Through the Zombie Glass by Gena Showalter

The sequel to Alice in Zombieland had me a little frustrated, I'm not going to lie. The plot was really good...when it wasn't being drown out by the Ali-Cole drama. It felt a little New Moon-ish to me. And the sexual tension in this book, ugh, just shoot me now. But when you get past that, it really was a good book and I'm excited to see what happens next.

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

Falling Through the Zombie Hole

Through the Zombie Glass starts out with Ali recovering from Cole accidentally slashing through her, and despite Cole's attention, something is off with him. We meet two new Slayers, Gavin and Veronica, and their presence automatically causes issues between Ali and Cole, especially after Ali learns that Ronny is Cole's "favorite ex," or at least that's what she's dubbed herself.

"A muscle ticked in Cole's jaw. 'Veronica, meet Ali. Ali, Veronica. She's one of the slayers from Atlanta...'

'Veronica is another of Cole's exes,' Mackenzie piped up.

Oh, good flory, no!

'Not just any ex,' Veronica added, offering me a grin as sweet as her voice. 'I'm his favorite.'" (p. 45)

During a zombie attack, Justin is bitten by a zombie and is overcome with the urge to bite Ali. While Justin recovers from this, Ali isn't so lucky. She is now two people: Normal Ali and Zombie Ali, and it will be a war that will tear Cole and Ali apart for good. Or at least, it should. They get into a huge fight, say hurtful things, "break up," but never really stop wanting the other. It doesn't help that Gavin and Ali have visions of making out and Ali and Cole haven't had a vision in quite some time. While all of this is going on, Anima is still looking for Ali.

During their time apart, Cole suspects one of their own to be a spy, and he spends his time questioning, following, and being very rude to the other Slayers. The other Slayers plead with Ali to talk to Cole, but she is hesitant, partially because she can't control her wants around him, but also because Zombie Ali doesn't want to control her needs around him.

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In a climatic battle, the Slayers battle Anima and zombies to make them pay for the torture and horror they have put their family through, and the spy was found out to be someone who didn't even know what they were doing. But the final battle is between Normal Ali and Zombie Ali, and the fight just might kill her.

A Very unMerry Read

• The Ali-Cole drama was never ending. Not a chapter went by where they didn't fight, yell, say horrible things to each other, kiss, make out, almost go all the way, and then fight again. I'd say it's a really unhealthy relationship, except you know they're both acting the way they are because they are scared of permanently losing each other. Nonetheless though, it's annoying. I was constantly mentally yelling at them to just grow up and realize they're being idiots.

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• Normal Ali vs. Zombie Ali was interesting, but I wished it had been played up more. I feel like Ali was playing dumb with herself for a little bit. I mean, how many urges can someone have before they realize "Oh, the want to eat my friends isn't normal, I should do something about this." I will give her this though, she keeps stuff to herself a little bit, but she always fesses up pretty quickly about what is going on and realizes she needs help. 
• The Dr. Bendari plot should have either been played out more, or not at all. It felt pointless. I get that he was hiding from Anima, but he was there, and then he wasn't and you'd forget about him, and then the first time he and Ali get together, he's killed. And why would his driver take him down an abandoned road if he knows there's a chance they'd be followed. 
• Jaclyn's story felt added in at the last minute. She was only of use when trying to escape Anima, and then we're told she goes into a deep depression once they break free. Ali vows to draw her back into the world, so hopefully that'll play out more in the next books. 
• My ability to deduce the bad guy came back for this book. The second Reeve mentioned she had a new boyfriend, my Spidey senses tingled. I mean, hot guys don't just fall from the sky and immediately fall in love with you and want to know everything about you and your friends. And I don't blame Cole, because he wasn't besties with Reeve, but Ali should have known. But she was too busy being jealous of the new/old girl to see what was right in front of her.

"Bronx growled low in his throat, a feral sound. He stalked forward, as if he planned to attack the guy, but crashed into a tree and ricocheted backward. He cam up sputtering.

'Blood Lines.' He looked left, right. 'The guy has Blood Lines.'

So...the guy knew about the zombies. And yet he couldn't see them. Otherwise he would have seen us. And if he'd seen us, he would have reacted. 

Ethan ushered Reeve into the house. Bronx trailed close to their heels, but the door closed before he could sweep inside, and once again ricocheted backward." (pp. 183-184)

• I really love that there are a couple things going on throughout the story. Showalter doesn't spend the entire book trying to play out one plot, there's a couple going on, and when one is solved, another couple pop up to be solved. You have Ali vs Cole, Normal Ali vs Zombie Ali, Ali vs the Slayers, Kat vs. Frosty, Cole vs. the spy, Reeve and Ethan vs Bronx, the adults vs Ali, the Slayers vs Anima. I'm sure there are more. But there is always something to keep the story going.

It may sound like I didn't enjoy the book, and I didn't enjoy it as much as I did Zombieland, but it really was a wonderful book. It sets up a lot for the next two books. The relationship drama doesn't do much for me (I really don't need to be reminded of my teenage years), but there is enough going on that I can look past it to see the whole book. And what I really respect is that it isn't an abusive relationship. Like, not just physically, but emotionally. Ali and Cole don't guilt each other about walking away, seeing other people, etc. Neither of them likes it, but they acknowledge that they need this time apart, or at least once they realize that they didn't know each other well enough the first time. You watch them learn to completely trust the other, and anyone who has had a successful relationship knows that trust is the most important thing, because without it, you don't have anything else.

Trust

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No Trust

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I really love Nana. She is just the sweetest, most caring grandmother in literature history. She doesn't fully understand Ali's lifestyle, and she never really will, but she loves Ali. And Ali really loves her. They are the only family they have left, and although the Slayers and Co have completely embraced them, blood family is a little different, especially when you've lost the rest of the family in such horrific ways.

"I stepped inside-only to gasp. She had decorated my room with everything she knew I'd love. The furnishing were a dark cherrywood and polished to a glossy shine. Wispy white curtains covered my window, and a framed picture of Emma and me hung on the wall. She was in front of me, wrapped in my arms, and we were both smiling our biggest smiles.

"There was a note taped to the border.

"Angels must have held this photo in their hands, because that's the only way it could have survived the bomb. I had it framed weeks ago, but want to wait to give it to  you at Christmas. This seemed like a better time.

Love, Nana" (p. 286)

I think what I really love about this series is that it really breaks down relationships and shows you the nitty gritty parts that aren't beautiful. And I don't just mean romantic relationships. Friendship and family bonds are just as prevalent in the story, just as they are in life, and you can see how each function, and how a persons actions have reactions, and that you need to carve out time for those who really matter to you and not take that time for granted. Living in the real world where zombies can't take out our loved ones on any given night, it's easy to forget how much someone means to us, but you need to know who your people are and treat them right.

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Rating: 8/10

Genres: Paranormal, Zombies, Young Adult, Fantasy