Mundie Moms

Monday, April 19, 2010

Book Review- I Kissed A Zombie, and I Liked It

By Adam Selzer
Published by Delacorte Press (Random House Kids)
Released January 26, 2010
Source: from Delacorte Press/Random House Kids
2 Stars- it was okay

Eighteen year old Algonquin "Alley" Rhodes doesn't need to watch Twilight to know what it's like to be around vampires. Her school is teeming with them-along with zombies and werewolves, of course. A few year ago, all the post-humans "came out of the coffin," and now they're just a normal part of life. But the movies don't tell the real story. Real vampires are brooding, self-absorbed jerks who run around acting all emo. That's what Alley thinks, anyway.

Then one night Alley goes to the Cage to review a local band, the Sorry Marios, for her school's blog. Alley's known for her sarcastic wit, and she can't wait to rip apart the band's set. But when a special guest singer, Doug, hits the stage, his soft, crooning voice stops her heart. He seems like a real goth, not like the lame wannabes at her high school. And for the first time, pale skin and black clothing are hot to Alley.

When she and Doug start dating, Alley's so swept off her feet she doesn't suspect anything, dispite a few odd signs: he never changes clothes, his head is a funny shape, and he says practically nothing out loud. Finally, her best friends clue her in: Doug ins't just a really sincere goth. He's a zombie.

Alley knows she has to break up with Doug but soon learns that zombies are awfully hard to get rid of. And the school's vampire clique, a group as tightly knit as the Mafia, has it's own plans for Alley's future. Will Alley survive her little experiment in dating the undead? (taken from cover)


Adam delivers a world in which vampires, werewolves, and zombies are accepted in everyday life. I liked the world he created. At the high school Alley goes to, the creatures of the night are walking right beside her and sit next to her in her classes and at lunch. To quickly become popular, all you have to do is date the undead.

Alley is dealing with her last year of high school and can't wait to get out of town and head to college in Seattle. She writes for the school newspaper and is the smartest student at her high school. Being witty, and smart has landed her on the not so popular list, as well as the most desirable list of the brooding vampire, Will. Alley has no interest in Will or any of the other guys there until she meets Doug. There's something very different about Doug, and Alley's the only one who doesn't pick up right away that he's a zombie.

I needed a little more exploration of character from Alley, as she's smartest girl in school and at first doesn't realize her boyfriend, Doug is a zombie. While Alley does deliver some great one liners herself, sometimes the delivery of her lines and what she said, at times sounded like it was coming from a guy. There were a few times I forgot I was reading it from a girls point of view. I do like her snark and some of the lines she delivers had me laughing out loud. I also had a hard time with some of the context of the book. I felt Alley's parents where a bit too liberal and had a lack of responsibility in her life. On the flip side, when Alley all the sudden decides she can ditch her dream of going to Seattle, and settling for Duke, which is closer to home and Doug, Alley's friend snaps her back into reality. She reminds her that no 18 yr old should change her college plans and rearrange her life for a boyfriend she barely knows.

I liked the vampires vs zombies theme through out the book. I thought Doug's character was great. He's a teenage boy who gets a second chance at living, even if it's being a zombie. Will, the lead vampire will stop at nothing to make Alley his mate, and he matches Alley's snark perfectly. While the zombies and vampires can co-existest, they don't have to like each other, even if they're in a band together and Doug's their main singer. Doug and Will may tolerate each other, but don't have to like each other. In the end, they'll either work together or against each other, as someone's making new Zombies that need to be stopped.

While I had a hard time getting into the main character's voice, Adam did deliver some great one liners through out the book. This quick read is one book I couldn't get into like I wanted, but I know other people will enjoy reading. I would recommend for 14 yrs and older.

5 comments:

  1. Great review! I couldn't finish this one though. I think this is definitely for a younger audience and perhaps I'm too old lol.

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  2. Thank you!
    LOL I think that was my problem as well. I think if I was younger, I would have enjoyed it more.

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  3. Thanks for the review. It sounds like a fun read.

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  4. This sounds like something I'd read to pass time, but not something I'd be "zomg must read!" or anything. Thanks for the great review!

    ^_^

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