mythos05's review against another edition
3.0
3/5 stars
Initial Thoughts:
From the beginning, I knew I would have a biased opinion about this book as I love Alice in Wonderland as well as well-written villain origin stories. I thought I would give this a higher rating. I was a bit disappointed in how the plot was handled. The first time I read this, it completely went over my head as I was more focused on the setting and the original characters were integrated. As I reread it, I found fewer and fewer reasons to like the book.
Characters:
Overall, my favorite character was still the Mad Hatter. I really liked how his character was integrated and how creative he was as a character. It was also a nice change from Dinah's usual blatant hatred. Dinah has to be one of my least favorite characters, along with the Chesire Cat. Although I liked Dinah at first, I grew tired of her narration throughout the book. I understand how she feels like an outcast in court due to her father, but that didn't give her the right to be cruel to Vittiore without getting to know her.
As previously stated, she spent the majority of her time in a rage, which made her an unreliable narrator. This can be seen through how she views other characters. For example, we are set up to believe that the villain of this book is Chesire. Yet Dinah shows none of this through her interactions with him. We barely get to know him as a character, much less his motivations. This makes him useless as a villain. In any case, we see the king as more of a villain due to how she views his actions. This also happens with Vittiore. We never get to know her because of how much Dinah hates her. We can get hints as to why she is here and what her motivations are, but that is quickly overshadowed by Dinah's hatred.
To Sum it Up
As much as I originally enjoyed this book, further inspection of the writing style and Dinah's character have ruined it for me. Dinah's anger tends to affect how other characters are written. I still give it a 3-star rating. I would not recommend it to anyone else. I will not be rereading this book, but I will continue reading the next book in the series out of curiosity. From there, I'll decide if it's worth it to read the series. I'm hoping Dinah grows because I really want to enjoy the series and don't want to abandon it.
Initial Thoughts:
From the beginning, I knew I would have a biased opinion about this book as I love Alice in Wonderland as well as well-written villain origin stories. I thought I would give this a higher rating. I was a bit disappointed in how the plot was handled. The first time I read this, it completely went over my head as I was more focused on the setting and the original characters were integrated. As I reread it, I found fewer and fewer reasons to like the book.
Characters:
Overall, my favorite character was still the Mad Hatter. I really liked how his character was integrated and how creative he was as a character. It was also a nice change from Dinah's usual blatant hatred. Dinah has to be one of my least favorite characters, along with the Chesire Cat. Although I liked Dinah at first, I grew tired of her narration throughout the book. I understand how she feels like an outcast in court due to her father, but that didn't give her the right to be cruel to Vittiore without getting to know her.
As previously stated, she spent the majority of her time in a rage, which made her an unreliable narrator. This can be seen through how she views other characters. For example, we are set up to believe that the villain of this book is Chesire. Yet Dinah shows none of this through her interactions with him. We barely get to know him as a character, much less his motivations. This makes him useless as a villain. In any case, we see the king as more of a villain due to how she views his actions. This also happens with Vittiore. We never get to know her because of how much Dinah hates her. We can get hints as to why she is here and what her motivations are, but that is quickly overshadowed by Dinah's hatred.
To Sum it Up
As much as I originally enjoyed this book, further inspection of the writing style and Dinah's character have ruined it for me. Dinah's anger tends to affect how other characters are written. I still give it a 3-star rating. I would not recommend it to anyone else. I will not be rereading this book, but I will continue reading the next book in the series out of curiosity. From there, I'll decide if it's worth it to read the series. I'm hoping Dinah grows because I really want to enjoy the series and don't want to abandon it.
inwonderland49's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. I think it has potential. Full review to come on 5/6/16
laceydbell's review against another edition
4.0
More of a 3.5 rating. Interesting retelling of the Queen of Hearts. Dragged at times, but I will definitely be continuing in this series!
catarinagc8's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
teveritt's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
josefiend's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
canadianbookaddict's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this one and really can't wait for the next book in this series.
shamma93's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars !!
I loved it !! And I'm not an Alice in Wonderland fan didn't expect to like it at all. Fast and emotional read, I loved Dinah so much oh my god !! Can't explain how much I felt heartbroken for her the humiliation she had to go through everyday not respected by the guard and her fu*** father! I understand that anger and hate come from a reason but his hate to his own daughter is the thing I don't understand the torture he made Dinah go through like seriously !! And Charles !! What crime did he commit to deserve to die? Oh my god I'm such an emotional mess !! However, I loved the book and defiantly going to continue reading the trilogy.
angelicasbooknook's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first book that I picked after a long book slump (around 2years). I feel like this book gave me mixed feelings about it.
What I liked about it is that it is different from other retellings that I have read. It does not tell the story from the point of view of Alice, rather it takes bits of references from Alice in Wonderland to tell another story. It is also a fast pace read so it is really good for someone who is in a book slump for a while or someone who wants a fast read.
What I did not like about this book is that there is not much action going on, but the scenes are still interesting. This book seems like an overview of what's happening in Wonderland and how the problem all started. I also wished I knew more about the other characters like Vittoire because she was only given little appearance in the book, and I am very much interested in her character.
Overall, it is still a good book to read. I am looking forward to read the other books in the series.
What I liked about it is that it is different from other retellings that I have read. It does not tell the story from the point of view of Alice, rather it takes bits of references from Alice in Wonderland to tell another story. It is also a fast pace read so it is really good for someone who is in a book slump for a while or someone who wants a fast read.
What I did not like about this book is that there is not much action going on, but the scenes are still interesting. This book seems like an overview of what's happening in Wonderland and how the problem all started. I also wished I knew more about the other characters like Vittoire because she was only given little appearance in the book, and I am very much interested in her character.
Overall, it is still a good book to read. I am looking forward to read the other books in the series.