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oncemorewithreading's review
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Red Rogue Press for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
When I read the synopsis for this book, I was so eager to read it. This is a tale of after the famous Alice in Wonderland and how her life has drastically changed since that magical experience and I loved the idea of it starting with Alice being held in an asylum.
However that was as far as my love went for this book unfortunately. I felt that the story was quite bland in all honesty and was a bit of a disappointment. I felt like the plot was choppy and very rushed at the end.
Another big problem I had with this book is that I felt like Alice was very much a secondary character in her own story. She made no real decisions about her life, allowing other people to decide what she was to do until the very last section of the book and for me, that was too late for me to feel emotionally connected to Alice.
Rosamund’s chapters were enjoyable at the beginning but then it just felt very repetitive and just felt very bland. I honestly would have liked to have read more about her childhood and her relationship with her sister rather then read conversations she had with her dead lovers.
I wanted to like this book, I wanted to fall in love with a re-telling of Alice which touched on how her life had changed after Wonderland but I honestly couldn’t find myself connecting with the story or the characters.
When I read the synopsis for this book, I was so eager to read it. This is a tale of after the famous Alice in Wonderland and how her life has drastically changed since that magical experience and I loved the idea of it starting with Alice being held in an asylum.
However that was as far as my love went for this book unfortunately. I felt that the story was quite bland in all honesty and was a bit of a disappointment. I felt like the plot was choppy and very rushed at the end.
Another big problem I had with this book is that I felt like Alice was very much a secondary character in her own story. She made no real decisions about her life, allowing other people to decide what she was to do until the very last section of the book and for me, that was too late for me to feel emotionally connected to Alice.
Rosamund’s chapters were enjoyable at the beginning but then it just felt very repetitive and just felt very bland. I honestly would have liked to have read more about her childhood and her relationship with her sister rather then read conversations she had with her dead lovers.
I wanted to like this book, I wanted to fall in love with a re-telling of Alice which touched on how her life had changed after Wonderland but I honestly couldn’t find myself connecting with the story or the characters.
boundlesspagesgabby's review
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Red Rogue Press for providing me with this eARC (Advanced Reading Copy) in exchange for an unbiased review.
I enjoyed the new take on the story and the idea of showing what was happening to Alice after the years that she’s been back from Wonderland. Another thing, that I personally enjoy in books, was the way the chapters were written, with variation between Alice’s or The Queen’s side of the story. It kept a nice pace throughout the book. I also liked the ending, but I don’t wanna give any spoilers away!
However, I really struggled to keep on reading and had to persevere through sheer will power to finish it. The book didn’t make me excited to read it, I felt bored quite a lot of the time. The story itself took quite a long time to pick up speed and develop into something. At times, the story felt like it was really stretched out in order to fill up some pages. It felt fairly repetitive at times and slow going, even though there weren’t any hefty descriptions.
The story also didn’t make me root for any particular character. They were all quite one-dimensional and not very elaborate. Just a bit bland in general.
Read my full review on my blog: https://boundlesspages.home.blog/2019/08/01/review-ever-alice-by-h-j-ramsay/
I enjoyed the new take on the story and the idea of showing what was happening to Alice after the years that she’s been back from Wonderland. Another thing, that I personally enjoy in books, was the way the chapters were written, with variation between Alice’s or The Queen’s side of the story. It kept a nice pace throughout the book. I also liked the ending, but I don’t wanna give any spoilers away!
However, I really struggled to keep on reading and had to persevere through sheer will power to finish it. The book didn’t make me excited to read it, I felt bored quite a lot of the time. The story itself took quite a long time to pick up speed and develop into something. At times, the story felt like it was really stretched out in order to fill up some pages. It felt fairly repetitive at times and slow going, even though there weren’t any hefty descriptions.
The story also didn’t make me root for any particular character. They were all quite one-dimensional and not very elaborate. Just a bit bland in general.
Read my full review on my blog: https://boundlesspages.home.blog/2019/08/01/review-ever-alice-by-h-j-ramsay/
malligal's review
4.0
If you don’t know me, a fair warning going into this review: I’m an Alice in Wonderland junkie! In fact, so far, 5 of my 2019 reads have been Alice in Wonderland re-tellings. So going into Ever Alice, I knew there was a pretty good chance I was going to enjoy the book.
Ever Alice begins with a 15 year old Alice, having been admitted to an asylum after years of regaling her family and doctors with tales of her adventures in Wonderland. Upon being transferred to a new asylum with questionable procedures, the White Rabbit comes to Alice, pleading with her to return to Wonderland to kill the evil Queen of Hearts.
Has it been done before? Yes.
Will it be done again? Probably.
Will I read each and every version written? Oh, yeah!
One of the things I enjoyed the most about Ever Alice, was that it was written as a sort of sequel to the original stories. That meant that instead of having characters that vaguely resemble your favorites, they were actually the same characters you loved, or loved to hate. Many different events from the original stories were referenced as past events, so it added a huge sense of, “I remember that!” Because of this, Ever Alice really felt like a continuation of the originals.
I read a few reviews in preparation to begin my own, and a lot of them seemed to think the story was boring. I didn’t find Ever Alice to be boring at all. I found it entertaining and interesting. I enjoyed getting a deeper look into the Queen of Hearts and her Queendom, and only regret that I wasn’t able to learn a little more about the politics of the the other Kingdoms and about Rosamund’s relationships with her family and lovers.
Though I did enjoy the story, it wasn’t without its issues. There were a couple aspects that weren’t ever fully explained. Mainly the disembodied heads. What the heck happened with those guys? And why did they come to the Queen yelling about revenge, and then try to help her find the plotters?? Seems like sort of an unnecessary and unfinished side-plot. The ending sort of felt a little rushed and not quite as planned out as the rest of the story.
On the other hand, Ever Alice’s ending shook me! I loved it! It was twisted, absolutely unexpected, equally awesome and totally worth the read!
All in all, If you are a fan of the original series, or Alice re-imaginings in general, I would thoroughly recommend Ever Alice. It’s an entertaining read that gives you a little bit of politics, a little romance, some nostalgia and a great big heaping pile of nonsense!
Thank you so much to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the Ever Alice ARC, in exchange for an honest review.
Ever Alice begins with a 15 year old Alice, having been admitted to an asylum after years of regaling her family and doctors with tales of her adventures in Wonderland. Upon being transferred to a new asylum with questionable procedures, the White Rabbit comes to Alice, pleading with her to return to Wonderland to kill the evil Queen of Hearts.
Has it been done before? Yes.
Will it be done again? Probably.
Will I read each and every version written? Oh, yeah!
One of the things I enjoyed the most about Ever Alice, was that it was written as a sort of sequel to the original stories. That meant that instead of having characters that vaguely resemble your favorites, they were actually the same characters you loved, or loved to hate. Many different events from the original stories were referenced as past events, so it added a huge sense of, “I remember that!” Because of this, Ever Alice really felt like a continuation of the originals.
I read a few reviews in preparation to begin my own, and a lot of them seemed to think the story was boring. I didn’t find Ever Alice to be boring at all. I found it entertaining and interesting. I enjoyed getting a deeper look into the Queen of Hearts and her Queendom, and only regret that I wasn’t able to learn a little more about the politics of the the other Kingdoms and about Rosamund’s relationships with her family and lovers.
Though I did enjoy the story, it wasn’t without its issues. There were a couple aspects that weren’t ever fully explained. Mainly the disembodied heads. What the heck happened with those guys? And why did they come to the Queen yelling about revenge, and then try to help her find the plotters?? Seems like sort of an unnecessary and unfinished side-plot. The ending sort of felt a little rushed and not quite as planned out as the rest of the story.
On the other hand, Ever Alice’s ending shook me! I loved it! It was twisted, absolutely unexpected, equally awesome and totally worth the read!
All in all, If you are a fan of the original series, or Alice re-imaginings in general, I would thoroughly recommend Ever Alice. It’s an entertaining read that gives you a little bit of politics, a little romance, some nostalgia and a great big heaping pile of nonsense!
Thank you so much to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the Ever Alice ARC, in exchange for an honest review.
bookishwiccan's review
3.0
Didn't captivate me as much as I was hoping, but still enjoyed the read enough to finish it.
mypapercrane's review
3.0
An interesting retelling of Alice In Wonderland, or rather what happened to Alice after her adventures. This novel begins when Alice is 15 and being treated in a mental health facility because of her time spent in Wonderland.
Despite being set in a grime place it was a fun read with a lot of old familiar characters.
I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for my honest review.
Despite being set in a grime place it was a fun read with a lot of old familiar characters.
I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for my honest review.
natalie7193's review
4.0
Love retellings so I immediately wanted to read this one! Thanks netgalley!
I loved it, fast paced and felt a lot like the original to me (which I love)
I loved it, fast paced and felt a lot like the original to me (which I love)
kba76's review
3.0
Thank you NetGalley for opening up a whole new way of looking at a classic read.
In this, Alice is thought to be mad and suffering with delusions that have helped her create another world. She’s taken for experimental treatment, and the way this is set-up suggests strongly that all the adventures in Wonderland are the product of a diseased mind.
Whatever your view of the Alice stories, this interpretation offers us some insight into the character of The Queen of Hearts and introduces us to very different ways of viewing the events in Wonderland.
In this, Alice is thought to be mad and suffering with delusions that have helped her create another world. She’s taken for experimental treatment, and the way this is set-up suggests strongly that all the adventures in Wonderland are the product of a diseased mind.
Whatever your view of the Alice stories, this interpretation offers us some insight into the character of The Queen of Hearts and introduces us to very different ways of viewing the events in Wonderland.
booksare42's review
4.0
I received this book to read and review as part of the BBNYA 2020 tours organised by the @The_WriteReads tours team in exchange for an honest review. If you want some more information about BBNYA, keep reading because I have some information about how you can be part of the 2021 BBNYA competition after my review!
Ever Alice is a dark and twisty tale that takes place a few years after Alice’s first adventures in Wonderland. It’s full of scandal, intrigue, lies, and deception, with a tiny bit of love thrown in for good measure. If you’re a fan of Alice in Wonderland, this book needs to be up next on your TBR because you will not be disappointed.
I don’t know what I was expecting when I picked up this book because, on the one hand, it sounded fantastic, but on the other hand, I don’t care for Alice in Wonderland. Fortunately, this book had enough twists and turns to keep me hooked until the end, and I was not disappointed. It was full of familiar faces from Alice in Wonderland and some new characters to give us a deeper look into the Queen of Heart’s court and Wonderland as a whole.
My favourite thing about this book was the Queen of Hearts, or as she’s known in his book, Rosamund. I’ve always The Queen of Hearts is usually one of the first characters to pop into my head when I have to list villains, and this book was a deep dive into her character. Rosamund is vain and paranoid. She’s convinced that there’s a traitor, and she’ll behead whoever she has to figure out who it is. Throughout the book, you can see her spiralling downwards as she becomes convinced that more and more people are against her.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Alice in this book, but to be fair, I’ve never been much of a fan of Alice. I thought that Alice was a bit of a pushover and that she didn’t have a lot of original thoughts. To be fair, though, Alice returned to Wonderland to help carry out a dark and sinister plot, and that doesn’t leave much room for original thought.
On another note, I did not like the asylum aspect of this book. It doesn’t surprise me that Alice was sent to an asylum after her first adventures in Wonderland, but I wasn’t a fan of it. The parts where Alice was in the asylum made me feel anxious, and in the future, I’m going to avoid books that feature asylums for my mental health.
Another thing that I liked about this book was getting a deeper look at Wonderland. Wonderland is a fascinating setting, and I enjoyed exploring it more and learning more about it. This book is full of the topsy turvy language that you would expect to find in Wonderland, and it takes a little while to get used to. This book is darker than I expected, so I don’t think whimsical is the right word to describe Wonderland, but it’s still strange and lopsided.
Overall, this wasn’t my favourite book because I’m generally not a fan of Alice in Wonderland. However, I plan on screaming about this book for a long time because I know a lot of people who love Alice and Wonderland, and I think they need this book in their lives ASAP.
Ever Alice is a dark and twisty tale that takes place a few years after Alice’s first adventures in Wonderland. It’s full of scandal, intrigue, lies, and deception, with a tiny bit of love thrown in for good measure. If you’re a fan of Alice in Wonderland, this book needs to be up next on your TBR because you will not be disappointed.
I don’t know what I was expecting when I picked up this book because, on the one hand, it sounded fantastic, but on the other hand, I don’t care for Alice in Wonderland. Fortunately, this book had enough twists and turns to keep me hooked until the end, and I was not disappointed. It was full of familiar faces from Alice in Wonderland and some new characters to give us a deeper look into the Queen of Heart’s court and Wonderland as a whole.
My favourite thing about this book was the Queen of Hearts, or as she’s known in his book, Rosamund. I’ve always The Queen of Hearts is usually one of the first characters to pop into my head when I have to list villains, and this book was a deep dive into her character. Rosamund is vain and paranoid. She’s convinced that there’s a traitor, and she’ll behead whoever she has to figure out who it is. Throughout the book, you can see her spiralling downwards as she becomes convinced that more and more people are against her.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Alice in this book, but to be fair, I’ve never been much of a fan of Alice. I thought that Alice was a bit of a pushover and that she didn’t have a lot of original thoughts. To be fair, though, Alice returned to Wonderland to help carry out a dark and sinister plot, and that doesn’t leave much room for original thought.
On another note, I did not like the asylum aspect of this book. It doesn’t surprise me that Alice was sent to an asylum after her first adventures in Wonderland, but I wasn’t a fan of it. The parts where Alice was in the asylum made me feel anxious, and in the future, I’m going to avoid books that feature asylums for my mental health.
Another thing that I liked about this book was getting a deeper look at Wonderland. Wonderland is a fascinating setting, and I enjoyed exploring it more and learning more about it. This book is full of the topsy turvy language that you would expect to find in Wonderland, and it takes a little while to get used to. This book is darker than I expected, so I don’t think whimsical is the right word to describe Wonderland, but it’s still strange and lopsided.
Overall, this wasn’t my favourite book because I’m generally not a fan of Alice in Wonderland. However, I plan on screaming about this book for a long time because I know a lot of people who love Alice and Wonderland, and I think they need this book in their lives ASAP.
kerrithebookbelle's review
2.0
Trigger warning: genre typical violence, murder, beheading, gaslighting
***I was granted an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are uninfluenced.***
Ever Alice follows Alice several years after she returns from Wonderland. Her family has placed her in an asylum for treatment, but the White Rabbit comes back for her and she returns to Wonderland as part of a secret organization trying to kill the Queen of Hearts, Rosamund.
This started off super strong and then quickly deteriorated. Alice started off as a fun character with personality and strength but somehow by the 50% mark had devolved to the blandest of bland white girls. Literally, there was a whole scene where Alice is crushing on the Prince of Hearts and she says not ONE thing the whole "conversation"; the guy ends up carrying the whole convo.
Aside from the character devolution, the plot itself became less and less engaging as it went on. Again, it started strong but quickly it became super slow. If you're a fan of slow, political stories, you may enjoy this but I need plot and action to enjoy a story so I slogged through most of this.
I will say that originally thought that the ending wrapped up too nicely but then one chapter completely changed my mind. Unfortunately, a solid ending wasn't able to redeem the majority of the book being a whole lot of nothing. So while I enjoyed the fun easter eggs from the original story throughout, overall I wouldn't really recommend this one. There's plenty of Alice retellings out there, and this unfortunately was not one of the better ones.
***I was granted an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are uninfluenced.***
Ever Alice follows Alice several years after she returns from Wonderland. Her family has placed her in an asylum for treatment, but the White Rabbit comes back for her and she returns to Wonderland as part of a secret organization trying to kill the Queen of Hearts, Rosamund.
This started off super strong and then quickly deteriorated. Alice started off as a fun character with personality and strength but somehow by the 50% mark had devolved to the blandest of bland white girls. Literally, there was a whole scene where Alice is crushing on the Prince of Hearts and she says not ONE thing the whole "conversation"; the guy ends up carrying the whole convo.
Aside from the character devolution, the plot itself became less and less engaging as it went on. Again, it started strong but quickly it became super slow. If you're a fan of slow, political stories, you may enjoy this but I need plot and action to enjoy a story so I slogged through most of this.
I will say that originally thought that the ending wrapped up too nicely but then one chapter completely changed my mind. Unfortunately, a solid ending wasn't able to redeem the majority of the book being a whole lot of nothing. So while I enjoyed the fun easter eggs from the original story throughout, overall I wouldn't really recommend this one. There's plenty of Alice retellings out there, and this unfortunately was not one of the better ones.