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Mad About the Hatter
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received a free copy of this book to review from Netgalley.

Hatter has been kept prisoner in the red queens dungeons for longer than he can remember. Eventually the day has come, he has been summoned by the Queen herself what can only be for none the less a beheading as everyone knows this is her favourite pastime. To the Hatters amazement she is sparing his head by striking a deal that he can’t refuse (really he can’t refuse) by capturing ‘boy Alice’ – and returning him for a right old head lolloping.

‘Boy Alice’ is in fact Alice’s younger brother Henry(17). He has never believed Alice’s stories of wonderland and always thought she was attention seeking, for which they have never seen eye to eye.

All Henry remembers is Alice apologising after their recent altercation, handing him a glass of punch and telling him to find the Hatter!

Henry finds himself in a mysterious place of oversized flowers and a caterpillar sitting upon a mushroom that speaks in riddles – can it really be Wonderland? Was Alice really an attention seeking twit?.

When Hatter finds Henry they grow to like each other and try to figure a plan to get Henry back to his home but by doing so they have to cross some challenging areas within Wonderland such as the Neverglades and Drawrof, during this adventure the relationship between the Hatter and Henry blossom.

    "Rules are merely a fistful of conundrums, obstacles and barriers knotted and twisted together for the sole purpose of sucking the last bit of fun out of every experience"

I loved this book so much! The world-building was amazing that I felt like I was in Wonderland alongside the Hatter and Henry. Every section of Wonderland they crossed was so different from the last and every bit as magical.

The book is only 190 pages so a very fast and easy read. I liked that all the original characters were used and they all had the same traits as from Alice in Wonderland and that new creatures added and were blended in well.

The friendship between Henry and that Hatter was very sweet and heartwarming as they ventured on through the mystical lands and defied death, the feelings for one another become more than companions.

There were some particularly funny moments in the book that did make me laugh out loud as they were quite witty and there were still some essence of nonsense but not as much as Alice in Wonderland.

Alice to me was the only character that I didn’t really feel genuine, it felt a bit forced like she had to been in the book because it was based on Alice in Wonderland by C.S Lewis.

Nearing the end of the book there was a particular cheesy bit that I didn’t really like as it was a bit of a cliché but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I was sucked in to the magical world that was Wonderland!

I think there is definitely room for a sequel.

    "That’s the secret to Wonderland. Believing. It’s what fuels magic"

I would recommend this book for anyone that reads/likes Young Adult and Lite fantasy novels.

I have never read anything else by Dakota Chase, though she has other books published such as ‘Changing Jamie’ and ‘Monster Town’.

Overall I rate this 4 out of 5 stars
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Word Game in Books

Feb 13, 2018  
TW
The Word Game
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Due to a traumatic event in her past, mom Alyson Ward keeps a protective and close watch over her ten-year-old daughter, Lyla. So when she allows Lyla to go on her first sleepover--to another friend's house--it's a big deal for Aly. Her fears are somewhat calmed by the fact that Lyla will be staying with Aly's sister Tricia and a group of her friends from dance class. All in all, it seems like a fun sleepover. But after Aly picks Lyla up, she has some troubling things to tell her Mom. Have Aly's worst fears come true after all?

This book was a quick read with a timely plot. It's always horrific to read about abuse, especially at it relates to children. In many ways, I would have enjoyed this book more if Aly was simply an overprotective parent and the story unfolded based on what happened at the sleepover, without involving Aly and Tricia's past. The novel unwinds from both their perspectives, as well as that of their mother, Ida, and their friend, Myah, who teaches the girls' dance class. For me, the messed up family tale involving Aly, Tricia, and Ida simply became too much after a while - the constant bickering and allusions "to things in the past." When all is revealed, it's shocking and horrible yes, but really just poorly overshadows what was otherwise a fairly well-written and interesting (albeit sad and horrific) story about the women's daughters.

Also, while we get a lot of arguing among the elder sisters and their mom, and whispers about their troublesome upbringing and childhood, there's no real character development, so I wound up feeling more annoyed by them (especially Tricia and her mom) versus sympathetic. It seems especially appalling that no one listens to Aly -- you'd think one would rather be safe than sorry when the subject is potential child abuse.

I'm giving this three stars for the story that focuses more on the younger generation and Myah, but feel the book needed to better deal with Alyson and Tricia's backstory and character development.