The Recommended Reading Order for White Rabbit Chronicles
To fully experience Alice "Ali" Bell's transition from a grieving teenager to a fierce spiritual warrior, we recommend following a hybrid chronological path. This order integrates Gena Showalter's main novels with the essential character-building novellas and short stories at the exact points where they add the most depth to the narrative.
- Alice in Zombieland (Book 1) (2012) – The essential starting point that introduces Ali, the Holland crew, and the spectral zombie war.
- Cole... Meet Ali (Book 1.5) (2014) – A companion short scene retelling their first meeting from Cole's perspective. Read this immediately after Book 1 to understand his side of the chemistry.
- Through the Zombie Glass (Book 2) (2013) – Continues Ali's training as she faces internal darkness and growing stakes.
- The Queen of Zombie Hearts (Book 3) (2014) – The explosive battle against Anima Industries that completes Ali's primary trilogy arc.
- Cole and Ali Get Married (Book 3.5) – A bonus short story that provides a romantic transition showing the couple's wedding.
- A Mad Zombie Party (Book 4) (2015) – The final main novel, shifting focus to Frosty and Milla as the survivors deal with the aftermath of the war.
- Kat in Zombieland (Book 4.5) (2017) – A companion novella focusing on Kat Parker's perspective during the final events.
White Rabbit Chronicles Books in Publication Order
If you prefer to read the books exactly as they were released to the public, the order is slightly different, particularly regarding the supplemental novellas that Gena Showalter published on her blog, Wattpad, or as special edition bonuses.
- Alice in Zombieland (2012) – The novel that launched the franchise.
- Through the Zombie Glass (2013) – The second main installment.
- The Queen of Zombie Hearts (2014) – The third main installment.
- Cole... Meet Ali (2014) – A short story originally published on the author's blog.
- A Mad Zombie Party (2015) – The fourth novel focusing on Frosty.
- Kat in Zombieland (2017) – Originally shared as a draft on Wattpad in 2015, this expanded novella was officially published in 2017.
- The White Rabbit Chronicles Complete Collection (2016) – A digital boxed set containing all four main novels alongside Lewis Carroll's original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Navigating the Chronological Order & Caveats
While the publication order is straightforward, reading chronologically offers a smoother narrative flow. For example, Cole... Meet Ali takes place concurrently with the early chapters of Alice in Zombieland, but reading it first would spoil the initial mystery of Cole's character. Reading it as Book 1.5 serves as the perfect post-introduction character study.
Similarly, Kat in Zombieland occurs parallel to and directly after the events of A Mad Zombie Party. Reading Kat's novella after Book 4 wraps up the emotional character arcs of the supporting cast beautifully, rather than jumping back and forth during the chaotic climax of the final battle.
What to Know Before You Start
Before diving into the series, readers should understand that Gena Showalter's zombies are not the typical brain-eating walking corpses seen in traditional horror. In this universe, zombies are invisible spirits that exist in a spectral plane, and only select humans with special spiritual sight—known as slayers—can see and fight them. When a zombie kills a slayer's spirit, the physical body dies soon after, raising the stakes beyond physical combat.
The series is heavily inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, utilizing clever nods like rabbit-shaped clouds, Carroll-inspired chapter titles, and character dynamics that mirror the classic tale, all wrapped in a gritty Alabama setting with high-stakes YA paranormal romance.
Standalone or Serialized?
The White Rabbit Chronicles is a highly serialized story. You cannot read these books as standalones. The plot of the first three books builds directly upon the previous installments, following a continuous character arc for Ali Bell and Cole Holland. While Book 4, A Mad Zombie Party, shifts its perspective to Frosty and Milla, it relies entirely on the world-building, tragedy, and resolution established in the first three books. Skipping any of the core novels will leave you completely lost in the lore and character relationships.
Companions and Collections
For readers looking to collect the entire physical or digital runs, the 2016 box set The White Rabbit Chronicles Complete Collection is an excellent choice, though it does not natively bundle the standalone novellas. To find the short stories like Cole... Meet Ali and Cole and Ali Get Married in one place, look for the 2019 collection titled Down the Rabbit Hole: The White Rabbit Chronicles Bonus Material, which compiles these hard-to-find scenes that were originally exclusive to special print editions and Showalter's personal blog.