Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Alice in Zombieland Tour Stop

 Xpresso Reads à la zombie today! YEAH!! I'm stoked to have Gena over for the Alice in Zombieland tour. She gives us tips on how to survive the zombocalypse, and you can win your very own copy of this pretty! First, let's have a look at my review!


Alice in Zombieland
Gena Showalter
Publication date: September 25th 2012
by Harlequin Teen

 
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….
*A copy was provided by Harlequin Teen for review purposes*

OFF WITH HER HEAD!!

Alice in Wonderland with zombies? Not so much. Creative zombie ghosts lore (… you heard me. Zombie. Ghosts) with great humor and charming characters? Definitely!

Despite the title, Alice in Zombieland really has nothing much to do with Alice in Wonderland. There may be some scattered references, but it's really a unique story all on its own. While some may be disappointed, I wasn't terribly familiar with the specifics of the classic tale, so I found myself having a lot of fun with this non-retelling. Really, all I need are zombies. Wouldn't every fairy tale be much more interesting with zombies? I think so! :D

Charming, this book absolutely is! Which is funny to say for a zombie book. Alice leads this story with a tough, head held high attitude; she's feisty with a great sense of humor that I got a kick out of. Then we have her friend Kat who really completes the show. Spunky, wild, and lots of fun, Kat is a fabulous girl who I came to adore. She has a very attractive confidence and qualities that everyone would want in a best friend. Plus, she has secrets of her own that add depth to the story. And of course, we have boys; most prominently - Cole. The leader of the bad boys, Cole is sexy and fierce with a mysterious agenda of his own, and Alice hopes she won't regret putting her trust into him. His irksome attitude towards Ali motivates some pretty humoristic dialogue/banter between them; their opinions tend to clash more than harmonize. Let's just say, the tension between them is just as adorable as it is frustrating. While the romance isn't my favorite aspect of this novel--the constant back and forth between them can get a little exasperating--they do have great chemistry to work with.

Set at the perfect pace, the plot is centers around these zombies that are not your run of the mill zombies, these exist in the spirit world. While I love the traditional zombie, and at first I wasn't sure how I would enjoy this bizarre re-imagining, it's simply too creative to not have me fascinated by it all. I was a little confused with the specifics, however: Who can see them and who they can hurt exactly, is not made very clear. But we still have time to get into these details. Zombies: meet the Hazmats, a villainous company looking to experiment on your rotted ghost person! And their intentions? Duh duh duuuuuh! The Hazmats add a great mysterious edge to the plot which also opens up intriguing possibilities for its sequel. All of this adds up to a refreshingly unique little paranormal romance.

There is humor, there are zombies, there are witty characters, even the chapter titles are hilarious! What else do you need? Oh, and the sequel is called "Through the Zombie Glass". Win? Yes! Yes it does!


4 Hot Espressos

Guest Post by Gena Showalter
How to survive the Zombie Apocalypse

Quick and easy bullet points: study, pray and fight!

Need more?

First, hook up with the right team.  Every warrior needs back up, someone to watch their blind spots. And make sure you’re both stocked with the ingredients for Bloodlines.  If you don’t know what to buy… ouch!  (it’s a top secret recipe, so getting a shopping list is gonna prove difficult.  So, really, this might be the prefect time to start studying.) Also, weapons are just as important. You’ll need daggers, crossbows, halogen lights, zombie toxin antidote, and courage.  <-- yep, what you feel matters, since zombies have a taste for certain emotions.

On the nights you hunt, make sure to kill every zombie you see.  If you don’t, they’ll catch your scent and come after you. (This is definitely the perfect time to start praying.)  Remember that zombies feel no emotions or pain and they see you only as an all night dinner buffet. Fight with all your strength, trust your deepest instincts, and never back down.

If you do all of that, you’ll have this thing in the bag—along with a few zombie heads.

I'm all set, Gena! *sees zombie* ... *screams and runs away hysterically* >.<
Thanks so much for having me on your tour, and most of all - HAPPY RELEASE DAY! *throws confetti*

Gena Showalter sold her first book at the age of 27 and now, four years later, is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thirteen books, with eleven more on the way in a thrilling blend of genres: breathtaking paranormal and contemporary romances, cutting edge young adult novels, and stunning urban fantasy. Her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine, MTV, Seventeen Magazine, and have been translated in French, Italian and Korean. The critics have called her books "sizzling page-turners" and "utterly spellbinding stories", while Showalter herself has been called “a star on the rise”.

This post is a part of:
(Click on banner for full tour schedule)

Giveaway 1
Thanks to Harlequin Teen and Kismet Book Touring, there is one one Hardcover copy of Alice in Zombieland up for grabs
 
Open to US & Canadian addresses
Giveaway ends October 9th, 2012
Use the Rafflecopter below to enter
Giveaway 2 - Grand Prize
The blog tour grand prize includes:
- One brand new Kindle Paperwhite with the gorgeous Alice in Zombieland Cover Art signed and personalized to the winner by Gena Showalter!
- One personalized signed copy of Alice in Zombieland!


Look for the White Rabbit Contest
Each Day, the white Rabbit will appear on one blog and stay there for 48hrs. Once you have found the Rabbit, click on it and you will be directed to a Rafflecopter entry form for the Grand Prize Giveaway! To enter, you must answer the daily question found at the Tour Stop!

Where could the Rabbit appear? On all Tour Hosts and, The White Rabbit Chronicles Website, Gena Showalter's Facebook, and HarlequinTEEN Facebook


Xpresso Reads' “Look for the White Rabbit” Question:
If you could only pick ONE item from the Zombie survival kit, what would be your MUST HAVE?