Sadly...setting aside {DNF reviews}

Aw. Sad cupcake.  Even sadder, I've had a few recent books that I just couldn't bring myself to finish. Ever sadder, still--these three were a few of my most anticipated books this year. Here I give you my latest DNF report:

Firstlife by Gena Showalter:
read to page 190
This one had such an interesting premise: the afterlife has been split into two factions and people must chose an allegiance to one side or the other during their "firstlife". I couldn't wait to hear more about these after life worlds. And I gave this one a fighting chance--stopped at page 190! But in those 190 pages, there was very little about the two worlds. What there was an abundance of was violence, really brutal torture, mental cruelty, and a lot of confusion---and for what? What was the real reason for people needing to choose a side so early in life or being tortured into making a choice?  I didn't much like any of the characters, and I couldn't get behind any of the main character's reasoning. So I finally gave up.

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

read to page 85

So, so sad that I couldn't get into this one. It started out okay; we meet Jamie and Charlotte and she's very aloof and Sherlock-like and he's intrigued by her because of their family's entwined history. And then suddenly they jump into a mystery where they're both suspected. And then,...well I don't know, I just sort of inexplicably lost interested in both of them and their plight. The mystery just didn't grab me and I didn't much care for either of them. So disappointed because I was so highly anticipating this one since the day I first heard about it. 

Stone Field by Christy Lenzi
read to page 108
Stone Field is one that I really tried with. Why? Because I actually really enjoyed the writing for the most part. Beautiful writing, lyrical prose---it had the feel of the old romanticized classics. But oh, the instalove.  Generally I don't mind if love moves a little fast--heck, it's YA and these are teens with raging hormones, right? BUT she finds a strange man naked in her field and suddenly their obsessed with each other? She's instantly claiming she can't stand to be apart from him?  And a few days later she actually says to her friend she's in love with him. That's a bit too much for me. Plus, aside from some family drama and a little racial tension, in 108 pages, not much happened besides all the slightly obsessive talk about the mysterious stranger. I tried...but it just wasn't for me.

*        *        *        *        *        *      

I don't DNF books lightly, and as you can see, I try to give each one a pretty fair chance to grab me.  But sometimes it just doesn't work. Not every book can be for every reader, it's the sad truth.

Are there any books you've reluctantly set aside lately?

Amy's View: Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
♦publisher: Harlequin Teen
♦release date: September 25th, 2012
♦hardcover, 404 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: White Rabbit Chonicles, book 1
♦source: purchased

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.

Review: Out of Wonderland’s chrysalis and into the abyss of Zombieland- A girl named Alice, an ominous rabbit-shaped cloud, and a world that suddenly feels like she fell down the zombie hole. Alice soon realizes she is “living a nightmare of zombie proportions.”  With mere scattered references to the original story of Alice in Wonderland, this book takes off in a new world all of its own. With a creative and different flair Gena Showalter spins you into a new tale of Wonderland, introducing readers to a fresh new perspective of zombies differing from that of the normal stereotype.  

From the amazing cover to the quirky patterned paper on the inside jacket, this book is perfect in every way.  Alice in Wonderland meets zombies is the perfect blending of storybook meets horror, alluring readers with a delightful and often surprising storyline. 

Automatically I went to the cliché, expecting a girl named Alice to stumble upon a rabbit hole and fall into a Wonderland full of zombies, and boy was I wrong. This story takes place in a normal, average city where the horrors of zombies are real but not seen.  Monsters that feed on the goodness of your soul verses that of brains.  Driven by a fear that was bred into her, Ali grew up being taught from her father about the horrors that lie in wait for her outside after dark. She grew up eating dinner before the sun set and never ever going out at night. The days were spent learning how to fight monsters that weren’t even there and missing the normal life that any teenage girl would want. All Ali wants is for one chance to go outside past dark with her family. Little did she know that that one choice would change her life forever!

In the blink of an eye Ali learns monsters are real, and that they can take everything that you have ever loved away from you. Leaving Ali with a new life, a new school, and a new best friend she soon discovers the life that she was meant to live. Immediately, Ali locks eyes with the most mysterious, brooding boy Cole, and at first glance her life changes again. Underhanded, sneaky, and manipulative Cole is the leader of the most secretive group of kids there ever was. But all Ali’s brain can focus on is how gorgeous, memorizing, and alluring he is, resulting in not only a fiery relationship but one with catastrophic proportions.  Through Alice’s perseverance, she discovers with Cole that the monsters her dad warned her about do exist, and that there is a way to fight them. 

Ali soon learns there is a fine balance between hunting the zombies that took her family and protecting those that she loves.  With life constantly hanging in the balance and death by zombies becoming the new acceptance in Ali’s life, it all brings new meaning to “off with their heads.”

A charming read, as well as a “Freakishly Mad Tea Party” for all to enjoy.  A wonderful book with continual twists and a strong plot that was obviously written as a building block for a much anticipated series. Only through the next book will we see the path that is meant to be taken and how that path looks Through the Zombie Glass.

 

Find Gena Showalter online:  Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase Alice in Zombieland:  Amazon  •  BN.com  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

Alice in Zombieland
by Gena Showalter

hitting shelves September 25th, 2012 from Harlequin Teen

description:
She won’t resist 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….

My thoughts: Ok. So, normally, I kind of veer away from zombie books. You won't see them much on Stories & Sweeties---I'm just a bit too wimpy for them lol. BUT THIS. Well, what can I say. My love for anything Alice far outweighs my squeamishness for zombies. I was literally raised on Alice in Wonderland. My mom is a collector of all things Alice so we had all manner of figurines and illustrations and stamps and hundreds of collectible copies of the book all over the house. And while I'm sure there will be some squeam-worthy zombie action here, it sounds like one awesome reimagining of one of my favorite stories of all time. :)