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hopestar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
cozywithraven's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I really enjoyed this, it was such a fun read. It felt like the author really loved the idea of Wonderland and wanted to add to it (sometimes books like these feel more like they want to force a pre-existing concept into their own version). There was something about this that just sucked me in from the first few chapters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Confinement, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
bettysbookishworld's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Loved the narrator! She was the best thing about the book as she was changing voices to fit the characters, atmosphere and the plot of the story!
However, I didn't like the story at all. It had such a huge potential to be great as it had a dark undertone to the Alice in Wonderland. The idea that each generation visits the Wonderland because of the curse was interesting. But the execusion was horrible as the interesting story idea with a wonderful world-building was ruined by the characters. None of them were likeable, all of them were annoying after a certain point. Jeb was the worst. He was very controlling and toxic to Allyssa. She was very naive and was thinking only about the crush. Actually, the whole romance plot was very annoying because it is the basic teenage love triangel. Even though, I like reading YA Fantasy books, this one was just not my cup of tea at all.
However, I didn't like the story at all. It had such a huge potential to be great as it had a dark undertone to the Alice in Wonderland. The idea that each generation visits the Wonderland because of the curse was interesting. But the execusion was horrible as the interesting story idea with a wonderful world-building was ruined by the characters. None of them were likeable, all of them were annoying after a certain point. Jeb was the worst. He was very controlling and toxic to Allyssa. She was very naive and was thinking only about the crush. Actually, the whole romance plot was very annoying because it is the basic teenage love triangel. Even though, I like reading YA Fantasy books, this one was just not my cup of tea at all.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Medical trauma
_roctopus_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
My feelings about this are... conflicted to say the least.
I absolutely love the world and the story and the twist that Alyssa is a descendant of the Red Queen (or Queen Red) and not Alice like she originally believed . I love the creepier side of Wonderland and the adventure Alyssa went on. These parts of the book made me want to give this 4 or 5 stars.
That being said, I hate the love triangle with every fiber of my being. Especially Jeb. I hate him.
minor to medium spoilers detailing why:
He is very controlling of Alyssa always trying to protect her even when she doesn't need to be. This isn't cute in this case because he holds her back from what she is trying to accomplish, sometimes literally. And what's even worse is that she views this as good and romantic, she calls him her knight in shining armor which (ignoring how cringy that is) is disgusting. Alyssa knows more of what to do in this world, but Jeb acts like she is a weak girl in need of protection that only he can provide. The most infuriating part is that SHE LETS HIM and thinks of him as her savior. Her biggest character development is when he is not there and she finally thinks and acts all by herself realizing she can save herself. But even then she is still constantly wishing he was there and I just *screams*. Now I'm not saying Morpheus is a great option and honestly Alyssa should ditch them both, but he is by far the better option because he actually believes she can take care of herself.
I can live with a love triangle (heck my one of my favorite types of books are YA dystopian novels so I'm used to love triangles), but I cannot deal with this Jeb crap. It's honestly so toxic and Morpheus even sometimes points it out and Alyssa still doesn't care. Needless to say, I will not be continuing with the series because I cannot deal with this nonsense even if the adventure and world are amazing.
I absolutely love the world and the story
That being said, I hate the love triangle with every fiber of my being. Especially Jeb. I hate him.
minor to medium spoilers detailing why:
He is very controlling of Alyssa always trying to protect her even when she doesn't need to be. This isn't cute in this case because he holds her back from what she is trying to accomplish, sometimes literally. And what's even worse is that she views this as good and romantic, she calls him her knight in shining armor which (ignoring how cringy that is) is disgusting. Alyssa knows more of what to do in this world, but Jeb acts like she is a weak girl in need of protection that only he can provide. The most infuriating part is that SHE LETS HIM and thinks of him as her savior. Her biggest character development is when he is not there and she finally thinks and acts all by herself realizing she can save herself. But even then she is still constantly wishing he was there and I just *screams*. Now I'm not saying Morpheus is a great option and honestly Alyssa should ditch them both, but he is by far the better option because he actually believes she can take care of herself.
I can live with a love triangle (heck my one of my favorite types of books are YA dystopian novels so I'm used to love triangles), but I cannot deal with this Jeb crap. It's honestly so toxic and Morpheus even sometimes points it out and Alyssa still doesn't care. Needless to say, I will not be continuing with the series because I cannot deal with this nonsense even if the adventure and world are amazing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
Minor: Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexism, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Car accident