Customer Reviews

I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ah...high school. Remember those days? Best friends, rock concerts, parties, the prom, a boyfriend who's kind, sweet, stunning, and smells of formaldehyde? Yes, I said it. This is one of those hilarious books that are being born in the world of YA publishing that's getting more popular by the moment; the world of vamps, tramps, and dead guys who go bump in the night.

Our main character is an eighteen-year-old senior by the name of Algonquin. Some of her friends call her Alley the Ice Queen of the Vicious Circle. The Ice Queen title comes from the fact that she can't stand most people. She is living in a small town in Iowa and is literally chomping at the bit to get the heck out of her small, boring town and head to college in Seattle. The Vicious Circle is the table that she and her friends sit at during lunchtime at school. They run the school's online newspaper, and they are always willing to give their views on the "creepy" spooks that they have to share their world with. Vamps are the major thing in town. Vamps (probably because of Meyer's darling Edward) are the end all and be all for high school girls. Chicks not only want to date them, they want to sign a contract so that when they turn eighteen they can become the vamp's blood-thirsty girlfriend for life. Now, why are these "otherworldly" beings living in the public eye and going to school? Because a huge corporation called Megamart (think, Walmart) was using zombie slave labor to run their department stores across the country. They were used as stockroom slaves, and the vamps got upset, went to Congress about the shoddy treatment, and won the right for all beings such as zombies and vamps to live unthreatened among the "real, live" people. In fact, there is a vamp named Will who prides himself on being a hero. He will also do anything to make Alley his lifetime companion because of her extremely rare blood type.

One evening, Alley and her friends go to a local club. Alley is doing a review for the paper about how completely horrible the live band is going to be that night. The vamps have no beat and no style, but halfway through the show a tall, quiet young man reaches for the microphone and belts out a Cole Porter tune. Now, Cole Porter is Alley's absolute favorite, so her skin begins to tingle as she listens to his breathy voice sing the song just for her. His name is Doug, and when he belts out the sultry tune, Alley can hear the birds fly, the angels sing, and screams out Holy Shlabotnick! inside her own brain. Now, THIS is the man that has been missing all her young life. Finally, for the first time, Alley is truly head over heels in love.

After a few wonderful dates with Doug, Alley begins to hear the whispers all around her; the popular people who used to find her brutal sarcasm mean and heartless are now smiling at her in the hallway and patting her on the back. Soon the information gets to her. Doug's skin is a pasty grey for a reason. There is also a very important reason as to why he has to take medicine every four hours, and can only sing one or two songs a night before he is at death's door. Of course, as the title states, the poor guy is already past death's door and trying with all his might to live a few precious moments that were taken from him by a brutal accident.

The sarcasm and wit in every sentence of this book is truly remarkable. I was laughing right along with all the characters AND learning some lesser known facts such as: Lutherans take longer to become zombies than other religious denominations; marrying a post-human and converting is a great way to deal with issues of birth control and teen drinking; and, the difference between dating a zombie and a vamp is much like dating a dentist versus a doctor. Alley is the girl who won Doug's decomposed heart, and it is truly a great comic ride to watch her come to terms with her future.

Amy Lignor, [...] Reviewer

Adam Selzer, I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It (Delacorte, 2010)

Man, this book had two and a half strikes against it before I even picked it up. It's obviously titled to capitalize on the success of Katy Perry's song "I Kissed a Girl" as well as the current undead-teen-novel craze (which brings up the question in my head of whether Katy Perry is actually alive, but we won't go there right now). But it hit my TBR list nonetheless, and on the same day, my wife picked it up at random at the library for the kid to read. Providence, right? So I got stuck waiting around for something and it was the only handy book in the car, and it looked short, so I picked it up and started reading. And there I was laughing out loud, something I rarely do when reading, by the end of page one. A couple of hours later, I'd finished the silly thing, and what do you know? It was miles better than I expected it to be, though Selzer did tone down the comedy a good deal after the first fifty pages or so. That wasn't the best possible idea, but by then, I was hooked.

Alley Rhodes is one of the snarky girls on her high school's newspaper, a clique known as the Vicious Circle. She spends her days coming up with one-liners and avoiding getting emotionally entangled with anyone. Until, that is, she gets an assignment to review an awful high school band and falls for their part-time lead singer. He seems attracted to her, too, and everything's going great until she discovers (this isn't a spoiler, given the title) that he's actually a zombie. She's got to decide what to do about interspecies dating. Worse, one of the school's hottest vampires is chasing after her. Why her, when he could have any girl in school with a glance?

Yes, there's a lot of cliché to be found here, and Alley is just a little too hip-cynical (not to mention way too self-aware) for someone her age. (I have been resisting the urge to use the phrase Juno of the Living Dead. Obviously, I just failed.) And I know I should hate everything there is to hate about this book. But I couldn't help myself. I fell for its dubious charms, and I fell hard enough that I can almost literally say I couldn't put it down. (I had to, because if I try to read in a moving car I get carsick, and the family would not sit in the parking lot waiting for me for another hour). Recommended, and I'm as surprised by me saying that as you are. *** ½

I'll admit that I often judge books by their covers... and titles. So, this book made my list even before I read the back of it. When I got it, I was about to leave on vacation and decided it would be my reading material. I hadn't anticipated how many people would crouch in front of me in airports and in public in order to check out the front. I opened the book... KNOWING that it couldn't live up to my expectations. It was a zombie romance. Uhhh gross, right? No. Really. Alley's voice is strong and true. The author is on Twitter and well worth following for the humor in his Tweets, but I'm impressed at how well he managed a female perspective. Not only was there self-depreciating humor in her tone (which I liked)... but there was the angst of a first-love that you wouldn't think a "guy" writer could capture. Her voice was just very accurate... so accurate that I'm curious if Adam Selzer has grown ovaries.

It definitely met my high expectations.

Others have given a plot description... and I suck at that anyway, but the tone of this book is very similar to Christopher Moore's style of humor. For those concerned with language and content... this book passed my rigid standards for books I feel comfortable passing on to a young teen. The swearing was mild. There was drinking, but it wasn't portrayed as being "cool" at all. Any sexual behavior was mild and not graphic. All in all... I'm picky and I immediately recommended this to everyone without worrying if they'd be offended or not like it.

I apologize to the author for cutting him some sales by passing the book to everyone I know... but that's his fault for writing such a good book.

This satyric take on the undead in teen fiction is hysterical from page one, with an alpha-girl protagonist -- Ice Queen Alley Rhodes -- and her circle of gossipy friends from the school paper judging anyone who might walk by their cafeteria table -- be he human or not. In Alley's world, the posthumans have all come out of the coffins, as it was recently discovered that a large chain-store was creating zombies and using them as stock room slaves. When Alley is assigned to review a local band's show at a local hangout, the last thing she expects to find is Doug, the cute goth kid with an ethereal voice and a working knowledge of Alley's 1930's crush, Cole Porter. When she finds out Doug isn't just dressing goth, but is actually among the undead, her only way to stay out of the gossip blogs is to break up with him. But Doug's hard to ditch, and the school's vampire clique aren't exactly supportive of their relationship. Alley will have to change her Ice Queen ways to defend her love, but old habits are hard to break, and in the posthuman era, well, there are a lot of pressures on a girl! I KISSED A ZOMBIE is a sweet, quick read, sure to delight fans of the recent paranormal trend, and, due to it's tongue-in-cheek narrative, readers who wish vampires would just go away are likely to fall in love as well. The writing is sprinkled with geeky references to goth music and campy horror, and in its sincerity, even an Ice Queen like Alley Rhodes is rendered sympathetic. Get this book on your shelf before Alley trashes you in the school paper.

* Even though the story is short and not that well-developed, it was enjoyable and humorous.

* For a male writer, it is a perfect depiction of a girl's point of view, although her personality impersonate "manly" characters.

* I thought the main character and her friends were a little pretentious for high school students.

* I didn't know being a moron was feministic, but OK!

* Although Alley and Doug's relationship seem realistic, it was like two-days-too-fast-me-like-you. (That was supposed to be mimicry of Justin Long (or Garret) from Going the Distance if you didn't know.)

* What's up with the gothic obsession (or revelation)?

"That's what we're living in, by the way, according to all the news blogs. The early post-human era. I suppose it beats living in the disco era." - Algonquin Rhodes

Alley Rhodes has no interest in dating the undead, which makes her something of an anomaly in her suburban Iowa high school. Ever since that thing with Megamart and the zombies, when the rest of the post-humans rose up and came out of the coffin in protest, most teen girls have been all about the dead guys. You remember the Megamart thing, right? No? See, Megamart found a way to reanimate corpses, which they then forced into slavery in their stockrooms (got to keep those prices down somehow). According to Alley, "When the story first broke, Megamart had something like ten thousand zombie employees in Iowa alone working as slaves behind the scenes, sort of like undead Oompa-Loompas or something." The rest of the undead, including those apparently irresistible vampires, went public to force Megamart to stop exploiting the zombies. Teen girls everywhere started swooning and they haven't stopped yet.

Alley though, well she's never swooned for the dead but still walking. The only dead man that's ever rocked her boat is Cole Porter, the musician. Of course, he's both dead AND gay, and planning on staying that way as far as Alley knows, so she'll just get by with his music. It's not that she's above hooking up from time to time, it's that she's not into relationships, not with the living OR the part-time dead. No way does she want to get trapped in her home town on the outskirts of Des Moines. When high school is over, you won't see her for the Alley-shaped hole in the door she leaves behind as she gets out of town. Given that plan, high school relationships hold little appeal.

So Alley was just minding her own business, writing a review of a totally sucky band for her high school newspaper when she first met Doug. And it was like WHAM! Totally versmote (ultra-smitten), as he friend Sadie would say. The funny thing, or really, not so funny thing, is that Ally didn't even realize that Doug was a zombie. Not at first, anyway. When she does realize it, she has some pretty tough decisions to make. Does she want to keep going out with him? Really, is being into the same music she's into and being totally hot enough to make up for the fact that HE'S DEAD? And just to make things extra-special, it seems that one of the local vampires has developed some sort of stalkerish thing for Alley and he doesn't appear to appreciate the fact that she's not interested.

Adam Selzer obviously had a lot of fun writing this witty, snarky book. The zingers and one-liners are sharp and mostly hilarious and the digs at institutions like Wal-Mart and the Twilight phenomenon are truly inspired. The best part is, this novel has a lot more to it than just its stellar humor. Alley's story is really a sweet look at first love and the crazy things we are willing to do in order to keep first love alive. Only, instead of being all pink hearts and hand-holding, it's about formaldehyde and brains. I Kissed a Zombie is perfect for reluctant readers, and for anyone else who wants to have a laugh at the expense of earnest paranormal romance.

I honestly have no clue how to write this review. I've been sitting here for probably an hour staring at my screen looking for the right words for this. Really, I have no clue.

Alley Rhodes shouldn't have been a character that I enjoyed reading. She was nasty, judgmental and one of the mean girls I couldn't stand in high school. Yet, I loved her. Even her friends, who were no better then her in all of their Vicious Circle glory, had me giggling even with the little character development there was.

Our main character who starts out as a rather judgmental and close-minded, jaded teenager comes-of-age by way of one of our lives most memorable and life changing events- finding our first true love. Unfortunately for Alley, later self-dubbed Gonk (the middle 'noise' of her full name), she has to over come several prejudices (which I must say she does quite easily with the realization that her attitude wasn't exactly a positive one) to allow herself to continue loving the boy, well Zombie, that captured her heart by way of music.

This story wasn't only eye catching with it's cover and it's title, it was part parody, part epic-ill-fated romance, comedy and wait for it..... a story with lay-low morals. Yes! I said it! Deep within the confines of this zombierific-love-story there are morals to be found- morals that I didn't plan on finding. Of course, these morals didn't come in the form of angel-like characters, but still, they were there. We aren't given a Twilight worthy happy-ending, but I found the ending fulfilling of the story.

I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked it was an awesome quick read! One which perhaps lacked some of the makings of an truly brilliant YA fiction read but I couldn't help but love it. It is definitely one that you have to have a sense of humor to read.

(Just a note: I am going to apologize beforehand for the fact that, after you read this review, you will likely have Katy Perry's song, "I Kissed a Girl, and I Liked It," stuck in your head for a while. You have been warned.)

I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It was a surprising read for me. I expected it to be a parody on many things wrong with the paranormal romance trend post-Twilight -- and it is. But it's more than that too. In some ways, it left me with feelings similar to how I felt after reading Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (another book that shed paranormalcy in a nice humorous light).

What makes this book so different from other YA books in the paranormal genre so different is that it doesn't take itself so seriously (because it's a satire) and it's actually rather smart (in the way of throwing in references that make sense for the characters and story and not just trying to dredge up drama and angst, a la the Romeo and Juliet and Wuthering Heights references to be found in The Twilight Saga).

Algonquin "Alley" Rhodes is a cynical teenager who hides behind sarcasm and witty banter as a way to bide the time until she can get away from Des Moines, Iowa, and go off to college in Seattle. She doesn't allow herself to get attached to any boy she may kiss or fool around with since she doesn't want something like love to get in the way of her ambitions. Then she meets Doug, a boy who can sing songs by Cole Porter or Leonard Cohen and not seem like a poser by doing so, and Alley feels herself interested, almost in spite of herself.

You can guess where this is going: it turns out Doug is a zombie. That's the big snag in everything, and suddenly Alley has to start thinking about a future that may have a zombie in it. Will she herself have to change in some way as she gets more serious with Doug, or will she be better off cutting him loose before things get too serious? Alley wafts back and forth, suddenly unsure of everything and anything only to change her mind multiple times over the course of a few days.

Even though some readers may find Alley a bit grating, I found that she embodied the typical modern teenage spirit rather well: being a teenager means that you're not supposed to have everything figured out and you can change your mind multiple times as you walk your road in life. That's what often makes teenagers in paranormal young adult books so unrealistic: they're often so sure of themselves and their "true love" that they lose focus, perspective, and common sense in the process. Teenagers are supposed to doubt, to change, to be flexible and open to growth and change. That's a part of the spirit of youth and, ultimately, life itself. To take all that away for the sake of some 'epic love story' demeans the true meanings -- both good and bad -- of living, loving, and being loved.

Of course, Adam Selzer takes jabs at more than just paranormal romance; in true satirical fashion, he also manages to shed light on corporation ethics, political correctness, trend mentality, and high school dynamics. Who knew that so much could be said in so few pages -- and in a YA book too?

I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It may seem like fluff that will manage to distract you for a leisurely afternoon, but I honestly think it is a book that readers disillusioned by recent young adult books should read. Need assurance that all hope is not lost when it comes to YA? Then read this book. You may even gain a few smiles and laughs from it along the way.

Ali Rhodes is the quintessential teenage curmudgeon. Music reviewer for her school paper and notorious snark queen she's the last person to fall for trends and scams--or in love. But at a local show she meets a guy who is tall, Goth and handsome, and who knows how to sing with soul. It's just too bad Doug is a zombie.
While it starts off as a snarkeriffic paranormal humor tale in the end it makes a statement on the social pressures teens (and everyone really) face. (It manages to make fun of a lot of the trends in YA fiction as well.) Ali thinks she's highly resistant to the fall-in-love-with-a-vampire deals, but finds herself reconsidering the rest of her life when her guidance counselor pushes "converting" on her and Doug's personal limitations rear their evil heads.
While the book ends too quickly I highly recommend it, especially for school or public collections with a lot of paranormal YA readers as it manages to be witty, funny, and meaningful.
Contains: mild language, hinted adult situations

With all the annoying Twilight hype going on lately, I've been mostly steering towards zombie romance, thinking it would be a refreshing change from the whole vampire thing. As I searched the net for some good reads, I came across this one. I thought it would great, considering how anti Twilight it seemed, but when I actually started reading it, I was really disappointed. I'm all for fast paced, exciting stories, but I Kissed a Zombie just seemed too rushed and choppy, jumping from scene to scene with very little interaction between and among the characters. There was also the fact that everyone was living in a so-called post human world where everybody knew about vampires, zombies, werewolves and tried to co exist with them rather than only a few people being aware and trying to keep it under wraps, which I think seems more realistic. Also, the ending was HORRIBLE. I mean, what the heck? Vampires can live happily ever after with their soul mates but zombies can't? Come on!