on as we hit the ground running with zombie fights & drama. School does not play nearly as large a roll in this book as the first one because it's no longer needed as the buffer between Ali & the slayers. As a full-fledged slayer, with some awesome abilities, Ali is a force to be reckoned with on the field and off. Her personality squares off regularly with Cole's in a sort of dance. Everyone else seems to play off of their vibe for the most part.

I have to say that the storyline got very interesting this go around. Since we already have the back story and are up to speed, we got to spend a lot more time learning about the characters and their histories in and outside of slaying. With a few new players on the board, things heat up romantically and plotwise quickly. 

The most incredible thing though is the multifaceted way that Gena can write her characters. Everyone has an alter ego in this book, a sort of different front they put up depending on who/what they're dealing with at the moment. It becomes crucial to the reading to pay attention to those clues because they'll lead you to the right answer. Otherwise you might find yourself really surprised by what's going on.

With witty dialogue that keeps you flipping from page to page and just enough steamy romance to qualify as PG-13, Through the Zombie Glass continues down the path of awesomeness! Be sure to check it out when it drops onto shelves September 24!

ARC graciously provided by Around the World ARC Tours

Waiting on Wednesday: Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles #2) by Gena Showalter

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Many of you may remember how much I enjoyed Alice in Zombieland from last year. Well I'm in for a treat, and so are the rest of the zombie reimagining fans, because Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles #2) by Gena Showalter is coming out September 24! While I'm not sure how many books we'll get in the series, I for one intend on enjoying as many as she is willing to write! Obviously spoilers for book one below!

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.

From Goodreads

How does that sound for "different"? I must admit that I was quite skeptical that this could be pulled off, let alone done well, but Gena has a serious talent. I'm drawn to the characters & very interested in the unique group dynamics that the slayers represent. Mostly though I really want to know what the summary is talking about when it mentions mirrors & Ali losing her mind. That is definitely not something that can happen when there are flesh-eating zombies trying to kill you all the time.

Are you excited about this next installment? Have you read the first one? What are you waiting on this week?

Armchair BEA Day 5: Keeping It Real & Children's/YA Fiction

Welcome back to Armchair BEA! If you're not sure what it's all about be sure to visit the Armchair BEA headquarters.

Keeping it real. Now that's a throwback phrase if I've heard one. All it means is keeping yourself up to date, active, & attractive. I've had Tattooed Books since July of 2009 and the most important tool I've used to keep myself motivated & encouraged to continue writing is break time. I have taken a few breaks from blogging: when I just didn't have time, when my heart and mind weren't really in it, and when my personal life needed some attention. Making your blog your be-all-end-all works for some people, but for the majority of us we realize that with such a large commitment, you'll need some breathing room.

What I believe keeps people coming back for more is the honesty that I put in my reviews. I don't tell you everything is peachy & a do a fairly comprehensive review of content, quality, and appropriateness. While I started by aiming my blog at my teen readers from work, I soon realized that the majority of readers were fellow bloggers and (of all people) teenagers' parents. The former is mostly co-bloggers that I worked with or have interacted with in some fashion. The latter was a shock to me, but they find my reviews most helpful in keeping up to date on the types of things their teens are reading.

I haven't spent a lot of time growing my readership intentionally, but it has definitely grown since I started. The best asset I've found has been Twitter. By tweeting my reviews to publishers & authors, I get more exposure if they favorite, retweet, or respond to my posting. I tried hooking up with different social networks (aimed specifically at bloggers) and with the follow-me-I-follow-you memes, but they were more work than I had time for since I wanted to focus my time on reading and my content.

The easiest part about continuing the fun is in making new friends and learning new things. I am constantly in awe of our community. We've got some incredibly imaginative thinkers and some wonderfully engaging bloggers. If it weren't for them, I don't know how much fun this would still be. If you're still reading this, thank you. You, dear reader, along with the myriad of bloggers, are why I still love this blog.

The genre topic today is my favorite (naturally) as I read mostly Young Adult books. But instead of me continuing to talk about why I love Young Adult books, I would rather talk about children's books. I really want to give you my "top five books I think every child should read" list. As a former public library assistant, I know a lot about helping people look for the right book. Sometimes though, you don't have to look for the most current thing; sometimes you have to look back a bit to find the best books. :D My suggestions are:

1. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
2. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
3. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by C.S. Lewis
4. Matilda by Roald Dahl
5. Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch

These are just some of the books that I absolutely ADORED as a kid. I know that most of them are for older children, but Love You Forever and even The Lorax are very toddler-friendly. That doesn't mean that they will necessarily grasp the concepts and fully understand them, but at the very least the rhythmic lyrics in Love You Forever will be a cadence that they are familiar with. There are so many great books to choose from that it was difficult to narrow them down so much, but these are some of the core books that I read/had read to me. 

My parents (and sister) really stretched my imagination with The Princess Bride and Alice... because while the ideas and images presented therein are fairly commonplace (talking animals, larger than life creatures, etc) the scenarios that these images are found in are fantastical. I firmly believe that I developed a love of the fantasy & paranormal genres from these types of readings.

What do you think of my list? What would you add or take away? And most importantly, what was a formative reading for you as a child?

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Alice "Please call me Ali" Bell lives under unusual circumstances. Despite being a teenager, she's never been kissed, never been on a date, & can go toe to toe with her dad in a sparring match. Sounds a bit off, no? That's because Ali's dad is convinced that there are monsters that only come out at night to prey off the living, so in order to keep his father safe he has forearmed them with tactical maneuvers,  keeps them locked in their home after nightfall & paces their house until daylight. Ali's always thought her dad was off his rocker, until her birthday. That night changed her world in the time it would have taken her to blow out her candles.

Now an orphan, living with her grandparents, & transferring to her parents' old high school, Ali is just trying to make it through life day by day. Of course life has other plans when it forces her to collide with Cole Holland. A mysterious rebel with a notorious temper, Cole can't seem to keep away from Ali. But his intentions may not be as sinister as Ali fears, but they do involve the monsters.

This was a masterful retelling of a classic book. There are some great elements from Alice in Wonderland incorporated into this book, while still allowing Zombieland to stand on its own. Ali is a unique young woman that I thoroughly enjoyed following around throughout her misadventures. Her tone & emotional reactions to everything she experiences allows a serious look into how a "normal" person might actually respond to such unbelievable circumstances.

Her relationships are quite central to her storyline. The progression of these relationships (family, friends, & lovers) not only helps move the story along, but also highlights Ali's state of mind & perception. While I must admit that Cole & Kat's mood swings nearly gave me whiplash a few times, for the most part they are understandable. There are also quite a few characters to keep up with. While I think the core will remain at about 7, many more are mentioned by name & turn up quite often.

Having only read a few of her adult works (and none of her other YA works) I don't have a lot to compare with this book. Needless to say, I thoroughly devoured it! Gena's ability to manipulate a scene & evoke specific emotions/reactions to certain events creates an uncanny world for the reader to explore. I was especially intrigued by the zombie mythology. It's definitely one of the more unique descriptions I've heard for their existence & I refuse to give it away because the scene in which it is revealed is so fantastic that I would hate for you to miss out on that kind of excitement & bewilderment.

Short version: you need to read this book. Even if you're not a big fan of zombies, they play more of a background role to that of Ali & her friends. Just give it a shot.

Waiting on Wednesday: Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

I am not the biggest fan of zombies. I've tried several different versions of zombies (Generation Dead, Feed, etc) and while I seem to favor the "survivalist scenario" version of them, this book was different. It wasn't quite survivalist, but Ali definitely kicks some major butt! (My review is coming tomorrow, so be sure to check back.) Meanwhile, feast your peepers on the blurb for the highly anticipated September 25 release of Alice in Zombieland (White Rabbit Chronicles #1) by Gena Showalter.

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.

From Goodreads

I love how this book seems to combine elements of the traditional "Alice" story with zombies & romance. I promise you, this book is every bit as alluring as it promises!

What awesomeness are you waiting on this week? 

Mad Hatter Day!

Greetings and salutations my friends! Today is a very special day because it just so happens that today is Mad Hatter Day! Established in 1986, October 6th has been cause for celebration for quite some time. The Second Silliest Day of the year falls almost exactly 6 months after April Fool's Day and is considered a general day of silliness.

This year I have decided to go all out and dress silly while at work. I even got my boss's approval to wear my homemade Mad Hatter Hat to work.

I assure you there will be more pictures to come of this glorious day, but until then, go and be silly!

P.S. Thank you for your patience and understanding as I have been fairly absent from blogging. I assure you that I have not forgotten any of you and that I will make a triumphant return once I get things settled down again. Again, thanks for your continued support!