Reviews

Wonderland by Juno Dawson

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katie3129's review against another edition

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dark funny hopeful medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

katiebookqueen's review against another edition

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4.0

THE PLOT
Throughout this book we follow Alice, a student at a private London school. After spending a night with fellow student Bunny, Alice takes it upon herself to find out why she disappeared without a trace after their night together. Her journey leads her to Wonderland, an exclusive party for those high in society.

There’s nothing I love more than an exciting retelling of a classic story, and Alice in Wonderland always has so much potential with such a world to play with. What I especially liked about this version was that it was still set in our world, so the events, no matter how wild and dramatic, were still things that could possibly happen.

THE CHARACTERS
Alice, what can I say? I love her with my whole heart. She’s exactly the type of character we need more of in YA. Brutally honest, she says it like it is without apology. I appreciated slowly learning about her past as the story progressed. We come to know why she is on meds and the fears she has about returning to the dark place she was in. It was important that she referred to her therapist from time to time because I’ve read an alarming number of books that don’t shed a positive light on therapists from the beginning. It’s a part of life that we desperately need to normalise.I also loved how she openly discussed her body issues as a trans girl. This is exactly why we need more trans main characters in YA.

These versions of the Alice in Wonderland characters are genius. I’m a sucker for a set of characters that are…shall we say Morally Challenged? But they all have a complex and intriguing backstory that gives us a glimpse into their complicated lives.

REASONS TO LOVE
⭐ Setting and storytelling. The world of high society is always an interesting one. This book showcases how money can help people avoid consequences. As terrifying as it is, it still happens all the time.

⭐ Honest discussions about mental health. We see Alice slip into darker moments and what she experiences during them.

⭐ Character growth. It’s so rewarding to see Alice experiment and discover things about herself during her weekend at Wonderland.

⭐ Important topics. This book openly discusses drugs, self-harm, sexual assault, and much more. It doesn’t shy away from gritty details that need to be told.

⭐ PANSEXUAL REP!!!!!! I'm CONSTANTLY searching for pan characters in YA so I was thrilled when that was how Alice identified herself.

THE FINAL WORD
An engaging, dark, yet magical story, Wonderland never fails to give readers a surprise. It’s a re-imagining of a well-loved tale but manages to be unique and intriguing in its own right. Alice takes us on an unforgettable journey with her sarcastic and honest commentary entertaining us the whole way.

Reviewed @ The Queen of Teen Fiction

zoebasson's review against another edition

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5.0

“we’re not in kansas anymore, toto. or maybe we are, the usa has highly questionable gun laws.”

i picked this book up at the library a couple days ago, purely because of the synopsis. i completely just didn’t notice it was by juno dawson, and it came as a lovely surprise when i did, because i loved meat market when i read it. i don’t really know how to describe wonderland, because it did sort of feel like a fever dream, but that was probably due to me reading most of it in one sitting. it was actually one of the few books recently i felt i couldn’t put down.

i really liked how fast paced it was, and found the characters very interesting - even the ones i hated. i also loved the diversity amongst the teens, which felt quite natural and well-represented. the wonderland references were amazing and i just adored alice <3

gleigh96's review

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challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

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

1.5

It’s a bit of a self insert fantasy.

faemorgan's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars
Like I said in a previous update, I was going to take the diabetes comment seriously as it didn't sit right with me one bit. The overall story definitely felt madish like Wonderland and I have to admit that I felt a bit off while reading so I had to take a day off from reading it. The ending was okay, and I liked the relationships Alice had throughout the book, though a lot of them were definitely not great relationships. However, due to how I felt while reading I don't think I'll be reading again, though I am happy to have read it at least once.