A review by diaryofthebookdragon
Her Mad Hatter by Marie Hall
2.0
When I started reading Her Mad Hatter I expected sexy retelling of Alice in Wonderland. So imagine my surprise when on the first page I met Danika, “fairy godmother extraordinaire” (her description not mine). And when she described a setting for the story all I could think was: YES!
Kingdom series by Marie Hall is not set in any specific fairy tale. Instead the world is a delightful mix of all popular stories. Although I must notice that a lot of time Disney versions were used, not original fairy tales. No matter, it was my favorite type of fairy tale retelling. It sounded too good to be true. And Danika was just the kind of narrator I like: quirky and with a big mouth. Just read what she has to say about some of her colleagues:
"Of course that stupid fat cow- oh what was her face, the one who worked with Cinderella- thought she was the best. But honestly, what was her claim to fame? Turning a pumpkin into a coach? Or, how about making mice footmen?
Preposterous.
She was a disgrace to all the fairy godmothers out there with her ridiculous bippity-boppity-booing.
Not to mention her clientele. That simpering little doll– a classic Mary Sue if ever there was one. Oh save me, Prince Charming, for I am pretty and cannot do a thing for myself. *Bat lashes, wiggle bottom, ad nauseum.*
Blah!
Pathetic little creature. Danika would rather gouge her eye out with a spoon. A rusty one! And… and… roughened at the edges."
Obviously Danika likes to have different proteges. She calls them “the bad boys of the Kingdom”. And in Her Mad Hatter we get to read how Danika helped the first bad boy find true love. As the title suggests it, it’s the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. But imagine something more similar to Tim Burton’s version, not Disney’s.
After the delightful introduction and interesting world I was ready to swoon, to be swept off my feet with romance. Sadly, this is the part of the story that fell short for me. I just couldn’t care less for the couple. I was not sorry for the Hatter, who was going slowly insane. And all I can say about Alice is that her childhood crush felt kinda creepy. Sometimes the story about destined couples and mates work for me. But not this time.
Most of the book was, as expected, about Alice and Hatter, and was boring for me. I could not wait for it to end. Still, I am not sure if I do not like how Marie Hall does romance or only this couple was the problem. As I said I loved the setting and Danika. Also the descriptions were very nice:
"She grabbed hold of the smooth wood, the hum of its power echoing down her fingertips like the swelling vibrations of water dripping on thin metal."
I will have to investigate further. Luckily for me, I managed to grab first three books of Kingdom series as they are free Kindle ebooks. The next part Gerard’s Beauty is inspired by Beauty and the Beast, one of my favorite fairy tales. Lets hope I will like the characters this time.
In The End…
Her Mad Hatter is a typical paranormal romance set in Wonderland. Recommended if you like to read the version of story where Alice and Hatter get together and you don’t mind that romance will be instant, because they are destined to be together.
This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
Kingdom series by Marie Hall is not set in any specific fairy tale. Instead the world is a delightful mix of all popular stories. Although I must notice that a lot of time Disney versions were used, not original fairy tales. No matter, it was my favorite type of fairy tale retelling. It sounded too good to be true. And Danika was just the kind of narrator I like: quirky and with a big mouth. Just read what she has to say about some of her colleagues:
"Of course that stupid fat cow- oh what was her face, the one who worked with Cinderella- thought she was the best. But honestly, what was her claim to fame? Turning a pumpkin into a coach? Or, how about making mice footmen?
Preposterous.
She was a disgrace to all the fairy godmothers out there with her ridiculous bippity-boppity-booing.
Not to mention her clientele. That simpering little doll– a classic Mary Sue if ever there was one. Oh save me, Prince Charming, for I am pretty and cannot do a thing for myself. *Bat lashes, wiggle bottom, ad nauseum.*
Blah!
Pathetic little creature. Danika would rather gouge her eye out with a spoon. A rusty one! And… and… roughened at the edges."
Obviously Danika likes to have different proteges. She calls them “the bad boys of the Kingdom”. And in Her Mad Hatter we get to read how Danika helped the first bad boy find true love. As the title suggests it, it’s the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. But imagine something more similar to Tim Burton’s version, not Disney’s.
After the delightful introduction and interesting world I was ready to swoon, to be swept off my feet with romance. Sadly, this is the part of the story that fell short for me. I just couldn’t care less for the couple. I was not sorry for the Hatter, who was going slowly insane. And all I can say about Alice is that her childhood crush felt kinda creepy. Sometimes the story about destined couples and mates work for me. But not this time.
Most of the book was, as expected, about Alice and Hatter, and was boring for me. I could not wait for it to end. Still, I am not sure if I do not like how Marie Hall does romance or only this couple was the problem. As I said I loved the setting and Danika. Also the descriptions were very nice:
"She grabbed hold of the smooth wood, the hum of its power echoing down her fingertips like the swelling vibrations of water dripping on thin metal."
I will have to investigate further. Luckily for me, I managed to grab first three books of Kingdom series as they are free Kindle ebooks. The next part Gerard’s Beauty is inspired by Beauty and the Beast, one of my favorite fairy tales. Lets hope I will like the characters this time.
In The End…
Her Mad Hatter is a typical paranormal romance set in Wonderland. Recommended if you like to read the version of story where Alice and Hatter get together and you don’t mind that romance will be instant, because they are destined to be together.
This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.