Eliza flees her parent’s political machinations only to stumble into another world and the arms of a man named Finn, who declares her the next Alice. Finn, nicknamed the White Rabbit for the form he can shift into, was sent to find the new Alice and bring her to court, for only she can declare whether Red or White reigns. Not to mention he’ll lose his head if he fails.
For Eliza to get home and Finn to survive, they’ll have to navigate two treacherous courts and their growing feelings for one another, while trying to unravel the curse that forces the Carroll women to journey to Wonderland. But a path to freedom for them both may be more than the magic of Wonderland can conjure…even for its new Alice.
Fairytales are fun for retellings and Alice in Wonderland has to be one of the funnest to do. This book was a great read. The tempo was great for this story. The reading was easy. And there was enough action to keep my interest.
Eliza Carroll or “Alice” is someone who knows how to play the society game even though she rather be in the library surrounded by books. She is observant and quiet, coming across as shy. But once she puts her mind to something, she is a force to be reckoned with. Eliza does not blindly trust people. You have to earn it.
Finn was someone who was afraid to lose the safety of the Red Court. His job was to bring Alice (Eliza) to the Red Court or lose his head. He showed a few sides of himself. There is the soft side he showed Eliza. The respectful side he showed the Red King and Chesa. And the dark side he showed everyone else. Finn had an interesting story and wonderful growth.
Chesa, she has to be my favorite character. Chesa is a very well written side character. I enjoyed every bit of her when she came onto the page. Her weirdness and knowledge unsettles the people of Wonderland.
Wonderland is the primary setting in this story (I mean, where else would an Alice story be?). The author does an amazing job of pulling you into this world. She twists the story in a way where you get the Wonderland you have known and gives you something new. The details in this world are wonderfully written. What I like is, as a reader, you get both sides of Wonderland, the beauty and the darkness.
I can see how Wonderland can be a fun location to write in. Wonderland was not a story I have read, so I only have the movies to go by. I enjoyed this story very much. Megan Van Dyke does a wonderful job in retellings, and I cannot wait to read more from her.
I recommend this story to all who likes fairytales, retellings, romance, fantasy, and magic.
*I received an ARC from the author, and this is my honest opinion.
I give this book a 5/5
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