This is a book I had stumbled unto after some research and I was longing to read it ever since. First of all it declares that everything we know about Alice in Wonderland is a lie, and the true story was twisted for profit and entertainment, instead of its real purpose which was to expose the reality of that world. That’s where the beauty of this book lies, in the twists Beddor has made to the classic tale. Where travelling takes place via reflective surfaces, where the White Rabbit is smart albino tutor named Bibwit Harte, where the Mad Hatter is skillful and dangerous bodyguard with a multitude of blades and sharp, hidden weapons, where The Smiling Cat is actually a malicious assassin and the Redd Queen is…well pretty much the same.
The plot is fairly simple. Alyss Heart was celebrating her seventh birthday much like any seven year old would, but her world was shattered when the kingdom of Wonderland was seized by her Aunt Redd. After a violent coup, her parents Queen Genevieve and King Nolan were killed, her best friend Dodge Anders was orphaned and Alyss herself was transported into our world, which was much different from Wonderland and where no one (in their right mind) would believe in the existence of her home. So with the future of Wonderland lying in this exiled princess, the story follows her life as she matures into an adult and the fate of Wonderland under Queen Redd’s rule.
Now the story is very straightforward, though the writing is so concise and simple that you could breeze through it in a short time if you wish. And the setting itself is very mature, with death, destruction, war and violence- which I came to expect when I first heard of the book. However the characters aren’t very engaging here- Redd is a very cliché villain, though it was entertaining watching people react to her temper. And Alyss and maybe Dodge to some extent are the only characters who grow somewhat as the story progresses. It was fairly good seeing her grow from a spoiled brat, to a humble and wise would-be Queen. But I would’ve still liked to see more- especially Hatter Madigan (luckily they’re two more sequels to check out).
All in all it’s a good read, especially for the world being presented here and hopefully the sequels would explore the characters a bit more. 3/5 stars.
