Eves Fan Garden - Read-Along

I am participating in this week's Eve's Fan Garden Read Along.  We are reading:

Stop in an join us!

At the Library...

Apparently I was attracted to blue when I was at the library today...

So today I picked up:
Wedding Season by Katie Fforde
Everlasting by Angie Frazier
The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

Willow - Julie Hoban

Willow by Julia Hoban
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

GENRE: Young Adult Fiction
FORM: Audiobook
NARRATOR: Kim Ulrich

SYNOPSIS: Willow was the driver in the accident that resulted in the death of both of her parents, leaving her orphaned and living with her brother, sister-in-law, and their 6 month old baby, Isabella. Dealing with the guilt and grief of the loss of her parents is difficult, so difficult in fact that Willow has taken to deflecting the emotional pain into physical pain by using razors to cut herself. It isn't until one day while working at the college library that she runs into this random guy, Guy, who accidentally stumbles upon her secret, that even the thought of attempting to deal with this pain and problem even crosses Willow's mind.

REVIEW: This is such a difficult subject, and this book does it so incredibly well that I would suspect that Julia Hoban may have some experience in this topic. Even though this book is told from the third person, Willow's voice is so very real and believable, right down to how she was interpreting how her brother was feeling and what he was thinking. Really, every single character in this book was awesome. Guy was so sweet and understanding where appropriate, and his outrage seemed completely real and appropriate as well.

As Willow was dealing with the accident, with her loss, with her problems, moving from step to step to step, Julia Hoban makes the reader feel as though her problems are theirs, making you almost understand how and why self mutilation does seem like an appropriate response to what is going on. There is a scene when Willow and a group of her friends cross paths with an anorexic girl, and the whole scene can be completely eye opening if you read it with an open mind and the realization that not everything is as they look on the outside. This actually seems to be an underlying theme to the entire book as well, the main topic and purpose is obvious, but I do think that Julia Hoban really pays tribute to the fact that people are very likely to look at things on the outside and made judgements without asking, or knowing or trying to understand from a different perspective. Willow does this a lot, with her friends at school, and her brother and sister-in-law. She just assumes she knows what they are thinking, and how they feel about her, when really she is way off.

WHAT I LOVED: How real this book was. This book was completely heart-wrenching and beautiful, and still has that semi-happy ending that even Julia Hoban points out, that everyone wants.

NOT SO MUCH: I sort of felt like the ending was rushed. That's it.

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Red Glove - Holly Black

Red Glove by Holly Black
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

GENRE: Young Adult – Paranormal
FORM: Audiobook
NARRATOR: Jesse Eisenberg
SERIES: Curse Workers – Book 2

SYNOPSIS: Cassel has succeeded in keeping his family safe. He is allowed to return to school, and live on campus, so he is determined to make the year count, and hopefully somewhat normal. That is until he finds out that Lila, the girl he loves but can’t have because his mother has cursed her to love him back, has enrolled at his school, and avoiding her is going to be very difficult. Next, he’s called into the office and taken off campus by two Federal Agents, who inform him that his oldest brother has been murdered, and using persuasion and threats have recommended that Cassel to find out who the murder was, and inform back to him.

REVIEW: I have said it before and I’ll say it again, I love the entire concept of this series. I can’t honestly say it’s my favorite ever – but it’s just, the entire idea of a mob family with special abilities that help them in their “work,” is awesome to me. Then there is Cassel, who grew up around all the cons and magic, and has just recently found out he has abilities, not just that – THE most dangerous one. He has dreamt of working jobs his entire childhood, but is now realizing the consequences of tricks and cons, and is now faced with the issue of doing what he thought he wanted to do, and doing what he feels is right.

WHAT I LOVED: The Cassel/Lila dance. I think throwing in the curse (which I absolutely HATED in White Cat) brought an element of despair to the relationship, which tends to equal a bit more passion. I can’t wait to see this play out further.

NOT SO MUCH: The narrator. He’s not horrible, don’t get me wrong, I mean common, it’s Jesse Eisenberg! I even think the pitch and tone of his voice is all perfect. It’s his delivery of the lines. There is sarcasm and wit that just didn’t come out right, because of how the lines were said. For me, half the fun of listening to an audiobook is listening to the characters take on a voice of their own.

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OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:

Divergent - Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

GENRE: Dystopia
FORM: Audiobook
SERIES: Divergent – Book 1
NARRATOR: Emma Galvin

SYNOPSIS: Chicago has been divided into factions; Candor (honest), Abnegation (selfless), Dauntless (brave), Amity (peace), and Erudite (intelligent). The groups live together in a somewhat peaceful dissension, but recently the pot has been stirring and ideas of rebellion have been forming. Once a year the sixteen year old members of every faction is able to make a decision as to which faction they feel they would most happily and effectively fit in to. They each go through an assessment test that evaluates their reactions to certain situations and “places” them within a faction, but it is merely a suggestion. No matter what the test shows, the teenager has the freedom and power to decide which faction to follow.

Beatrice Prior has just completed her assessment, and has found out that she is divergent, which means she does not fall into one faction, but many, and for some reason this is very dangerous. She decides that despite the fact that she will miss her parents, she is not selfless enough to remain in Abnegation any longer, and decides on Dauntless. What she doesn’t realize is, though she choose Dauntless as her faction, Dauntless also much choose her as a member.

REVIEW: What a great book. Beatrice (Tris) is everything I love in a female character; a strong yet growing person who has the ability to kick butt, lead a group, and make awesome decision which might save the world! Okay, that was a little exaggerated, but I do love strong girls who kick butt! It always makes for a fun book!

Veronica Roth has created a great set of characters, and I felt like they were the best part of the book. Divergent seemed start off at a pretty slow pace (but not really annoyingly or even boringly) I assumed it was to leave room for the story to expand through the next two books of the series, but then the ending was a fast frenzy of action-packed craziness. One thing I do have to say, there was no super crazy cliff-hanger ending…I was really, REALLY expecting the cliffhanger. For instance, I was thinking that, while the meeting was inevitable, I didn’t think there would be a Tris/Tobias reunion until the next book at the very least. I am excited to find out what happens next in this series.

WHAT I LOVED: The training for Dauntless. I don’t really know why, but I loved it. Also, Veronica Roth’s ability to do the gross and shocking (knife/eye) because it was necessary for the book – she wasn’t all nice about it!

NOT SO MUCH: I sort of felt like were a few story-line issues. Such as how Tris’ mother was telling her to start out behind in the training, and then end up in the middle. What happened to that advice? It was like Tris never thought about it again. And then the entire scene where the reason a past divergent recruit was discovered was because he did too well and attracted a bunch of attention; but here is Tris, in the final stage, blowing everything out of the water because of her divergence – I was expecting very harsh repercussions, because I’m thinking she’s being too bold and not careful enough. I felt like she didn’t take the cautioning seriously enough, but then it came to nothing.

SONG DEDICATION: Muse is the absolute BEST dystopia-genre band. Try out “Uprising,” and tell me it’s not perfect!!

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New Book Release - Solstice by P.J. Hoover

Yet another book I'm excited to get started on!  And it's a bargain at 2.99 for the e-book -  You can buy from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords.

There's even a book trailer - check it out! :)




And, if you hurry, P.J. Hoover is also hosting a book giveaway in honor of her new release, with lots of books I've read and can attest to their awesomeness!!

Cute Cover

Another cute cover!  I love her red hair!

Description from Goodreads:

The same questions whirl round and round in my head:
What does he want from me?
How could I have let this happen?
AM I GOING TO DIE?

17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got here.

As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see?

Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?

A story of dark secrets, intense friendship and electrifying attraction.

What Happened to Goodbye - Sarah Dessen

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
GENRE: Young Adult – Fiction
FORM: e-Book

SYNOPSIS: After her parents go through a messy and very public divorce, Mclean moves in with her dad, whose job is to go into failing restaurants and either rehabilitate them, or determine whether they should just be closed. This means that she and her father end up moving…a lot. With each move, Mclean reinvents herself; Beth, Lizbet, Eliza; a new life, new personality, new way of being until the next move. Their most recent stop brings them to Westcott, FL, and even as she attempts to find who she is in this place, it’s just not coming to her – in the end she ends up being just Mclean, and finding out who that is, exactly.

REVIEW: I am a really big fan of Sarah Dessen. She writes books that are just perfect, they are always about working through tough situations and discovering who you are, mingled with just a enough romance and friends and fun. They almost always include good restaurants and music as well. The thing is, unlike many Young Adult books that are not fantasy/sci-fi/fantasy (which is completely different to me, because you are creating an impossible scenario and making it possible..hard to explain), Sarah Dessen’s characters always seem so incredibly real. She does not use “teen speak,” which, yes I’ve heard actual teen’s use “she’s, like…and he goes…,” it just sounds so awful in a book, and makes the characters seem superficial, two dimensional; exactly as they are – words on a page. Also, the characters have real issues that are so much more than surface. The biggest issue isn’t the dress someone is wearing to prom, or who’s dating whom. Sometimes a little bit of that stuff is included, but it’s not an all consuming topic. In addition, each character is so well developed, that you can picture them perfectly – maybe not exactly how she describes them (like, I can’t remember what color hair Mclean is suppose to have, etc) but her actions and personality just have created this version of Mclean that is perfectly formed, I didn’t really need all that detail. Same with Deb, and Heather, and Riley and Dave, even Gus and Opal. They are all people who now reside in my head. I have no idea if they look like what Sarah Dessen had picture, but it doesn’t matter. They are real and alive, a trick that it seems a lot of Young Adult writers lack.

This is probably my favorite book by Sarah Dessen, which is surprising. I love Just Listen and Along For The Ride, but with both of those books, I think I fell in love with the guy first and foremost. In What Happened to Goodbye I was completely involved with Mclean, and what she was going through. Her life wasn’t a mess, or even unusual – minus the fact that it was in the public eye. Her situation is one so many people can relate to in one way or another. I loved her character. I loved her willingness to accept everyone. So I was so focused on her, and her developing life in Westcott, I noticed Dave, but my focus wasn’t on him quite as much as I normally focus on the romantic plot. Regardless, Dave was so awesomely understanding, and patient. There was a scene in the book where he knew just what Mclean needed at the particular moment – (not sharing..not spoiling) but I literally got tears in my eyes because of his sweetness, and just thinking about how it made Mclean feel. (Yes, now it’s completely transparent how involved I was with these characters).

WHAT I LOVED: Mclean’s ability to accept everyone for who they are. At first I thought that she was going to feel the need to choose between Deb and her craziness, or Riley and her group of friends, but instead she brought everyone together and helped further extend the already eclectic band of friends.

NOT SO MUCH: The only fault I could find…..seriously…..there were a few typo mistakes in the e-book. That’s it. There was nothing I didn’t care about in the book. I LOVED this book!

SONG DEDICATION: “Today Is the Day, ” Tim Myers



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Book Covers that Make You Want to Read

I saw this book cover and it just instantly made me want to read it, what about you?

The Unwritten Rule - Elizabeth Scott

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
GENRE: Young Adult – Fiction
FORM: Book

SYNOPSIS: Sarah and Brianna have been best friends since Kindergarten. Brianna is loud, dramatic, outgoing and beautiful, while Sarah is stand-offish, plain and ordinary. Sarah has liked Ryan since at least 8th grade, and after a summer of filling out and maturing, Brianna and Ryan met up at a party. As usual, he submits to her openness and beauty. They’ve been dating for almost two months, the longest that Brianna has ever dated anyone, and things don’t seem to be going so well. Especially when Ryan reveals that Sarah was the one he was looking for at that party.

REVIEW: The Unwritten Rule is an excellent book – easy to read, and enjoy – but, really the entire situation was very difficult, and, well…sucky. I know that sentence almost doesn’t make any sense, but it’s true. I loved reading this book. I gave my belly flutters for the boy/girl relationship, but I was so tense and sometimes angry at the circumstances. Let me elaborate. (I think this review is going to end up a bit spoilery…forgive me! I’m usually pretty good about trying to keep the story under-wraps, but I sort of feel the need to talk this out some.)

Brianna is a product of her upbringing. She does not get love or attention at home, so she creates with the people around her, and Sarah is in the starring role. It really is easy, because she is beautiful, and outgoing and, really, just so loud that she demands attention. She finds love in every crack and crevice – and then, because it’s what is done to her, she usually ends up throwing it away. Since Ryan is resistant to her “powers,” she is working overtime on him. I want to like Brianna, I want to love her. I want to hug her and tell her she’s a wonderful person, or at least she could be. But Brianna keeps everyone at arm’s length, even Sarah, because if she lets anyone in too close, it’s possible they will treat her like her parents treat her.

Sarah is a shadow. She has been a shadow since Brianna rescued her in Kindergarten. Actually, according to the story, she may have even been a shadow even before that. I’m pretty sure that no one at her school ever talked about Sarah, she was “Brianna’s friend.” At least, this is the impression I get when reading the book – maybe it wasn’t quite that bad. The thing is, Sarah is a genuinely good person. She loves her family, she loves Brianna. She’s in love with Ryan. In all of those things – she is an absolutely normal, good, teenager. …one who needs a backbone. Watching Brianna degrade her and keep her in her place was difficult, especially since Sarah spent most of the book not even noticing it, or even defending Brianna.

Ryan is stuck in the middle of this entire thing. All he wanted to do is talk to the girl he liked while they were at a party, and in comes this tornado and throws everything around. I think he was probably left standing there scratching his head thinking, “how in the world did this all happen?” Ryan can see how Brianna is treated, he can see how Brianna treats Sarah. He knows how he feels, but is trapped. Not only that, Brianna is making sure to not be alone with him so he has no time to even talk about what’s really going on.

So, (I’m still trying to not give EVERYTHING away) you can see how the book is a mess of..ugh!

WHAT I LOVED: Sarah! Like I said, she was genuinely good. She eventually does figure out that her friend isn’t that great of a friend to her. I think that moving forward beyond this book – she will never be a shadow again.

NOT SO MUCH: That Brianna hasn’t really learned anything. Is there a companion book? I’m going to go check, BRB…..nope, not that I can see anyway. So, Dear, Elizabeth Scott. We need a companion novel with Brianna. Brianna needs some help, and healing. And since she’s your character….I’d say you’re the perfect person to do it. Love, Anita.

SONG DEDICATION: "Figure It Out" by Maroon 5 has some lyrics that could apply – as long as you don’t take them completely literal, since Sarah doesn’t have a boyfriend, etc. But..well, listen to it, I think you’ll see what I mean.

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The Sky is Everywhere - Jandy Nelson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Sky is Everywhere

AUTHOR Jandy Nelson
GENRE Young Adult – Fiction
FORM Audiobook

SYNOPSIS Dealing with the recent and sudden death of her sister, Lennie is discovering a lot about herself. Mainly that compared to the bright, sunny, and dramatic Bailey, she was always just the sidekick. Now that she’s on her own, Lennie is left without the one person that she could always count on. Trying to cope with the grief, Lennie starts to gravitate to Toby, Bailey’s boyfriend. The two of them together begin to find sparks of life, however betraying to Bailey that might be. But then the new boy at school, Joe, also slides into Lennie’s life, and things start getting really exciting, and precarious.

REVIEWI saw another review that said that this book had an “unoriginal/common plot,” and I do agree, but there is so much beauty in this book, and poetic verse, and healing. The Sky is Everywhere really is just a beautiful book all around. There are so many different things about the book that I really enjoyed, that listing them would not only spoil the book – but it would take all day. Some of the major points were Lennie’s growth. Starting out just sort of floating through life, it is easy to track her progress through the grief and just becoming a better person gradually throughout the book. Another thing I loved, the comparison of Toby to the moon and Joe to the sun. Complete opposites, for the different parts of Lennie.

I can be honest and say, a few times I didn’t really want to go forward listening to this book. I really liked Toby a lot, and I liked Joe a lot too. And everyone knows, it was inevitable that the two were going to collide, and things were going to blow up. Stuff has to get destroyed before it can be put back together. The loss of Bailey seeping through every bit of Lennie’s words, her life; I could hardly stand the thought of the “boy explosion,” so I was starting to decide to opt out. But the thing is, the story stuck with me. When I wasn’t listening to it, the poetry the desire to keep going was always there with me. I HAD to go back and keep listening, to get it all over with, and then resolved. ….and it is THESE moments that define my absolute adoration of books! The authors who suck you in and keep you going. It really doesn’t matter that this story has been done before, what matters is that Jandy Nelson told HER story, and captivated me.

WHAT I LOVED I loved the point that we are all authors of our own story. This doesn’t mean we can manipulate others, because they are writing their story – but we can go and do what we can with our own. Jandy Nelson is much more elegant at saying it than I am… I also loved with Joe would speak French – I sort of wanted a love confession in French…I mean, he was pretty romantic and all.

NOT SO MUCH I sort of didn’t like how we “met” Joe. I don’t know, he came off as EXTREMELY perfect. Also, I’ve never read Wurthing Heights, but I can tell you that after this book, I won’t. I don’t actually go and seek after sad stories on purpose.

SONG DEDICATION “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” Green Day It was meant to be. Right after I was done listening to this book, I switched over to music, all songs on shuffle, and this was the first song that played.

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The Silent Box - D.R. Rux

GENRE: Adult Sci-Fi/Paranormal
FORM: e-Book

SYNOPSIS:  Someone is after the most dangerous historical artifact known to man, and somehow they know that Frank Rice knows where it is. The box that was once thought of as mythical is has now become Frank and his children’s lifeline.  Flashing back to when he and his partner, Beverly, discovered the box, and the realization of its vast power, Frank is now forced to hand over Pandora’s Box to save his and his children’s lives.  To whom, he has no clue, but handing it over may not really help because as Frank finds out, opening the box means the end of mankind as we know it.

REVIEW:  ”Action packed,” is probably the best description for The Silent Box.  The novelette opens up and closes with danger and conflict.  D.R. Rux takes the mythological story of Pandora’s Box, intertwines it with the story of Creation, and creates a world in which humans may rapidly become extinct.  For a short read, he packs in a lot of pertinent information – the key players involved, and story behind the box that is about to change the world.

LOVED IT:   I think this is a great prequel to a work in progress, and look forward to seeing how D.R. Rux takes mankind to the brink of non-existence, and hopefully back again.  I believe this work has the potential for “edge of your seat” action that will keep fans reading.

NOT SO MUCH: The thing I love most about books is getting to “make new friends.”  Character development is a big deal to me.  This book was just the right length to provide the basics on the people in the story, but I don’t really that a feel for “who” these people are just yet.

SONG DEDICATION: Isn’t it obvious?  “It’s the End of the World as We Know It,” REM  (Tell me you’re not singing that song now….it will be stuck on your head for the rest of the day thanks to me.  You’re welcome! )

The Anti-Prom - Abby McDonald

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Anti-Prom

AUTHOR: Abby McDonald
GENRE: Young Adult Fiction
FORM: Audiobook


SYNOPSIS: Three girls who would be voted “Least Likely to Hang Out – EVER,” find themselves stuck together when what is suppose to be the best, most fun day of their entire High School career falls apart. Bliss has just caught one of her best friends, Katelyn, in a rather precarious position with her boyfriend in the back of their limo. Jocelyn, the school outcast, trouble maker, “tough girl” was suppose to meet her (guy) friend and do a little revenge action. Meg, the shy wallflower who just wanted to have a normal day, was set up with a friend of the family as a date to the prom, but he canceled at the last minute. Now the three have teamed up, and have a mission – well Bliss and Jocelyn have their own missions; Meg is just getting caught up in their tidal wave. For one night only, they are an unstoppable team.

REVIEW: Wow, that is a lot of stuff to pack into one night. Especially when prom is already in full swing as the book opens. The Anti-Prom is wall-to-wall action. There is not a single piece of “dead air” in the book, Bliss, Jocelyn, and Meg are moving from the opening to the closing. I loved the mix of the most unlikely candidates – and how they deal with each other. Most of the best moments of the book, for me, were when they were on route to their next destination, and either bickering or chastising each other. For each of the girls prom night ended up being a bit more of a night of self discovery.

Abby McDonald did a great job of creating characters that anyone can relate to. It was easy to find something about one or all of the girls and experience this adventure from their shoes. I know I could relate to two of the girls; Meg, for her shy, standoffish personality. And Jocelyn, for her broken family and father full of empty promises. I can tell you, I think I probably would have had a lot more fun at their “Prom” than I had at mine!

This book would be an AWESOME teen movie! Think a newer and much better Can’t Hardly Wait.

WHAT I LOVED: The wrapping up ending, starting with the 2nd trip to the college. I LOVE how everything fell together at the end for all of the girls, and their attitudes concerning each of their circumstances.

NOT SO MUCH: That really was a lot of action for just one night…but the book wouldn’t have been the same. It’s a divide in my head, a good book doesn’t have to be a realistic one. (This coming from the girl who reads mostly fantasy/sci-fi YA novels..right?)



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13 Little Blue Envelopes - Maureen Johnson

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

GENRE: Young Adult Fiction
FORM:  e-Book

SYNOPSIS:  Ginny’s Aunt Peg died just a few months ago, so what a surprise it is to receive a letter from her out of the blue.  A letter that  has her packing her bags and traveling across the country to London, and also leads her to 12 more letters, which are full of tasks to be completed.  Tasks which cause Ginny to travel through several different countries and to do things she would never have done otherwise.

REVIEW:  What a fun book!  It’s almost like a teenager’s dream come true in the midst of a very sad situation.  In some ways, though, it reminded me of Amy and Roger’s Epic Road Trip,  plus foreign countries, minus the constant traveling companion.

Ginny is a much stronger person than she realizes, and tackles all of her Aunt’s tasks with a bit of enthusiasm. Despite the situations and sometimes the desire to just go home, it's as if Ginny realizes that the whole adventure is good for her.  I think, in some ways, she surprised herself.   One of my favorite situations was in Amsterdam, where her task didn’t exactly pan out – and she was stuck with a smaller version of the Brady Bunch family for a week.  Regardless, she did her best to complete her task the best she could and moved on.   Then of course, there is Keith.  I actually wanted much more of Keith, but the original picture of him on stage with a top hat and a kilt, red hair – something about the oddness and his wit…I like Keith!

WHAT I LOVED:  The traveling, and how the book didn’t just take you do the popular destinations, but also some back-woods unknown areas of the countries.  She didn’t even go to the Eiffel Tower when she was in Paris.

NOT SO MUCH:  More making out?  Okay, no seriously, I think the entire concept is so cute and fun and I loved the book, but as a mother of three, in the back of my head I’m thinking, “there is absolutely NO WAY!”  She had no contact with her parents.  They were barely even mentioned, and when they were it was in a passing though.  It is as if Ginny was alone anyway, and was completely free to just run off to London whenever she wanted anyway.  Her “permission” was addressed in the book, but I guess the unlikeliness of this happening just really played a constant tune in the back of my head.  I know…it’s a book…anything is possible!  BUT…I do think this would have sat better with me if Ginny were college age, at least.



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Alice in Zombieland - Lewis Carroll/Nickolas Cook

Alice in Zombieland by Lewis Carroll

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

AUTHOR: Lewis Carrol/Nickolas Cook
GENRE: Classic/Horror Mash-up
FORM: Book – Advance Review Copy

SYNOPSIS: Alice and her sister go out to the graveyard to do her reading lesson when she gets distracted and sees a black rat checking his watch. Curious, Alice follows the black rat into a hole, and finds herself in a land where the creatures are zombies and ruled by an overbearing Red Queen. Alice finds that she herself is becoming more and more zombie-like and desperately seeks a way to go home.

REVIEW: Assuming you like the classic/horror mash-up books that are pretty popular now, or if you just like a good Zombie book – this book is perfect! You get an almost humorous amount of blood, gore and zombies; and of course the crazy mixed up land of Alice’s Wonderland. It probably has been about two years ago now that I read Alice in Wonderland for the first time, and I what I loved about the book was the double meanings and contradictions, which are of course still present in this version. I’m not typically a lover of horror- like books (and I’m trying to use “horror” lightly, it’s not scary really, but I wouldn’t read it to your grade-schooler!), but when I was approached about reading the book, it just had that fun, trendy appeal to it. And really, what could make the tripped out Alice in Wonderland even better? Zombies, of course! While it was funny envisioning all of the characters in Alice as flesh-eating Zombies, there were still parts where I was frowning and a little bit grossed out.

WHAT I LOVED: I loved how Nickolas Cook took Alice’s sunny colorful world, and changed it completely into a very dark cold one, starting right out with changing the happy tree opening setting to a dark damp graveyard. I wasn’t expecting the transition to start out so quickly. I think I was expecting Alice to be her same sunny self, but sucked into this dark world, which I think would have changed the entire book, because instead of “curious-and-calm Alice,” you would have had “seriously-freaked-out-screaming Alice”. Written this way, the Alice’s are literally like day and night copies of the same book.

NOT SO MUCH: Why is the rabbit a rat now? I don’t know why this bothered me so much, because I can see how a rat fits in the book’s theme, but a black zombie rabbit would have been FLIPPEN FREAKY, don’t you think? Just imagine it with red eyes and sharp teeth….

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