Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Wonderland

Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Wonderland by Juno Dawson

23 reviews

enmcurrie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

I personally really enjoyed this book. It was certainly out there, and the plot was quite gritty and dark, dealing with tough themes. I loved the modern spin on the classic, Alice in Wonderland, I thought it was very clever. Dawson’s writing is also great at being able to lighten very dark topics with her humour in an appropriate way. It was very interesting to read about the path of self-destruction that these privileged characters go through as part of society’s (and specifically London’s) elite. The pace is fast, as the plot happens in one weekend. The main character is transgender, which is great as it adds diversity and provides representation. It was so interesting to have a further insight into the life of a trans young woman and how difficult it can be, such as how easy it is for her to be sexualised.

I think this novel is great, and tackles a lot of important topics. I would recommend to anyone that’s interested!

Content Warnings

thepretentiouspoet's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

When I began this book, I was expecting a modern retelling of Alice In Wonderland. What I got instead was a dark, messy, whirlwind adventure exploring sexuality, gender, womanhood, class, social privilege and mental health viscerally and honestly.

There is no way to prepare yourself for this book - it comes right at you. Alice was an immediately likeable protagonist; she's smart and morally sound, but just unstable enough that you have to keep your wits about you as she enters the bacchanel-like party of Wonderland in search of her one-night-stand who goes missing the next day. Her inner monologue is incredibly engaging, and there are so many incredibly wise and introspective one-liners or passing comments about gender presentation and femininity that shook me.

Then there are the discussions of privilege and social class that occur throughout the plot. Alice is a trans woman who goes to a very elite private school that is dominated by the upper classes. All those Gatsby-esque conversations about Old Money and New Money come into play as she navigates the party, and she begins to see just how deeply class loyalty and wealth run. The people she is rubbing elbows with are all deeply, deeply flawed, and most of that is as a result of their privilege. From the tortured genius stoner that replaces the Caterpillar to the YouTube star twins with no boundaries and even fewer morals to Paisley Hart herself, it is clear that you don't actually want to be a part of their cult-like class. How can a book manage to grip you on all levels?

I will say though, that I would not recommend this book to everyone. Just as Alice In Wonderland is bizarre and messy at points, this book is all of those things tenfold. Check those trigger warnings carefully, as there is a lot of messed-up stuff that happens and is discussed in this book, and it was almost too much for me at times. I will also add, although it isn't a registered content warning, that Alice experiences hallucinations at various points in the book - some are as a result of her excessive drug use, and others are as a result of her not taking the anti-psychotic medication that is prescribed to her.

However, if you can stomach the content warnings, I cannot recommend this enough. I read this book over a month ago and I can't stop thinking about it.

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anettainkeri's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

4.0

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fiekesfiction's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

It is very hard for me to describe “wonderland” by Juno Dawson because it was not what I expected it to be.

“If my hair isn’t blue, how will anyone know I’m transgender?”
“Natural colours only,” she says for the millionth time.
I smile slightly “Ms Grafton, I think I left natural behind years ago, don’t you?”

The story follows Alice. After she had a one night stand with Bunny, the girl has disappeared and no one seems to care. When she tries to find out what happened to her, Alice ends up in a strange party for the elite.

Even though this is written in a funny way, the story has a lot of darker things going on. Especially in the beginning with Alice making sarcastic comments, the story felt a bit light and I thought it would just be a quick fun read. But soon I realised that was absolutely not the case.

She winks again and walks off with my phone. It feels a lot like she’s removed a vital organ. I’d rather she’d taken a kidney to be franks, I have two of those and can’t watch memes on either.

Juno Dawson is very good at adding topical themes to her story in a clever way.

The Alice in wonderland retelling is very well done. This story has the same surreal feeling of things not being quite right, as the original story does. The wonderland in this case is obviously the different lives extremely rich and privileged people live. The world is a bit different for them.
It’s really obvious which characters are based on the original Alice in wonderland characters, but it was actually fun to compare them. I did think this story doesn’t really have a ‘plot’, mainly Alice is just stumbling around not really knowing what she’s doing, but it makes sense with the way this story ends and I think it also adds to the feeling of “wonderland” since the original tale is also really not a lot more than Alice trying to understand a strange world. The themes were great, the writing was funny and the main character was flawed but well developed.

“Is our collective self-esteem so waferthin that we rely on compliments from strangers for sustenance?”

I would recommend this to anyone who wants a very different and diverse story with themes of feminism and class.

Content Warnings

that_bookworm_guy's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

A clever modern day retelling of Alice in Wonderland featuring a trans main character, yes please!!

Throughout the book, there are quotes from Alice in Wonderland woven throughout and characters that share similarities to the original characters.

The story is interesting and strange, and honestly wild. But very enjoyable.

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.

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padfootsbookshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense 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? No

4.0

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tqlikesbooks's review against another edition

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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