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A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
The Wonderland Trials by Sara Ella
5.0
If there's one thing very dangerous when it comes to books it's looking forward to a book for a few months. If you have such high expectations of a book you do risk getting disappointed, after all. I was therefore both really excited to FINALLY start reading this book, since my pre-ordered copy came in yesterday, and terrified to do so. What if this book was not gonna be as great as I had hoped it would be? What if it wouldn't give me the true Wonderland feel?
There was absolutely no need to be afraid to start reading. I read a few pages before bedtime yesterday and I already had a hard time putting the book down, even though the book does have a sort of slow start. After all, we are promised trials in Wonderland and it takes our heroine quite some time to find and enter Wonderland to begin with and it takes even longer for the trials to start. But I really enjoyed the building up and anticipation, especially because our heroine shared those feelings.
I also really enjoyed how this book somehow is a mix of both fantasy and dystopia. Even more than almost each and every other wonderland retelling this tale feels firmly rooted in London. Which makes sense. It's more of an extra layer. A layer of reality only those with the special Wonder gen can see and experience. And how I wished I had that gen! This version of wonderland was magical and truly a world where everything is possible as long as you believe it is.
And while the world and the trials, that were action packed challenges with high stakes combined with riddles and puzzles, steal the show eventually, I also really loved the journey of our heroine. I've always identified with Alice and it somehow was even easier to identify with this version of her than with any other version I've ever encountered. Firstly because she wore glasses, but also because I'm currently working through the same themes and struggles.
I so can't wait for the sequel to be written and published!
There was absolutely no need to be afraid to start reading. I read a few pages before bedtime yesterday and I already had a hard time putting the book down, even though the book does have a sort of slow start. After all, we are promised trials in Wonderland and it takes our heroine quite some time to find and enter Wonderland to begin with and it takes even longer for the trials to start. But I really enjoyed the building up and anticipation, especially because our heroine shared those feelings.
I also really enjoyed how this book somehow is a mix of both fantasy and dystopia. Even more than almost each and every other wonderland retelling this tale feels firmly rooted in London. Which makes sense. It's more of an extra layer. A layer of reality only those with the special Wonder gen can see and experience. And how I wished I had that gen! This version of wonderland was magical and truly a world where everything is possible as long as you believe it is.
And while the world and the trials, that were action packed challenges with high stakes combined with riddles and puzzles, steal the show eventually, I also really loved the journey of our heroine. I've always identified with Alice and it somehow was even easier to identify with this version of her than with any other version I've ever encountered. Firstly because she wore glasses, but also because I'm currently working through the same themes and struggles.
I so can't wait for the sequel to be written and published!