Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen

Quirk Classics: 2009, 319 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

In an interesting retelling of a beloved classic, this version of Pride and Prejudice is set in the same time and place as the original, just with the exception of the world having zombies. The lovely Bennet sisters are trained warriors, having studied in China under the expert tutelage of Master Liu, and have vowed to the King to keep their home and surrounding area free of the "unmentionables."  Lizzie is a most determined warrior, believing herself never to marry and relinquish her beloved katana sword.  However, the arrival of Charles Bingley and his friend Fitzwilliam Darcy is putting everyone in a tizzy, and Lizzie is no exception, even if she can't stand the proud and standoffish Darcy.  Readers of the classic story will notice how similar this retelling is to the original, with the exceptions of the brain-eating zombies, of course.

Wedding Night

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Wedding Night

Sophie Kinsella

Dial Press: 2013, 464 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

Lottie is devastated; she's 33 and been with Richard for three years and she just knew that he was going to propose.  Except she was wrong, Richard had no intention of proposing.  Fed up with dating and excited about reconnecting with an old ex-boyfriend, Lottie jumps into a very quick marriage.  Lottie and her new husband, Ben, are off to honeymoon in Greece, where they first met each other 15 years ago.  However, Lottie's sister, Fliss, thinks this is all a huge mistake.  She has to stop Lottie from regretting her decision and realizes that annulment is the best and fastest option.  But how can she stop the blissful couple from coupling on their honeymoon?  Kinsella's Wedding Night is full of humor, wit, and entertainment, even if the situations are a bit out there.

The Wrath and the Dawn

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The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1)

Renee Ahdieh

G.P. Putnam's Sons: 2015, 388 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

The Wrath and the Dawn is the first in Ahdieh's series that is based off the story of Scheherazade and One Thousand and One Nights.  While the author uses a few stories from the collection, the book does a good job of creating its own unique story.  Khalid is the young Caliph of Khorasan and each night he takes a bride and each morning he has her killed.  Sixteen year old Shahrzad volunteers in order to take revenge for the killing of her best friend.  Slowly, Shahrzad starts to fall in love with the Caliph and realizes that things are not all they seem and wonders what secrets her new husband is trying to hid from her.  The Wrath and the Dawn weaves magic, mystery, romance, and suspense in this wonderful retelling of a classic story.  Readers should be aware that the second book in the series will not be available until May 2016.

Landline

Cover retrieved from Goodreads

Landline

Rainbow Rowell

St. Martin's Press: 2014, 310 pages

Reviewed by Tori Lyons

Georgie and Neal's relationship was never easy.  While they loved each other deeply, her career as a writer for television comedies was always at odds with Neal's more reclusive nature.  But when Georgie had to forgo the family's annual Christmas visit to Neal's parents in Nebraska to focus on a new pilot she was pitching, she was devastated when Neal packed up their two daughters and went without her.  While spending the holidays at her mom's house in her childhood bedroom, Georgie discovers an unexpected way to reflect on the Christmas many years ago when Neal had proposed to her, and she wonders if maybe Neal wouldn't have been better off if it had never happened.  Landline provides an honest and genuine look at how relationships (and the people in them) change while still remaining the same.