As the future Queen of Wonderland’s coronation date comes closer, bloody events suggest something is happening. Still dealing with her abusive father and protecting her ‘mad’ brother, Dinah determines that she must be the one who discovers what’s happening.

---

Why this book?: I’d heard about it before, and it was for sale on kindle. Figured why not?

Why even have a summary?

One thing I hate the most is when the summary promises something, and the book doesn’t deliver. Intrigue? Nope. Mystery? Aha, what mystery? “Bloody events”? Unless you count the decapitated mouse head, then no.

This book was a huge disappointment. Besides skipping over everything that was promised in the summary, I found nothing at all interesting or new. Nothing original-just another retelling of Alice in Wonderland, taking the oh-so-unique idea of delving into the Queen of Hearts’s past. I have to admit, this is the first one I actually read, but after this one, I don’t think I’ll be reading another.

Instead of mystery, we get constant complaining from Dinah. Instead of “bloody events”, we get a severed mouse’s head and more complaining. That’s literally all this book was. Dinah complaining about one thing or another, whining, whining, and, yes, more whining.

I don’t even know what the mystery was supposed to be. There was one thing that pointed to there being a problem, and Dinah used her ‘super-sense’: “I can’t explain it, but I need to find her. Faina. This note wasn’t sent in malice, I can feel it.” 

One-sided characters

None of the characters were interesting. None of the characters were reminiscent of the White Rabbit or the Mad Hatter-in fact, the character that was called the Mad Hatter was basically a small child. He was described as small, and acted like a child, and I don’t see how that can be considered ‘mad’.

The romance between Wardley and Dinah was just so awkward. Dinah was obsessed with him, while he just ‘wanted to be friends’. Not only did I have to read through her unwanted advances towards him, but I also had to read how she kept doing it over and over again. 

And don’t even get me started on her father and Cheshire.

Final Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Overall?

This book was a huge disappointment. I found a few things interesting, but of what I did find interesting, they were brushed aside within a paragraph. The writing was somewhat decent, but that’s all I could really stand about this book. The characters were just cardboard cut-outs, some of which were obviously put in place only to get killed.

Would I Recommend?

Probably not. This was my first Alice in Wonderland retelling that I’ve read, and I was ultimately, hugely, disappointed. Overall, it’s completely up to you whether or whether not you read this book. But, in my opinion, find a different retelling.

---

Additional Information:

Published: May 3rd, 2016

Publisher: HarperTeen

Page Count: 306

Genre: Fantasy/YA/Retellings

Synopsis: via Goodreads

As Princess of Wonderland Palace and the future Queen of Hearts, Dinah’s days are an endless monotony of tea, tarts, and a stream of vicious humiliations at the hands of her father, the King of Hearts. The only highlight of her days is visiting Wardley, her childhood best friend, the future Knave of Hearts — and the love of her life.

When an enchanting stranger arrives at the Palace, Dinah watches as everything she’s ever wanted threatens to crumble. As her coronation date approaches, a series of suspicious and bloody events suggests that something sinister stirs in the whimsical halls of Wonderland. It’s up to Dinah to unravel the mysteries that lurk both inside and under the Palace before she loses her own head to a clever and faceless foe.

Part epic fantasy, part twisted fairy tale, this dazzling saga will have readers shivering as Dinahs furious nature sweeps Wonderland up in the maelstrom of her wrath.

Familiar characters such as Cheshire, the White Rabbit, and the Mad Hatter make their appearance, enchanting readers with this new, dark take on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.