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adri_ballantyne's review against another edition
2.0
I kept hoping this book would get more interesting. In the end I felt just like the main character, regret.
zoemaja's review against another edition
3.0
Kindle - bought from the bestselling list in Kindle story because it had interesting reviews and was cheap. So far it is good, but I'm not completely loving it.
lazygal's review against another edition
2.0
With a title like "Alison Wonderland" and jacket copy that says that the title character works for Fitzgerald's Bureau of Investigation (FBI, get it?) I was really hoping for something quirky - sort of Jasper Fforde-esque. Not so much.
Alison is in her 20s, somewhat adrift (she has a casual sex partner she finds "convenient", her neighbor writes her poems) when she gets a request from another 20-something, Taron. Taron wants Alison's help finding an abandoned baby to give to her (Taron's) mother to be raised as a witch. Their search is intertwined with Alison's work assignment to get some information on a company genetically modifying vegetables and animals (there's a cute sounding shig - a sheep/pig cross).
The parts could have added up to something interesting, but that never really happens. The drugs Alison and Taron take, the psychic aspects to Clive, the shig, and Phoebe's appearance don't fit together as well as they might. This might be because this is a self-published book, but the conceit of the book is never quite realized.
ARC provided by publisher.
Alison is in her 20s, somewhat adrift (she has a casual sex partner she finds "convenient", her neighbor writes her poems) when she gets a request from another 20-something, Taron. Taron wants Alison's help finding an abandoned baby to give to her (Taron's) mother to be raised as a witch. Their search is intertwined with Alison's work assignment to get some information on a company genetically modifying vegetables and animals (there's a cute sounding shig - a sheep/pig cross).
The parts could have added up to something interesting, but that never really happens. The drugs Alison and Taron take, the psychic aspects to Clive, the shig, and Phoebe's appearance don't fit together as well as they might. This might be because this is a self-published book, but the conceit of the book is never quite realized.
ARC provided by publisher.
isabelisalright's review against another edition
4.0
This book is different from many other books. It is honestly unlike any other book I have ever read. I love this book though. Helen Smith shows observations of people's actions and thoughts throughout the book in a way that many of us are not used to. They sometimes catch you off guard in the best kind of way while reading.
Overall I'm extremely happy I picked the book up for my kindle it was worth more than the 2.99 I paid for it.
Overall I'm extremely happy I picked the book up for my kindle it was worth more than the 2.99 I paid for it.
nyctei's review against another edition
2.0
I tried to take this as a quirky character study but even then it severely disappointed. The story went absolutely nowhere.
I can excuse lack of plot if I fall in love with the characters or the book inspires me. There was no deeper motive here. The characters were outlandish and 2 dimensional.
I can excuse lack of plot if I fall in love with the characters or the book inspires me. There was no deeper motive here. The characters were outlandish and 2 dimensional.
pickledpotato1021's review
1.0
Trigger/Content warnings may be considered spoilers about certain themes or plot twists in the story
Transphobic slur (not fag, meaning cigarette in the author's region); Sexism, Quid Pro Quo; Beastiality; Racist slur; Drug abuse; Fatphobia; Mentions of a dead baby; Child abandonment; Kidnapping
Alison Temple, a woman working for an all female PI company, gets a wild case, and then decides to go on a road trip with her best friend.
Helen Smith mentions an editor in her acknowledgements. I've written his name down so should I ever publish a book I stay far far away from him. Grammar rules are not followed, there's missing words everywhere, improper punctuation… I could go on. Smith also only uses first person POV for Alison. And really poorly done third person POV for chapters about any other character without giving a hint at who's POV we're following. There's non-stop run on sentences. Smith also decided to give us a paragraph with the world's most poorly written blowjob out of NOWHERE. She has a scene where Alison and Taron have done substances and proceed to drink booze to "take the edge off". I cannot stress how horribly awfully dangerous and DEADLY this is. Do not EVER mix substances and booze. There's a scene where an old man makes love to a sheep pig. Why? No clue. The author has an obsession with abandoned babies, substance abuse, and edge lord culture. Each character was awful in their own right. Alison Temple: Goes by Alison Wonderland 3-5 times the whole book. Private investigator who specializes in cheating men because she was cheated on. She is now (randomly) investigating some animal abuse drug experiment thing. Clive: Brother of Mrs. Fitzgerald (owner of the PI company Alison works for) who is mentally ill and plays into digesting, offensive, and harmful stereotypes. Taron: Drug using best friend of Alison. Has maybe 2 brain cells on a good day. Believes in every superstition known to man from every culture known to man. Wants Alison to find an abandoned baby for her mother who is lonely. Taron's mom: Claims to be a witch who communicates telepathically. Basically an insult to paganism. There’s also a slew of random characters we know nothing about or why they matter, and truly they don’t matter. In summary, Helen Smith made a mockery of Paganism, insulted fat people, promoted substance abuse and deadly mixing of substances and insulted Romani, transgender, and mentally ill people as well as women. The author and the editor of this book had to be intoxicated on something to publish this, and frankly anyone who gave it more than 3 stars had to be intoxicated while reading it.
Transphobic slur (not fag, meaning cigarette in the author's region); Sexism, Quid Pro Quo; Beastiality; Racist slur; Drug abuse; Fatphobia; Mentions of a dead baby; Child abandonment; Kidnapping
Alison Temple, a woman working for an all female PI company, gets a wild case, and then decides to go on a road trip with her best friend.
Helen Smith mentions an editor in her acknowledgements. I've written his name down so should I ever publish a book I stay far far away from him. Grammar rules are not followed, there's missing words everywhere, improper punctuation… I could go on. Smith also only uses first person POV for Alison. And really poorly done third person POV for chapters about any other character without giving a hint at who's POV we're following. There's non-stop run on sentences. Smith also decided to give us a paragraph with the world's most poorly written blowjob out of NOWHERE. She has a scene where Alison and Taron have done substances and proceed to drink booze to "take the edge off". I cannot stress how horribly awfully dangerous and DEADLY this is. Do not EVER mix substances and booze. There's a scene where an old man makes love to a sheep pig. Why? No clue. The author has an obsession with abandoned babies, substance abuse, and edge lord culture. Each character was awful in their own right. Alison Temple: Goes by Alison Wonderland 3-5 times the whole book. Private investigator who specializes in cheating men because she was cheated on. She is now (randomly) investigating some animal abuse drug experiment thing. Clive: Brother of Mrs. Fitzgerald (owner of the PI company Alison works for) who is mentally ill and plays into digesting, offensive, and harmful stereotypes. Taron: Drug using best friend of Alison. Has maybe 2 brain cells on a good day. Believes in every superstition known to man from every culture known to man. Wants Alison to find an abandoned baby for her mother who is lonely. Taron's mom: Claims to be a witch who communicates telepathically. Basically an insult to paganism. There’s also a slew of random characters we know nothing about or why they matter, and truly they don’t matter. In summary, Helen Smith made a mockery of Paganism, insulted fat people, promoted substance abuse and deadly mixing of substances and insulted Romani, transgender, and mentally ill people as well as women. The author and the editor of this book had to be intoxicated on something to publish this, and frankly anyone who gave it more than 3 stars had to be intoxicated while reading it.
theybedax's review against another edition
1.0
This is literally the single worst book I have ever read. Every moment was just complete drivel and I feel awful saying that about the written word. If you can write a sentence in your book that comments on the "nature of westness" and feel as if people should take your work seriously, you must be new to this. I would have never completed this title if it wasn't for Pop Sugar's 2015 Reading Challenge, but this book definitely lived up to "Read a book with bad reviews".
mart15inez's review against another edition
1.0
This was a confusing book - lots of distractions from the plot and characters and lots of irrelevant information. I don't think I'll be reading this author again any time soon.