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Alice Keller is running for her very life from Rodrick, a psychopathic man whose control she’s under. She just witnessed him murder her best friend and she knows that unless she can escape his clutches, she’ll be next on his grim hit-list. As she mounts her daring escape from the ramshackle cabin he’s bound her in, she injures her leg and discovers another victim of Rodrick’s sadistic games. Steeling her nerve, she waits, hidden under the cabin, until she hears him leave, before she stumbles out and makes her slow way to the nearest town. She’s almost at a safe place, surrounded by other people, when Roderick appears at the far end of the street – and with renewed panic, she runs blindly away. Only to run into something with so much force, she’s knocked out.
When she comes too, she realises she’s ‘Not in England, anymore.’ In fact, she’s somehow under water, but able to breathe. Nor is she injured. As she makes her way to the lakes surface, it begins to dawn on her that she’s somewhere else entirely; her suspicions confirmed by a man calling himself The Hatter, when he welcomes her to Wonderland.
This was an incredible take on the Lewis Carroll classic – and as someone who hales from Cheshire (as in the Cheshire Cat), I love pretty much anything Wonderland related, although I can be pretty skeptical when it comes to reimagined versions of the tale. Alice Keller and the Return to Wonderland did not, in anyway disappoint, though.
We’re introduced to Alice in a prologue that could have come straight out of a thriller. The descriptions were vivid and bright, as well as being obscure enough to whet the interest of the reader; what happened to her? Why is she so vacant? Who is the hooded figure? It’s almost chilling in it’s approach. Then the opening chapters give vibes of violence, coercion and control, building the action quickly and fluently, providing a reason for Alice’s determination to run away and her need for some form of sanctuary. Which Wonderland provides.
Brown has written a fantastic, thrilling reimagined Alice for young adults looking for a slightly frightening and intriguing version of a classic novel.
S. A.
Originally published on Reedsy Discovery as part of their ARC program. You can read the review here.
You can buy Alice Keller and the Return to Wonderland from Amazon. It’s also available as part of Kindle Unlimited.