Who I Am Inside

Published:  September 24th, 2013

Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles #2)

By: Gena Showalter

Harlequin Teen

ISBN-13:  9780373210770

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.

Review

     I was a bit wary about reading this after the first one, especially considering that the series is being marketed as a modern take on Alice In Wonderland.  This synopsis is a bit more honest, claiming 'inspired by' instead.  I did enjoy the first, but I'm generally not a very big fan of zombies to begin with.  That said, I truly enjoyed this book even if it did have some imperfections along the way!  It starts off with Alice, Cole and the others still riding the victory from the last book.  But Ali still has the zombie toxin in her system and it refuses to leave.  It's taking hold of her and splitting off into it's own personality, one Ali names 'Zombie Ali' and it's urges are almost becoming too much for her to control.  Constant use of the antidote is the only thing even keeping Alice's sanity intact whatsoever.  Also, when Ali starts having visions with someone other than Cole, a slayer named Gavin, he ends up breaking things off.  There was a SERIOUS amount of romantic angst in this book!!!  Ali and Cole spend almost the entire time broken up, with him trying to fight off his ex-girlfriend Veronica and her trying to not get taken in by Gavin who she does feel something for.

     I enjoyed the fact that Ali didn't pull a Bella and turn catatonic because she lost her boyfriend.  Sure, she was heartbroken, but Ali still managed to carry on with her life and focus on trying to solve her other problems.  Anima is after Ali again, she has a craving for human flesh and her own reflection (Z.A.) is slowly destroying the human part of her.  I enjoyed the interactions with Kat, Frosty, Bronx and her Grandma (who is just as unintentionally funny as in the first book).  The scenes with her dead little sister Emma were just as sad, especially because Emma seems to be losing her ability to connect with Ali from the afterlife.  The whole thing with the mirrors and the evil reflection did tie in a bit more with the original Alice stories that a lot of stuff in the first book did.  

     Probably my main complaints are the romantic angst and the fact that Cole supposedley loved Allie, but didn't bother fighting for her!  He just gave up as soon as he had any competition at all.  The action resolved itself too easily and I really was NOT surprised by who the traitor was (easy to see from a mile off - for everyone except Ali and Cole apparently, that is!).  The whole throwdown with Veronica over Cole, who was acting like a complete douchebag by that point, was also annoying and distasteful.  At that point I was surprised that either girl wanted him honestly.  He treated them like dirt and Ali, especially, got the brunt of his insecurities/trust issues.  I did enjoy the action, but I felt like a lot of this one was unneccessary romantic angst/drama and most of it could have been axed completely.  It would have made the plot move along a lot faster.  That said, I did enjoy it and I will be reading the last book in the series when it comes out! :)

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Necromancing My Heart

Published:  September 18th, 2012
Necromancing the Stone (Necromancer # 2)By: Lish McBride
Henry Holt & Company
ISBN-13:   9780805090994

With the defeat of the evil Douglas behind him, Sam LaCroix is getting used to his new life. Okay, so he hadn’t exactly planned on being a powerful necromancer with a seat on the local magical council and a capricious werewolf sort-of-girlfriend, but things are going fine, right?

Well . . . not really. He’s pretty tired of getting beat up by everyone and their mother, for one thing, and he can’t help but feel that his new house hates him. His best friend is a werebear, someone is threatening his sister, and while Sam realizes that he himself has a lot of power at his fingertips, he’s not exactly sure how to use it. Which, he has to admit, is a bit disconcerting.

But when everything starts falling apart, he decides it’s time to step up and take control. His attempts to do so just bring up more questions, though, the most important of which is more than a little alarming: Is Douglas really dead?

Review

 

     Sam is just starting to adjust to life in Douglas' mansion, dealing with being a member of the local council and getting a grip on his necromancing powers.  He is finally starting to move past the horror of his fight with Douglas and all the pain the other man caused - but he's dead now, so it's over...right?  With a betrayer inside Sam's close knit circle, it isn't long before the shit starts to hit the fan again.  When strange things start happening and the people he loves begin to be threatened, Sam starts to question if he actually killed Douglas completely.  And if not, how do you destroy a ghost once and for all?  I was really excited for this book after the hilarity and overall fun of the first one.  I wasn't disappointed and the book drops you in right where Hold Me Close, Necromancer left off.  Sam is living in Douglas' house, using his wealth to make his friends' lives better.  And to hopefully make up for all the pain his secret powers have caused everyone.  His relationship with Brid is starting to feel more serious and the disapproval of the pack isn't standing in their way, but it is making Sam uncomfortable.  James, the personal servant of Douglas, is having trouble switching allegiances and is making things difficult for Sam, encouraging the other inhabitants of the property to make his life hellish.  These inhabitants include garden gnomes, a fierce warrior race, with names like The Darkness Known as Mittens, Gnome ChompSky, Chauncey the Devourer of Souls, Gnoman Polanski, and Chuck the Norriser.  Also, there is a minotaur and some nymphs who like to party.  My personal favorite was the pygmy chupacabra named Taco that becomes Sam's pet!  I liked the buildup between James and Sam's sister Haley, it was very sweet. 

     My main disappointment was the devillainization of Douglas at the end of the book to make him seem more sympathetic and human.  It just didn't ring true with the rest of the book.  I mean for chrissakes, the man has a zombie Keanu Reeves as HIS MINION!!!  The romance between Brid and Sam, with it's manufactured agnst at the death of her Father was ridiculous and the distrust she suddenly had for Sam was hard to swallow.  Overall this managed to avoid second book syndrome with some fairly clever dialogue, interesting new characters and decent plot twists.  But it did end up being somewhat mediocre compared to the series' stunning debut.

 

P.S.  The extra half star in the rating is courtesy of Thunder Gnome.  It made me laugh so hard I almost cried.

 

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

 

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.*

I'm A Fighter, Even Without You

Expected Publication: September 25th, 2012

Covet (The Clann # 2)

By: Melissa Darnell

Harlequin Teen

ISBN-13: 9780373210565

Dangerous to be together. Painful to be apart.

Savannah Colbert knows she broke up with Tristan Coleman for the right reasons. Most of all, to keep from killing him with her new vampire abilities. But try telling her heart. Now, lost in a sea of hostile Clann faces, Sav tries to come to terms with what she's becoming and what that means for her future. And that someone is doing their best to bully her into making a terrible mistake.

Tristan can't believe Sav won't even talk to him. If being apart is her decision, fine. Just don't expect him to honor it. But even as he prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them both in directions neither could have foreseen or prepared for.

A reckoning is coming… and not everyone will survive.

Review

   Savannah thought that once they got Tristan back from the Council everything would go back to normal.  But then she was forced to promise that she would stop seeing him and she found out that the Clann had kidnapped her Grandma because of Tristan's disappearance.  But by the time she, her Dad and Tristan make it home it's too late for Sav's Grandma - she's died.  Now the bloodlust-dampening spell that she used to cast on Savannah has also died with her, which means that she has to live with her Dad now and her Mom is going on the road in an RV purchased from selling their house.  To add to Savannah's misery and guilt, it turns out that the spell her Grandma was casting for her bloodlust requires a sacrifice and damaged her heart severly - it's possibly what killed her.  Now to prevent a war between vampires and the Clann, Savannah must keep away from Tristan and not let anyone know that she's secretly teaching herself magic (which is against the rules).  But will it be enough when murders of Clann members seemingly caused by vampires come to light?  And what does Anne's ex-boyfriend Ron have to do with the Clann?  This began right where the first book left off and for that I was grateful.  It helped me remember what had been going on when it ended.  I loved that Savannah was strong enough to keep her promise and truly understood the danger of her and Tristan being together.  It gave me a lot of respect for her as a character that she understood the consequences of her actions and took responsibility for them.  Tristan on the other hand, acted like a spoiled brat for half of the book.  While Savannah was trying to deal with her growing bloodlust, friendship problems with balancing both Anne and Ron's time, dealing with her Grandma's death and losing her Mom to the road, she also has to deal with Tristan making things even harder for her.  He is constantly shoving thoughts into her head once he realizes she can read his mind (memories of them, mental images of him with other girls, etc.) constantly begging her and trying to tempt her into getting back together with him.  Plus he's stringing along another girl through almost the entire book and supposedly doesn't realize he's doing it...YEAH RIGHT.  What a douche!  He can't take no for an answer and even asks Sav's Dad to make him into a vamp, knowing it might cause a war.  I loved the development of Savannah's kick-ass BFF Anne and her unfairly dumped boyfriend Ron, who has a supernatural secret of his own (with all the hints that are dropped, it wasn't a shock AT ALL).  They really became characters in their own right in this book more so than the first one, especially once Savannah tells Anne her secret.  The ending of this book was kind of obvious to who the murderer was, plus the whole subplot with Tristan's sister was unnecessary and I couldn't believe how dense her family was to the reality of the situation.  I enjoyed seeing Mr. Colbert's interactions with his maker and Sav dealing with her vampire development.  But the way the book ended, and what happened to Tristan really made me mad.  It's the reason I deducted an extra half star from my rating.  I now quite hate him and wish he meets a horrible end.

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is September 25th, 2012.*