The author of Alice takes readers back down the rabbit hole to a dark, twisted, and fascinating world based on the works of Lewis Carroll… The land outside of the Old City was supposed to be green, lush, hopeful. A place where Alice could finally rest, no longer the plaything of the Rabbit, the pawn of Cheshire, or the prey of the Jabberwocky. But the verdant fields are nothing but ash—and … fields are nothing but ash—and hope is nowhere to be found.
Still, Alice and Hatcher are on a mission to find his daughter, a quest they will not forsake even as it takes them deep into the clutches of the mad White Queen and her goblin or into the realm of the twisted and cruel Black King.
The pieces are set and the game has already begun. Each move brings Alice closer to her destiny. But, to win, she will need to harness her newfound abilities and ally herself with someone even more powerful—the mysterious and vengeful Red Queen…
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I wasn’t sure what to expect in this sequel, but what I got was something I didn’t think I wanted or needed. But oh, how I did!
What I loved about this one was that it was a lot different than the first book! It took a different route, the way I feel like a place like Wonderland truly would. I loved Alice, loved Hatcher, and loved this story! There was wonderful character growth for Alice, and I feel like she very much discovered herself!
There was magic, and reveals, and emotions, and horrifying whimsy! The writing was on point and honestly, I want more of this world!
Red Queen picks up soon after Alice and follows the characters on another bizarre and dark tale of fantasy and wonder. This is where Henry really starts to develop her characters and their relationships. Here Henry gives the reader a deeper sense of who the characters are and where they came from, especially Hatcher. There are multiple sides to who these characters are and they are evolving, they are becoming something more for the reader. Alice grows up a little more, becomes a stronger character in her own right. Her evolution pushed the story forward, propelling the plot and creating a wonderful, dark and tantalizing story. Alice is amazing in this novel and her softer side is what makes her stronger. In the previous novel it was her curiosity and rage that defined her and made her a stronger character, but here, as she evolves, there is something softer revealed in her persona, and it’s the kindness, the love in this novel that really develops her making this a great sequel to the previous novel.
As for the story itself, it relies heavily on the development of Alice and much of the wonder is left to the imagination of the reader. That’s not to say that there is no wonder in the novel but considering the previous novel was mostly about recreating a world with a twisted side, this novel takes that and introduces more characters from Wonderland and thrust them into the dark and twisted recreation that is just spectacularly well done. Henry puts her own imagination into the storytelling, into bringing these characters to life, and that is where most of the wonder is, in those creations and their mindset. It’s a dark tale, there is no doubt about that, but there is no nonsense in this novel. It’s a cohesive novel, it holds together very well and the characters really bring this story to life.
Admittedly, the ending, much like with the previous novel, does seem a bit rushed. Henry throws in some plot twists in the novel at the very end but they are closed as early as they are opened. There is a lot at the ending that could have been flushed out more to add more tension to the tale, but instead, Henry puts them out there and then closes the book on them. It’s unfortunate that they aren’t flushed out more, but at the end of the day, it’s still a riveting read.
A rare jewel of a book. I could not put it down. I will be looking for more by this author.
Loved this dark twist on Alice in Wonderland, with Alice and Hatter being patients in a mental ward.