Scan barcode
keraashley's review against another edition
0.25
Absolutely the fuck NOT.
This is the most disturbing and horrific book I’ve ever read.
This is 300 pages of someone’s r*pe fantasy. Every woman in this book has been assaulted in some way, and is still under constant threat of being snatched and abused by any man walking by on the street. And nearly every woman besides Alice is characterized as nothing more than “sad sex slave”. Alice admits herself that she hasn’t mentally aged past 16 (she’s 26) when she got put in the mental hospital and then starts dating an axe murderer man who is almost 40. Who is almost overcome by lust to assault her multiple times. Even tho he knows she’s already been r*ped. And so was his wife!! Which sent him into a murderous rage and got him put in the hospital. One of the villains is so disgusting that I dnf’ed immediately, skipped to the end to see how it wraps up and even missing most of the book, it is the dumbest and most unsatisfying ending to Alice’s “revenge” against the man that assaulted her and mutilated her face as a way to “claim her”. The writing and plot/character development is bad and nearly nonexistent. Please explain how a girl locked up for 10 years with no skills could murder the worst mob bosses in the city simply by “catching them by surprise”?? But nothing can make up for the plot and constant violence against women.
This is the most disturbing and horrific book I’ve ever read.
This is 300 pages of someone’s r*pe fantasy. Every woman in this book has been assaulted in some way, and is still under constant threat of being snatched and abused by any man walking by on the street. And nearly every woman besides Alice is characterized as nothing more than “sad sex slave”. Alice admits herself that she hasn’t mentally aged past 16 (she’s 26) when she got put in the mental hospital and then starts dating an axe murderer man who is almost 40. Who is almost overcome by lust to assault her multiple times. Even tho he knows she’s already been r*ped. And so was his wife!! Which sent him into a murderous rage and got him put in the hospital. One of the villains is so disgusting that I dnf’ed immediately, skipped to the end to see how it wraps up and even missing most of the book, it is the dumbest and most unsatisfying ending to Alice’s “revenge” against the man that assaulted her and mutilated her face as a way to “claim her”. The writing and plot/character development is bad and nearly nonexistent. Please explain how a girl locked up for 10 years with no skills could murder the worst mob bosses in the city simply by “catching them by surprise”?? But nothing can make up for the plot and constant violence against women.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
kathinotkaaati's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, and Murder
Minor: Physical abuse, Slavery, and Fire/Fire injury
tenjusahari's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
TW: Sexuelle Inhalte, sexueller Missbrauch uä.
Ich habe sehr gemischte Gefühle zu diesem Buch. An sich hat es mir gefallen, auch wenn es sehr brutal ist, in der Beschreibung und in jedem Kapitel wird das Thema Vergew*ltigung oä. mindestens einmal erwähnt. Ist nichts für jeden, was es auch nicht sein muss.
Die Idee Alice im Wundeland als eine düstere Geschichte zu schreiben, ist sehr interessant und cool, das gefiel mir von Anfang an und auch, dass Leser*innen nicht direkt wissen, was es mit der Anstalt und der Vergangenheit von der Protagonistin auf sich hat, aber der Storyverlauf war etwas merkwürdig finde ich.
An sich ist es cool, dass die Geschichte einem gewissen roten Faden gefolgt ist, aber die „Kämpfe“ mit den Anführern der Viertel waren immer sehr kurz und irgendwie hat es sich angefühlt, als wären sie noch schnell reingeqäuscht worden, um schnell zum nächsten großen Gegner über zu gehen, sobald alle Infos abgefrüstückt waren. Fand ich irgendwie schade.
Alice hat sich gut entwickelt in der Geschichte, wie ich finde. Sie wurde immer stärker, besonders mental.
Hatcher mochte ich nicht so gern, wie vielleicht von der Autorin gewollt war. Er ist ungünstig aufgewachsen und alles gut und schön, aber er hat gesagt, er würde Alice umbringen, bevor sie an Männer ausgeliefert werden kann. Excuse me, hast du sie gefragt, ob sie das möchte? Sie hat nicht einmal zugesagt und auch wenn das ein besseres Schicksal ist, ich hab das Gefühl durch seine physische Überlegenheit, drängt er Alice in eine Rolle, in der er über sie die Kontrolle hat. Er ist offensichtlich ein Mann, der Kontrolle (pber fast alles) braucht, aber das hat mich sehr stark genervt. Klar ist Alice körperlich schwächer, aber er maßt sich ebenso an, in dem er sie eigenhändig töten wollte für den Fall, dass etwas passiert, über ihren Körper und Willen hinweg zu entscheiden. Find ich schwierig.
Auch dass Hatcher im Haus der Raupe so auf die Frauen geschielt hat. Wow, du hattest ewig nichts Körperliches, gut ist doof, aber auch nur der Gedanke daran, gefangene und gezwungene Frauen anzuhimmeln und das damit zu entschuldigen, dass er ein Mann ist-unangebracht, muss nicht sein. Ich find Frauen auch attraktiv, hätte in dem Moment aber nicht in Mindesten daran gedacht, eine davon für meine Triebe zu benutzen. Das ist widerlich (auch wenn er es nicht getan hat).
Auch dass Hatcher Alice einmal mit seiner Tochter verwechselt hat, als er verwirrt war. Okay, du hattest eine schwere Vergangenheit, aber wtf. Das war sehr unangenehm im Nachhinein betrachtet.
Er hat gute Momente, aber er ist auch sehr kritisch, wie ich finde.
Grinser hingegen fand ich gut geschrieben. Alice hat am Ende gedacht, dass er kein Held ist, aber das hat Grinser auch nie behauptet oder sein wollen. Er ist nicht der beste Mensch, aber er war immerhin hilfreich und hat einen vielfältigen Charakter. Ich mag ihn irgenwie.
An sich ist das Buch gut, mit ein paar sehr anstrengenden Momenten und kurzen spannenden Momenten. Aber dennoch interessant. Sollte man nur lesen, wenn der Gemütszustand mit solchen schweren und brutalen Themen zurechtkommt :)
Ich habe sehr gemischte Gefühle zu diesem Buch. An sich hat es mir gefallen, auch wenn es sehr brutal ist, in der Beschreibung und in jedem Kapitel wird das Thema Vergew*ltigung oä. mindestens einmal erwähnt. Ist nichts für jeden, was es auch nicht sein muss.
Die Idee Alice im Wundeland als eine düstere Geschichte zu schreiben, ist sehr interessant und cool, das gefiel mir von Anfang an und auch, dass Leser*innen nicht direkt wissen, was es mit der Anstalt und der Vergangenheit von der Protagonistin auf sich hat, aber der Storyverlauf war etwas merkwürdig finde ich.
An sich ist es cool, dass die Geschichte einem gewissen roten Faden gefolgt ist, aber die „Kämpfe“ mit den Anführern der Viertel waren immer sehr kurz und irgendwie hat es sich angefühlt, als wären sie noch schnell reingeqäuscht worden, um schnell zum nächsten großen Gegner über zu gehen, sobald alle Infos abgefrüstückt waren. Fand ich irgendwie schade.
Alice hat sich gut entwickelt in der Geschichte, wie ich finde. Sie wurde immer stärker, besonders mental.
Hatcher mochte ich nicht so gern, wie vielleicht von der Autorin gewollt war. Er ist ungünstig aufgewachsen und alles gut und schön, aber er hat gesagt, er würde Alice umbringen, bevor sie an Männer ausgeliefert werden kann. Excuse me, hast du sie gefragt, ob sie das möchte? Sie hat nicht einmal zugesagt und auch wenn das ein besseres Schicksal ist, ich hab das Gefühl durch seine physische Überlegenheit, drängt er Alice in eine Rolle, in der er über sie die Kontrolle hat. Er ist offensichtlich ein Mann, der Kontrolle (pber fast alles) braucht, aber das hat mich sehr stark genervt. Klar ist Alice körperlich schwächer, aber er maßt sich ebenso an, in dem er sie eigenhändig töten wollte für den Fall, dass etwas passiert, über ihren Körper und Willen hinweg zu entscheiden. Find ich schwierig.
Auch dass Hatcher im Haus der Raupe so auf die Frauen geschielt hat. Wow, du hattest ewig nichts Körperliches, gut ist doof, aber auch nur der Gedanke daran, gefangene und gezwungene Frauen anzuhimmeln und das damit zu entschuldigen, dass er ein Mann ist-unangebracht, muss nicht sein. Ich find Frauen auch attraktiv, hätte in dem Moment aber nicht in Mindesten daran gedacht, eine davon für meine Triebe zu benutzen. Das ist widerlich (auch wenn er es nicht getan hat).
Auch dass Hatcher Alice einmal mit seiner Tochter verwechselt hat, als er verwirrt war. Okay, du hattest eine schwere Vergangenheit, aber wtf. Das war sehr unangenehm im Nachhinein betrachtet.
Er hat gute Momente, aber er ist auch sehr kritisch, wie ich finde.
Grinser hingegen fand ich gut geschrieben. Alice hat am Ende gedacht, dass er kein Held ist, aber das hat Grinser auch nie behauptet oder sein wollen. Er ist nicht der beste Mensch, aber er war immerhin hilfreich und hat einen vielfältigen Charakter. Ich mag ihn irgenwie.
An sich ist das Buch gut, mit ein paar sehr anstrengenden Momenten und kurzen spannenden Momenten. Aber dennoch interessant. Sollte man nur lesen, wenn der Gemütszustand mit solchen schweren und brutalen Themen zurechtkommt :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
frannydo's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Trafficking
jkandert2's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, and Sexual harassment
z0z's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Everyone knows of the typical plot diagram, right? Welp this author decided to make the climax of the book start within the first few chapters. The two monsters Jabberwocky and The Rabbit that were in nightmares had the worst final seen. I got kinda upset about he was so weak from her stabbing him in the back & eye and just asked her to end him. Like what monster of dreams says that?! I was expecting her to go back to the comfort of her own ways. he would invite her to a tea party except the feeling of youthfulness joy were replaced with guilt & discussed. Then dwell on it for three chapters bc this is what the whole book has been alluding towards. Also a butterfly in a jar?? but it’s the author’s choice. Over all it was good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Medical trauma, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Trafficking, Cannibalism, and Murder
Minor: Physical abuse and Suicidal thoughts
michellekassandra's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
From the very first page, I loved this book. No slow starts and no fast endings. I loved every second of this book. It has quickly become one of my favorites.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Murder
kwdubz's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
What a.... honestly disappointing read. I've had this for so long and I was highly anticipating it because I loved the Lost Boys book. Maybe I overhyped it in my head, because it has been a very long time since I read that, but this was just not as good as I was expecting.
The writing was fine, just a little too... idk... straight forward? There were too many liberties taken with the plot that it felt too convenient and fast paced for the way the characters were acting and thinking. Not to mention the gratuitous use of sexual assault and violence against women as a plot point and narrative device. There's only so much I can handle.
The characters were not very developed. It felt like a lot of telling was happening rather than showing. All in all they read very YA but boy howdy were the descriptions graphic.
Very bingeable, probably only took me a few hours in total to get through this. I'm not sure if I'll continue though.
The writing was fine, just a little too... idk... straight forward? There were too many liberties taken with the plot that it felt too convenient and fast paced for the way the characters were acting and thinking. Not to mention the gratuitous use of sexual assault and violence against women as a plot point and narrative device. There's only so much I can handle.
The characters were not very developed. It felt like a lot of telling was happening rather than showing. All in all they read very YA but boy howdy were the descriptions graphic.
Very bingeable, probably only took me a few hours in total to get through this. I'm not sure if I'll continue though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Murder
mykday's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping
simon_woods's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Some very dark stuff in this one. Considering this dark tone and events throughout, I found the ending to be rushed, a little cliché and somewhat anticlimactic.
Up until the last 70 or so pages it was pretty good though it veers a little far from the Alice in Wonderland theme at times.
There were some interesting adaptations of the characters from the Alice world and it has a unique take on this that I was not expecting when I picked it up.
The tone is a bit mixed - at times can be very dark and graphic but then other times it can be kind of an average fantasy novel.
I think the depictions of characters like The Caterpillar and The Walrus were really interesting and grotesque however, I felt like the author had a fun time building them up until we finally meet them and then it's over very quickly, and onto the next thing. It was a little annoying and convenient.
The Hatcher/Alice romance felt a bit off, like it was forced in there. I felt if they were just good buds it would've worked better. Not all lead characters need to have a romance, especially ones as traumatised as these two.
I also wondered if it had used original characters instead, would it likely be able to still tell the same story? Probably. For example, the original by Lewis Carroll plays mind games and messes with you and plays with logic whereas this one didn't really have any of that and felt a bit more straightforward. If you changed the names of some of the characters, I would think you wouldn't even realise who they were based on.
The story wasn't set in Wonderland really, it was set in Alice's version of the real world where everyone experienced the same events, no trip to any alternate dimension/world, so I feel it loses a little magic this way as you're not really left wondering what was real and what everything meant.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the Alice references and interpretations though I'm not in a huge rush to read the sequel - Red Queen.
Up until the last 70 or so pages it was pretty good though it veers a little far from the Alice in Wonderland theme at times.
There were some interesting adaptations of the characters from the Alice world and it has a unique take on this that I was not expecting when I picked it up.
The tone is a bit mixed - at times can be very dark and graphic but then other times it can be kind of an average fantasy novel.
I think the depictions of characters like The Caterpillar and The Walrus were really interesting and grotesque however, I felt like the author had a fun time building them up until we finally meet them and then it's over very quickly, and onto the next thing. It was a little annoying and convenient.
The Hatcher/Alice romance felt a bit off, like it was forced in there. I felt if they were just good buds it would've worked better. Not all lead characters need to have a romance, especially ones as traumatised as these two.
I also wondered if it had used original characters instead, would it likely be able to still tell the same story? Probably. For example, the original by Lewis Carroll plays mind games and messes with you and plays with logic whereas this one didn't really have any of that and felt a bit more straightforward. If you changed the names of some of the characters, I would think you wouldn't even realise who they were based on.
The story wasn't set in Wonderland really, it was set in Alice's version of the real world where everyone experienced the same events, no trip to any alternate dimension/world, so I feel it loses a little magic this way as you're not really left wondering what was real and what everything meant.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the Alice references and interpretations though I'm not in a huge rush to read the sequel - Red Queen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Fire/Fire injury