By: Cynthia Ayala

Alice Bell has seen the darker side of the night. Having lost her family in a deadly car crash where she finally discovered that Zombies stalk the night and ache for our souls. Alice thought she had nothing left to lose after losing her family. But she’s been wrong before. After a new zombie attack and surviving it, strange things have been happening to Alice Bell. Mirrors come to life and voices of dead whispering into her ears; Alice is slowly losing herself and her hold on reality. Can she hold on or will Zombie Alice take over and be the deadliest zombie around?

Through the Zombie Glass is the second novel in the White Rabbit Chronicles written by Gena Showalter. Published on January 1, 2013 by Harlequin Teen, the novel ties together Young Adult with Horror and Urban Fantasy.

There are many shining points in this novel. The first shining point is the extent to which Gena Showalter, the author, resonates throughout the novel. Readers know who she is as an author and can appreciate her not only as an author but also as a person. As the novel progresses, readers get the sense of who Showalter is, a humble strong woman. That’s the way all her characters are, not just the female ones. They are spunky, fun, and easy to understand and readers know that this is Showalter, this is a part of who she is and that makes readers turn to her and become a fan.

The second shining point is the fact that this novel is not the typical zombie novel. These are not creatures of the night of visible flesh but more of the spiritual realm. This is key because it shows that Showalter did her research in constructing her novel because this goes back to the foundations of voodoo. It’s a fresh new take that she continues to explore in her second novel of the White Rabbit Chronicles as she ties it into the world of Alice and Wonderland. There is a lot of mystery within the novel, a lot of suspense that keeps the reader captivated. That leads into the third shining aspect of the novel: the writing.

Through the Zombie Glass not only has so much suspense within it combined with action but there is also that emotional depth between the characters that keeps the reader grounded throughout. Alice is struggling with her emotions and with her darker sides, her darker urges that she keeps locked up. The Zombie Alice is the perfect embodiment of the evil within a person and the struggle she feels connects to every young reader who has wanted or been pressured into doing naughtier things in life. It’s perfect. Moreover, the chemistry between the characters, the connections between them and the fear and love that exudes from all of them weave make the perfect ensemble. The emotions that tie them all together are presented so strongly, not just with dialogue but also with the expressions, with the context and the psyches surrounding the characters. All the emotional attribution and character descriptions make everything about the characters real. These are not just names on a page, they are living breathing characters and it resonates with the reader.

The only disappointment in the novel was the ending because it was far too fast and anti-climactic. Alice is going through such a painful struggle as she continues to fight Zombie Alice throughout the novel and the ending made it seem like nothing because it was that quick. That was the only disappointing point in the novel to have it end on just a blah moment after all the energy Showalter built. (★★★★☆ | A-)