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A review by ashley_apairofreaders
The Alice Curse by Megan Van Dyke
5.0
4.5/5
Special thank you to the author for sending me an eARC of this book!
I can always trust Megan Van Dyke to make me reconsider a fairytale I did not enjoy as a child. Alice in Wonderland is one of them. If that one had gone like this book, it probably would have been a favorite.
The plot:
Take everything you know about fucked-up world of Wonderland, toss in a curse, add a sexy cinnamon roll MMC, and include a pinch of political intrigue. Shake for best results. The story follows Eliza Carroll, who is just done with it all. After the death of her grandmother, she faces the manipulations of her scheming parents. As she flees, she runs into a rabbit...Next thing she knows, she's being dragged to Wonderland and told she is the next Alice. She has to decide which kingdom is in power to avoid an all-out Wonderlandian war. But what if she doesn't want to? Is there a way to break the Alice Curse? Can she do it?
I am a sucker for a good curse plotline. I love how it works in this context. I wish it revealed itself a bit earlier, but given who is telling the story of that curse, I would expect nothing less than chaos. I think the plot moves along quickly and sweeps you into the Wonderland world for a fun ride.
Character development:
Eliza's character is not Alice. She has more of a jaded edge to her that balances the naive version of Alice I remember from my childhood. She has more of a spark to her. I love that spark grows the more she learns about Wonderland and its happenings. She's not afraid to fight when she needs to.
Finn, Finn, Finn. When I read that this book turned the white rabbit into a shapeshifter -- I was like "are you sure about this, Megan?!" I was wrong to question it. Finn is a favorite of mine. I had just come off a morally grey character binge and so reading Finn's story was a nice escape. Finn's character is raw and resilient. He's the survivor to Eliza's fighter. I think he and Eliza play nicely off each other.
I also adore Chesa, the reimagined Chesire cat. But I do not want to completely spoil her character, so just read it.
I really enough this romantic retelling of Alice in Wonderland.
-A
Special thank you to the author for sending me an eARC of this book!
I can always trust Megan Van Dyke to make me reconsider a fairytale I did not enjoy as a child. Alice in Wonderland is one of them. If that one had gone like this book, it probably would have been a favorite.
The plot:
Take everything you know about fucked-up world of Wonderland, toss in a curse, add a sexy cinnamon roll MMC, and include a pinch of political intrigue. Shake for best results. The story follows Eliza Carroll, who is just done with it all. After the death of her grandmother, she faces the manipulations of her scheming parents. As she flees, she runs into a rabbit...Next thing she knows, she's being dragged to Wonderland and told she is the next Alice. She has to decide which kingdom is in power to avoid an all-out Wonderlandian war. But what if she doesn't want to? Is there a way to break the Alice Curse? Can she do it?
I am a sucker for a good curse plotline. I love how it works in this context. I wish it revealed itself a bit earlier, but given who is telling the story of that curse, I would expect nothing less than chaos. I think the plot moves along quickly and sweeps you into the Wonderland world for a fun ride.
Character development:
Eliza's character is not Alice. She has more of a jaded edge to her that balances the naive version of Alice I remember from my childhood. She has more of a spark to her. I love that spark grows the more she learns about Wonderland and its happenings. She's not afraid to fight when she needs to.
Finn, Finn, Finn. When I read that this book turned the white rabbit into a shapeshifter -- I was like "are you sure about this, Megan?!" I was wrong to question it. Finn is a favorite of mine. I had just come off a morally grey character binge and so reading Finn's story was a nice escape. Finn's character is raw and resilient. He's the survivor to Eliza's fighter. I think he and Eliza play nicely off each other.
I also adore Chesa, the reimagined Chesire cat. But I do not want to completely spoil her character, so just read it.
I really enough this romantic retelling of Alice in Wonderland.
-A