katattack345's review against another edition
While I enjoyed the authors attempt to recreate the writing style of Lewis Carroll, unlike the original he kept bouncing between too many characters perspectives with no telling who is who. It was terribly confusing and within the first 8 chapters he had about 5 different character perspectives going and not a single chapter explained who you were reading in the perspective of.
I doubt I will read any of his other works
I doubt I will read any of his other works
zanosgood's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-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? It's complicated
3.0
cheeriospank's review against another edition
1.0
So much potential...but all of it missed. The book screams of the author trying too hard. It is pretentious and overdone in parts and quickly thrown together in other. The pacing of the book is all over the place. The last few pages are the only somewhat interesting parts of the whole novel.
It makes me sad as I am a fan of Alice in Wonderland and have read many retellings or reimaginings if it that I loved, this falls so so short.
There have only been a few books I have ever wanted to put down and not finish and this was soooo hard to finish. Sad.
It makes me sad as I am a fan of Alice in Wonderland and have read many retellings or reimaginings if it that I loved, this falls so so short.
There have only been a few books I have ever wanted to put down and not finish and this was soooo hard to finish. Sad.
existenchellecrisis's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
cerilou's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
sylectra's review against another edition
3.0
This was a faithful treatment in the style of Alice in Wonderland, but I felt a bit like the action just wasn't centered on the right character. Ada just isn't as interesting as Alice. Sigh.
raquel_reading_stuff's review against another edition
2.0
While Maguire's Wicked Years 1-4 hold a treasure trove of fascinating characters and an exploration into philosophical themes, After Alice is a stunning example of how not even the most thought-provoking, ponderous paragraphs can make up for a clear lack of meaning, likeable characters, and captivating content.
The book switches between sections mainly from the point of view of Ada– Alice's friend who falls down the rabbit hole as well– and Lydia, Alice's older sister. You go back and forth between Down the Rabbit Hole and in the Real World, where governesses are freaking out and Darwin's presence is making everybody else nervous.
That's all it is.
No, I did not love Alice in Wonderland, but at least it was imaginative and novel and unique. Maguire takes scenes from it and has Ada come in a moment too late, after Alice has already moved on. None of his scenes in Wonderland are convincing or impactful because they all either seem like a) a rehashing of scenes we remember from Alice and Wonderland or b) passages meant to "make us think" or amuse us somehow with nonsense and arbitrary descriptions of how wonky Wonderland is, what with how much it changes around every minute, and the attention span of its habitants.
The only thing that kept me reading was the sections with Lydia. Lydia is coping with family strife in the Real World, dealing with growing up, etc– and reading about her Oxford life was interesting to me. Not quite relatable, obviously, but her character I found interesting.
Ada, on the other hand, was a nothing character. At the very end she seems to have learned or changed somewhat, but overall the story just happens to her. She doesn't do much. And nothing is more dull than that.
Read it for the philosophical paragraphs Maguire places in there a few times a chapter, but overall, the book is a waste of time with a pretty bow. I wish he'd just deleted everything with Ada and kept only the Real World stuff– so then it wouldn't be a repeat.
My least favorite Maguire, including Egg and Spoon. They can't all be winners!
The book switches between sections mainly from the point of view of Ada– Alice's friend who falls down the rabbit hole as well– and Lydia, Alice's older sister. You go back and forth between Down the Rabbit Hole and in the Real World, where governesses are freaking out and Darwin's presence is making everybody else nervous.
That's all it is.
No, I did not love Alice in Wonderland, but at least it was imaginative and novel and unique. Maguire takes scenes from it and has Ada come in a moment too late, after Alice has already moved on. None of his scenes in Wonderland are convincing or impactful because they all either seem like a) a rehashing of scenes we remember from Alice and Wonderland or b) passages meant to "make us think" or amuse us somehow with nonsense and arbitrary descriptions of how wonky Wonderland is, what with how much it changes around every minute, and the attention span of its habitants.
The only thing that kept me reading was the sections with Lydia. Lydia is coping with family strife in the Real World, dealing with growing up, etc– and reading about her Oxford life was interesting to me. Not quite relatable, obviously, but her character I found interesting.
Ada, on the other hand, was a nothing character. At the very end she seems to have learned or changed somewhat, but overall the story just happens to her. She doesn't do much. And nothing is more dull than that.
Read it for the philosophical paragraphs Maguire places in there a few times a chapter, but overall, the book is a waste of time with a pretty bow. I wish he'd just deleted everything with Ada and kept only the Real World stuff– so then it wouldn't be a repeat.
My least favorite Maguire, including Egg and Spoon. They can't all be winners!
melshappylife's review against another edition
3.0
I found this book to be a bit hard to read as it is a very literary approach to writing. Though that also made it exciting because it is so different from most current styles of writing. I really enjoyed the new spin on the behind the scenes of Alice's trip to wonderland. I particularly enjoyed Ada's adventures trying to find Alice.
snarkbrarian's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. It was wonderland but different. I kept hoping and waiting for all the characters to find each other. It felt like Alice in wonderland too which was great. I don't understand all the meh or negative reviews this book has gotten on here at all.
threeseagrass's review against another edition
2.0
So I read this a while ago and don't remember it so well now. Also, caveat: I read this during a pretty stressful time at school, and found it hard to even get through a Chapter a night. Whether it was because of this book, or because I was so tired, or because I could not figure out what this was all about because I was so tired, I can't say.
But, this book was confusing. Maybe it was meant to be that way. Wonderland is, after all, a strange and bizarre place where things are not as they seem. It's one thing to create a fantastic world where things are constantly changing and another when you completely lose your reader because absolutely nothing makes sense.
Tl;dr: didn't like the characters, didn't like the storyline, didn't like the writing. If this hadn't been an ARC, I would not have finished it.
Free copy provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review
But, this book was confusing. Maybe it was meant to be that way. Wonderland is, after all, a strange and bizarre place where things are not as they seem. It's one thing to create a fantastic world where things are constantly changing and another when you completely lose your reader because absolutely nothing makes sense.
Tl;dr: didn't like the characters, didn't like the storyline, didn't like the writing. If this hadn't been an ARC, I would not have finished it.
Free copy provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review