Umberland by Wendy Spinale

Alyssa and Maddox were cool and I liked their relationship. Like. The Mad-hatter is cool. 
Also Alexa play Wonderland but say Umberland. 
304 Pages

Ooh Pretty Pictures

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

A true story about a Omar and his nonverbal brother growing up in a refugee camp. I don't think I've read anything quite like this, and the artwork is so vibrant while still being realistic. This book is incredible and I think everyone should read it. All the feels.

Read Harder Challenge #19

256 pages

Adventure Zone: Petals to the Metal by Clint McElroy

Fantasy Nascar, a giant magical wrench and sexy plant puns. I've really enjoyed this series. I've listened to a bit of the podcast it is based on, but I just love the colorful artwork and humorous background objects. The story is quirky, funny, and just a lot of fun all around. 

244 pages

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki

A different take on Harley's origin story, with class struggles, gentrification and green activism (led by Poison Ivy, of course). I thought this is one of the better DC Ink graphic novels, and I love the representation included among the urban population. A fun afternoon read for comic fans.

196 pages

Attack on Titan: Volumes 2/3 by Hajime Isayama

This series is so much fun! Perfect blending of horror, science fiction, and dystopia. Lots of gruesome titan battles, with a family mystery thrown in. I'm starting to get to the point where I may give the anime another try. 

400 pages    (192+208) 

Cheshire Crossing by Andy Weir, Sarah Andersen

Andy Weir does comics? Whaaaa? Such a great concept, mashing Alice/Wonderland, Wendy/Neverland, and Dorothy/Oz together into a fun fantasy adventure. I am very glad that he got a different illustrator though-Andersen is one of my favorite web comic artists!

117 pages

My Hero Academia Vol. 1 by Kohei Horikoshi

Ah, yes. The superhero academy trope. I've never really liked these stories. This one is very well done, and I can see why it is so popular, it's just not for me. Also, skinny/buff guy is creepy.

187 pages

Aquatlantic by Giorgio Carpinteri

This one was so strange. The artwork is gorgeous, and I enjoyed seeing Soviet Constructivism, which isn't used much in art today. Heavy allegory, almost to the point where there isn't much story. Pretty pictures though.

49 pages

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

When you Google a character to find fanart, and Google does a fill in that is a spoiler (or might not be a spoiler).
I'm not really an Alice in Wonderland fan, but I loved this, especially seeing how the Queen of Hearts became the Queen of Hearts. I loved watching the spiral.
My brain may or may not have been playing "March of the Witch Hunters" from Wicked.... And "What Baking Can Do" from Waitress.
....yeah I think in musicals.
I love Marissa Meyer's writing style.
480 Pages

The White Rabbit Chronicles by Gena Showalter

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is not an Alice retelling with zombies, so get that out of your stubborn head right now. If that's what you wanted, I'm sorry. Honestly, it's what I wanted, too, which is why I delayed in reading this book for 6 years.

What this happens to be is a very interesting YA zombie novel, with a unique approach to zombie culture and zombie fighting. Yes, it does make Alice references, but that is all. The main character's name, the white rabbit references, and the title of each chapter is something totally pop culture Alice---it's so surface level Alice though, that even if you haven't read the real Alice in Wonderland and only saw the movie once about 20 years ago, you'd still be able to pick up on all the references, as it really only uses surface level references.

Now that we have that out of the way, I did really enjoy this book. It could have dug even deeper on the character development and world building fronts, but it was a solid first effort. I went straight on to book 2.

Book 250 read in 2018

Pages: 404

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Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, this was an excellent follow-up, and it took me to all kinds of interesting and unexpected places that I really enjoyed. I did have to shout at Ali a few times, because she kept me on edge with her precarious inner-struggles.

Overall, I liked this better than book 1.

Book 251 read in 2018

Pages: 480

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The Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I confess that I had trouble sticking with this one. A whole lot of interesting and unexpected things happen to really build the world, but it just all somehow felt like way too much all at once. I found myself stopping and rewinding a lot, though I think I am partly to blame for being inattentive to the book.

This is one where there is a whole lot of action and forward motion, but I had trouble wanting to stay connected and interested in that. As a result, I'm not going to continue on to book 4, though I hear from others that this was their absolute favorite book in the series, which means, it likely really is just me.

Book 252 read in 2018

Pages: 464

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2018

Bloody brilliant. It has a well-paced, intricate plot, fascinating characters, and solid imagery. Plus, it viciously fist punches you in chest, leaving you gasping for breath, which is always fun in a miserable sort of way.

My previous review still stands.

Book 224 read in 2018

Pages: 452

PREVIOUS REVIEW:

First, I said hello to this fascinating new story:



It was so delightful:



Until it wasn’t:



And then:



Followed by:



View all my reviews

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll


Every time I read it, this story becomes curioser and curioser. ;)

Pages: 96

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

YA Fantasy: Alice in Wonderland/Queen of Hearts Retelling



First, I said hello to this fascinating new story:



It was so delightful:




Until it wasn’t:




And then:



Followed by:



Pages: 453

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

The Lunar Chronicles is one of my all-time favorite book series, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on Marissa Meyer's new book, Heartless.

....I wish I had never heard of it. 

....I wish I had never read it. 

....Marissa Meyer is the one who is HEARTLESS. 

453 pages

Splintered by A.G. Howard

Summary: "A descendant of the inspiration for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, sixteen-year-old Alyssa Gardner fears she is mentally ill like her mother until she finds that Wonderland is real and, if she passes a series of tests to fix Alice's mistakes, she may save her family from their curse." 

After reading Becky's post about this series, I thought I would give it a try!

Even though I struggled with this book a bit, I really did enjoy it. I am not very familiar with the Alice story or movies, which may have hindered some of my understanding. It was also a bit morbid in some places, which gave me nightmares if I read it before bed. But on to the next book anyway!  

371 pages

Ensnared by A.G. Howard

Ensnared by A.G. Howard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Category/Genre: YA Fantasy

Ensnared is book 3 in the Splintered series, which is a dark, fractured retelling of Alice in Wonderland. This book marks the end of the series, which is disappointing, only because I was wrapped up in the gorgeous, twisted world. The series has excellent world building, and the characters show a lot of growth throughout. I will remain hopeful for a companion series that takes place in the distant future. 

I recommend this series on audiobook, as the reader is excellent. 

Unabridged Audiobook

• Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel
• Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
• 
  

Paperback Length: 416 pages

Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Unhinged by A.G. Howard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This YA fantasy novel is part of the Splintered series, which is a dark and twisted retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Since Unhinged is the second book in the series, I won’t discuss any specifics, to avoid spoilers for book one.

However, it was fantastic, and I have become a bit obsessed with the world and characters. I look forward to reading book 3, especially since book 2 ends on a cliff-hanger. These stories are really creative, and Rebecca Gibel is an excellent reader.

Audiobook: Unabridged
Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel
Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins

Print Length: 416 pages (paperback)


View all my reviews

Queen of Zombie Hearts by Gena Showalter

A lot of crazy things have happened to Alice since her parents and sister passed away. She has been with on again off again bad-boy Cole and has the ability to kill zombie spirits. Things get crazier when Alice finds out her name is actually Samantha and the mom she thought was her mom was not her real mother. Alice and Cole's group gets together with another pack of slayers (people who can kill zombie spirits) in order to defeat Anima, an institution that has been trying to control zombie spirits. Though this was originally supposed to be the final book in the series, fans begged for more and the author has obliged. The fourth book is to come at the end of September 2015.


I read this book as an audio book.
Narrator: Martha Harmon Pardee
Time: 12 hours, 5 minutes
ISBN: 9780373211319
Pages (Per ISBN connected with the book used to create audio book): 464

The White Rabbit Chronicles:
#1-Alice in Zombieland
#2-Through the Zombie Glass
#3-Queen of Zombie Hearts
#4-A Mad Zombie Party (Coming September 2015)