Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Wonderland

It's dark, and it's messy and focuses a lot on mental health. But as a trans person, I could see a lot of similarities in mine and Alice's experiences. I love being able to see parts of myself in fictional characters.

Content Warnings

emilymay_reads's review

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Content Warnings

beesbumblebooks's review

Go to review page

adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I read three of Juno Dawsons Novels, and they are all written in a very fast pace, especially Clean and, now, Wonderland. Even though I say fuck the upper class, I love it in Dawsons novels, because the upperclass is fucked there. Which it probably is in real life? I don't know.

Wonderland had a kind of adventurous-mystery-story vibe. I kept wondering how much of that kind really happens in the upper class or if it's exaggerated or dramatic. I really liked that it was dramatic, though. The end was a bit to classic: First a showdown, waking up in a hospital, then being all I-found-myself-and-have-it-sorted-out. Yeah, but it's fine. <spoolerover>

Baby spoilers on personalities and vibe of story, also on the vibe of Dawson books:

What I really like about Dawsons novel is that she made up a world for all of them - the places are the same throughout the novels and bop up like easter eggs, which is very exciting when you've read the other novels. After a while one sees even a continuity and how Juno Dawson begins to intertwine the stories, or at least elements, into other ones. It's great and makes me feel like I know shit.

Other than that I immediatly loved the main character, Alice, because she's reflected, she's undramatic and just a good person without SHOWING HER MORALS WAH WAH WAH. All the characters are amazingly written. Most people have a small part in Alice's story, like in Alice in Wonderland she seems to meet them in one chapter, than moving on. Still each interaction sticks and seems important, the characters being on point and fully developed without saying much. I guess that's what good writers do - putting personalities into persons. Dawson doesn't seem to judge, she just describes different persons like: Yep, that's people, and it's brilliant.

I also want to add that all the sexual encounters are described with so much feeling, not needing to be explicit to transport what's happening and how incredible it feels, what the expierience does with one's mind. I'm always excited when book can capture something so intimate and unique so well. And also the description of being transgender and also struggling with mental illnes are so...yeah, undramatic, I'd say. They take part in everything, a thught here, and observation there, but interwoven in the story, showing it as it is, normal life, the experience of many people who just deal with it between all the other stuff that's happening. It sucks and then there are other things to be thought of. Or it's wonderful and then there comes real life shit.

Yeah, good book.

Content Warnings

tqlikesbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

"I've been known to visualise killing up to six people each morning before breakfast."

A fun, edgy Alice in Wonderland retelling with a pansexual trans girl protagonist, who makes questionable decisions but you can't help but root for her.
Y'know YA Contemporary is so not my genre (it wasn't even when I could be considered a 'Young Adult'), but somehow I can always trust Juno to deliver an thoroughly enjoyable story. I like the decadence and excess of her 'London Trilogy' (actually just very loosely related characters/stories in the same setting). I like the humour. It's just a jolly good time.

Did it veer into cheesy British SOAP levels of dramatic ridiculousness for the finale? Absolutely! Did that ruin my enjoyment? Not really!

Content Warnings