Began reading: 6.4.2017
Completed reading: 17.4.2017
Overall rating: 4 stars
I thought I had nothing left to give.
I thought wrong. They started the war.
Now I will end it.
In the stunning conclusion to the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, Alice 'Ali' Bell thinks the worst is behind her... until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realises the worst has only begun.
As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she 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 - her boyfriend'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.
The Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter is a fictional young adult novel that contains fantasy, paranormal and romance themes. It took me a while to finish this book because of uni assignments, but I finally did it and I must say, I’m impressed. I feel that Showalter is improving with every book that she writes! Let’s get into this review, shall we?
Ali thought she had been through the worst – the loss of her family, heartbreak and coming very close to being possessed by her zombie twin. She was wrong. After escaping Anima Industries, the company retaliated by releasing exploding zombies and weakening the slayers. Three of them have been killed, forcing Ali and her team to seek assistance from another slayer team. While Ali is searching for a way to take down Anima Industries, she finds that her whole life has been a lie – her mother is not her mother, and this mysterious woman is responsible for so many slayer deaths. As the war against Anima continues, Ali must decide whether to trust her boyfriend Cole or the mysterious woman claiming to be her mother. The problem is, can Ali trust this lady when her friends are certain that she can only bring betrayal and death?
As I’ve mentioned, Showalter has definitely been improving in her writing. That being said, it was no surprise that the book was well-written and perfectly structured. The use of literary techniques was on-point, adding a good deal of depth to the plot and its characters. There were also some great quotes that I had to take note of, including:
Fact: life is a giant classroom and every day is an opportunity to learn something new (p. 92).
I realised I wasn’t just trusting Cole with my life, but with my future. To treasure me and not forsake me. To always be honest. To consider my feelings and well-being with every new decision (p. 183).
I’d hurt him. I knew it. But he’d hurt me, too. And now… now I was on my own. Confused, more vulnerable than ever before (p. 315).
One bad decision could mean a lifetime of consequences (p. 352).
‘I want you to do what you were born to do. To let go of the past, the pain and the sorrow, because they’ll only slow you down, and push forward’ (p. 419).
I’ve realised hate… and even love,,, are more than emotions, more than words. They are choices (p. 423).
More quotes from the book can be found here.
As in the past books, there is a range of secondary characters, including the addition of new slayers. I love, love, love this! It’s crazy to think that each character has a unique personality and reacts to situations differently to others. It’s realistic and detailed, which is awesome. By now, I’m sure readers would have at least one character that they can relate to. The ‘leaders’ of the new slayer team are SO GOOD! I’m really hoping that they make more of an appearance in the next book (I know that at least one of them does!)!
I really enjoyed the plot, mainly because it felt like it was the climax of the series. The whole ‘final battle’ vibe and learning about Ali’s hidden past was fascinating, and kept me wanting more. The narrative was told in first person, so it seemed more reliable, if subjective. It’s taken me a while to like (or even tolerate) Ali, but I feel that she has developed throughout the series – she has become less naïve, which is great.
I have fallen more in love with action scenes after reading so many books, so I was overjoyed to stumble across so many in the novel. There was so much fighting, teamwork and suspense that I felt like I was there with the slayers. As well as the usual zombie fights, the battles with Anima at Ankh’s house and at the agency kept me hooked. I loved the one-on-one fight between Ali and Rebecca Smith at Anima because it seemed pretty clear who was going to win, and because Ali had a few dramatic one-liners that had me saying:
The plot twists in this book were completely unpredictable (except Ethan’s return to Anima), and one of them left me reeling. I had no idea who was responsible for betraying the slayers to Anima, and later found out that two slayers were behind it. The most surprising was the death of a beloved character, and I almost cried. To be honest, I kinda knew this character was going to die because I accidently opened the next book. So, just a heads-up: don’t open A Mad Zombie Party unless you want spoilers! Anyway, as I was reading, I was hoping that Gavin wasn’t going to die because I have a soft spot for that player. I’m grateful that it wasn’t him!
The only negative thing I have to say about this book was the ‘healing’ ability. I didn’t like it at all. In my opinion, it took the ability thing too far – it seemed weird and resembled Jesus and his miracles. No judgement, but it just didn’t belong in the plot.
Moving on, my favourite character was Ali. She has grown on me, which was unexpected, given how little I tolerated her in the past. In this book, she was sweet and fair, but also feisty, sarcastic and a straight-up badass. Gavin was a notable character.
*WARNING: SPOILER* I was happy to see Camilla and Juliana get the punishment they deserved, but I wonder how Veronica reacted to hearing of her sister’s betrayal? It was heart-warming to see River depicted as a compassionate brother. It must have been heartbreaking to hear that his sister betrayed them, but didn’t kill her. The fact that he shed a single tear made the situation more painful and emotional than I expected.
My favourite parts of the book include Camilla’s punishment, the attack at Ankh’s house, and Ali’s plans to trick Anima while she was held ‘prisoner’. The scene where Camilla received her punishment was dramatic and filled with tension. It was immersive and emotional. The attack at Ankh’s house was also tense, and packed with emotion. I was constantly worried that Ali would stumble upon a dead slayer that I didn’t want dead. As for Ali’s plans, they were strategic and clever. I loved that she was hitting back at the company while playing ‘prisoner’.
Recommendation time! If you like the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, the Reaper Diaries series by Michele Vail, and The Callahan Chronicles by J.B. Thomas, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes The Walking Dead tv series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer tv series, Dawn of the Dead, and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
I will also be reviewing the rest of the White Rabbit Chronicles series: A Mad Zombie Party. Keep an eye out for that!
My reviews for Alice in Zombieland and Through the Zombie Glass can be found by clicking on the titles.
Happy reading!
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