Ever Alice Arc Review

It’s been a fair while since I have written a review, but as I am now getting more settled into university life, I have the time to devote to this blog again! I have missed this sooo much!

I received this book for free in return for an honest review.

Synopsis

Alice’s stories of Wonderland did more than raise a few eyebrows—it landed her in an asylum. Now at 15 years of age, she’s willing to do anything to leave, which includes agreeing to an experimental procedure. When Alice decides at the last minute not to go through with it, she escapes with the White Rabbit to Wonderland and trades one mad house for another: the court of the Queen of Hearts. Only this time, she is under orders to take out the Queen. When love, scandal, and intrigue begin to muddle her mission, Alice finds herself on the wrong side of the chopping block.

Review

I loved this book, and thought it was well written. Having got the impression from others that this book was not the best, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to reading it, but once I started it, I was hooked!

It was like she was invisible, like they’d already agreed to let her disappear.

The thing, I think that makes the story good, is that it relies n a passing knowledge of the original, but does not require you to have actually read it (as I haven’t – yet). While this story firmly states that it believes that Alice is imagining wonderland, it still does it in a way that makes it feel real. She is certainly experiencing this fantasy as if she was the ‘real’ world, and that makes it kind of true, doesn’t it?

Her mum told her Mary had gone to the university – a place of learning. Alice imagined it as a place of books with no pictures, and she never understood why anyone would want to read any of those.

This story and wonderland in certainly a lot darker than the original, with darker plots and more sinister outcomes, but it works, as Alice is 9 years older and has more experience of the world. It also means that there is less fantastical and whimsical elements to the story, as Alice projects her fears ad insecurities into Wonderland.

Everyone knew chicken noodle had no chicken in it whatsoever.

I think the dual perspective with the Queen of Hearts is also quite interesting. I feel like she became more human, and while still completely evil, she believes that she is doing right by her people and is a good ruler. There is obviously a lot going on politically that the reader never sees, and a lot of history that is never explored, but the weight of all of this is felt by the reader, and makes it a lot easier to get inside her head.

I exist no more and no less than I already do.

Admittedly this isn’t the best written book in the world, but it still makes for an enjoyable read, and I don’t regret requesting it. I found the ending was a bit rushed, but since it was abundantly clear to the reader what was going to happen (unless they have never read a book before), it wasn’t that big of a deal, it could arguably be called efficient. I give this book four stars.