UGHHHHHHHHHHHH this is so dumb!!!

First of all, based on like, the cover and the title, I assumed this was some kind of retelling of, you know, Alice in Wonderland? Which was basically why I picked this up--I don't care for zombies usually, but I do like Alice in Wonderland and I had to read a horror book for library book club this month, so I thought this might be a relatively painless choice.

Anyway, I was wrong on both counts. Here's what this book has in common with Alice in Wonderland:
- the protagonist's name is Alice Bell
- sometimes she sees a cloud that looks like a white rabbit
- end of list

gah! so dumb! anyway, I'm not like a ~stickler for rules of mythical creatures~ or whatever. (Like, I'm all for sparkling vampires, tbh.) But this is so... like, the "zombies" seem to be more like what I would call "ghosts"? And only some people can see/fight them, and you have to leave your body and use your spirit? (sidebar: this is also a weirdly religious book with more talk of the Christian god and church-going than I would have expected?)

also, Alice and this ~super sexy bad boy~ have a thing that happens where, the first time they see each other each day, they have an intense vision of themselves making out??? because... zombie... hunters... something something?

I think the main appeal of this is the ~super sexy bad boy~ romance, and if I understand correctly that's mainly what Gena Showalter is known for? These books are definitely popular among teens and adults alike at my library and so... I assume that's why? because the zombie hunting stuff makes no sense. Also there is an evil corporation that is trying to like... weaponize the zombie... spirits... or something...???

oh and her sister is an angel.

oh and the dialogue is MEGA-cringeworthy. also there's a whole running thing where her grandparents don't understand modern slang but they get it wrong in ways that are just not... plausible. like they tell her not to get "chewed" when they mean "trashed." or like, I just turned to a random page, and Alice's friend encourages her about the ~super sexy bad boy~ by saying "Girl, he wants to dip you in Frosted Flakes and have you for breakfast. That's his favorite cereal, by the way." Or later, Alice tells the ~super sexy bad boy~, "Kiss now. Talk later." it all feels a lot like terrible Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfiction.

Ugh I kind of want to do a Worst Bestsellers about this.

ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh