Welcome to Wonderland Academy. Don’t lose your head.Getting into Wonderland Academy is easy:You must be a little mad.You must follow the white rabbit.You must find the key to enter Wonderland.You must not be named Alice or risk being beheaded by order of the Queen of Hearts.We might have an issue with that last one.My name may be Alice, but Wonderland Academy is everything my real life isn’t. … but Wonderland Academy is everything my real life isn’t. Who wouldn’t want to learn how to ride a jabberwocky, train with a vorpal sword, cast spells using a teacup, or shapeshift into a fairy? As long as no one figures out my real name, I should be fine.
The only problem? Aden, the Queen of Hearts’ son, is quickly becoming my best friend. And then there’s Corbin. Brooding, surly, tattooed, and definitely not my type, I can’t stop thinking about him. But Corbin has secrets of his own, and Wonderland and secrets don’t mix.
How I’m going to pass my classes and protect my secret like my life depends on it is beyond me. But I better find a way. Because in Wonderland, no Alice is safe.
* *
Wonderland Academy re-imagines the fantastical world of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland for a fresh, new adventure. Combining whimsy, magic, and a splash of steampunk, New York Times best-selling author Melanie Karsak invites you into this beautifully re-envisioned fairy tale adventure.
Scroll up to one-click today!
* *
Wonderland Academy is a college-level academy novel. It contains a slow-burn (not rh) romance. The novel is clean aside from mild language. This is Book 1 in a planned trilogy. Book 1 ends on a cliffhanger (Frodo didn’t reach Mount Doom in a day, after all).
Trigger Warning: This novel also includes references to a school shooting.
more
I don’t think I have ever read a story quite like this one. It is such a magical play on a traditional story that it never felt old or tired! The way the story is woven was fresh and enthralling! I did not want to put this down, but needed to at times because I felt myself getting a bit too excited, LOL.
This author as a way about her writing, it is addictive and playful; has snark and humor, yet always manages to blend (flawlessly) my childlike need for adventure and my adult need for wonderful characters. The imagination and depth this author managed to incorporate into this story is beyond anything I could have imagined myself! I loved the classes the character took and would really; really love my own tea cup!
Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime and hold on to your jabberwocky. This wild ride is worth every page, every missed adulting moment and every minute of sleep! I received an ARC and am leaving an honest review; I also purchased a copy for my favorite’s library.
Wonderland Academy was really a great retelling of Alice in Wonderland.
Getting into the academy is quite easy.
You must be a little mad.
You must follow the white rabbit.
You must find the key to enter Wonderland.
The only exeption, is that the academy never let in anyone who’s name is Alice by the order of the Queen of Hearts for she will lose her head.
So when Alice “Lacey” Crane is suddendly admit there with not a lot of explanation she must be extra careful that no one find her true name.
Only one problem is that she quickly become friend with the Queen of Hearts son, Aiden.
I really have love the first book in this serie. Can’t wait to see whats to come next since in Wonderland no Alice is save.
I have received an arc of this book by Melanie Karsak.
This book has become my new favorite Wonderland story!
Wonderland Academy is full of wonder, mischief, action, riddles, prophecies and mysteries. The characters are extraordinary and the story to die for!
Lacey has landed where all the mad people are. She is not sure why she ended up in a place that has only ever existed in a story book. There is a war brewing right under the surface and it seems she’s right in the middle of it. It seems staying under the radar will be a lot harder than she ever thought…
I loved this book! I would actually get unreasonably mad when I had to put the book down to do my mundane things. I could not get enough! I was especially upset when I reached the end. I need the next book asap!
ONE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY!!!
Off the chain! Wrestling with a multitude of trials, plot twists and explosive emotions while balancing on a razors edge. A churning eddy of vexing circumstances and troubling events leads to jeopardy, danger and suspense that blows this baby wide open. This page flipping wonder with a raging storyline and gripping plot launch this bad boy to life spectacularly. The characters are authentic and realistic with depth and traits that blend and flow. The scenes are so vividly detailed it gives the illusion you were right there with them instead of on the sidelines. Remarkable job Melanie, thanks for sharing.
I loved this book. I wanted to devour this book and at the same time I didn’t want the book to ever end. I love Wonderland Academy and wish it was real. This twist on Alice in Wonderland is by far the most fun that I have read. Who wouldn’t want to go to a school were you learn to bake a cookie so you can become flat as a piece of paper or learn to ride a Jabberwocky. I mean that would be awesome!! Still to this day my favorite is the Cheshire Cat and he doesn’t disappoint in this book. You will wonder like Alice does if everything is real or if she’s is delusional but heck I would to live in her world even if it wasn’t real. This book is so much fun to read. If you love adventure and Alice in Wonderland pick up this book. I can’t wait for the next one.
*I received a free copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
Best retelling of the classic Alice in Wonderland by far!
As always Melanie delivers a stunning retelling of a classic fairytale with a steampunk flair.
It’s extremely well written with outstanding world building and a cast of characters you can both love and hate. I could not put it down. Yes, it is a cliffhanger, but it is totally worth the wait.
Hurry, hurry it’s getting late…I can hardly wait!
Happy Reading:-)
I am such a Melanie Karsak fan-girl! I loved her wonderfully evocative Wonderland. Such creativity went into building this magical college. She also did an amazing job of building “Lacey’s” character. This series is a must-read.
I loved this fantastic retelling of Alice in Wonderland. I enjoyed the new spin that the author put on the story and loved the characters. I devoured this book. From beginning to end I was completely captivated by the tale. Now I’m totally hooked and cannot wait for the next book.
This isn’t your typical Wonderland fairytale retelling, it’s darker, more nightmare than any daydream!! The flashbacks are disturbing and dark and raw! This is reality, it’s quite the emotional journey! This will take you to unpleasant places and push boundaries and you’ll hold on tightly as this pulls you along. This Wonderland is filled with intrigue and lies. This academy places foe and friend beside you. In a world where being an Alice is an immediate death sentence, Lacey is in danger of losing her head. She is faced with a whole new reality that just maybe she isn’t as insane as she’s always believed. She has to keep her identity secret as she meets new people and creatures. The classes in this are spectacular! We get to see a bit of how Wonderland magic works and in the reasoning as to why the students must train so diligently. This is a must read for any Wonderland fan and if you love academy series this will lure you in as well. It’s stunning and brilliant and the surprises don’t stop!
Wonderful and creative take on what would happen if you were sent to wonderland as a school. Loved the characters and the adventures.
Wonderland Academy Book 1 in a new series by Melanie Karsak. It is a reimagined world of Lewis Carroll’s Alice In Wonderland. Melanie Karsak’s retelling is phenomenal in that she has incorporated parts of the original fairytale so that it is recognizable, but then uses her fantastic imagination to create an amazing story with awesome characters/creatures and twists that makes this fairytale her own. Ms. Karsak has the superb ability with words to draw the reader into the story sharing the adventure as a participant rather than an observer. Once you began to read, you continue to turn pages until the last which came to soon. Lacey (MFC) who uses her middle name rather than Alice, her first name, has just been released from the psycho ward as she was thought to have attempted suicide due to a tragedy in her life she has yet to come to terms with. All she wants is to go to her grandma’s house. Upon arriving Lacey’s grandma hands her a packed suitcase, tells her she has been accepted to attend Wonderland Academy, gives her an envelope, and warns her that she must not under any circumstance reveal that Alice is her first name and not to lose her head. When she opens the envelope from the Academy, she immediately falls through a black dot on the floor and slide into Wonderland and the adventure begins. This is an exceptional re-imaging of Alice In Wonderland and one I highly recommend and am anxiously waiting for the second in series. Received an ARC and this is my voluntary and honest review.
At the beginning I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book. It started off a little dark with some mystery as to what happened to Lacy in the past and the demons she’s battling but a few chapters in I was hooked!!
The narrator did a fabulous job of slowly reeling me in. I found myself enjoying this new world of Alice in Wonderland. I liked how the world was built onto and that there were difference in this book compared to the classic.
It was great throughout and I cannot wait to dig into book 2!!
This book is great! I’m loving the uniqueness of Alice in Wonderland and the timeline being more current in times at The Other Place that makes things all the more realistic and crazier at the same time. I can’t wait to see what Year Two brings.
I am such a huge Melanie Karsak fan! Her books are adventurous and full of life! Her newest book sucked me in and didn’t let go til the very end! I can’t wait for more!
Beware this is only the first book in this series and the others aren’t out yet and it does end with a cliffhanger that will leave you wanting more.
Sooo glad I had a storm day to gobble this book up. So much fun, so much whimsy, and even a Wonderland recipes, modified for us Overthere-ians. 😀 I love this modern continuation of the old Alice in Wonderland stories, and I love the twists on the old characters with this whole new cast. Can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the series!
I really liked it! Great characters,and spin on a old tale….RECOMMENDED for snark and adventure!
Action packed, highly entertaining, fun, engaging and emotionally thrilling adventure filled with danger, magic, mystery and intriguing charter that I could not get enough of their witty banter. Excellent summer reading!
Book review of Wonderland Academy by Melanie Karsak
Holy Vorpal Swords and Jabberwockies …
Having only ever watched the Disney movie Alice in Wonderland … I do truly want to read the Lewis Carroll books.
This was an amazing twist on one of my favorite “fairytales “. While I see it as a non-traditional Fairytale it does have elements of fantasy, magic and fairytale!
Lacey is a wonderfully flawed character, damaged, sad and absolutely mad! The other characters come to life in great and fantastical ways. I genuinely look forward to the next book! Now to wait …
I did receive this book as an Advance Reader Copy with the Hope’s I would like it enough to review it.
Do you ever get to the end of the book and let out a small shriek of annoyance at the cliffhanger ending even though you know that this is the first book in a series and this writer is a master at leaving you in the middle of the action? No? Just me then. The fact that I’m at work and everyone now thinks I should be a resident of Wonderland notwithstanding, this was a great first book. I love Alice in Wonderland! I love revisionist history! So I’m tiptoeing though the judgmental talking tulips at a revisionist Wonderland that takes place 2 generations after the familiar tale! If you are looking for a fantasy with a familiar (but still fresh) world, complicated characters with their own agendas, and the urge to feed characters something with vegetables (or at least the guise of healthiness), this is your book! Malanie Karsak has hooked me into yet another amazing series!