by Gena Showalter
Read: September 30 - October 2, 2014
Published: September 30, 2014 by Harlequin Teen
Source: Kindle purchase
Tags: YA, Zombies
Series: White Rabbit Chronicles Book 3
Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository
Book description: I have a plan.
We'll either destroy them for good, or they'll destroy us.
Either way, only one of us is walking away.
In the stunning conclusion to the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, Alice "Ali" Bell thinks the worst is behind her. She's ready to take the next step with boyfriend Cole Holland, the leader of the zombie slayers…until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realizes that humans can be more dangerous than monsters…and the worst has only begun.
As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies…and she isn't the girl she thought she was. She's connected to the woman responsible for killing—and turning—Cole's mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima—even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.
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The Queen of Zombie Hearts is the third book in Gena Showalter's White Rabbit Chronicles, which all began with Alice in Zombieland. If you're new to this series, please note that this is not a direct retelling of Lewis Carroll's classic story, although it does play off some of the themes. But from when we met Ali Bell in the first book until the conclusion of the last one, she has become part of a very different world, even though she never left her own. This is the world of zombies that live in the spiritual realm and the slayers whose mission it is to destroy them.
If you have been a fan of this series from the beginning, get excited, because The Queen of Zombie hearts is a great ending to the trilogy. It is a wild ride from start to finish that answers lots of questions and fills out the world even more. It also features unexpected deaths, lots of battles, new abilities and allies, betrayals, visions hilarious moments, zombies and lots of slayer slang. The behavior of these characters can be over the top at times, and sometimes it's hard to remember that they are teens (especially in this book). But it's also part of the charm of this series, and their dangerous lives have definitely made them grow up sooner.
Ali especially has changed so much from the first book, and I loved seeing all of her badass determination and skill in this one. She has endeared herself to me with her amusing inner voice, her hilarious and fierce friendship with Kat, as well as her determination and desire to always be honest. Ali and Cole, her equally badass slayer boyfriend, are quite the pair. After all the drama between them in the last installment, I enjoyed finally seeing Ali and Cole communicate and work through their problems together. Of course they're still at each other's throats at times (or frequently) but it all just fuels their fire. I really needed a strong story arc from them after the last book, and was happy to find that here. Of course, they too are quite over the top in their relationship at times. (Spoiler>> I mean, Cole does have Ali's name tattooed across his chest. End Spoiler) But it works for them.
The ending of this series is intense, and contains at least one shocking event from which I still haven't recovered. But it is overall a very satisfying conclusion. Like the rest of the series it is equally filled with intensity, action and indulgence, and I grew to really care about these characters and invested in their lives. I wish Ali and her friends all the best in the future.
Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Series conclusion
I struggled with the first book in this series, but everyone has been saying some great things about the last book, so I want to give the second one a shot. I'm glad this was a success as an ending for you, Lauren. I'm looking forward to those unforeseeable revelations that still have you reeling!
ReplyDeleteLovely review! :)
I'm not a fan of Alice in Wonderland and most definitely won't be picking up this series, just out of genre preference, but I am SO glad you finally found a series conclusion that worked for you, Lauren! I know it's been a challenge this past year or so with trilogy endings so I'm really happy to see this is one you liked. Wonderful review, as always, dear.
ReplyDeleteI still haven\t read this series and that's partly because of the fact that I loved Alice in Wonderland so much when I was a kid, I couldn't fathom stomaching a retelling. That being said, I can tell you really enjoyed this series overall and i'm so happy you found this series conclusion to your liking as well. How rare is that? That alone makes me want to start reading this series. Fantastic review Lauren. You've now got me thinking about this one ;)
ReplyDeleteAw, yay :D Great review Lauren. <3 I'm so happy you loved this final book. And no love triangle in it :D I think it might be a little bit too much drama for me, hmph. But. I own book one. Though.. I do not own the rest. One day, I hope. <3 I might read them, hih. Anyway. Amazing post sweetie. Thank you for sharing. <3
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy this one and I thought it wrapped up nicely, but it REALLY started bothering me with all of the joking and innuendo. Here or there would be ok, but it seemed to be every other line and it was just way over the top. Much more than the other books, I thought. But all in all, a great series! ~Pam
ReplyDeleteYou know, it's usually not a good thing to put your lover's name on your body in any form of permanent way... But, yeah, definitely a solid ending to an enjoyable series.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure if this would be the conclusion or if there would be another book! If this series is finished, I think I want to start it again and read thru it. I LOVE the Lords of the Underworld series by this author. I definitely need to reread the first book though because it has been a while since I read it. I'm glad you ended up liking this one and I'm definitely curious about what that big THING was that you're still thinking about. Also WOW on the love triangle factor - so rare these days. (:
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