Review: Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter

Title: Through The Zombie Glass

Author: Gena Showalter

Publisher: Harlequin Teen Australia

Release Date: 1^st October 2013

Source: Bought

Rating: 4 out of 5

Description: 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

There is something bewitching about the White Rabbit Chronicles. When I first read Alice in Zombieland, I fell in love with the world that Gena Showalter created.  There was a brave girl learning how to move on with her life in the wake of a massive tragedy. Her story was filled with sexy romance, vibrant characters, loving family and last but not least zombies. Through the Zombie Glass takes us back into Ali’s complicated life and presents new challenges for our courageous protagonist. The second instalment in the White Rabbit Chronicles is not as good as the first book but it is still a rollercoaster ride. It was equal parts frustrating, maddening, and romantic. Inner demons and drama are the words I would use to sum up this book.

The White Rabbit Chronicles is like Buffy with zombies instead of vampires. There is a group of people called slayers who protect the world from zombie attacks and dear old Alice is a slayer with special abilities. It’s these special abilities that cause her so much pain in Through the Zombie Glass. Through the Zombie Glass heads in a different direction than the previous instalment. The plot focus more on the characters and their relationships than on external events. If Alice in Zombieland was about Alice figuring out her slaying abilities and learning how to survive in the wake of her family’s death, Through the Zombie glass is about Alice fighting her own inner demon after a zombie attack. Alice has to fight to save the life she has built for herself.  As a result there are quite a few changes in important relationships. It’s an all out battle between Alice versus her darker zombie self.

Alice is a very loyal friend, sister and granddaughter. In a fight to save herself and those around her she has many hurdles to overcome and gets into a bit of trouble. One of Ali’s best qualities is her courage and loyalty but at times she can be a very frustrating character. She makes some bad decisions. There were times when I just wanted to shake her and talk some sense into her. Alice also never backs down from a fight. She’s a fighter in more ways than one. She always tries to protect those around her. I also like her humour and wit. Her to do lists were always fun to read about, as were her pep talks. I also enjoyed her banter with the boys. I also loved how Ali wanted to take care of her grandmother, even though she might have been going about it the wrong way.

This book had a lot of relationship drama and sometimes it just bugged me. I really liked Cole and Ali together but this time around they were a tad annoying. There relationship was like a rollercoaster, constantly moving up and down, back and front. Cole is a great leader and friend but when it came to Ali he was mega jealous and made some bad judgement calls. However though it all, you can see that he cares for Ali and is very protective of her. He finally see’s some sense by the end of the book.

Kat is one of my favourite characters. She is such a ball to read it. I love her loyalty to Alice. She just oozes with confidence and sass.  Her relationship with Frosty also deepens. We also get to meet new characters. Gavin takes a while to like. There is an impression of love triangle between Cole, Ali and Gavin but it is explained by the end of the book. I sure the illusion of the love triangle will irritate many people. Gavin and Alice slowly build a rapport and I love listening to their banter. It was quite funny. Reeve also plays a larger role in this book.

Through the Zombie Glass is a good book. It is not as good as its predecessor due to relationship drama but entertaining nonetheless. I can’t wait for the next book.